Murder, he wrote

We step back in time to 1541, and following the uncovering of a plot against his throne, King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Progress To The North to overawe his rebellious subjects in Yorkshire.

Accompanied by 1,000 soldiers, the cream of the nobility, and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, the king plans to meet the local gentry at York.

Already in the city is London lawyer Matthew Shardlake, who is not quite enamoured with the place.

He comments: "York struck me as a poor place.

Some of the homes were in disrepair, black timbers showing through where the plaster had fallen off, and the street was little more than muddy lane."

And he describes one part of the city as: "...a large open space crowded with market stalls under brightlystriped awnings that flapped in the cool damp breeze. Heavy-skirted goodwives argued with stallholders, while artisans in the bright livery of their guilds looked down their noses at the stall's contents as the dogs and ragged children dived for scraps. I saw most of the people had patched-up clothes and worn-looking clogs."

As well as assisting with legal work processing petitions to the king, Shardlake, and his assistant, Jack Barak, has reluctantly undertaken a special mission - to ensure the welfare of an important, but dangerous conspirator, being returned to London for interrogation. But the murder of a local glazier from Stonegate involves Shardlake in deeper mysteries, connected not only to the prisoner in York Castle, but to the royal family itself.

Sovereign (MacMillan, £16.99) is a wonderfully atmospheric novel, which brings the sights and smells of Tudor York to life. Well worth reading.

CJ Sansom will be talking about his new novel at York library on Monday, at 6.30pm. Tickets, priced £3 and £2 concessions, are available by phoning 01904 552815.

Crusader Gold by David Gibbins (Headline, £11.99) , also has a York connection.

Remember Harald Hardrada, the Danish king who fought at the Battle of Fulford in 1066 and met his maker at the Battle of Stamford Bridge a short time later? Well, according to Gibbins, he stole one of the world's greatest treasures - the Jewish menorah.

The huge golden candlestick was looted by the Romans in AD70 when they sacked the temple in Jerusalem and marched through Rome in triumph.

Than it was carried off to Constantinople, where it was taken by Hardrada and his men and never seen again.

Now archaeologist Jack Howard believes he has discovered Hardrad's longboat - deep in a Greenland glacier.

It's an exciting mix of fact of fiction, with shades of Clive Cussler and Indiana Jones.

Pegasus Descending (Orion, £12.99) is the long-awaiting novel by, in my opinion, the greatest living crime writer, James Lee Burke.

Reformed alcoholic and Vietnam veteran Dave Robicheaux left his drinking days behind him many years ago, but he still feels guilt over a tragic event he wasn't sober enough to prevent.

Dallas Klein, a gambling addict and friend of Dave's, was killed in an armed robbery. Two decades later, several incidents in Dave's life in Louisiana's Iberia Parish link to those involved.

First he meets Dallas's daughter, Trish, a grifter who is blackballed by the local casinos.

Then the supposed suicide of a young girl appears to be connected to a man Dallas owed money to.

Dave's inability to let things alone gets him involved with two very powerful criminals, both wanting to protect their sons from the trouble they court.

Another month, and another James Patterson thriller.

This time he's teamed up with lesser-known writer Andrew Goss for Judge & Jury (Headline, £17.99).

Budding actress Andie DeGrasse finds herself on jury service in the trial of the decade. Evil gangster Dominick Cavallo, known as The Electrician, has finally been put in the dock, and there is enough evidence to secure a conviction.

Heavy security surrounds the courtroom, and FBI Nick Pellisante keeps a close eye on proceedings. But things start to go wrong. Following threats, the jury is sequestered. Then, the bus taking them to their hotel is blown up, and only Andie survives. Her son, who was travelling with her, was killed.

After the tragedy she and Pellisante team up to try to put Cavello away, but things don't quite go according to plan.

It's another pulse-soaring read from the master of the page-turner. And fans won't have to wait very long for his next blockbuster because Cross, featuring his acclaimed detective Alex Cross, is due out later this month.