England, 1549. After the death of Henry VIII, detective-lawyer Matthew Shardlake enters the service of the youngest daughter of the late king, young Elizabeth Tudor, who does not even suspect that one day she will become Queen of England. Finally, Shardlake, no longer young and quite tired of court intrigues, can breathe freely. However, he is not destined to enjoy a quiet life for long: Elizabeth asks him to go to Norwich and help John Boleyn, a distant relative of his late mother, who is accused of the villainous murder of his wife. Matthew sets out on a journey, not having any idea that he is destined to witness events fatal to the kingdom... In the world of literary heroes and in the minds of today's readers, the image of Matthew Shardlake takes pride of place alongside such famous characters as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Nero Wolfe and Commissioner Maigret. For the first time in Russian!