'C. J. Sansom's books are arguably the best Tudor novels going' - The Sunday Times
Heartstone is the fifth spellbinding mystery in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake
series perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory. England 1545. England is at
war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong and a massive French fleet is
preparing to sail across the Channel. Meanwhile Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing
legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of 'monstrous
wrongs' committed against a young ward of the court Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak
journey to Portsmouth. There Shardlake also intends to investigate the mysterious past of
Ellen Fettiplace a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam. Once in Portsmouth Shardlake and
Barak find themselves in a city preparing for war. The mysteries surrounding the two cases
involve Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. And
soon events will converge on board one of the King's great warships gathered in Portsmouth
harbour waiting to confront the approaching French fleet . . . Heartstone is the fifth novel
in C. J. Sansom's gripping historical series. It is followed by the sixth book in the series
Lamentation .
