My Book Boyfriend: Jack Barak from The Matthew Shardlake Mysteries

A weekly meme from The Unread Reader: 
Talk about your fictional crush!

~oOo~

"A hard eye and a fighter's build, as I had observed before. A heavy sword at his hip and a dagger too at his belt. But there was intelligence in his eyes and in the wide, sensual mouth, whose upturned corners seemed made for mockery."

~Matthew Shardlake describing Jack Barak in C.J. Sansom's Dark Fire

How to choose my very first book boyfriend? Ok, ok--it wasn't a hard choice. Jack Barak popped straight into my head. Who doesn't like a bad boy?

Jack is from C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake Mysteries, which are set in Tudor London. He begins as one of Cromwell's thugs--but he soon proves to Matthew, the 'crookback' lawyer, that's there more to him.

How do I picture Jack Barak? As Karl Urban--except in Tudor clothing.

Jack's a descendant of converso Jews. Unlike Matthew, he doesn't worry his head with questions about the nature of the Divine or the problems of the Reformation. And he's not a man of strong faith. He's just fiercely attached to his Jewish heritage--a fact he wisely keeps quiet.

Under Cromwell's orders, Jack helps Matthew solve the mystery in Dark Fire. Jack grows to like and respect the hunch-backed lawyer, so when Henry VIII beheads Cromwell, he takes Matthew as his new master. But that's a formality. By then the two men are on their way to a real friendship and treat each other more-or-less as equals.

There's a romance for Jack in Sovereign, with a woman who's not likely to put up with his carousing and infidelities. But can Jack settle down? Fortunately that's not my problem. I don't want to marry Jack, after all. Keeping him as a book boyfriend suits me just fine, thanks!

Revelation by C.J. Sansom

Genre: historical fiction; historical mystery; mystery

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Series: Dissolution; Dark Fire; Sovereign; Revelation

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: Spring, 1543. King Henry VIII is wooing Lady Catherine Parr, whom he wants for his sixth wife. But this time the object of his affections is resisting. Archbishop Cranmer and the embattled Protestant faction at court are watching keenly, for Lady Catherine is known to have reformist sympathies.

Matthew Shardlake, meanwhile, is working on the case of a teenage boy, a religious maniac locked in the Bedlam hospital for the insane. Should he be released to his parents, when his terrifying actions could lead to him being burned as a heretic?

When an old friend is horrifically murdered Shardlake promises his widow, for whom he has long had complicated feelings, to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to both Cranmer and Catherine Parr - and with the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation. As London's Bishop Bonner prepares a purge of Protestants Shardlake, together with his assistant, Jack Barak, and his friend, Guy Malton, follow the trail of a series of horrific murders that shake them to the core, and which are already bringing frenzied talk of witchcraft and a demonic possession - for what else would the Tudor mind make of a serial killer . . .

My Review: Matthew Shardlake may have sworn off politics, but the murder of a close friend forces him to work for Bishop Cramner once more. Catholic leaning traditionalists now have Henry VIII's ear, and Cramner is attempting to keep the spirit of Reform alive and preserve his own skin. Matthew, meanwhile, remains a cynical skeptic--but he is determined to bring his friend's killer to justice.

Matthew's assistant, Jack Barak--my favorite character in the series--is front and center but busy wrecking his marriage to Tamasin. Matthew cringes at Jack's carousing and infidelities, but can't find a way to talk some sense into his friend. (Personally, I was ready to smack Jack upside the head.)

Guy, the former monk and current physician, plays a large part here too. He shows considerable insight when he tries to delve into the mind of the mentally ill--but not an ounce of wisdom when it comes to his personal life, much to Matthew's frustration.

The best part of this book--and what keeps me addicted to this series--is the characters and their interactions; in that respect, Sansom is in top form here. A close second is his portrayal of Tudor London and the deadly mixture of religion, politics and persecution that was so characteristic of Henry VIII's reign. The mystery itself is a distant third. It held my interest and kept me guessing, but a couple of points had me furrowing my brow, and another improbable escape had me rolling my eyes.

Still, this is an excellent continuation of the series, and as soon as my budget permits, I'll be buying the next one!

On Kindle: Yes. Find it on Amazon here.

Sovereign by C.J. Sansom

Genre: Historical Fiction; Historical Mystery; Mystery

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Series: Dissolution; Dark Fire; Sovereign; Revelation

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: C. J . Sansom has garnered a wider audience and increased critical praise with each new novel published. His first book in the Matthew Shardlake series, Dissolution, was selected by P. D. James in The Wall Street Journal as one of her top-five all-time favorite books. Now in Sovereign, Shardlake and his loyal assistant, Jack Barak, find themselves embroiled in royal intrigue when a plot against King Henry VIII is uncovered in York and a dangerous conspirator they-ve been charged with transporting to London is connected to the death of a local glazer.

