Book review: A gripping, late 17th century thriller

Prolific author Minette Walters has been writing books since 1992. 

Her 21st novel,  The Players, is set in the England of 1685 when Charles II’s illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, arrives in Dorset in an effort to instigate a rebellion against his Catholic uncle King James II.

The rebellion itself was ill-conceived, badly timed and poorly equipped, and was quashed quickly by the king’s superior army.

The Duke of Monmouth was captured and beheaded, and thousands of his supporters were rounded up and imprisoned to await their fate.

As Elias Harrier (the Duke of Granville), one of our ‘players’, insightfully proclaims: “The rich assess their chances of success, while the poor fight for ideals, and dreams are rarely rooted in caution.” 

The rebels’ lives hang in the balance as Lord Chief Justice George Jeffreys makes his way towards Dorset, presiding over the rebels’ trials and meting out punishment for a king intent on vengeance.

This dark time became known as the Bloody Assizes. And it is against this backdrop that our story takes place.

We are introduced to a formidable and resourceful set of characters who use their wits, charm, and knowledge of the law and medicine to outwit those who would hang, draw and quarter thousands for high treason.

The Duke of Granville, who believes that no man should be punished for another man’s mistakes, leads the charge, travelling the region, often in disguise, while striking up alliances to help the rebels. 

He is aided by his mother, Lady Jayne Harrier. who readers will remember as Jayne Swift from Walters’ previous novel The Swift and The Harrier, and Althea Milton, the daughter of a local magistrate.

Through a series of schemes rooted in knowledge and ingenuity, they contrive to free some of the imprisoned rebels, help others to escape, and aid the remainder to avoid certain death and instead be transported to America as slaves.

This is a race against time as Judge Jeffreys edges closer before eventually arriving in Dorset. 

Known as a man of principle, devoted to the rule of law and loyalty to the king, Judge Jeffreys was, on the surface, an ill-tempered drunk, but stoking his irascibility was the intense and near-constant pain of kidney stones. 

Lady Jayne, an intelligent physician, realises the man’s pain and treats him with a firm hand and kindness. 

Lady Jayne believes the judge, with his pain in check, may be more open to reason and compassion when hearing the rebels’ defences.

The dialogue and conversations between the main characters informs the story itself, neatly debating philosophy, the law, and societal rules.

The sparring between Judge Jeffreys and Lady Harrier illustrates the former’s disbelief that a woman at this time could have the expertise and character to behave as she does.

“I have never known a woman to behave and speak as you do, Lady Harrier. You don’t watch or listen hard enough.” 

Woven into this gripping adventure is the evolving love story of Elias and Althea, who has a palsied leg and is widely considered a simple woman. 

She has in fact an incredible mind and a thirst for knowledge, and openly flouts societal rules, much like Lady Jayne. Her connection with Elias (and her self-confidence) grows as the story progresses.

The devil is in the detail, and Walters uses all her skill as a writer of historical fiction to fill in this world and bring it to life.

Through her descriptive language, flair for supporting, relevant facts, and wonderfully rounded characters, readers will become immersed in this gripping, late 17th century tale.