Synopsis: Autumn 1541. A plot against the throne has been uncovered, and Henry VIII has set off on a spectacular progress from London to York, along with a thousand soldiers, the cream of the nobility, and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, to quell his rebellious northern subjects. Awaiting his arrival are lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his loyal assistant, Jack Barak. In addition to processing petitions to the king, Shardlake’s task is to protect a dangerous conspirator until he is transported back to London for interrogation.
But when a local glazier is murdered, things get a little more complicated as the murder seems to be not only connected to Shardlake’s prisoner but also to the royal family itself. Then Shardlake stumbles upon a cache of secret papers that throws into doubt the legitimacy of the entire royal line, and a chain of events unfolds that threatens Shardlake with the most terrifying fate of the age: imprisonment in the Tower of London.
Spoilers starting paragraph 3.
Excellent illustration of the vulnerability of anyone who isn’t the King of England. I felt the axe-grinding a bit more in this one with the question of Henry VIII’s legitimacy and treatment of his northern subjects. Those not willing to go quietly along with the new order are swept aside, imprisoned, tortured, executed and their lands and property seized. This makes for a mighty unquiet populace and a secret group of conspirators has been operating quietly, waiting for a chance to disprove Henry’s right to the throne and reestablish the legitimate line. Unfortunately, it looks as though they’ve missed their opportunity and their numbers are dwindling. This sets in motion a plot to find incriminating documents; to destroy or secure them is unclear, but of course many people have to die in the effort.
Basically this is what Shardlake and Barak get caught up in. Commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, Matthew is attached to the King’s Progress to York. Ostensibly to pacify the rebellious northerners, but also to meet with the Scottish King and effect reconciliation, the Progress is really a big showcase of Henry’s right and might. Matthew’s first duty is to protect a political prisoner from an overzealous jailer who’s been known to “accidentally” kill prisoners awaiting torture in the Tower. This is easier said than done and of course shenanigans and poor-sportsmanship ensue.
There is more taunting of Matthew’s hunchbacked condition in this one and it pained me almost as much as it pained him. The biggest insult came directly from the King when he taunted Shardlake during a highly public ceremony. But to make up for it, Shardlake makes a great friend who becomes a surrogate father to him. Fellow lawyer Giles Wrenne is terminally ill and endears himself to Matthew and Barak so they will act as guide and nursemaid on a journey back to London to find his estranged nephew. All well and good, but as the relationship and story progress, hints and suspicion grow. Unfortunately only for me as a reader, not for Shardlake and Barak. Shardlake is too busy suspecting his old friend from the law college and Barak’s new girlfriend Tamesin.
But he gets there in the end and it’s his sad duty to defend himself against Giles in his own garden. This when he should be relaxing and recovering from his time in the Tower. Yes, Matthew gets framed, arrested and thrown into the most horrifying place of its day. Of course Sir Richard Rich is at the bottom of it and it takes the swift work of Barak and the intervention of Archbishop Cranmer to spring him. Having seen The Tower of London in person helped me to imagine the desolation, dread and physical torment of the place. The characterization of his jailers was well done; just doing our jobs, but we like our jobs kind of attitude. Chilling and effective.
I think I’ll hold off reading the next one for a while to give myself a break from the all-encompassing atmosphere of these books. It’s a good thing; rich and detailed, but it’s also a bit depressing. The ignorance, rampant corruption and villainy and the arbitrary nature of it all can be a bit overwhelming. It’s hard to see the good things that came out of this time. Henry and his reign of terror seem to hold sway and I wish that there were a way to transmit some information about the advances during that period, not just the retreats.
0 comments:
Post a Comment