Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Hutchinson Heinemann (2022), Edition: 1, 480 pages
Description
"1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son-in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I--a brazen execution that marked the culmination of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control. But now, ten years after Charles' beheading, the royalists have returned to power. Under the provisions of the Act of Oblivion, the fifty-nine men who signed the king's death warrant and participated in his execution have been found guilty in absentia of high treason. Some of the Roundheads, including Oliver Cromwell, are already dead. Others have been captured, hung, drawn, and quartered. A few are imprisoned for life. But two have escaped to America by boat. In London, Richard Nayler, secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, is charged with bringing the traitors to justice and he will stop at nothing to find them. A substantial bounty hangs over their heads for their capture--dead or alive...." -- Amazon.… (more)
Media reviews
"Instead, the pleasures of this intelligently crafted novel — the author’s 15th — lie in how deftly Harris conjures a long-ago period likely unfamiliar to the non-royalists among us."
"Thoroughly enjoyable with some cringeworthy descriptions. Readers will not pine for days of yore."
"This rich and riotous novel, following the search for two of the men who signed Charles I’s death warrant, is also an important book for our own historical moment."
"This further burnishes Harris’s reputation as a talented author of historical suspense."
User reviews
LibraryThing member maryreinert
This is historical fiction at its best and the first book I've read that combined English history with American colonial history so tightly. The English Civil war beheaded King Charles putting the Puritans and Oliver Cromwell in power. Now the tide has turned and the Royalists are in charge and the
Colonel Ned Whalley and his son-in-law Will Goffe, the two men Naylor feels are responsible have managed to board a ship to America where they will be under the protection of the Puritans in America. At first they feel a certain amount of safety but after England begins to put pressure on the colonies, particularly of New Haven, they are forced to go into hiding.
The majority of the book follows the two men from various homes, caves, and communities where they are sheltered. At the same time, Richard Naylor is on their trail even coming to America himself but is outwitted. He returns to England and although the pressure to find the escaped men diminishes, it is still personal to Naylor.
The author does a great job of retelling history, painting believable settings and dialogue, always with a sense of suspense. I had never read this author but will definitely explore more.
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regicides are being hunted down. Richard Naylor, a strong Royalist, is given the task which is also personal as he feels two of the Puritans were responsible for the death of his wife. Colonel Ned Whalley and his son-in-law Will Goffe, the two men Naylor feels are responsible have managed to board a ship to America where they will be under the protection of the Puritans in America. At first they feel a certain amount of safety but after England begins to put pressure on the colonies, particularly of New Haven, they are forced to go into hiding.
The majority of the book follows the two men from various homes, caves, and communities where they are sheltered. At the same time, Richard Naylor is on their trail even coming to America himself but is outwitted. He returns to England and although the pressure to find the escaped men diminishes, it is still personal to Naylor.
The author does a great job of retelling history, painting believable settings and dialogue, always with a sense of suspense. I had never read this author but will definitely explore more.
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LibraryThing member m_k_m
You’re looked after with a Robert Harris book: solid prose, graspable characters, twists galore, and plenty of historical intrigue. Focusing on the darker side of the Restoration, Act of Oblivion delivers everything you want from a Harris historical thriller, while also mixing in intriguing
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samples of the folk horror of The Second Sleep (the past erupting into the present with horrific results) and the bloodthirsty satire of The Ghost (Lady Castlemaine picking out expensive wallpaper while the plague ravages London is not an accidental aside). Even after 30 years, Harris is a writer who continues to synthesise and evolve in his work; his books may be a comfort, but they’re still surprising. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
Despite his assurances when he was offered the English throne, Charles II was never going to forgive those who had tried and beheaded his father. Mind you, Charles I had demonstrated that he could not be trusted and still believed he was God's anointed, so he and his captors had really come to an
I thought I knew my English history but have never looked at the Restoration in this amount of detail. This fictional re-creation is based around what happened to two men who escaped capture and punishment as regicides. I knew that Parliament bayed for the blood of those whose names were on the warrant of execution, but never how bloodthirsty and gruesome that retribution turned out to be. The novel primarily covers the 20 years after the Restoration when Whalley and Goffe were on the run.
