The second in a superior, beautifully written Tudor crime series steeped in historical detail and atmosphere. It began with Dissolution where our quiet lawyer Shardlake is drawn into an assignment for Thomas Cromwell and continues now with another. Classy and clever, it is head and shoulders above the norm.
'C. J. Sansom's books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' - The Sunday Times
Winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, Dark Fire is the second thrilling book in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.
England, 1540. Out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, Matthew Shardlake is intent on keeping a low profile in the courts. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally killing her young cousin, brings him once again into contact with the King's chief minister - and a new assignment.
The secret of Greek Fire, the legendary substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies, has been lost for centuries. Now an official of the Court of Augmentations has discovered the formula in the library of a dissolved monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered - the formula gone.
Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while still trying to prove his young client's innocence. But very soon he discovers nothing is as it seems . . .
This is the second novel in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. It is followed by Sovereign, the third book in the series.
