I like Shardlake, I really do, and I eagerly awaited ‘Lamentation’ til it was available on my e-reader on Diwali Day. Seriously. I had been clock watching, counting down the days. The time awaiting this next instalment has passed slowly. I even re-read ‘Heartstone’ so that I would be up to speed. I didn’t want to miss the transition and not know what was happening.

Naturally, I did actually read a few chapters on Diwali night, I just had to. I am still going. According to my e-reader, I have three hours left to read. Which is fine, I am roughly half way through the fifty odd chapters. I cannot get through them quick enough, and real life does get in the way of sitting down with a cup of tea to flick the e-pages.

Matthew Shardlake rides again, battling through the minefield that is the Tudor Court. I won’t, by way of courtesy, give away the plot lines. I don’t think that this fair, readers should have their own impetus to make their way through the texts. One thing is for sure, I personally prefer Shardlake, to the the italian fella concocted by S.J,Parris. I read ‘Heresy’ just to see what other alternatives there were to Sansom and Shardlake. Parris is certainly easier to read. But not as good. In my mind, there was no contest. That said, i do plan to make way through the rest of the Parris series. There is even the Rory Clemens books to read too.

Going back Shardlake though. We have the beastly Richard Rich there still. Whenever I read that man’s name, I want to boo-his. He’s a piece of work, and torments Matthew no end. Can’t stand the man. Walsingham, the man who aided Elizabeth I makes his mark, and I cannot read him without thinking of Geoffrey Rush. And Burley, is of course Lord Attenborough. These images help to keep it alive. I am not sure, though. About Matthew Shardlake. For years, Sir Kenneth Branagh has been touted as being Shardlake. As much as I try, i cannot out the face to the character. Even with Barak, and the new guy Nicholas. Skelly, I am sure its whasis name David Bradley, good old Mr.Filch from Harry Potter. And Tamasin, Mrs.barak, Would be Dr.Watson’s wife. Then there is Guy, the moor. The Physician. I am waiting, for him to have a more meatier, heavier presence in ‘Lamentation’. I would like him to have a more prominent role. If say the series was a TV show, you’d want Guy now to be part of the main cast. I’m sure he would ask for a pay rise and a better contract in becoming so. I still can’t see his face though, and when reading Parris, it was a though her Italian was Guy.

As mentioned, I still have a lot of reading to do. I couldn’t say at this stage, what the ending might be. I still want to slap Richard Rich though. Still have a burning question or a few burning questions, Shardlake is now up to Queen Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s wives. What happens next? We have Edward, mary, Elizabeth. Will Shardlake be drawn into the next set of sovereigns, as thunder rolls around the throne.  With Walsingham, perhaps he will, Edward has yet to feature, in this story as far as I have read it.

Who knows?!