Tombland

Two years after the death of Henry VIII, his eleven year old son, Edward was King in name only.  Edward Seymour, his uncle, now the Duke of Somerset, was the Lord Protector.  As a virtual king, he immediately waged war on the Scots in hopes of wedding their infant Queen Mary to Edward, thus uniting the two nations.  His war was a bust.

In June of 1549, Matthew Shardlake is called to Hatfield Palace where the Lady Elizabeth resides.  He is asked by Thomas Parry to investigate a murder, which might involve a distant cousin of Elizabeth.  He will have his assistant, Nicholas Overton with him on this task, plus Toby Lockswood, the assistant of another lawyer because Lockswood knows Norwich.

When they get to Norwich, they run into Shardlake’s former assistant Jack Barak, who now works for the Assizes.  Shardlake hopes to gain some information from Barak, even though he has been warned to stay away from him by Barak’s wife Tamasin.  They are to stay in an inn near the area known as Tombland, where the richest of the city live.

Having visited the accused the three are sure that he is lying about what he had been doing on the night of the murder.  As they gather more evidence, it seems to point towards the sons of the dead woman, but why would they kill their own mother?  Yet, the number of potential suspects grows.

Unfortunately, the client is found guilty and ordered to be hanged the following day.  Fortunately, Shardlake has an order requesting a pardon from the Lady Elizabeth.  Later, he is surprised when he receives a summons from the Lady Mary, Elizabeth’s older half-sister.  What could that mean?

Having accomplished their mission, Shardlake, Overton and Barak are preparing to leave for London when they are caught up in an uprising, which could cost them their lives.  It doesn’t take long for them to find out that the leader of the rebels is a Robert Kett.  They also learn that this rebellion is country-wide.  Common people want the Protector to stop the rich from enclosing lands for their sheep.

Kett asks Shardlake to be his advisor.  Unfortunately, Overton is held prisoner by the rebels because he does not share their values.  The rebels move to Mousehold Heath outside Norwich.  They prepare a list of demands for the Protector.

With their move to Mousehold, the group think that their investigation is likely at an end, but evidence does come up.  To make matters worse, Lockswood has turned against Overton for some reason.

Unfortunately, the Lord Protector refuses the demands of the rebels, and orders them to disperse.  Dismayed those on Mousehold Heath prepare to take Norwich. In response the Protector sends an army, which Kerr’s untrained men defeat.  However, before long, a stronger army is sent to put down the rebels.  Will Shardlake and his friends survive this time?

Author C. J. Sansom’s historical thriller is well researched and written.  It tells of a time scarcely mentioned in history books, when there were rebellions in England in hopes of making a fairer system.  Unfortunately it was all for nought, as the rich would continue to hold power over their serfs and the other poor.  This was an incredibly enjoyable read, which I highly recommend.