CJ Sansom - Yes or No?

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

A colleague recommended these Shardlake books, but I did not realise they were such doorstops!

Are they worth the effort?

If so, do they need to be read in any particular order?

I've read one - Sovereign. Apparently it's the second in the series, but I didn't feel I missed out. Maybe the first one will be a bit spoilt for me, but maybe not. Who knows...?

I liked his style of writing. It's an easy, interesting, well-structured story. Some intrigue. Some period detail. I read it quite quickly. Unlikely to change the world, but enjoyable.

Yes, yes, yes. They are fab. They do need to be read in the right order. "Dissolution" is the first one, then "Dark Fire" followed by "Sovereign" and finally "Revelation".

The first and fourth were my favourites. "Sovereign" I thought was over-long.

Yes, yes, and thrice yes. All are fabulous and such brilliant characters.... can't wait for the next one. I have such a strong impression of what they look like, what his house, his offices look like. Brilliant!

They're not my thing but my best friend (who is a detective story expert - seriously she could write a thesis) and my dh love them.

YES!! They're fantastic!

I think I will give one a go then!

oh I like them a lot, they're very entertaining

somehow I've ended up going backwards through the series-still need to read the first one....

I have read Dissolution and got through it, wondering the whole time who the murderer was, but I'm not sure I'll read the rest of the series. I am however currently reading Madrid and I love it. Its a real page turner and I even wanted to bring it into work to read on the sly.

Yes - most definatly. I really enjoy them, and they are very readable whilst leaving you with a sense of knowing more about that period of history too.

Not my thing at all but dh is devouring them at a rate of knots atm.

I liked them. But then I am a huge fan of the genre. If you like that sort of thing you'll probably like them. If you don't, you might not!

Haven't read the Shardlake ones but have just finished Winter in Madrid and thought it very good. Lots of detail.

I hope they are worth it. I bought the first one the other week because LucasNorth recommended them to me a few months back. It is on my "to-read" pile.

Yes - "Winter In Madrid" excellent too, I thought, although dp hated it.

I was quite impressed by the first and have bought at least the next two but always have far too many books I want to read...

Worth a try though, do you read other historical and/or crime fiction?

I love them. I too read Soveriegn first. Then Dissolution, Dark Fire and recently Revelation. The order didn't matter too much although its best to read Dissolution before Dark Fire.