Try free for 30 days
-
Dissolution
- A Matthew Shardlake Novel
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $15.19
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also picked
-
The Scarlet Papers
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh, Lucy Scott
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only she knows the truth. Only he can tell the world. Vienna, 1946. A brilliant German scientist spirited out of the ruins Nazi Europe in search of a new life. Moscow, 1964. A rising star of the British diplomatic service whose job is not what it seems. London, the present day. A once promising academic offered an opportunity to seal his place in history. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world, are bound by a single document: The Scarlet Papers. The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.
-
-
Fantastic tale
- By Paul Kearsley on 13-07-2023
-
The Adventures of Brother Cadfael
- A Collection of Chronicles
- By: Ellis Peters
- Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
- Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of recordings about Brother Cadfael—a Benedictine monk and amateur sleuth in the 12th century—are performed here by the ideal actor. Sir Derek Jacobi, who portrayed Cadfael in several television adaptations, captivates listeners with his renderings of Monk's Hood, Saint Peter's Fair, The Heretic's Apprentice, The Potter's Field, The Summer of the Danes, and Brother Cadfael's Penance.
-
-
Wonderful stories beautifully presented.
- By Dr Roderick J. Chappel on 16-02-2024
-
Brother Cadfael
- A BBC Radio Collection of Three Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Ellis Peters
- Narrated by: Douglas Hodge, full cast, Michael Hordern, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A onetime Crusader turned Benedictine monk, Brother Cadfael is a most unusual detective. Living a quiet life as a monastery herbalist, he spends his days ministering to his brothers using the medical skills he acquired in the Holy Lands—but his worldly knowledge and wide experience of human nature are frequently called upon when there is a murder to solve....
-
-
Brother Cadfael - brilliant!
- By Pauline on 09-02-2021
-
City of Vengeance
- Cesare Aldo Series
- By: D. V. Bishop
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cesare Aldo, a former soldier and now an officer of the Renaissance city's most feared criminal court, is given four days to solve the murder: catch the killer before the feast of Epiphany—or suffer the consequences. During his investigations Aldo uncovers a plot to overthrow the volatile ruler of Florence, Alessandro de' Medici. If the duke falls, it will endanger the whole city. But a rival officer of the court is determined to expose details about Aldo’s private life that could lead to his ruin.
-
Shardlake: The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Six BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: CJ Sansom
- Narrated by: full cast, Jason Watkins, Justin Salinger, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collected dramatisations of C. J. Sansom's historical mystery series: Set during the reign of Henry VIII, these six stunning dramas follow the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake as he navigates the dangerous world of Tudor England, solving crimes and seeking out murderers.
-
-
Entertaining Whodunnit
- By Carol Anne Harvey on 15-11-2022
-
The Forgotten Garden
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident 10 years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her.
-
-
Poor narration
- By Anonymous User on 19-09-2018
-
The Scarlet Papers
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh, Lucy Scott
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only she knows the truth. Only he can tell the world. Vienna, 1946. A brilliant German scientist spirited out of the ruins Nazi Europe in search of a new life. Moscow, 1964. A rising star of the British diplomatic service whose job is not what it seems. London, the present day. A once promising academic offered an opportunity to seal his place in history. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world, are bound by a single document: The Scarlet Papers. The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.
-
-
Fantastic tale
- By Paul Kearsley on 13-07-2023
-
The Adventures of Brother Cadfael
- A Collection of Chronicles
- By: Ellis Peters
- Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
- Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of recordings about Brother Cadfael—a Benedictine monk and amateur sleuth in the 12th century—are performed here by the ideal actor. Sir Derek Jacobi, who portrayed Cadfael in several television adaptations, captivates listeners with his renderings of Monk's Hood, Saint Peter's Fair, The Heretic's Apprentice, The Potter's Field, The Summer of the Danes, and Brother Cadfael's Penance.
-
-
Wonderful stories beautifully presented.
