CJ Sansom: Shardlake author dies at 71 days before Disney+ series release

Author CJ Sansom has passed away at the age of 71, his publisher announced.

The crime novelist is best known responsible for creating the character Matthew Shardlake, a laywer based in Tudor England.

The books are set to see a Disney+ TV show inspired by his books next month. The show will feature Arthur Hughes as Matthew Shardlake and Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell and is set to be released on Wednesday May 1.

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Sansom died on Saturday, according to publisher Pan Macmillan. Following his first novel, Dissolution, 21 years ago, he released six more featuring his iconic character Shardlake.

His editor and publisher, Maria Rejt, said: “An intensely private person, Chris wished from the very start only to be published quietly and without fanfare. But he always took immense pleasure in the public’s enthusiastic responses to his novels and worked tirelessly on each book, never wanting to disappoint a single reader.

“He was working on his new Shardlake novel, Ratcliff, when he died but his worsening health made progress painfully slow: his meticulous historical research and his writing were always so important to him.

“I shall miss him hugely, not only as a wonderfully talented writer who gave joy to millions, but as a dear friend of enormous compassion and integrity.”