Heartstone by C J Sansom - Book 13

This is the fifth Matthew Shardlake mystery by C J Sansom. I was introduced to these late last year and have devoured them ever since. Set in one of my favorite historical periods, the time of the Tudors, it sets Shardlake on the trail of two mysteries, putting him in the usual amount of danger as he moves from London to Portsmouth.

From Amazon:

In 1545, times are perilous for London counsel Matthew Shardlake and for his country. While the English, heavily taxed and with their coinage debased by Henry VIII, prepare for a naval attack from the French at Portsmouth, Shardlake takes on a case at the request of Catherine Parr on behalf of her former servant, whose son committed suicide after discovering “monstrous wrongs” against a teenage ward he once tutored. As the 43-year-old, hunchbacked Shardlake seeks to uncover secrets in the ward’s household, he also investigates the past of a presumably sane woman kept for years in Bedlam. Even with the queen’s patronage, the dogged Shardlake is threatened bodily while pursuing answers to both cases, which ultimately pit him against his old court nemesis, Sir Richard Rich.

As usual Sansom captures the period vividly and it's a rollicking good read. Can't wait for the next one!