The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 7 books · 2003 to 2018 · Set in London

C.J. Sansom

Crime and mysteryThriller and suspenseHistorical crimeLegal thriller

Matthew Shardlake, a hunchbacked lawyer in Tudor England, is drawn into murder and politics at the courts of Henry VIII and his heirs, from Cromwell’s dissolution of the monasteries to Kett’s Rebellion.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. Sansom’s standalones are left out.

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Who appears in which book

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LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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C.J. Sansom books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Matthew Shardlake

7 books · Set in LondonHistorical crimeLegal thriller
  1. 1Dissolution2003With Matthew ShardlakeBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Dark Fire2004With Matthew ShardlakeBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Sovereign2006With Matthew ShardlakeBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Revelation2008With Matthew ShardlakeBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Heartstone2010With Matthew ShardlakeBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Lamentation2014With Matthew ShardlakeBuy on Amazon
  7. 7Tombland2018With Matthew ShardlakeBuy on Amazon

Characters

9 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Shardlake and his household

The court