Author

Minette Walters

Minette Walters
  • From the author of The Swift and the Harrier comes The Players, a gripping historical tale of espionage, treason, and surprising alliances set against the backdrop of the Bloody Assizes—the trials that would determine the fate of over one-thousand treasonous rebels.

    England, 1685. Decades after the end of the English Civil War, the country is once again divided when King Charles II’s illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, arrives in Dorset to incite rebellion against his Catholic uncle.

    Armed only with pitchforks, Monmouth’s army is quickly defeated by King James II’s superior forces and charged with high treason. Those found guilty will be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

    As Dorset braces for carnage, the formidable Lady Jayne Harrier and her enigmatic son, assisted by the reclusive daughter of a local magistrate, contrive ways to save men from the gallows.

    Compelling and powerful, The Players is a story of guile, deceit, and compassion. Secrets are kept and surprising friendships formed in a dangerous gamble to thwart a brutal king’s thirst for vengeance ...

  • A sweeping historical adventure set during one of the most turbulent periods of British history—featuring a heroine you’ll never forget ...

    Dorset, 1642.

    When bloody civil war breaks out between the king and Parliament, families and communities across England are riven by different allegiances.

    A rare few choose neutrality.

    One such is Jayne Swift, a Dorset physician from a Royalist family, who offers her services to both sides in the conflict. Through her dedication to treating the sick and wounded, regardless of belief, Jayne becomes a witness to the brutality of war and the devastation it wreaks.

    Yet her recurring companion at every event is a man she should despise because he embraces civil war as the means to an end. She knows him as William Harrier, but is ignorant about every other aspect of his life. His past is a mystery and his future uncertain.

    The Swift and the Harrier is a sweeping tale of adventure and loss, sacrifice and love, with a unique and unforgettable heroine at its heart.