I enjoyed this book and galloped through it, liking the burgeoning love story hidden away under all the historical trappings. It is an interesting period of our history, and whilst this is written as if it were happening in today's society, it still had a good feeling of period accuracy. There were certainly villages and desmenes that cut themselves off entirely during the worst of the Black Death, this being one of them. I have a feeling that the actuality may have been more gutchurning than it is depicted here, but this isn't a horror story, so I guess that's why a lot of the worst of it all has been played down.
Reading the reviews on Amazon, it would seem Minette Walters isn't liked by everyone, but I found it a good read, to be recommended as holiday reading.

This book is set in 1348 as the black death starts to spread through Dorset. The church blames peoples sins for the plague but Lady Anne realises it is filth and poor hygiene . By making the manor house into a fortress and sharing stored food she keeps them all alive, but there is unrest within partly caused by her daughter.
The book is beautifully written giving a real insight into life under a feudal lord. Walters also explores the influence of the church at that time.

The book ends but is unfinished so hopefully the sequel will complete the story.

I loved everything about this book: the characters, descriptions and plot are all excellent. I also learned a lot about the plague and life in the 14th century.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not my usual genre but will be on the lookout for more of the same.

Will recommend the author to friends and family, and eagerly await more material

This book blew me away. It's not what I expected it to be. It's so real, you feel like you were there. The Black Death comes to Dorsetshire. The lives that the serfs had - and the women - all belonging to their Lord, who belongs to a bigger Lord and so on up to the King. The book gives us a glimpse into the way that life was at the time.

Can't wait for the sequel

Ahhh, some historical medieval folk fiction, mixed with toxic relationships, intrigue and some interesting characters meant I raced through this book, only to discover it is ‘to be continued!’ Argh! Quick, Minette, get scribing please!

Within a few chapters I was drawn into the lives of Sir Richard and Lady Anne of Develish, Dorset. It is 1348 and the start of the Black Death although at first it is not sure how it started but history tells us it is spread through unhygienic living conditions and black rats. The story tells how it was to live through the times whether you are a Lord or a serf. Totally enjoyable and looking forward to the continuation.

Minette Walters enters new territory with this beautifully written, atmospheric, and historically detailed look at a community in the medieval era, a tragic period that devastated European populations in 1348 with the arrival of the Black Death through a Dorset port. The plague is no respecter of social distinctions and class, as it hits everyone alike as it moves swiftly in its rampage across the country, leaving enormous numbers of dead in its wake. The church puts out that God is behind this disease, seeking sinners and evil doers alone. Amidst this background, Walters gives us a compelling drama that unfolds on the estate of Develish, Lady Anne, a strong intelligent and courageous woman pushes forward in a progressive way by bringing her people on to the estate, including serfs, and refusing to let anyone else in, whilst promoting the practice of cleanliness.

Lady Anne incurs the wrath of her daughter, Eleanor, a nasty piece of work, when she bars entry to her husband, Sir Richard, after he returns dying from a mission to negotiate Eleanor's marriage. Eleanor more closely echoes the characteristics of her repellent father. Social barriers fall apart in the face of the pestilent plague. As starvation hits the estate, a party ventures out into the dangerous world in search of supplies. Walters captures the superstition, fear and ignorance prevalent in the period as well as social norms and attitudes. The Black Death provides the wide range of characters the background amidst which their strengths and weaknesses as people are revealed mercilessly. Lady Anne, Thaddeus and Gyles were the standout favourites of mine in this novel. This was a fantastic piece of historical fiction that drew me in with ease, and I have the next in the series and looking forward to devouring that soon. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction you’ll be gripped by Minette Walters’ The Last Hours. Set in the mid-fourteenth century, the novel explores human motives of greed, survival, deceit, cruelty and, unnervingly, incest within a closed Dorsetshire community during the final stages of the Black Death. Faced with the horrors of disease, suffering and death, individuals must put aside personal gain for the sake of communal cohesion - with a surprising twist. Positively enthralling!

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this novel that allowed me to read it in advance of the sequel, The Turn of Midnight, being published in early October.

I have read some of Minette Walters contemporary psychological thrillers and found them very compelling. Here she has made a shift from crime to historical fiction, which according to interviews, was inspired by discovering that her home in Dorset was close to where the Black Death had entered England and the realisation of the presence of a local plague pit. I can well imagine being drawn to discover more of these forgotten people in such circumstances.

There is no doubt the novel is very readable and the portrayal of the devastation caused by the plague well presented in gruesome detail. However, given her reputation I was rather disappointed as so much of the language, knowledge and attitudes expressed by characters seemed more suitable to the 20th/21st Century than the mid-14th Century. These kind of anachronisms can be very distracting.