My Review: Matthew Shardlake and his roguish assistant, Jack Barak, are back in action in this third installment of the Matthew Shardlake series--this time on a mission from Archbishop Cranmer. Matthew must join King Henry VIII's Progress to the North, and then accompany a political prisoner back to London. His duty is to keep the prisoner alive and healthy so that the man can be effectively tortured in the Tower.

Matthew hates the thought of protecting a man just so he can be racked, but Cranmer forces him to take the job. But that's only one of Matthew's worries. There's murder, mayhem, religious tension and political conspiracies up North--naturally Matthew and Jack have to untangle the mess while trying not to learn too much about dangerous secrets.

Since much of the story takes place in York, I was wondering if Jack--who has a sentimental attachment to his Jewish heritage--would find out what happened to the Jews of York a few hundred years earlier. He does, in a brief but chilling scene that illustrates just how cruel one character is.

But Jack has other things on his mind, including a dalliance with a pretty servant from the Queen's household. Tammy keeps Jack on his toes while she complicates matters for both him and his master.

If you know your Tudor history, some shocking revelations in the story won't come as a surprise to you. I already knew what those revelations would be, but the other mystery kept me guessing. Overall, the book kept my glued to my Kindle and left me hungry for more of Matthew and Jack!

On Kindle: Yes. Find it here.

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

Genre: Historical Fiction; Historical Mystery; Mystery

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Series: Dissolution; Dark Fire; Sovereign; Revelation

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: It is 1540 and the hottest summer of the sixteenth century. Matthew Shardlake, believing himself out of favour with Thomas Cromwell, is busy trying to maintain his legal practice and keep a low profile. But his involvement with a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally murdering her young cousin, brings him once again into contact with the king-s chief minister - and a new assignment . . .

The secret of Greek Fire, the legendary substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies, has been lost for centuries. Now an official of the Court of Augmentations has discovered the formula in the library of a dissolved London monastery. When Shardlake is sent to recover it, he finds the official and his alchemist brother brutally murdered - the formula has disappeared.

Now Shardlake must follow the trail of Greek Fire across Tudor London, while trying at the same time to prove his young client's innocence. But very soon he discovers nothing is as it seems . .

My Review: Dark Fire is even more enjoyable than Dissolution, the first Matthew Shardlake mystery. That's thanks to Jack Barak, an uncouth rogue who becomes Shardlake's new assistant by Cromwell's order.

Jack's a patralineal descendant of converso Jews. Unlike Matthew, who's in the midst of an existential crisis, he doesn't worry his head with questions about the nature of the Divine or the problems of Reform. And unlike Guy, the Moorish ex-monk, he's not a man of strong faith. In fact, Jack seems to care little about Christianity (his titular religion) and knows next to nothing about Judaism. He even calls the empty mezuzah his father passed down to him a 'mezza' until Guy corrects him! Yet he's fiercely attached to his Jewish heritage. More power to him, especially as he's not fool enough to advertise that attachment in Tudor England.

There are two mysteries to untangle here; both are more interesting for the interactions between Matthew, Jack and Guy than for the mysteries themselves. Meanwhile, Sansom's recreation of Tudor England and historic characters like Thomas Cromwell continues to dazzle. And there's plenty of tension where Cromwell's concerned--even if the reader is familiar with the man's fate.

I wasn't crazy about some of the action scenes and improbable escapes, but that's a minor complaint. I'm going to keep devouring this series, cheesy escapes and all!

On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom

Genre: Mystery; Historical Fiction

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars


Series: Dissolution; Dark Fire; Sovereign; Revelation

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: Exciting and elegantly written, Dissolution is an utterly compelling first novel and a riveting portrayal of Tudor England. The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protege uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, and when two other murders are revealed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.

My Review: Matthew Shardlake is an ardent reformer, conscientious lawyer and determined detective who is all too conscious of his hunched back. He is also strangely naïve when it comes to the character of his master, Thomas Cromwell--but watching him struggle to adjust his views is one of the many pleasures of this book. This is an excellent period mystery that will keep you turning pages even if you untangle the murders before Shardlake does!

Thomas Cromwell

This is the first of the Matthew Shardlake Mysteries. Have you read any of them? What do you think?

On Kindle: Yes. Find it on Amazon here.