I must confess that there was a time when I was totally addicted to Brother Cadfael, first the books and then the PBS series with the wonderful Derek Jacobi in the title role. The Brother Cadfael series came to an end with the death of Ellis Peters. It has been years since there was anything new in the rather specialized niche of mystery combined with British historical fiction.
The lovable Monk gave us Medieval England, a familiarity with herbs, a gentle philosophy, and enough blood, gore and evil acts to keep the most ardent mystery afficianado content. Now C. J. Sansom brings us Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer in the time of Henry VIII.
If you like your history dripping red and drenched in suspicious circumstances. head for the book store or library for a really good read.
