It’s 19th August 1642 and physician Jayne Swift tries to negotiate a path through the crowds gathered in Dorchester to watch the execution of Catholic priests as the city has enthusiastically embraced Puritanism. She wants to get to her cousin Ruth’s house as her son is gravely ill. She waits in a doorway that proves to be owned by Lady Alice Strickland and there the Swift meets the Harrier - William Harrier..... who appears to be acting as Alice’s footman. This is the start of a gripping novel which seamlessly weaves fact with fiction with the civil war raging throughout the kingdom and at the centre a developing and fascinating love story.

The English Civil War + strong women + medicine is a match made in heaven for me!!! Jayne Swift absolutely captivates, she’s a central protagonist that keeps you intrigued throughout. Jayne’s vow of neutrality, her desire to use her extensive medical knowledge for the good of all, her intelligence, quick wittedness, kindness and straight honest talking makes you admire her more and more. As for William Harrier, what an enigma, a real chameleon, he’s a mystery in as far as who or what exactly is he??? This conundrum unfolds really well and he is also a colourful and excellently portrayed character. I think it’s fair to say that the large cast of characters are all deftly conveyed so you can picture them in your minds eye, in particular Lady Alice.

This historical novel is meticulously researched, the developing civil war, the conspiracies, backstabbing, reprisals, religious and political divisions that split families including Jaynes, the brutality of war, the war weariness and deprivation and the dramatic conclusion in January 1649 are entwined in the life of Jayne and Will. It’s well plotted and paced, there’s a great ending, it’s beautifully written in a lively and colourful way. In places it’s gritty as Jayne assists in helping the injured and surgery at this time is not pretty. I really enjoy the medical side of the storytelling with Jayne having been trained by Dr Richard Theale who is ‘modern’ in his approach versus the magical, weird and not so wonderful of other physicians.

Overall, this is historical fiction at its best with strong women at the centre of the storytelling. This fits with the times as the civil war allowed ‘warrior women’ such as Lady Brilliana Hardy to make their mark. The writing is peppered with humour and scenes so lively they spring off the pages. I’ve been an admirer of Minette Walters for years and continue to do so. If you like Historical Fiction and especially the civil war then I highly recommend this one.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Atlantic Books, Allen and Unwin for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Minette Walters is a fantastic author and rarely disappoints. Once again, this is a wonderful book to read - so atmospheric and reminiscent of the time.

Jane Swift is a female physician whose family are split between supporting parliament and supporting the king. Jane doesn't want to take sides, she'd rather help anyone who needs it but it's really hard for a woman. Everywhere she goes she seems to come into contact with William; first as a servant but is that really all he is?

A cleverly written novel with really likeable (and some definitely unlikeable characters) and, as I said, conjuring up the difficulties of the time, particularly as a lone woman. I really enjoyed reading it but then I knew I would.

I really, really enjoyed this book. All the characters are well-rounded and believable.
The novel is set during the English Civil War with characters from both sides, and none, and one gets a real sense of why a civil war is such a terrible thing for any nation. The leading characters - Jayne Swift, a doctor who is prepared to use the latest, untried innovations to save lives, and William Harrier, who is definitely much more than he originally seems - are both engaging and likeable. The plot is well written, and I hope there are more historical novels from Minette Walters - I will definitely read them.

With thanks to NetGalley and Allen and Unwin for an ARC

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of the book for review.

For me the highlights of this book were the characters. They were all well-rounded and in particular the main characters of Jayne and William were likeable and I was keen to follow their story to the end. If anything I would have liked more about them. They both had such interesting back stories and I would have liked to have met them much earlier in their lives.

I really enjoyed the part of the story which showed how Jayne, along with the doctors and townspeople handled the siege as it was a very close-up depiction of what happened. I found some of the other detailed description of the war a bit dull as it just provided background context to the main story and I tended to speed read these parts.

But overall it was an interesting and engaging read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction.

Written in the same vein as Walter’s two previous novels set in the time of the plague, this engaging romance centres around an intelligent heroine whose medical knowledge saves the lives of her compatriots during the English Civil Wars. With the support of her mother Jayne persuaded her father to study under a forward thinking physician to learn more useful remedies than drinking an infusion of white wine and crushed wood lice. In the course of her work her path crosses that of the mysterious William who seems to be far too intelligent for the footman he claims to be. Soon she is caught up in the war, dealing with the injuries of soldiers and despite her neutrality finds herself drawn to the Parliamentarians where she meets William in several guises. She is inevitably drawn to him but knows she cannot trust him when he lies so easily about himself.
Delightful historical romance with likeable intelligent character and enough tension to keep the plot flowing.

Minette Walters is one of my all time favourite writers when it comes to crime novels, subtle, clever and disturbing.

How talented and versatile she is as a writer to be able to turn her hand to a much lighter but still involving series of historical fiction novels. I believe her first historical novels were set around the time of the plague and they are well worth reading.

