MINETTE WALTERS

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. Ignorant of what is happening in the world outside, they wrestle with themselves, with God and with the terrible uncertainty of their futures. Lady Anne's people fear starvation but they fear the pestilence more. Who amongst them has the courage to leave the safety of the demesne? And how safe is anyone in Develish when a dreadful event threatens the uneasy status quo...?

On ne revient jamais sain et sauf de l'enfer. De retour d'Irak, où son tombés ses hommes, le lieutenant Charles Aucland ne voit plus la vie du même oeil. À moitié amnésique, le visage barré d'un éclat d'obus, l'homme doux que ses amis connaissaient n'est plus qu'une plaie ouverte, violente. Des haines coupables, des phobies nouvelles ternissent l'uniforme héroïque de miraculé qu'on voudrait lui passer. Aussi la police londonienne, complètement dépassée par une vague de meurtres homophobes, voit-elle en cet être marginalisé, un tueur idéal. Toutes les victimes ne sont-elles pas d'anciens soldats gays, violés puis battus à mort ? Le profil colle à la perfection : humeur changeante, terreur vis-à-vis de la sexualité, personnalité multiple. Le caméléon pourrait bien avoir pris, là-bas en Irak, la couleur du sang.

1970 wird der junge Howard Stamp wegen Mordes an seiner Großmutter zu einer lebenslangen Haftstrafe verurteilt. Im Gefängnis begeht der geistig zurückgebliebene junge Mann Selbstmord. Mehr als dreißig Jahre später rollt der Anthropologe Jonathan Hughes den Fall erneut auf. Gemeinsam mit der Anwältin George Gardener, die immer von Howards Unschuld überzeugt war, versucht er herauszufinden, was damals wirklich geschah. Dabei stoßen die beiden auf ein schreckliches Geheimnis und auf eine Reihe von Leuten, die größtes Interesse daran haben, die Vergangenheit ruhen zu lassen.01Minette Walters gilt als die britische "Queen of Crime" und hat eine Fangemeinde von Millionen Leserinnen und Leser. Viele ihrer bisher erschienenen Romane wurden mit wichtigen internationalen Preisen ausgezeichnet. Minette Walters lebt mit ihrem Mann und ihren beiden Söhnen in Hampshire, England.

When Lieutenant Charles Acland is flown home from Iraq with serious head injuries, he faces not only permanent disfigurement but also an apparent change to his previously outgoing personality. Crippled by migraines, and suspicious of his psychiatrist, he begins to display sporadic bouts of aggression, particularly against women, especially his ex-fiancee who seems unable to accept that the relationship is over.After his injuries prevent his return to the army, he cuts all ties with his former life and moves to London. Alone and unmonitored, he sinks into a private world of guilt and paranoid distrust ...until a customer annoys him in a Bermondsey pub and he attracts the attention of local police investigating three murders which appear to have been motivated by extreme rage ...Under suspicion, Acland is forced to confront the real issues behind his isolation. How much control does he have over the dark side of his personality? Do his migraines contribute to his rages? Has he always been the duplicitous chameleon that his ex-fiancee claims? And why - if he hates women - does he look to a woman for help?

This is the terrifying new Hammer novella by Minette Walters, bestselling author of The Sculptress and The Scold's Bridle. 'Muna's fortunes changed for the better on the day that Mr and Mrs Songoli's younger son failed to come home from school.' Before then her bedroom was a dark windowless cellar, her activities confined to cooking and cleaning. She'd grown used to being maltreated by the Songoli family; to being a slave. She's never been outside, doesn't know how to read or write, and cannot speak English. At least that's what the Songolis believe. But Muna is far cleverer - and her plans more terrifying - than the Songolis, or anyone else, can ever imagine...

