The Hunchback of Lord Cromwell

Year 1537, England. The systematic destruction of monasteries, declared breeding grounds of vice and treachery, is in full swing. However, events in the monastery of the small town of Scarnsey do not unfold according to the scenario written by the chief ruler Thomas Cromwell. His emissary is brutally murdered, and the decapitated body is found in a pool of blood near the desecrated altar. Who did this? Sorcerers, adherents of black magic? Or smugglers? Or the monks themselves? The investigation of the crime is entrusted to Matthew Shardlake, a hunchback whose mind is capable of unraveling the most complex crimes. Upon arriving at the monastery, he discovers that this murder is not the first to be committed within the walls of the abbey...
In the world of literary heroes and in the consciousness of today's readers, the image of Matthew Shardlake occupies an honorable place alongside such well-known characters as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Nero Wolfe, and Commissioner Maigret.