The Players by Minette Walters


England, 1685. Decades after the end of the civil war, the country is once again divided when an illegitimate son and pretender to the throne arrives in Dorset to incite rebellion against his uncle, 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 contrive ways to save men from the gallows...

I love anything by the author and inhale her books as soon as they are out . As always a perfect read , totally riveting and could not put it down , the characters , the prose , the whole lot . Perfect.

Another brilliant book by Walters. Although as sequel to The Harrier and The Swift, it can be read as a standalone but an even better book would have been missed. The first part of the story fills in the history between the two books. The plot covers Monmouth's rebellion against James II and the transfer of the crown to William and Mary of Orange. Jayne, The Swift and her son Elias try to protect the people of Dorset and stop the king alienating his subjects. My only criticism of a thoroughly enjoyable book is that the main characters, Jayne, Elias and Althea are all a little bit too good to be true.
Can there be another sequel? I hope so.

Excellent, well-written novel set against the backdrop of the Monmouth Rebellion and its aftermath. The characterisations of the main protagonists, both fictional and historical, including Judge Jeffreys, are very well written, and the plot is excellent and believable. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history, literature and a 'jolly good read'.

With thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin

Minette Walter’s “The Players” is set in late 16th Century England, at a time when Civil War and Parliamentarianism has given way to an unsettled return to monarchy. When King Charles dies, his illegitimate son Lord Monmouth attempts to overthrow his Catholic brother King James II, but his rebellion fails, leading to the trials of thousands of people imprisoned as traitors. Lord Granville, or Ellias as many know him, feels responsible for the rebels plight and using cunning and disguise he attempts to save as many as he can. He is helped in his endeavours by his mother Lady Jayne Harrier a skilled physician, and neighbour Althea, a highly intelligent woman whose brains her overlooked due to her palsy.

Walters is one of my favourite authors and her books are always brilliantly written. In this, Elias or Lord Granville, very much resembles a super hero and at times his height, strength and good looks are commented upon. Her descriptions of historic events are very engaging and she chooses to focus more on the domestic discussions than on the more dramatic events. My only criticism would be that sometimes the length of persuasive arguments can start to become unrealistic. However this is a novel I would highly recommend, along with all her others (crime and historical alike).

"The Players" is a sequel to "The Harrier and The Swift", but can be read as a standalone novel. This time we have moved on to the Monmouth Rebellion and our hero is Elias, son of William. Jayne (Swift) is still alive and running her private hospital, which includes treating outpatients and generally doing good in her local rural community.

Life was a struggle in many rural areas at this time, with many starving and no help from the faraway King and his Parliament in London. It is easy to see how simple it would be raise an army under such circumstances, with a charismatic but flawed leader making unrealistic promises. Unfortunately Monmouth had little financial backing, few trained soldiers and no weapons for his rag tag army. Easily defeated at the battle of Segemoor the rebels were hounded by King James, who dispatched Judge Jeffreys to deal with those who were captured.

One of the reasons I particularly love the books of Minette Walters is that I live in Dorchester and enjoy finding out more of the history of the area. Plus I've always liked a good swash-buckling historical romance, with great heroes and strong, fearless heroines.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In 1685, the illegitimate son of James 11, known as the Duke of Monmouth, wanted to rebel against his uncle and take the throne. These were the dark days of the bloody assizes. This was a series of trials after the battle of Sedgemoor, which stopped the Monmouth rebellion. There is hope as a few start to conspire to save some of the men from being hanged.
It's a great historical fiction that I could not put down... i give this book five stars for a compelling read

Another fabulous historical novel from Minette Walters. This is a sequel to The Swift and the Harrier but it stands perfectly brilliantly on its own. The book covers the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth against King James II - a turbulent time in English history, with Monmouth believing he was the rightful heir to the throne of his father (he was an illegitimate son) and James II a sybaritic and vicious leader. Lady Jayne Harrier and her son Elias, the Duke of Granville devote themselves to taking care of those in need, but have to do so in a clandestine way, in order to avoid being seen as ‘rebels’ and executed under King James unforgiving regime. The book begins with quite a lot of historical scene setting and it can take some time to work out who is who, but once the story is underway this is a work of great distinction, superbly researched and characterised and with a story that has great momentum and will engage the reader to the final word.

