| Lamentation | |
| Author: | C. J. Sansom |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Series: | Matthew Shardlake Series |
| Subject: | Crime |
| Genre: | Historical mystery |
| Publisher: | Macmillan |
| Release Date: | October 23rd 2014 |
| Media Type: | Hardback |
| Pages: | 650 |
| Isbn: | 9781447260257 |
| Preceded By: | Heartstone |
| Followed By: | Tombland |
Lamentation is a historical mystery novel by British author C. J. Sansom. It is his eighth novel and the sixth entry in the Matthew Shardlake Series, following 2010's Heartstone.[1] Set in the summer of 1546, King Henry VIII is dying while the Catholic and Protestant factions of his court are battling for power over his successor, Prince Edward. Matthew Shardlake is deep in work and still feeling the shock of the events of the previous year when Queen Catherine Parr, caught in the throes of the power struggle, again seeks his aid when a potentially controversial manuscript, Lamentation of a Sinner, is stolen from her chambers.[2]
In 2021, BBC Radio 4 aired a full-cast adaptation of the novel, dramatised by Colin MacDonald, with Justin Salinger starring as Shardlake.[3]
Historical characters portrayed in the novel include:
Fictional characters include:
Critical reception for Lamentation has been positive. Alfred Hickling writing for The Guardian compared the book's theme to that of Sansom's previous novel Dominion and noted that "Sansom's recent foray into alternate history was not quite as much of a diversion as it first appeared. ...both novels address the critical moment when a tyrant weakens and a ruthless power struggle develops to fill the vacuum."[4]
The Independent