The terrifying Hammer novella by Minette Walters, bestselling author of The Sculptress and The Scold's Bridle. Muna's bedroom is a dark windowless cellar and her activities are confined to cooking and cleaning. She's grown used to being maltreated by the Songoli family; to being a slave. She's never been outside, doesn't know how to read or write, and cannot speak English. At least that's what the Songolis believe. But Muna is far cleverer - and her plans more terrifying - than the Songolis, or anyone else, can ever imagine...

A deadly plague is spreading across the land...__________________As the year 1349 approaches, the Black Death continues its devastating course across England. In Dorseteshire, the quarantined people of Develish question whether they are the only survivors. Guided by their beloved young mistress, Lady Anne, they wait, knowing that when their dwindling stores are finally gone they will have no choice but to leave. But where will they find safety in the desolate wasteland outside? One man has the courage to find out. Thaddeus Thurkell, a free-thinking, educated serf, strikes out in search of supplies and news. A compelling leader, he and his companions quickly throw off the shackles of serfdom and set their minds to ensuring Develishs future - and freedom for its people.But what use is freedom that cannot be gained lawfully? When Lady Anne and Thaddeus conceive an audacious plan to secure her peoples independence, neither foresees the life-threatening struggle over power, money and religion that follows...Wonderful and sweeping, with a fabulous sense of place and history.Kate Mosse on The Last Hours

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.

Abgründiger Psychothriller nach einem historischen Kriminalfall!1925 geht ein spektakulärer Mord durch die britische Presse, der als "Hühnerfarm-Mord" die Gemüter erregt: Eines Tages entdeckt Scotland Yard die Leiche von Elsie Cameron auf dem Gelände der Hühnerfarm ihres Verlobten Norman Thorntons. Zwar hatten Elsie und Cameron kurz zuvor ein böses Zerwürfnis, doch Norman beteuert seine Unschuld. Zudem häufen sich die Stimmen, die von Elsies schwerer Persönlichkeitsstörung berichten. Dennoch spricht das Gericht ein Todesurteil aus.01Minette Walters gilt als die britische "Queen of Crime" und hat eine Fangemeinde von Millionen Leserinnen und Leser. Viele ihrer bisher erschienenen Romane wurden mit wichtigen internationalen Preisen ausgezeichnet. Minette Walters lebt mit ihrem Mann und ihren beiden Söhnen in Hampshire, England.

The definitive edition of Minette Walters thrilling tale of courage and defiance during the time of the Black Death, featuring The Last Hours and The Turn of Midnight.England, 1348: A deadly plague is spreading across the land, and people are dying by the thousands. In Dorset, young Lady Anne takes control of her lands with her trusted steward, Thaddeus Thurkell, at her side. Compassionate and resourceful, she decides to quarantine the estate, bringing some two hundred serfs inside the moated walls. But in such a confined space, conflicts soon arise...As time passes, the people of Develish have no way of knowing who, if anyone, has survived. And with dwindling stores, they soon have no choice but to leave their relative safety. But what awaits Lady Anne and her people in the desolate wasteland beyond the walls?Wonderful and sweeping Kate MosseEnthralling Julian FellowesVividly wrought and powerful Elizabeth Fremantle

I wonder if I should keep these diaries under lock and key. Jenny Spede has disturbed them again...What does she make, I wonder, of an old woman, deformed by arthritis, stripping naked for a young man? The pills worry me more. Ten is such a round number to be missing...Mathilda Gillespie's body was found nearly two days after she had taken an overdose and slashed her wrists with a Stanley knife. But what shocked Dr Sarah Blakeney the most was the scold's bridle obscuring the dead woman's face, a metal contraption grotesquely adorned with a garland of nettles and Michaelmas daisies.What happened at Cedar House in the tortured hours before Mathilda's death? The police assume that the coroner will return a verdict of suicide. Only Dr Blakeney, it seems, doubts the verdict. Until it is discovered that Mathilda's diaries have disappeared...'An atmosphere of tantalizing, overpowering menace...The tradition of the English whodunnit has passed into the safe hands and dangerous imagination of Minette Walters' - "The Times".