The other thing that I never realised was how strong the belief was by Puritans and others that the Second Coming of Christ would happen in 1666, which they termed the year of the Devil, based on the prophecies of the book of Revelation. How the events of the Plague, the Great Fire of London, and the war with the Dutch must have confirmed those beliefs!
The other thing that I had no concept of the impact of the Restoration on the colonies in North America. I thought for example, that the colony of New Haven had simply "failed", but the author shows how it was punished for not giving up the regicides.
The pictures drawn of Cromwell, Charles II and his brother James, Duke of York, who eventually became James II, were also fascinating.
An excellent read.
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impasse, although there were those among them who hoped for a settlement.I thought I knew my English history but have never looked at the Restoration in this amount of detail. This fictional re-creation is based around what happened to two men who escaped capture and punishment as regicides. I knew that Parliament bayed for the blood of those whose names were on the warrant of execution, but never how bloodthirsty and gruesome that retribution turned out to be. The novel primarily covers the 20 years after the Restoration when Whalley and Goffe were on the run.
The other thing that I never realised was how strong the belief was by Puritans and others that the Second Coming of Christ would happen in 1666, which they termed the year of the Devil, based on the prophecies of the book of Revelation. How the events of the Plague, the Great Fire of London, and the war with the Dutch must have confirmed those beliefs!
The other thing that I had no concept of the impact of the Restoration on the colonies in North America. I thought for example, that the colony of New Haven had simply "failed", but the author shows how it was punished for not giving up the regicides.
The pictures drawn of Cromwell, Charles II and his brother James, Duke of York, who eventually became James II, were also fascinating.
An excellent read.
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LibraryThing member davidroche
A new Robert Harris novel is always worth investigating, and listening to his talk at the Wimbledon Bookfest last weekend, he spent two years on his latest, Act of Oblivion (Penguin), as opposed to one for his previous couple of books. This shows in this slightly weightier tome and in the pace that
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allows him to build both his characters and story. The titular Act of Oblivion concerned the clemency offered to everyone involved in the beheading of King Charles I, with the exception of those who served his death warrant along with the judges who passed the sentence. A hideous death met those who pleaded guilty and threw themselves at the mercy of Richard Naylor, Secretary to the Privy Council and manhunter in chief, in charge of capturing and executing the ‘Regicides’. Two of these escape to New England in the US and the book covers their exodus, the search for them, and the impact on both them and their families. As Harris puts it, it’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the 17th Century, and the eleven years of Britain as a Republic and the restoration of the monarchy and the coronation of Charles II has some especially interesting resonance right at this moment that we find ourselves in. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cariola
You may know Robert Harris as the author of historical and contemporary thrillers. I had never read anything by him before but was intrigued by the subject matter of 'Act of Oblivion.' England was torn by civil war in the 1640s, which ended in the 1649 execution of the king, Charles I, and the
Back in London, Richard Naylor, secretary to the new Privy Council's regicide committee, is tasked with bringing those who signed the king's death warrant to justice. He is obsessed with his assignment, not only out of loyalty to the Stuart monarchy, but because he blames the Roundheads for the death of his beloved wife, who suffered a miscarriage during the turmoil. He is determined to bring Whalley and Goffe back to England for execution, even after the Privy Council has decided to abandon the task of tracking down the handful of signers who may still be alive. 'Act of Oblivion' chronicles both the fugitives' lives in hiding and Naylor's relentless pursuit.
In many ways, this book is an historical thriller in the line of Harris's best sellers like [Munich,] [Fatherland,] [Pompeii,] and others. I would likely not have been drawn to it except for the particular subject matter, but I quite enjoyed the story.
