The Last Hours

Author: Minette Walters

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $32.99 AUD
  • : 9781760294984
  • : Allen & Unwin
  • : Allen & Unwin
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  • : May 2017
  • : 234mm X 153mm
  • : Australia
  • : 32.99
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • : Minette Walters
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  • : Paperback
  • : 917
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  • : English
  • : 823.92
  • : very good
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  • : 608
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Barcode 9781760294984
9781760294984

Description

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...?

Author description

Minette Walters was one of the most successful crime fiction writers in the world. Published to critical acclaim in over 34 countries, each new novel reached the top of the Australian bestseller lists. Her last novel was The Chameleon's Shadow in 2007. The Last Hours sees Minette moving in an exciting direction. She has written an extraordinary historical novel set in 1348, the year the Black Death came to England. Minette lives in Dorset with her husband.