Booklog 78/2024: C.J. Sansome: Dark Fire – Shardlake #2 – Audiobook

Audiobook narrated by Steven Crossley

Having seen the TV series covering the first Shardlake book, I opted to read the second which involves Matthew Shardlake, lawyer, and his (Cromwell appointed) assistant Jack Barack searching for the secret of Greek Fire (Dark Fire), but a series of grisly murders of all those involved proves that the killer or killers is consistently one step ahead of Shardlake and Barak. Cromwell is getting increasingly angry and anxious because the king is expecting a demonstration. In the meantime Shardlake is also defending an alleged murderess who is supposed to have thrown her young cousin down a well. Unfortunately, she won't plead and therefore must be pressed beneath heavy weights until she speaks. Cromwell fixes a stay of execution but the clock is ticking on both mysteries and Shardlake and Barak are increasingly endangered. Steven Crossley is a decent narrator, though I notice that some of the later Shardlake stories are narrated by Anton Lesser, who (from the samples) is a better reader.