Walters, Minette – The Bell Bookshop

The Players

Emma — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Readers love THE PLAYERS’Totally riveting… Perfect.’I was transported every time I picked up this highly imaginative story”Everything I love about historical fiction”This is historical fiction at its best”Good to see female characters having strong roles”I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history, literature and a “jolly good read”‘Who will save them from the gallows?England, 1685. Decades after the end of the civil war, the country is once again divided when a pretender to the throne incites rebellion against King James II. Angered, the king orders every captured rebel to be hanged, drawn and quartered.As the country 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.Secrets are kept and surprising friendships formed during the dark days of the Bloody Assizes, in a dangerous gamble to thwart a brutal king’s thirst for vengeance…’Fascinating … told with the masterful skill of a true storyteller’ Anne O’Brien’An immersive joy that will stand the test of time’ Elizabeth Chadwick

The players

Emma — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

REBELLION. RETRIBUTION. REDEMPTION.England, 1685. Decades after the end of the civil war, the country is once again divided when 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 redoubtable 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 during the dark days of The Bloody Assizes. Secrets are kept and surprising friendships formed in a dangerous gamble to thwart a brutal king’s thirst for vengeance…’Fascinating … told with the masterful skill of a true storyteller’ Anne O’Brien’An immersive joy that will stand the test of time’ Elizabeth Chadwick

The Swift and the Harrier

Emma — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

‘Historical fiction at its finest’ – Belfast TelegraphDorset, 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.

The Swift and the Harrier

Emma — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Last Hours

Emma — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000

June, 1348: the Black Death enters England through the port of Melcombe in the county of Dorsetshire. Unprepared for the virulence of the disease, and the speed with which it spreads, the people of the county start to die in their thousands. A culture of terror and superstition quickly sweeps across the land as news of the Black Death travels far and wide. In the demesne of Develish, Lady Anne takes control of her people's future - including the lives of two hundred bonded serfs. Strong, compassionate and resourceful, Lady Anne chooses a bastard slave, Thaddeus Thurkell, to act as her steward. Together, they decide to quarantine Develish by bringing the serfs inside the walls. With this sudden overturning of the accepted social order, where serfs exist only to serve their lords, conflicts soon arise.