I don’t usually give 5 stars if I have any reservations, no matter how small, but this book deserves every one of them!

Mine tote Walters never fails to deliver. A clever meld of fact and fiction, her books are packed with detail and she brings the period to vivid life. This is a sequel to The Harrier and the Swift, but it works very well as a standalone. The backdrop in this story is the Monmouth Rebellion and Walters captures the political intrigues and shenanigans as different factions struggle for power and control.

As well as the historical adventure, there’s a human interest tale of love, but this never becomes a soppy romance. I really like the settings and her sharp,y observed characters. They feel like real people and I was invested in their story. It’s historical fiction at its best and I’m hoping for more in this story.

Great sequel to The Swift and the Harrier, set from the reign of the Catholic James II to the Glorious Revolution, when William and Mary came to power. The story centres on the infamous Judge Jeffries and how Lady Jane Harrier and her son Elias, Duke of Granville try to save people from the ignominy of being hung, drawn and quartered at the infamous Bloody Assizes. Good to see female characters having strong roles, especially the erudite, wheelchair-bound Althea and Lady Harrier, who nurses poor people with compassion and care.

After the death of King Charles II, his Catholic brother James takes the throne of England. His rule is cruel, his people suffer and discontent is stoked by James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth, the eldest illegitimate son of the late King, who leaves his exile in France and returns home with an army intending to claim the throne for himself.
The rebellion doesn’t go to plan, and the common people are pursued and punished for treasonable behaviour. We meet Jack Ketch, the highly incompetent hangman and the Hanging Judge Jeffries, who believes that all those persons who are captured are guilty, no quarter is to be given. His Bloody Assizes condemn so many people, that the gallows cannot cope with the sheer number of hangings and some people are transported away from England for hard labour.
Elias, the Duke of Granville, and his mother, Lady Jayne are determined to help those in prison by planning escapes in order to smuggle them abroad. Althea Ettrick is a young lady, well educated but disabled by a form of palsy. She and Elias work together in many schemes, this story shows the importance of seeing past the obvious disability and concentrating upon the strong wit and clever brains of this neglected and under appreciated woman.
This is an immensely readable and enjoyable story, full of historical detail, but not dry or dusty, but witty and playful with characters you feel a connection to.
All the central people are likeable, and compassionate, filled with a sense of justice that must be seen to be done and available to all.
Not a period of history taught when I was at school, but my knowledge and curiosity has been increased after reading this novel, and I may have to do some further investigations on this era of conflict.
A five star read.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Atlantic Books for my ARC, freely given in return for an honest review. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

The Players is the sequel to The Swift and the Harrier but can be read as a standalone novel. The action is set in 1685 at the time of Monmouth's rebellion and defeat at the Battle of Sedgemoor. The infamous Judge Jeffreys is brought in to punish the rebels. Lady Jayne Harrier and her son Elias strive to save men from hanging.
This meticulously researched book is rich with period detail that brings the past to life. A compelling read that kept me turning the pages. This is historical fiction at its best.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an excellent read. It’s a well researched novel based on the aftermath of the failed coup attempt by the illegitimate son of Charles II to wrest the throne from James II. It focuses on the round up of thousands of local people from Dorset and Somerset who were accused of (often falsely) taking part in the insurrection. The Lord Chief justice was dispatched to the West Country to administer a swift and gruesome punishment to deter any further unrest. The lead characters are great as they seek to soften or evade the impact of such harsh treatment showing both wisdom and bravery. The book makes several important points, firstly that James II understood he had a divine right to rule, yet people were able to stand up against that sense of totalitarianism. Secondly, one lead character is a female physician who puts to shame some of the quackery in the existing medical profession. A second lead role was a woman with a disability in her legs. She was seen as a simpleton as a result yet her intelligence was immense. These themes make fo4 a highly worthwhile read