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Top-Rated Products
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Historical crime and mystery fiction Reviews
Top Rated Product
Dark Fire
The second Shardlake novel in C. J. Sansom's remarkable historical crime series
Average Customer Rating:
(13 Reviews) 13
Rating snapshot (13 reviews)
5 stars
12
4 stars
1
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
12 of 13(92%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Dark Fire
Review 1 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Peter H
Location:Cambridge, England
Age:58
A SIX STAR BOOK
23 May 2012
This book is better than the first in the series & I gave that 5 stars. All the characters from the principles to the nameless man with ox who appears once crossing the street are 3 dimentional. You can smell Tudor London it's corruption whether from those in power like Thomas Cromwell & the Duke of Norfolk or the rotting items by the side of the road.
The secret of Dark Fire ( also known as Greek Fire ) is suposed to have been found. Is it true or a con? Shardlake has 2 weeks to find out. At the same time he has to find out what realy happened at a supposed murder but she's not talking & has 2 weeks to live. Will the truth be found? Can Shardlake keep himself & his client alive long enough to find out?
Someone is plotting against Cromwell & all who work for him, including Shardlake are in danger. To find out who read this book & be prepared to do without sleep and be led astray on your journey.
The secret of Dark Fire ( also known as Greek Fire ) is suposed to have been found. Is it true or a con? Shardlake has 2 weeks to find out. At the same time he has to find out what realy happened at a supposed murder but she's not talking & has 2 weeks to live. Will the truth be found? Can Shardlake keep himself & his client alive long enough to find out?
Someone is plotting against Cromwell & all who work for him, including Shardlake are in danger. To find out who read this book & be prepared to do without sleep and be led astray on your journey.
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Review 2 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Ventoux
Location:Denmark
Age:39
Real history rumbling behind exciting story
26 April 2012
I like the constant rolling story line - pacing it self forward with real history rumbling in the back. Eventhough I have read the books in correct order, the story stands strong by itself, but the familiarity of key figures ads to the experience - and you will want to grap the next book to follow Shardlake again in the settings of England in the Tudor age.
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Review 3 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Rudi
Location:Hampshire
Age:60
Superby written
03 March 2011
this is my second Shardlake book, and again, really well written, very descriptive and gripping . However, after two books, I've had enough of the savagery of the 16th century.
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Review 4 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Ecowitch
Location:Cardiff
24 February 2011
Having finished Dissolution, I found myself reaching for this straight after and once again Sansom did not disappoint. The story continues on three years after Dissolution and the relationship between Cromwell and Shardlake has weakened...until Shardlake is summoned to see Cromwell on a very urgent matter following his intervention in saving the life of one of Shardlake's clients (temporarily at least). Cromwell tasks Shardlake with finding an ancient weapon known as Dark Fire that has been detailed and successfully demonstrated to him by two alchemists, both of whom have been difficult to track down (largely due to their brutal murder).
This investigation is set against the backdrop of Henry's not so successful marriage to Anne of Cleves following the death of his third wife Jane during childbirth. Because of this marriage the tension between Shardlake and Cromwell is palpable and adds to the overall tension of the story. Once again the story has many twists and turns, plots and sub plots, all of which are further emphasised by the prescence of new characters whose allegiances are not completely clear at times. Once again a very good entertaining and enjoyable read and although I guessed what Dark Fire was I never got close to who was involved and the final outcome of the investigation (although I knew it wasn't going to be good...I knew my Tudor history lessons would be useful on day).
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Review 5 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Stardustsparklz
Location:Lincoln
Age:36
Shardlake - my hero!
27 November 2010
I love this character and enjoy working through his adventures with him. A judicious mix of historical detail and fast paced fiction make this series addictive! Travel through Tudor London tracing dark deeds with this unlikely hero! Enjoy!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
greent
Location:Edinburgh
superb
15 October 2010
I've just discovered CJ Sansom and loved the first book Dissolution so bot this and could not put it down. I'm off the buy Sovereign
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Review 7 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Dapo
Location:Surrey England
Medieval WMD?