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establishment of a new government led by the Puritan Oliver Cromwell. The new government passed the Act of Oblivion, which was intended to forgive those who had fought for the king--although not everyone was forgiven. When Charles II returned from France to retake the throne, he demanded that the 59 signers of his father's execution warrant be brought to justice. Some, like Cromwell himself, had died in the interim (but that didn't stop Charles from digging him up, chopping off his head, and mounting it on a pike alongside more recently executed traitors). Some were in hiding in England, some had flown to the Netherlands or to the far north of Scotland. Some had been captured and hanged, drawn and quartered. The protagonists of this novel, Edward Whaley, a cousin of Cromwell, and his son-in-law, William Goffe, fled to America, leaving their families behind.Back in London, Richard Naylor, secretary to the new Privy Council's regicide committee, is tasked with bringing those who signed the king's death warrant to justice. He is obsessed with his assignment, not only out of loyalty to the Stuart monarchy, but because he blames the Roundheads for the death of his beloved wife, who suffered a miscarriage during the turmoil. He is determined to bring Whalley and Goffe back to England for execution, even after the Privy Council has decided to abandon the task of tracking down the handful of signers who may still be alive. 'Act of Oblivion' chronicles both the fugitives' lives in hiding and Naylor's relentless pursuit.
In many ways, this book is an historical thriller in the line of Harris's best sellers like [Munich,] [Fatherland,] [Pompeii,] and others. I would likely not have been drawn to it except for the particular subject matter, but I quite enjoyed the story.
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LibraryThing member neurodrew
The hunt through New England of Whalley and Goffe, two of Judges who signed King Charles I death warrant
The story begins in 1660 with Colonel Edward Whalley and his son in law Colonel William Goffe boarding a ship to flee England for Boston. They had been cavalry officers in Cromwell's New Model
Whalley and Goffe are received with honor in Boston and Cambridge, and are open about attending church, but the (fictional) Richard Naylor comes in pursuit. They flee to Hartford, and are turned away to end up in New Haven. They hide in the town, in Milford, and at times in a cave nearby. They move among friendly Puritans, hiding in attics and cellars. Whalley dies in Hadley, MA. The author has Goffe rejoining his wife, as they both head west from Hartford after killing Naylor in self defense.
This is a good story of intrigue and action, but I took an especially interest because I grew up in New Haven, one block south of Goffe Street and two blocks north of Whalley Ave. A few further blocks northeast from my home is Dixwell Avenue, named for another of the regicides. These three streets come together at the northwest end of Broadway, at the edge of downtown New Haven. I hiked innumerable up to the jumble of granite boulders on top of West Rock that is called Judge's Cave; the gaps between the leaning stones do not seem to offer much shelter. The descriptions of these familiar sites in the 17th century were fasicinating to me.
The story begins in 1660 with Colonel Edward Whalley and his son in law Colonel William Goffe boarding a ship to flee England for Boston. They had been cavalry officers in Cromwell's New Model
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Army, and had been two of the signatories to King Charles I death warrant in 1649, after the English civil war. Charles II has been restored after Cromwell's death, and Parliament passes the Act of Oblivion, granting amnesty to all of Cromwell's soldiers and officials, except for the 59 men who signed the king's death warrant, who were to be hunted down, and when caught, hung, drawn and quartered. Whalley and Goffe are received with honor in Boston and Cambridge, and are open about attending church, but the (fictional) Richard Naylor comes in pursuit. They flee to Hartford, and are turned away to end up in New Haven. They hide in the town, in Milford, and at times in a cave nearby. They move among friendly Puritans, hiding in attics and cellars. Whalley dies in Hadley, MA. The author has Goffe rejoining his wife, as they both head west from Hartford after killing Naylor in self defense.
This is a good story of intrigue and action, but I took an especially interest because I grew up in New Haven, one block south of Goffe Street and two blocks north of Whalley Ave. A few further blocks northeast from my home is Dixwell Avenue, named for another of the regicides. These three streets come together at the northwest end of Broadway, at the edge of downtown New Haven. I hiked innumerable up to the jumble of granite boulders on top of West Rock that is called Judge's Cave; the gaps between the leaning stones do not seem to offer much shelter. The descriptions of these familiar sites in the 17th century were fasicinating to me.
