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The Players

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The Players

By: Minette Walters
Narrated by: Emma Gregory
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About this listen

England, 1685. Decades after the end of the civil war, the country is once again divided when Charles II's illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, arrives in Dorset to incite rebellion against his Catholic uncle.

Armed only with pitchforks, Monmouth's army is quickly defeated by King James II's superior forces and charged with high treason. Those found guilty will be hanged, drawn and quartered.

As Dorset braces for carnage, the redoubtable Lady Jayne Harrier and a small group of trusted allies - including her courageous son and the independent-minded daughter of a local lawyer - contrive ways to save men from the gallows.

Compelling and powerful, The Players is a story of guile, deceit and compassion during the dark days of The Bloody Assizes. Secrets are kept and surprising friendships formed in a dangerous gamble to thwart a brutal king's thirst for vengeance...

©2025 Minette Walters (P)2025 W. F. Howes Ltd. Historical Historical Fiction Renaissance Thriller & Suspense Royalty
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A humane and many- facetted masterpiece. The drawing of characters around historical facts is not easy, and yet MW does it with ease. I recommend this book very much

Simply wonderful

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Another excellent history lesson; Judge Jeffrey's and the Bloody Assizes, based on fact and woven into fiction. Loved it!

Evocative historical novel

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Well read and characterised version of an interesting era of history, featuring some intriguing protagonists,A great follow in from the Swift and the Harrier by the same author.

Superb story brilliantly read

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I was hooked from beginning to end and the narration was excellent. A gem of a book

Storytelling

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I had forgotten how much I enjoy fiction that is based loosely on historical facts! The storyline is so interesting and narrated brilliantly I finished this in a couple of days. Apart from the historical storyline, I also enjoyed the slow-burner love story between Elias and Althea! X

Fabulous historical fiction

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