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A review by jmatkinson1
The Turn of Midnight by Minette Walters
4.0
The winter of 1349 and the residents of Develish in Devon are facing up to an isolated life away from others as they seek to protect themselves against the Plague. Devoted to their Lady Anne, they heed her advice to stay inside the moat and keep the village clear of rats. Thaddeus Thurkell, a slave educated by Lady Anne, is charged with finding food for the village but he brings a much higher prize in the form of My Lord of Bourne. Using their wits, Lady Anne and Thaddeus put together a plot which may yet save Develish, but their former Steward is conspiring against them.
Whilst I enjoyed The Last Hours, I felt that it dragged at times. This is not an accusation that could be made about The Turn of Midnight. Walters is an experienced writer and she knows how to keep a reader guessing to the very end, in this series she has turned to historical fiction very successfully. Of course there are gaping holes in the plot, the whole concept of Thaddeus and what he is able to do / get away with is far-fetched but there is an undercurrent of socialism which is refreshing.
Whilst I enjoyed The Last Hours, I felt that it dragged at times. This is not an accusation that could be made about The Turn of Midnight. Walters is an experienced writer and she knows how to keep a reader guessing to the very end, in this series she has turned to historical fiction very successfully. Of course there are gaping holes in the plot, the whole concept of Thaddeus and what he is able to do / get away with is far-fetched but there is an undercurrent of socialism which is refreshing.