- By Dr Roderick J. Chappel on 16-02-2024
-
Brother Cadfael
- A BBC Radio Collection of Three Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Ellis Peters
- Narrated by: Douglas Hodge, full cast, Michael Hordern, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A onetime Crusader turned Benedictine monk, Brother Cadfael is a most unusual detective. Living a quiet life as a monastery herbalist, he spends his days ministering to his brothers using the medical skills he acquired in the Holy Lands—but his worldly knowledge and wide experience of human nature are frequently called upon when there is a murder to solve....
-
-
Brother Cadfael - brilliant!
- By Pauline on 09-02-2021
-
City of Vengeance
- Cesare Aldo Series
- By: D. V. Bishop
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cesare Aldo, a former soldier and now an officer of the Renaissance city's most feared criminal court, is given four days to solve the murder: catch the killer before the feast of Epiphany—or suffer the consequences. During his investigations Aldo uncovers a plot to overthrow the volatile ruler of Florence, Alessandro de' Medici. If the duke falls, it will endanger the whole city. But a rival officer of the court is determined to expose details about Aldo’s private life that could lead to his ruin.
-
Shardlake: The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Six BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: CJ Sansom
- Narrated by: full cast, Jason Watkins, Justin Salinger, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collected dramatisations of C. J. Sansom's historical mystery series: Set during the reign of Henry VIII, these six stunning dramas follow the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake as he navigates the dangerous world of Tudor England, solving crimes and seeking out murderers.
-
-
Entertaining Whodunnit
- By Carol Anne Harvey on 15-11-2022
-
The Forgotten Garden
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone, and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident 10 years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her.
-
-
Poor narration
- By Anonymous User on 19-09-2018
-
The Insider
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Russian defector is found brutally murdered in a London hotel. Only four people knew he had turned - the four most important and powerful figures in Whitehall. There's only one conclusion - a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of the nation's security. Operating in secret from within Westminster's darkest corners, former spy Solomon Vine must uncover the traitor. Because Britain's future hangs in the balance. And with it the fate of the whole world.
-
-
Excellent
- By jat on 09-04-2024
-
A Plague on Both Your Houses
- The First Chronicle of Matthew Bartholomew
- By: Susanna Gregory
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Matthew Bartholomew, unorthodox but effective physician to Michaelhouse college in medieval Cambridge, is as worried as anyone about the pestilence that is ravaging Europe and seems to be approaching England. But he is distracted by the sudden and inexplicable death of the Master of Michaelhouse - a death the University authorities do not want investigated.
-
-
well read fiction.
- By Kirin on 22-11-2017
-
The Poems of T. S. Eliot
- Read by Jeremy Irons
- By: T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons, Dame Eileen Atkins
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Jeremy Irons' perceptive reading illuminates the poetry of T. S. Eliot in all its complexity. Major poems range from 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' through the post-war desolation of 'The Waste Land' and the spiritual struggle of 'Ash-Wednesday', to the enduring charm of 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'.
-
-
It was over all too quickly!
- By Pia Horan-Gross on 22-09-2018
-
Lockdown
- By: Peter May
- Narrated by: Peter Forbes
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London is in lockdown under martial law. A hospital is being urgently built by the river Thames to contain the thousands of victims of a flu-like epidemic. Construction is brought to a sudden halt when a leather holdall containing the bones of a child is unearthed from the rubble. A psychopath has been unleashed on the city; his mission is to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified. But why are he and his handlers determined to go to such murderous lengths to hide the origins of the body?
-
-
Amazing story - so full of factual information!
- By Mimosa on 05-06-2020
-
The Murder of Mr. Wickham
- By: Claudia Gray
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a party at their country estate, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.
-
-
Awesome read
- By Kylie on 15-05-2022
-
The Seeker
- Damian Seeker 1
- By: S. G. MacLean
- Narrated by: Nicholas Camm
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies at home and abroad. London is a complex web of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web's most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent of the Lord Protector. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell and that nothing can be long hidden from him.
-
-
So glad I stuck with this one!
- By soo jay on 18-09-2021
Publisher's Summary
Abridged edition.