Admittedly it can be hard to convey the mindset associated with faith, which was so central to the medieval period, but here it seems that little effort has been made with some characters freely expressing heretical ideas and the clergy being portrayed as corrupt and useless. Perhaps this was her intention and while this may make the novel more accessible for some readers, for me it made it less convincing. There also seemed a lack of superstition in the community as everyone appeared to be very rational.

The anachronisms appear to go in both directions with a great deal of emphasis placed in some sections of a continuing animosity between Saxons and Normans nearly 300 years after the Norman invasion. These aspects are likely to be overlooked by readers not as pedantic as myself but I felt they detracted from the theme that major changes in society had been triggered by the Black Death.

I also did find its characters quite flat and underdeveloped. Lady Anne seemed far too perfect, while her husband and daughter were both ghastly. Again, given the author’s experience and her creation of complex modern characters I found this quite perplexing.

Although I felt the novel was flawed and overly long by its final pages I found myself more invested in its characters and curious to see how things play out.

This, the first in a trilogy about the plague, is written by Minette Walters who for many years was one of my favourite crime writers. It is fair to say that she writes historical fiction as well as she did crime. This novel depicts the early days of the plague. The main protagonist is Lady Anne, the wife of the brutish Richard, a most unpleasant character. At the start of the story we meet their daughter Elinor, a spoilt brat if ever there was one. Richard has gone to a neighbouring demesne to arrange Elinor's marriage. This estate is overrun with filth and rats and we all know what that means. Back in Develish, things are much better run. Anne is an educated woman who has made many changes to the estate and as a result they manage to escape the ravages of the black death. However there are many outside the estate who are rampaging through the country side and soon plans have to be made for some to explore outside and find out what is happening.

This is an excellent read, full of detail and interesting characters. It ends somewhat abruptly which must have been frustrating for those reading the book when it was first published, Fortunately I had the next instalment at hand. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An excellent start of a saga, I hope. The beautiful cover showcases enthralling writing as Minette Walters brings character after character to life in this strange world, always precise with just sufficient detail to make it real without overwhelming the reader with historical research. In fact, all the history displayed is of the culture and technology with none of the boring political events or dates.

The Last Hours by Minette Walters is historical and a crime mystery and an apocalyptic fantasy. How can it suit all these genres? It's dystopian with a community isolating itself and tryng to survive as disease kills and civilisation collapses. The survival and self-sufficiency theme reminded me of The Children of the New Forest as well as lots of colonisation stories and post-apocalyptic novels. There is also a crime to solve; one act shrouded in mystery causing unexpected repercussions on many lives.

But it's set in 1348 in England with the Black Death plague wreaking havoc. Nobody has a cure or even an explanation for how it spreads. Amid the fear and suffering some people see the possibility of a new beginning.

This book captured my attention from the start, and I couldn't put it down.

I've always been fascinated by The Black Death, and the way in which people in some places chose to isolate themselves (having worked out that the disease would not spread if they did so), whilst others carried on regardless.

There are some very well-drawn characters in the book, and I particularly liked Gyles, Lady Anne and Thaddeus - some good baddies in there too!

The author also provides a fascinating insight into the way things worked at that time. Few ordinary people were able to travel, and had no knowledge of the country outside their immediate environs! It's clear how hard life would have been for most serfs, and that the lives of noblewomen were not always pleasant - but we can't apply today's standards to how people were treated then.

I haven't read any of Minette Walters' other books (but now plan to do so), but am already looking forward to the next exciting chapter of this saga! When will it be published? Soon I hope!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

This was an absorbing story of life during the time when the Normans ruled Britain and its people became serfs. The Black death sweeps through the countryside, killing a large proportion of the population. This story is about a group who find a way to prevent the plague affecting them and describes their efforts to survive, giving the regime by which they are governed. The characters and the descriptions in the story bring everything to life and it was easy to feel part of what was happening. I can't wait for the follow on.

Year 1348...The black death spreads over England.

In the countryside, there lives an extraordinary women for the time being: Lady Anne Develish. She has a useless husband, and a very up-in-the-air young daughter. the whole responsibility of the well being of the estate and her people falls on Lady Anne's shoulders. In the mission to survive, she will befriend a slave called Thaddeus Thurkell...

Lady Anne's marginal decisions and actions will soon have consequences.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Lady Anne is unforgettable. She is quite extraordinary and full of wit. Glad to find out this is a series and I am looking forward to read the next one in this series.