20 June 2010
Dark Fire
Another epic tale in the Shardlake series. As ever the novel circulates around an intricate network of plots set in Tudor England. However the main theme of the book explores the possibility that plans for an early version of an explosive flame thrower, or possibly even Napalm, could have been brought to Medieval Britain from the Middle East
At first the weapon was considered to be no more than a piece of myth or folklore but as the story unfolds evidence is found that such a weapon did exist under the name of “Greek Fire” and our erstwhile hero was tasked with the job of finding it.
The bloody trail leads through most of ancient London. With the political intrigue, murder destruction and passion which Sansom does so well. You can almost smell the city and feel the fear.
Ultimately its Thomas Cromwell’s neck which is held in the balance and with his fortune or demise the political scenery of England can change once again.
A great read for fans of historical fiction and an essential for the followers of Shardlake the hunchback lawyer who is the Sherlock Holmes of his day. As ever the twist as well as the conclusion to many of the side plots is left almost until the very last page.
Another epic tale in the Shardlake series. As ever the novel circulates around an intricate network of plots set in Tudor England. However the main theme of the book explores the possibility that plans for an early version of an explosive flame thrower, or possibly even Napalm, could have been brought to Medieval Britain from the Middle East
At first the weapon was considered to be no more than a piece of myth or folklore but as the story unfolds evidence is found that such a weapon did exist under the name of “Greek Fire” and our erstwhile hero was tasked with the job of finding it.
The bloody trail leads through most of ancient London. With the political intrigue, murder destruction and passion which Sansom does so well. You can almost smell the city and feel the fear.
Ultimately its Thomas Cromwell’s neck which is held in the balance and with his fortune or demise the political scenery of England can change once again.
A great read for fans of historical fiction and an essential for the followers of Shardlake the hunchback lawyer who is the Sherlock Holmes of his day. As ever the twist as well as the conclusion to many of the side plots is left almost until the very last page.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Lance Mitchell
Location:Andover, UK
Continuous suspense
06 March 2010
Matthew Shardlake has put the nerve-wracking episode of his investigations at Scarnsea Monastery behind him and is living the relatively quiet life of a London lawyer of the Tudor era. Suddenly, his peace is shattered. He is asked to defend a young lady who is accused of murdering her cousin, but refuses to speak to anyone, even Shardlake. A difficult task, and even more stressful because failing to plea when brought to court in those days resulted in a slow and agonising death by “pressing.”
Almost simultaneously, Shardlake is called to the chambers of Lord Cromwell, who commissions him to seek one of the earliest weapons of mass destruction, Greek fire. It is a very dangerous assignment, made even more so because it is so difficult to work out whom he can trust. Wisely, he decides to trust no-one.
There is suspense throughout this book, and more than a few close scrapes. I really enjoyed it.
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Review 9 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Mark Dunning
04 November 2008
Cleverly plotted and with excellent characterisation, the second outing for Matthew Shardlake is, if anything, even better than the first. I can't recommend it highly enough. Buy this book!
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Review 10 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
lisa hollows
17 July 2008
Wow. Sansom has pulled off a master stroke with this one. The first book was great but this one was even better. I did wonder if the loss of Shardlake's trusted companion in the first book would knock the balance with this one but I have to say his new companion is a far better character and all together more trustworthy. I love the series and look forward to reading the next one. Brilliant!
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Review 11 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Hannah Shanks
10 February 2008
what can I say? I thought that the first novel of the series was amazing but Dark fire went one step further with a mesmerising plot set in an extremely interesting period of time. If you read this book be prepared for some very late nights as you will not want to put it down.
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Review 12 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Krishan Sood
30 December 2007
A fantastic read! C.J. Sansom's vivid description of Tudor London brings every detail to life. With fantastic well rounded believable characters and a exciting story of murder and political intrigue, Dark Fire is a fantastic read that I would recommend to anyone!
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Review 13 for Dark Fire
Overall rating:
Angela Roth
29 June 2007
Once again, CJ Sansom managed to capture my interest immediately. His attention to detail and his style of writing ensures that the humanity of his characters is almost tangible. Once you pick up his books, you simply don't want to put them down as you lose yourself in the darkness and intrigue of the period. I can heartily recommend Dark Fire and its predecessor, Dissolution!
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