It is 1543 and King Henry VIII is trying to persuade the widowed Lady Catherine Parr to become his sixth wife.  Lady Catherine is demurring, some suspect because she is a reformation sympathizer. The Catholics and the Protestant reformers have been at odds for many years and there are even those, like the King, who favor a Catholicism without a pope over Protestantism. 

Matthew, a hunchbacked lawyer, finds his friend Roger Elliard in a fountain with his throat slit.  Matthew is approached by Roger’s widow, a woman Matthew has secretly admired for years, to uncover Roger’s murderer.  Because of possible political ramifications, the coroner is less than anxious to open an inquest, so Matthew agrees, along with the help of his assistant Jack Barak and a Moorish doctor. 

Matthew is shocked when he realizes Roger’s murder may be connected to several others and that the crimes are mimicking the Book of Revelations.  Not sure whether the murders are politically based or religious in nature, or a combination of both, Matthew treads carefully, unwilling to incur the wrath of a King whom is already unsure of Matthew and his motives.  

A cleverly rendered portrait of Tudor England, C.J Sansom’s portrayal of the culture of the mid-sixteenth century draws even the most reluctant reader in.  At 550 pages, the size of the book, along with the subject matter, may be daunting, but readers will quickly be drawn into Matthew’s world, and even those with only a passing knowledge of life during Henry VIII’s reign will feel right at home. 

Matthew is a diplomatic character who is at ease with the nobility as he is with servants and the lower class.  He carefully investigates Roger’s murder without provoking either side, keeping himself and his assistants safe.  Bothered by the roles he is forced to play during the investigation, Matthew reminds himself it is all for the greater good. 

A very detailed plot, without being dense, Revelation moves at a good pace and provides interest at every turn.  Matthew’s compassion for others is also revealed as he does not forget his young friend in the asylum, nor the others that he will leave behind.                                        

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry