The second in this ambitious and enthralling and spellbinding series . It continues the farsighted and ambitious plans of Lady Ann to help her subjects survive the Black Death and serfdom. The people of Develish are still ensconced in their moated refuge but supplies are dwindling. They owe their survival to the guile of Lady Ann who is branded by others not in her sway as a heretic. Her plans are fulfilled by The brave and trustworthy Thaddeus who was a serf and she secretly educated him. He has become a leader of men and sets out on forays with Five trusty young men to find the lay of the land after the plague.
Lady Ann and Thaddeus devise a plan to make a bid for freedom for her people. It is brave, adventurous but perhaps foolhardy.. life threatening struggles ensue along with other unforeseen incidents none less than being brought to trial for heresy.
A good and thrilling read.

Very good. I enjoyed this sequel to The Last Hours and highly recommend this. The characters and setting were very detailed both in historical accuracy and design.

Set back in the 14th century it is difficult to understand the different views held by the people - but Minette Walters describes the difficulties of the time so well that you almost feel as though you are there.
The plague seems to have run its course and seeking information about the surrounding area is imperative. Thaddeus takes the 5 boys implicated in the death of Jacob and the machinations of Lady Eleanor out into the countryside to search for food and information. The devastation of the country and the strong ideas of the Church are well researched as too the hierarchy of the time .
I liked that at the beginning of the book was a synopsis of the previous book, The Last Hours, which served as a refresher.
Maybe not quite as engrossing as her previous novel but still worth 5 stars.

This continued the story started in the Last Hours. Again well described characters in a well depicted world in the time of plague. with a fascinating plot

TW: mention of rape and sexual assault

Depicting the aftermath of tragedy with a skilled eye for historical detail, Minette Walters’ much-anticipated sequel to The Last Hours nonetheless falls into much the same traps as its predecessor, neglecting character for plot and continuing to leave the reader somewhat dissatisfied.

Isolated and alone, the once-strong people of Develish find themselves stranded in a countryside ravaged by plague. So far, their leader Lady Anne has kept them safe, as indeed she did when her tyrant of a husband was still alive, but with food stores rapidly dwindling and no news from the outside, their situation looks desperate. There is, however, the possibility of salvation, embodied by loyal serf Thaddeus Thurkell: gathering together a group of village boys and setting out from the small demesne, he alone can secure the future of Develish. But such a reprieve cannot come lightly, and so faced with near-certain destruction, Lady Anne and Thaddeus hatch an audacious plan to save Develish, and guarantee the future of all its people…

Once again, Walters’ talent for meticulous, accurate description shines through in her second historical novel, ably continuing the complex story contained within the first book. The medieval landscape depicted in The Turn of Midnight is a particular highlight of the story, as is Walters’ more general focus on European culture and society in the 14th century. Her penchant for real places and realistic plotlines can only aid the novel’s narrative, and indeed encourages the reader to find out more about this crucial period of British history.

However, despite all her research, Walters’ sequel to The Last Hours cannot help but retain many of the same flaws present in that first novel, especially as regards characterisation; and once again, the main culprit is Lady Anne. Her knowledge, her beliefs, and her sheer insight are simply too modern to ever really let her feel real, and as a result, the reader is left mourning the idea of what this protagonist could have been. This flaw is a pitfall of character development, an issue shared by much of the novel’s main cast.

But the problem of modern anachronism in the novel runs deeper: in essence, it represents a general lack of development as regards the characters of The Turn of Midnight. Nowhere is this inadequate character-building more evident than in the relationship between Lady Anne and her strange, spiteful daughter Eleanor. Not only does Walters’ second novel reflect the same understanding of the Madonna-whore complex so apparent in The Last Hours, in which Lady Anne plays saintly witness to her daughter’s unabashed sexuality and uncontrollable anger, but this dichotomy is misused further if we contemplate the abuse Eleanor has suffered.

As we discover at the end of Walters’ first book in the series, Eleanor was made pregnant at the age of fourteen by her own father, an act that even to medieval sensibilities is heinous. That the characters of the novel cannot reconcile the brutality of what is effectively rape, with Eleanor’s own unpleasant personality, perhaps reflects more harshly on Walters’ story-telling ability than on any historical attitude towards sexual abuse.

Yet perhaps the greatest disservice Walters does to Eleanor is simply to relegate her to the background. Once so flawed, so selfish and yet to the reader so compelling, Eleanor has slipped into bland, forgettable stereotype by the novel’s conclusion, her savage nature tamed and her commanding voice silenced by a newly-discovered humility. Without the character growth necessary to justify such a powerful transformation, the reader feels just a little short-changed by Walters, and indeed by the story as a whole.

In an epic depicting possibly the worst pandemic in human history, and in primarily narrating a tale of survival against the odds, it just seems such a shame that Walters’ characters – the main actors of this historical drama – never quite manage to hold the reader’s attention, even when they are centre-stage. In addition, a reliance on the most basic of stereotypes not only limits the novel’s narrative arc, but is actively harmful when it comes to Walters’ under-developed female characters.

The Turn of Midnight might be set in the Middle Ages, and its protagonists certainly medieval in custom, if not in attitude, but it is Walters’ portrayal of her characters that is most firmly stuck in the past.

(Thank you so much to Atlantic Books and Allen & Unwin for offering me the chance to review this book; I received a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review).

The Turn Of Midnight is the sequel to The Last Hours, I would suggest that you read book one first, where the characters are introduced to really appreciate this book which continues the story.
Book one began the story in June, 1348, as the Black Death arrived in England via the port of Melcombe in Dorset. We met Lady Anne, who soon took charge along with Thaddeus Thurkell, and they make the decision to quarantine the estate of Develish. The Last Hours follows the lives of the estate villagers and the struggles that the plague and the decision to quarantine brings.
The Turn of Midnight picks up the story, as 1349 approaches, and the Black Death continues to spread across England. In Develish the people remain in quarantine, still lead by their young mistress, Lady Anne. However when their stores and rations begin to run out they need to make a choice of whether to leave the safety of their estate.
The basis of the book is about the plague spreading throughout England, and this could have made the book a bleak read, however it is so well written that it keeps you gripped from page one. You really get to know and feel for the characters as they are so well developed, especially the main characters, Anne and Thaddeus. The descriptions of the estate of Develish and Dorset really bring the locations to life and you can see, hear and feel how they would have felt in the quarantine situation, with the fear the plague would bring.
I felt completely involved in the story and read the book over a rainy weekend. I would recommend the book but would advise reading The Last Hours first.

I LOVED the first book, and keenly awaited the arrival of its sequel; I was delighted when I finally received it and dropped all other reading material immediately in order to get stuck in.
And my opinion? Well, I did enjoy it, and it was good in parts, but I have to confess that in the end I found Thaddeus' journey, and the lllooonnngggggg....interview of Lady Anne on which his fate rested a little tedious. Furthermore, having been a fan of Thaddeus in book one, I became irritated by the sheer *perfection* of this man, born a serf, yet apparently able to carry himself off as gentry without detection.
It was great to catch up with events, but my overall feeling was that the book needn't have been quite so long!

This is less a sequel and more a direct continuation of the previous book, The Last Hours and if you haven't read that, this will make so sense whatsoever.

I'm sure the story proceeds at a similar pace to the previous and there will be some lovely touches, but I couldn't finish it due to the shocking inaccuracies in the actual history of this historical novel. In places it is just plain wrong, in others so wide of the mark it descends into parody.

Ms Walters has done no background research into the era and relied almost entirely on Braveheart and Walt Disney's Robin Hood. She has peasants telling the time in seconds, Saxons and Normans running amok in a land that was revelling in its Englishness, a noble lady calling everyone 'sir' like a stroppy supermarket cashier, bandying about specific feudal terminology without ever defining what it means and therefore getting it wrong. And to take the biscuit, documents with the king's 'signature' at the bottom.

She also can't even keep in character within the narrative. A set of twins who My Lord of Bourne has never seen before, and yet he suddenly knows the name of one of them and refers to it in his stream of consciousness.

True, I read an uncorrected proof, but for these errors to even make it this far means they are going nowhere.

Certainly a book for fans of historical novels that retell events complicated by a turmoil of deception and greed. Walter's description and interaction between the characters ensured I quickly became engrossed in the world inhabited by the survivors of the pestilence - their sorrow and fears became mine and I was just as determined as them that good would prevail.
My only niggling doubt about this was that, despite the awful events arising from the pestilence and the main characters' struggles to overcome the animosity of jealous stewards and clergymen, everything seemed just a little too easy for them. Also, whilst I fundamentally admired the main character. (Lady Anne) and her ethical code and methods, I began to find her 'niceness' just a little too much and too grating. However, this was not too annoying a feeling to prevent me from really enjoying this.

