New Releases by Minette Walters

Dorset, England, 1642 Jayne Swift er ikke som kvinder er flest. Hun tager aktivt del i kampene under Den Engelske Borgerkrig, ikke som oprører, men som læge. Hun er vokset op i en familie af royalister, men da krigen bryder ud, forholder Jayne sig ikke til ofrenes politiske ståsted – hun yder sin lægelige bistand, hvor der er behov for den. Under tumultariske omstændigheder møder Jayne den gådefulde William Harrier. Hun ved intet om ham og hans baggrund, men hun er lodret uenig med ham politisk. Alligevel kommer han til at bistå Jayne ved flere lejligheder, og sammen bliver de vidner til krigens brutalitet, men hvem er William Harrier egentlig? Mursejleren og rørhøgen er en fejende flot og eventyrlig fortælling om tab, vilje, opofrelse og kærlighed under Den Engelske Borgerkrig. Og om en usædvanlig og modig kvindes kamp for at gøre en forskel på trods af den modstand, hun møder.

A sweeping historical adventure set during one of the most turbulent periods of British history—featuring a heroine you’ll never forget ... Dorset, 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.

Mois de juin de l''an 1348 : une épidémie monstrueuse s''abat sur le Dorset et décime peu à peu les habitants. Nobles et serfs meurent par milliers dans d''atroces souffrances. Quand la pestilence frappe Develish, Lady Anne a l''audace de nommer un esclave comme régisseur. Ensemble, ils décident de mettre le domaine en quarantaine pour le protéger. Bientôt, les stocks de vivres s''amenuisent et des tensions montent car l''isolement s''éternise. Les villageois craignent pour leur sécurité lorsqu''un événement terrible menace le fragile équilibre. Les gens de Develish sont en vie, mais pour combien de temps encore ? Et que découvriront-ils quand le temps sera venu pour eux de passer les douves ? Quand la grande dame du roman noir anglo-saxon s''attaque à la saga historique, elle nous offre le plus captivant et haletant des page-turners.

Survivors of the Black Death face new dangers as they seek safety and freedom in the New York Times–bestselling author’s sequel to The Last Hours. England, Winter, 1348. As the Black Death continues its devastating course across England, 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 to leave the safety of their moated walls. But first, to prepare for the wasteland outside, one courageous man must venture out alone. Thaddeus Thurkell, a free-thinking, educated serf, goes 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 Develish’s 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 people’s independence, neither foresees the life-threatening struggle over power, money and religion that follows . . .

For most, the Black Death is the end. For a brave few, it heralds a new beginning. Widowed by her husband’s death from the pestilence, Lady Anne assumes control of his people’s future—200 bonded serfs without rights of ownership to land. Strong, compassionate and resourceful—qualities she kept hidden from the husband she loathed and despised—Lady Anne chooses a bastard slave, Thaddeus Thurkell, to act as her steward. Together, they decide to quarantine Develish by bringing the serfs inside a defendable moat and sharing the available food amongst all. With this sudden overturning of the accepted social order, where serfs exist only to serve their lords, conflict arises when they’re given a voice. Ignorant of what is happening in the world outside, they wrestle with themselves, with God and the terrible uncertainty of their futures. They fear starvation when their food runs out but they fear the pestilence more. Who amongst them has the courage to leave the safety of the demesne in search of supplies and news? And how safe is anyone in Develish when an unexplained murder threatens the uneasy status quo? In The Last Hours Minette Walters brings all her trademark intelligence to a totally new timeframe—creating a vivid and powerful drama through compelling characters whose journey readers will be drawn to. The Last Hours is an exciting new direction from an established best-selling author and Minette is currently writing the sequel.

''Acid Row'' is the name the beleaguered inhabitants give to their housing estate. It is a no-man''s land of single mothers and fatherless children - where angry, alienated youth control the streets. Into this battlefield comes Sophie Morrison, a young doctor visiting a patient in Acid Row. Little does she know that she is entering the home of a known paedophile and with reports circulating that a tormented child called Amy has disappeared, the vigilantes are out in force. Soon Sophie is trapped at the centre of a terrifying siege, held hostage by a violent psychopath. Whipped to a frenzy by unsubstantiated rumour, the mob unleashes its hatred-against authority the law and ''the pervert''. ''Protecting Amy'' becomes the catch-all defence for the terrible events that follow. And if murder is part of it, then so be it. But is Amy really missing?

Chilling psychological suspense with “exceptional punch” from the Edgar Award–winning author of The Dark Room (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). It seems like a respectable British home, occupied by the Songolis, an upstanding family of African immigrants. But hidden within the cellar is Muna—a teenage girl who cooks for them, cleans for them, endures brutal abuse from them . . . and is powerless to escape. Then one day, the Songolis’ ten-year-old son fails to come home from school, and Scotland Yard arrives at the house to investigate. While they look into the boy’s disappearance, Muna must play the role of beloved daughter. She suddenly has a real bedroom, with sunlight, and real clothing to wear. But she must continue to keep quiet—and hide the fact that she has learned how to speak English. Even as the police are watching, her secret life of enslavement goes on. But Muna is hatching a plan—and her acts of rebellion and revenge will be more terrifying than this family could have imagined—in this dark, twisting tale that represents “contemporary crime writing at its absolute peak” (Val McDermid).

The tension is palpable as Walters takes the spellbound reader to a surprising climax.'' MELBOURNE WEEKLY. ''Acid Row'' is the name the beleaguered inhabitants give to their housing estate. It is a no-man''s land of single mothers and fatherless children-where angry, alienated youth control the streets. Into this battlefield comes Sophie Morrison, a...