'The Swift and the Harrier' is an excellent summer read. Flashes of humour, engaging heroes, villains and heroines and a good dollop of very well integrated history.

The English civil war was an utterly grim and horrible time and deaths as a percentage of the population were higher then they were in the first world war. Minette Walters brings to life the brutality and horror of life then but without ramming all her research down your throat or filling you with gloom.

Her history informs and illuminates rather than making you think you are being given a lecture. Particularly well done was the divide between those believing in the divine right of the king and the rights of the English people.

This is a novel for 21st century readers and if I was being picky I would say Jayne Swift would have had a much harder life than that portrayed in the novel. She is very zesty and sure of herself, partly what makes the novel so fun.

I'm very interested to see how Minette Walters thinking develops and if she moves towards historical crime.. She would certainly be able to create an equivalent to the 'Shardlake' series.

This is a love story set against a backdrop of the English Civil War.

Jayne Swift is an exceptional woman for her times. Educated and instructed by a well regarded physician, she is a female doctor when such things were frowned upon and treated with suspicion. As civil war breaks out Jayne make a choice to remain neutral and to serve both sides when she can. This is despite the majority of her family being committed Royalists. At the start of the war she meets William Harrier, a real chameleon, who changes his appearance and social standing in life to suit the occasion.

Through much adventure, tragedy and hardship love blossoms.

This is a good romp of a book for both ardent true history fans and for those who enjoy historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley.

This is an excellent book. I love it when I learn history incidentally from a novel. The main characters are realistic and likeable, the period descriptions are detailed and informative, and the plot moves along at a steady pace. Jane is an unusual character for the time - a female tales of her remedies and the injuries incurred during battles are really interesting. Overall, a brilliant read.

I’m delighted that Minette Walters has moved from her crime books into the world of historical fiction. She excels at both, but The Swift and The Harrier is, for me, her best yet. The way she weaves a story around fact is breathtaking. The opening pages are powerful. There’s a hanging and the reader is immediately drawn in to the excitement of the event as people crowd to watch the spectacle. It’s a brutal affair but the hustle and bustle feels real. Jayne Swift is a physician and quickly becomes involved with William Harrier, a man of many guises with a mysterious past.

The story takes place during the Civil War and the conflicts within households and a divided country are incredibly well depicted. There’s a strong sense of place in which I was easily immersed. This book is an adventure, but along the way it explores political and personal divides in Civil War England extremely well. And the role of women; often experts in their field, but reviled by reason of gender. A rollicking read that works at many levels and I really enjoyed this foray into a war torn Britain.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

It was a happy day for me when Minette Walters took to writing historical fiction.
Her plague books were excellent,and this one is too.
A period of history I know little about,I followed the trials of our two main characters through a lot.
There's war,religion,family ties,loyalty and all the usual madness that sets people against each other.
The best bits are definitely when Jayne and William are together,though you never quite know where or when William might crop up.
Very enjoyable.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Allen & Unwin in return for an honest review.

This is a fabulous read. Minette Walters has taken a truly awful and tragic period in history and two amazing characters in Jayne and William and produced a riveting, beautifully executed, exploration of the civil war and its ramifications. I've read a few of this author's books and she really has a gift for bringing things to life. A 5 star read.

Anyone familiar with Ms Walters fabulous historical fiction will definitely enjoy her latest accomplishment a sweeping tale of love, espionage, political intrigues and religious shenanigans set in England during the tumultuous years of the Civil War. A swashbuckling feat full of unforgettable & very colorful characters, breathless military action and enough twists and turns to keep the reader on pins and needles all the way to the end. A fantastic and captivating fictional journey through 17th century England that should be enjoyed without moderation. Historical fiction at its best!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Allen & Unwin for this wonderful ARC

As a long time fan of Minette Walters I have been looking forward to this book and was not disappointed - it’s quite simply wonderful! Immensely readable, superbly characterised, with a gripping plot and a wonderful sense of place and time - what more could a reader ask for? It centres around Jayne Swift, a very rare female physician in the 17th century, and the mysterious William Harrier, who has many different personas, but is of course the good guy. The story doesn’t stint on descriptions of war injuries or the effects of poverty on the people of the time, but as these are so much a part of the story, they are far easier to accept than they would be had they been included simply to shock the reader. This reviewer honestly has nothing negative to say about this book!

Thank you to Net Galley and Allen & Unwin for a pre published copy of : The Swift and the Harrier.

Firstly I have read several of Mind the Walters books including my favourite The Last Hours, well that was until now with The Swift and The Harrier. Quite simply , it's one of her best !

Jayne Swift lives in Dorset in 1642 where a civil war has broken out between the king and parliament.
Jayne is a physician , she come from a royalist family but treats both sides.
She mets her protagonist William Harrier ( hence the clever title )
The story is no gentle love story and can be quite brutal at times , but Minette has the nack of taking straight to the action to the degree that you can feel the emotions and almost see yourself as a bystander witnessing the unfolding action as if it's been laid out in front of you.
Gripping.