Thank you to NetGalley and .Allen & Unwin for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series. It was interesting and informative in places but I also found it hard going in places as well. I am a fan of Minette Walters and would definitely read more of her books. I found this book did not engage me as much as some of her others.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I was given a free copy of this book by netgalley for a honest review.

Walters knows how to combine the right historical details and characters that pop off the page to give you a immersive medieval experience.

The sequel to The Last Hours continues the story of the people of Develish, Lady Anne and Thurkell in particular, although the younger and older generation aren't missed.

With the Black Death seemingly on the wane, Thurkell and the five young men who accompany him, are able to move around Dorsetshire with more ease. The bleak aftermath of the plague is never far from them, and the depictions of a deserted landscape are haunting.

The suggestions of social mobility, explored throughout The Last Hours, and by the serfs of Develish, who have long worked in secrecy to buy themselves out of serfdom, are cast into stark relief when Thurkell comes into contact with different demesnes, where the Norman Lords have ruled through the threat of the Church and the whip. Perhaps more than anything, it is this which truly reveals the hierarchical society of the time and the fear with which serfs were ruled. The ideas, conveyed against the more common sense approach of those from Develish, that even when starving the men and women of different demesnes are too fearful to eat food that is freely available for fear of the wrath of their Lord's stewards, no doubt dead, even though they've tried to outrun the plague, is shocking. Time and again, I felt rage for these fictional characters, who, I hope, are a representation of what the time period was truly like when so many were oppressed.

It is a delight of the novel, that it manages to convey the coming social changes with skill that never becomes tedious.

The novel, does, unfortunately, fail to maintain the tension of the first book in the series, and the end scenes only truly work because the reader is so desperate for Lady Anne and Thurkell to succeed in their attempts.

That said, this is a deeply satisfying novel,and it was a delight to read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I am not sure what to make of this book or the previous one The Last Hours to be honest. Perhaps read the book at the wrong time.

Will the promise of freedom for serfs hold against the power of the church and the greed of noblemen?

It is the year 1349 as we see the ravages of the Black Death in England. The cause of the pestilence, introduced in the The Last Hours, is yet to be discovered. It has swept the land with such severity that many have been left unburied with fields untilled and settlements deserted. Sheep and cattle wander over the fields untended. As a woman ahead of her time, Lady Anne has saved all in her demesne and continues her role as liege lord of Develish. With her strong belief in education for all men and women, she supports her serfs with care. Alongside her steward and most trusted friend, Thaddeus Thurkell, she develops their knowledge and health. However, notwithstanding their dwindling food supplies, they need to deal with the threats of those who do not believe in freedom for serfs and interpret Lady Anne’s progressive thinking as heathen practices and black arts.

The novel unfolds with Lady Anne’s midnight visit to Lady Eleanor, Sir Richard’s illegitimate daughter. She needs to prompt Eleanor to perform an act that could inflame Eleanor’s hatred for her even further. Lady Anne is riddled with guilt and keenly feels her failure as a mother to Eleanor. To hide her pregnancy, Lady Eleanor’s vindictive lies and foolish games have driven five boys from the demesne. Thaddeus has taken them as his companions in his quest to find what is beyond Develish.

The party of six discover much devastation, and they are forced to burn down villages in the hope of containing the pestilence. Along with finding supplies for Develish, Thaddeus and the boys are tasked with finding Lady Eleanor’s hidden dowry. When Thaddeus is run off by a pack of dogs the boys find his horse tangled in a rope without its rider, they are forced to follow the trail to Athelhelm. Here their newly acquired skills are put to the test. As the novel progresses they become unrecognisable as the five serf boys that left Develish and become known as Athelstan’s men.

To her detriment, Lady Anne has no choice but to re-appoint the duplicitous and antagonistic Frenchman as her steward. His betrayal drives her from Develish in a quest to salvage her plan of freedom for serfs and bondsmen. She will stop at nothing to keep the promise she made to her people and can only hope that her allegiance with a noble will be to her advantage.

Walters writes fluidly, and her depiction of the characters accurately sketches the power wielded over bondsmen by the constrictions of religious beliefs and the rulership of the nobility. As her characters start believing that they can live as free men and women, they are enlightened by the knowledge that religion is not about penance and God’s punishment, but about forgiveness and living in celebration of it.