A masterful combination of suspense, mystery and psychology in short, another triumph.'' CANBERRA TIMES.A woman''s brutally damaged body washes up on a lonely beach. Twelve hours later, her three-year-old daughter is found, wandering abandoned twenty miles away from her mother.Why was Kate Sumner murdered, yet her child, a witness, allowed to live...

A psychological thriller about race, family, and the brutal power of raw emotion.Mrs. Ranelagh has never stopped thinking about the dead body she found in the gutter twenty years ago, during Britain’s Winter of Discontent. “Mad Annie,” as she was known, was the only black resident of her West London neighborhood and openly despised by the community. The police called her death an accident, but Mrs. Ranelagh has always suspected it was murder. However, her pleas for an investigation were met with a vicious hate campaign that drove her and her husband from the country. Now, determined to uncover the truth, Mrs. Ranelagh has returned to England, where she quickly discovers a sordid trail of domestic violence, racism and adultery that shockingly could lead back to her own family.

In this hypnotic novel of psychological suspense, a homeless man is found starved to death in the garage of a ritzy London home. The police chalk it up to an unfortunate accident, but a journalist, Michael Deacon, is intrigued. Amanda Powell, a socialite whose wealthy husband vanished five years ago after being accused of embezzlement, is just as interested as Michael in finding out who died in her garage. They have no idea that this simple story will unveil a web of deceit that is an appalling as the people behind it.

From the author of The Devil''s Feather comes a haunting psychological thriller about a scarred Iraq war veteran whose physical trauma may reflect the inner turmoil of a killer.Somewhere in the endless, deadly desert between Basra and Baghdad, Lieutenant Charles Acland''s convoy was attacked. Recovering in the hospital, Charles is crippled by migraines and suspicious of his doctors. He grows uncharacteristically aggressive, particularly against women. Rejecting cosmetic surgery, he moves to London. There he sinks into a quagmire of guilt and paranoia—until an outburst of irrational, vicious anger brings him to the attention of the local police, who are investigating three recent murders. Now under suspicion, Charles is forced to confront his issues before it''s too late, but the shadowy forces working against him—or in him—could be more than he can overcome.

General Adult. When Mathilda Gillespie, a wealthy English matron, is found dead, a medieval instrument of torture over her head, the ensuing investigation implicates one of her few friends, her physician and main beneficiary, Sarah Blakeney. Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Reprint.

A blistering new thriller about the horrors of war and the struggle to survive in the face of pure evil. Foreign correspondent Connie Burns is hunting a British mercenary that she believes is responsible for the rape and murder of five women in Sierra Leone in 2002. Two years later she finds him training Iraqi police in Baghdad. Connie is determined to expose his crimes, but then she is kidnapped and released after three days of unspeakable torture. Silently, she returns to England and attempts to isolate herself, but it soon becomes apparent that the horrors of the world and her own nightmarish past aren’t so easy to escape from.

Short though this novella may be, it contains all the compressed tension and unsettling ambience that we find in Minette''s wide repertoire -- a chicken farm can be a dangerous place.

Called "a brilliant piece of psychological deconstruction" (London''s "Daily Mail"), the first American publication of this novel by the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Fox Evil" features a new design and trim size for comfortable reading. HC: Macmillan (UK).

Crime.

When elderly Alisa Lockyer-Fox is found dead in her garden, dressed in her nightclothes and with bloodstains on the ground around her, the finger of suspicion points at her wealthy husband, Colonel James Lockyer-Fox. A coroner''s investigation deems it death by natural causes, but the gossip surrounding James refuses to go away." "With James friendless and alone, his reclusive behavior begins to alarm his attorney, whose concern deepens when he discovers that his client has become the victim of a relentless campaign accusing him of far worse than the murder of his wife. James is unwilling to fight the allegations, choosing instead to devote his energies to a desperate search for the illegitimate granddaughter who may prove his savior as he battles for his name - and his life.

The international bestselling author presents a sinister tale of greed, gossip, and murder.

Swedish inspector Kurt Wallender investigates the murder of a woman whose body was stuffed in a well. The case has international ramifications, involving a plot against Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

Hospitalized after an alleged suicide attempt, Jinx Kingsley, only daughter of millionaire Adam Kingsley, struggles to recover her memory with the help of Dr. Alan Protheroe, only to come face to face with a terrifying reality. 100,000 first printing. $200,000 ad/promo. Lit Guild & Mystery Guild Main.

Hoping to get a new book published, burned-out journalist Rosalind Leigh interviews Olive Martin, an obsessed sculptor who is convicted of killing her mother, and who Rosalind begins to believe is not the actual murderer.

With this stunning debut--a marvelous marriage of classic convention and contemporary sophistication--Minette Walters sets a new standard of excellence for the mystery novel. The three women living in seclusion at an elegant Hampshire country house have long been fodder for village gossip...even whispers of a witches'' coven. So when a faceless corpse of uncertain vintage is found in the Streech Grange ice house, Chief Inspector Walsh can''t wait to make a case of it. Lady of the manor Phoebe Maybury, still haunted by Walsh''s relentless investigation of her husband''s strange disappearance ten years ago, is calm. She and her two housemates--sensitive, charming artist Diana Goode and pretty, earthy Anne Cattrell--seem as puzzled as the police. But do they have something to hide? While Walsh strives to nail Phoebe for murder, sexy young Detective Sergeant McLoughlin turns his attention to the exasperating and magnetic Anne. Soon his inquiry and his impulses will draw him into a tangled thicket of love, loyalty, and deadly intrigue.