Dissolution is the first in the phenomenal Shardlake series by bestselling author, C. J. Sansom.
It is 1537, a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since 1066. Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church and the country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers ever seen. Under the order of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent through the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: the monasteries are to be dissolved.
But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's Commissioner Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder is accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege - a black cockerel sacrificed on the altar, and the disappearance of Scarnsea's Great Relic.
Dr Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell into this atmosphere of treachery and death. But Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes . . .
Follow Shardlake into the dark heart of Tudor England with Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation, Heartstone, Lamentation and Tombland.
Critic Reviews
"Having hugely enjoyed Anton Lesser's reading of Sovereign, the third of C.J. Sansom's Tudor mystery series starring the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, I backtracked to hear the first two in the series, Dissolution and Dark Fire.. . As a trio, they reveal just how skilled Sansom is in creating convincing characters in a fully imagined historical world, and it is no surprise that a television series featuring Shardlake is planned. I'm not sure if Anton Lesser will star in it, but after hearing him narrate all three books, I can't imagine anyone better suited to the role... Following the text in a paperback, I let my eyes chase what my ears were hearing and was impressed at how little had to be lost." Christina Hardyment (The Times Books)
More from the same
What listeners say about Dissolution
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 23-02-2020
Sansom & Lesser are a perfect duet.
Sansom is a skilled and well informed writer who brings this period of history to life with great plots & characters. Anton Lesser is a masterly narrator and this was pure pleasure to listen to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie Swanepoel
- 11-06-2017
Gripping tale!
what a fantastic tale of murder, greed and devilish treatment of fellow humans. So interesting. ......
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Helen Esdaile
- 11-05-2016
Gripping
What did you like most about Dissolution?
The narration was so good I will be searching out anything Anton Lesser has read based on this book.
What does Anton Lesser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
The book is a gripping yarn which comes alive with Anton Lesser reading it.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Absolutely
Any additional comments?
I will now be reading all the Matthew Shardlake series. A wonderful story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MISS
- 12-12-2023
Cracking read
A 15th century ‘who done it’ great characters. Wonderful way to learn history. I would recommend this book and therefore the whole series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LouFish
- 17-04-2020
Excellent narration of an intriguing story!
This was the second time I'd read 'Dissolution' but the first time I'd listened to it as an audio book. Anton Lesser is a fabulous narrator and brings to his reading all the skills of his thespian experience and talents. Having recently finished 'The Mirror and the Light', it was interesting to read Sansom's much harsher and less humane characterisation of Cromwell. It is a shame that it was abridged as it lacked all the details of the original novel. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Now to re-read / listen to the next 5 in the series before I read 'Tombland' for the first time. If only Anton Lesser were narrating this one too!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- soo jay
- 28-04-2020
Best narration I have heard on Audible.
I can tell I am going to enjoy the Matthew Shardlake series for its historical setting and entertaining mysteries. But it is the wonderful narrator, Anton Lesser, who will keep me coming back for more. I'd give his performance ten stars if I could.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 22-03-2019
Enjoyable
I enjoyed the story, probably not what I normally listen but did enjoy it very much
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lyla
- 26-08-2022
Brilliantly entertaining!
The narration was SUPERB! I'm not one for historical novels usually, but this was so well written. The story was engaging, many twists and turns, and moments that made me gasp aloud! There was sorrow and darkness, but somehow I didn't feel overwhelmed by it all... and of course, who doesn't love a good murder mystery!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 22-01-2023
Brings England in the Time of Henry VIII Alive
Very good historical who-dun-it that blends great story twists with a commentary on the tragedy of England in the time of Henry VIII. The novel addresses how the corruption practiced by the great and powerful causes great suffering for the the little people. It is a warning against fanaticism and revolution. The story is engaging, the characters strong and the narration excellent.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Saraswati
- 03-04-2024
stunning narration
Lesser has become my new favourite narrator. I only knew him as an actor.
The story is very well written, engrossing and seemingly well-researched historically.
Definitely recommended.
I'm about to buy the next in the series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!