The novel leaves us with several loose ends which suggest that we can expect and look forward to a third in the series.

Ange

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

The Turn of Midnight by Minette Walters is the follow up to The Last Hours a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Turn of Midnight picks up the story where the previous book had finished in 1348 with Dorsetshire still recovering from the Black Death.

The story again shows how Lady Anne and Thaddus Thurkell think and act differently from other leaders and allow the people of Develish to grow as individuals.

The writing is once again excellent and the story both thought provoking and compelling as Lady Anne and Thaddus face numerous obstacles and challenges.

If you haven't read the prequel then you will be stil be able to fully enjoy The Turn of Midnight as there is a short background to the main characters at the beginning along with sufficient backstory within the actual book.

Again this book is thoroughly recommended.

I was really looking forward to reading this novel, the sequel to The Last Hours which I enjoyed. Sadly I was disappointed. The story was very slow and did not move forward, not enough action. There was something missing. You need to read the first book in the series, Last Hours to understand the times and the characters that have been well researched.

The Turn of Midnight is the second book in Minette Walters's new historical series. It is set in the 14th century, when the Black Death hit England with devastating consequences. I was desperate to get my hands on this book because I loved the first one in the series, The Last Hours, and I would recommend reading that one first to fully understand and appreciate the characters and their motivation.

At the end of 1348, the people of Develish have only survived the plague that devastated the rest of country by forcibly isolating themselves. When it seems the pestilence might have finally run its course, former serf Thaddeus Thurkell ventures outside the walls with a band of teenage boys to scout the surrounding villages for food and news of fellow survivors. But to enable Develish to continue to prosper and thrive in this new world, a deception will be necessary. Can Thaddeus pull it off? Because the penalty for his failure will be death...

The strength of these stories is in the characters. It is impossible not to root for their success and be completely gripped by their adventures. I particularly love Lady Anne, who uses her intelligence and cool logic to outsmart her enemies (usually men who underestimate her!), and former serf Thaddeus, who is determined to rise above his lowly status and is, in fact, far smarter than those who are supposedly his 'betters'. I also loved the way Thaddeus's band of surly teenagers have grown into mature soldiers.

I know very little about this time period and felt the author really brought it alive for me. I do hope someone turns it into TV series! My favourite scenes were when Thaddeus and his men finally see the sea, and their confrontation with one of the villains from the first book. The only negative was that I felt the scene set in Blandeforde went on for a bit too long - I was eager for Thaddeus to get onto his next adventure!

Thoroughly recommended, particularly for anyone who loves gripping, character-led historical fiction.


I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of The Turn of Midnight, which will be published in the UK on the 4th of October 2018.

Thank you to Minette Walters and Allen & Unwin for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

This book is a fitting sequel to the first one in Minette Walters' trilogy about the Black Death. It is particularly fascinating to me as I live in the area. The extents to which people would act to avoid the plague and/or allocate blame for it are brought to life. It is fairly unusual for a book about this period of history to focus on the "serfs" rather than royalty and this is one of the strengths of the book. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In addition, they had offered an ebook of the first book in this series, ‘The Last Hours’, which was appreciated as it does need to be read first to understand the setting and characters of its direct sequel.

‘The Turn of Midnight’ moved on from the gruesome and devastating events of the first book to focus on the beginnings of the local society’s rebirth even though the plague continued its progress through the country.

Certainly I found it readable and felt it was better than ‘The Last Hours’ in terms of pacing. I felt connected to the characters and wanted to know how things developed for them. I was especially heartened by the healing power of cats in one character’s life.

Yet as invested as I was I did start to feel a few too many situations and interactions were turning out positive and while I understand the appeal of a ‘feel good’ novel it just felt a bit incongruous given the themes and setting.

This time I was prepared for the anachronisms that I cited in my review of ‘The Last Hours’ though they continued to bother me. I recognise that I am likely in the minority on this but I do find it breaks my concentration as a niggling voice in my mind comments on them. Perhaps having Thaddeus make the flea/rat connection was useful for the plot but I felt it did a disservice to those researchers who proposed it centuries later.

Often authors will provide end notes where they state where they have used creative license in these matters. However, the ARC does not include such extras so I cannot know if this was noted.

I was so looking forward to reading this novel, the sequel to The Last Hours which I loved so much. Sadly I was so disappointed there was something missing It did not come alive for me as Last Hours did and frankly at times I found I was skim reading too much conversation and not enough action.