Integral to the reformers’ plans is the surrender of England’s powerful monasteries – by forcing their closure, the rich lands and material wealth controlled by the Church will revert to the crown, ready to be redistributed to favored allies and friends. Cromwell dispatches Robin Singleton to Scarnsea, a monastery on the southern coast, to collect evidence against the monastery’s inhabitants as leverage in the impending “negotiations.” However, all does not go according to plan as Singleton is found dead in the kitchen, his head severed from his body.

Wanting answers as soon as possible, Cromwell sends Matthew Shardlake, “the sharpest hunchback in the courts of England,” to Scarnsea to unravel the mystery. With his young assistant Mark Poer in tow, Shardlake makes the journey to Scarnsea through bitter winter weather and quickly discovers there is far more to the story than he expected.

Trapped at the monastery by the piling snows, Matthew and Mark investigate every aspect of life at the enclave in an effort to find Singleton’s killer and further the mission that he began. The list of suspects grows longer with each interview, but little solid evidence to prove who committed the terrible crime. However, it quickly becomes clear that the killer will stop at nothing to avoid detection as another victim is found. Knowing they have no time to lose, the pair uses every ounce of their detective skills to capture a murderer.

Author C.J. Sansom makes his debut with Dissolution, and his writing shows a confidence and assurance one ordinarily only expects from seasoned writers. The novel flows smoothly from start to finish and is filled with multi-dimensional characters that both entertain and provoke personal reflection. Dissolution was clearly crafted by an author with a strong grasp of his historical setting and a keen eye towards the unavoidable foibles of being human.

With his protagonist Matthew Shardlake, Sansom breaks from the convention of the swashbuckling medieval hero and makes him a hunchback, an individual fated to live towards the edges of society. In the hands of a less capable author the choice could come off as pandering, but Sansom invests Shardlake with an immediately compelling humanity that strengthens the entire book. Shardlake is not an easy character to love – his prickly personality makes him quick to take offense and easily moved to lashing out at those around him. But in spite of his difficult ways and apparent cynicism, he is also an idealist, hoping against hope for a better world. It is a testament to Sansom’s skill that he can invest his primary character with a number of unappealing traits and yet make him endearing and compelling at the same time.

Sansom also makes skillful use of setting as part of his plot, as he uses the backdrop of a snowbound monastery to establish an unusual variation on the traditional “locked room” puzzle. Saying any more would spoil the surprise, but suffice it to say that the setting plays a quiet but important role in the action as it unfolds.

Judging by his debut, C.J. Sansom is an author to watch for the future. Dissolution is sure to please fans of historical mystery and every reader that enjoys complex characters and elegant writing.

--Jessica Plonka