I read Dissolution – the first book in the Matthew Shardlake series – some time ago, and it left me somewhat ambivalent. A good story, but with some rather ill-defined characters, and an ending that was a bit of an anti-climax.
But as always with a series, you need to read more than one book, so I finally got around to the next volume: Dark Fire. It takes place three years after Dissolution, and Shardlake is back doing his day job; a lawyer, primarily concerned with property cases.
When he is asked to look into a seemingly simple murder case by an old friend, he isn’t keen, but after a few inquiries, he becomes convinced the accused – a young woman who refuses to speak to anyone – is innocent.
But the evidence suggests otherwise, and it seems he cannot prevent the inevitable. But out of the blue, the girl is given a temporary reprieve. He soon finds out why. Thomas Cromwell has a job for him, and it was his intervention which caused the judge to pause the case.
Shardlake’s relationship with Cromwell has always been strained, and the King’s minister has a lot of enemies who are closing in. Against this background, Shardlake has to track down the truth around rumours that someone has found the recipe for Greek Fire, the deadly weapon used by the Byzantines hundreds of years before. If true, whoever controls it will yield enormous power.
Cromwell needs the deadly fire to impress the King and keep his position, and Shardlake has two weeks to find it. But there are others who are determined Cromwell fails.
The story of his search for the ancient recipe, and that of his attempt to find the truth about the murder are intertwined, and Cromwell lends him an assistant, Jack Barak. Together, they work against time on both cases.
There are the expected twists and turns, and an interesting cast of secondary characters, including Guy Martin, the doctor from the first book. And those characters are better drawn than in the first book as well, more rounded. Barak is a good foil for Shardlake; although very different, they both sit a little outside society, and grow to at least respect each other’s skills and abilities.
Together, they have to navigate an increasingly dangerous London, as Cromwell’s enemies plot against him. This feverish atmosphere is well drawn, with both men no longer knowing who they can trust. Even old friends and allies become suspects, and when people involved in the case begin to die, the stakes rise ever higher.
The tension builds nicely, and the febrile atmosphere around the King and court filters down to lesser mortals believably. The case of the accused girl seems a little artificial at times, a device necessary only to give Cromwell a hold over Shardlake to ensure he does the job for him. But the resolution to both cases is satisfying and thrilling.
In my review of Dissolution, I said that although I had reservations about the book, I’d continue with the next to see how the series developed. As often happens, this second book is better than the first. Shardlake is growing as a character. He’s likeable, but has a melancholy, cynical side that stops him from being too perfect. This is a series worth trying, and I’ve already added the next to my reading list.
This is a review of the 2015 Kindle edition.
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