"I think the Shardlake series is better overall as to characterization,"
I agree; I think Sansome is a much better writer as well.
I got hooked on him because of his writing style in Winter in Madrid.
"In real life, an absolute idiot to go back to Italy, where he was burned in the Campi di Fiori"
I do hope you haven't give away the climax of the last of the trilogy, which haven't got round to yet.
If you have, I'll tell the Taliban where you live!
Jim Carroll