Lamentation

England,

1546. The last year of King Henry VIII’s life. The hardest year of his entire reign. Heretical rebellion, harsh attacks on the queen, major changes in foreign policy, a forced attempt to reconcile with the Pope, and, at the end, a blow below the belt: the Privy Council falling under the control of reformers…

Against this tense backdrop, detective-lawyer Matthew Shardlake investigates a strange crime that occurs in the apartments of Catherine Parr, Henry’s wife—a kidnapping of a precious ring. As Shardlake soon realizes, the ring is a decoy. The Queen’s manuscript titled “The Lamentation of the Sinner” has been stolen, and its publication could cost Catherine her life…

In the world of literary heroes and in the mind of today’s reader, Matthew Shardlake’s image holds a place of honor among characters like Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Nero Wolfe, and Inspector Maigret.