Winner of the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, Dark Open fire may be the second thrilling historical crime novel in the Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom.

It really is 1540 and the hottest summer of the sixteenth hundred years. 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 participation having a murder case, defending a girl accused of brutally murdering her young cousin, brings him once again into connection with the about Dark Open fire king’s main minister – and a new assignment .

The secret of Greek Fire, the renowned substance with which the Byzantines destroyed the Arab navies, has been lost for years and years. Now the official of the Courtroom of Augmentations provides discovered the formula in the library of the dissolved London monastery. When Shardlake is definitely sent to recover it, he discovers the official and his alchemist brother horribly murdered – the formulation has disappeared.

Now Shardlake are required to follow the trail of Greek Fire throughout Tudor London, while trying at exactly the same time to prove his young client’s innocence. But very soon he discovers there is nothing as it appears . . .

Continue this gripping historical series with Sovereign, Revelation, Heartstone, Lamentation andTombland.