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LibraryThing member alexbolding
Possibly one of his best historical novels. This one follows the fate of two regicides, Colonel Ned Whalley and William Goffe, both former commanders in Cromwell’s new Model Army, that were also signatories to the court order convicting King Charles I to his death through beheading.
Times have
The two have fled to the Americas and basically the book follows their escape from certain death in a period lasting from 1660 to 1679. Their history of hiding with Puritans in Massachusetts and Connecticut (and new Haven, a puritan 'island of salvation') and Nayler’s hunt for them is described in 4 parts, titled Hunt, Chase, Hide, Kill. Ned is a bit doubtful on the puritan fanaticism he has to deal with while going in hiding with puritan families in Cambridge (near Boston) and later in small towns in new Haven, Hartford and Hadley (on the border of western civilization, surrounded by Indian tribes). Will is a bible fanatic, who couldn’t be happier with his new, stern hosts, buying into the 1666 final judgement day prophecy, certainly when letters from London relate the successive plagues besetting the metropole (pest pandemic, war (with the Dutch), fire). Frances and kids stay with the Puritan Priest Hooke, fleeing from place to place in London.
The fictive story follows closely on real life events and characters (we get to know Mr Downing of the famous no. 10, a puritan turn-coat, who repents post-Cromwell, and helps Nayler cs snare some regicides in Holland). The book’s ending is a fictive ending made up by Harris, whereby Frances receives a forged letter from Will (drafted by Nayler) inviting her to come and join him in America. Nayler follows and befriends Frances, who uncovers the trail to her husband (Ned, her father, has died after a stroke and four years of incapacitated life, taken care of by Will). Nayler by this time has taken refuge in France, after the lord chancellor has fallen out of grace of the frolicking Charles II. In Paris Nayler reads a newspaper story on a mysterious angel, in new model army outfit, who saves a remote community of settlers in Hadley, from Indian annihilation (the rising of the Native American tribes, known as King Phillips war). Nayler rightfully guesses William Goffe to be the saving angel. Frances leads him to her husband, who is confronted by a gun against the back of his head (Nayler). A shot goes off… and a dramatic ending ensues.
Times have
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changed: Charles II is in charge of the restoration and a committee headed by the Chancellor of the privy council seeks to take revenge on all those officers who signed Charles I’s death warrant. The list is recovered from the wife of the executioner, who hopes thereby to escape a gruesome death (he does not, though in recognition of his ‘cooperation’ his wife may collect his body after its execution for burial). Enter Richard Nayler, a skinny fanatic, secretary to the Privy Council, who puts himself in charge of the chase on the 13 or so regicides who have escaped their due. For Nayler, the matter of chasing the two colonels is a personal act of revenge: Ned and William once broke up an illicit Xmass mass, as a result of which Nayler’s pregnant wife miscarried and died. Whalley is a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, a tinker, who went to school with Oliver and later joined his army. Ned’s daughter Frances married William Goffe, a puritan fanatic. The two have fled to the Americas and basically the book follows their escape from certain death in a period lasting from 1660 to 1679. Their history of hiding with Puritans in Massachusetts and Connecticut (and new Haven, a puritan 'island of salvation') and Nayler’s hunt for them is described in 4 parts, titled Hunt, Chase, Hide, Kill. Ned is a bit doubtful on the puritan fanaticism he has to deal with while going in hiding with puritan families in Cambridge (near Boston) and later in small towns in new Haven, Hartford and Hadley (on the border of western civilization, surrounded by Indian tribes). Will is a bible fanatic, who couldn’t be happier with his new, stern hosts, buying into the 1666 final judgement day prophecy, certainly when letters from London relate the successive plagues besetting the metropole (pest pandemic, war (with the Dutch), fire). Frances and kids stay with the Puritan Priest Hooke, fleeing from place to place in London.
The fictive story follows closely on real life events and characters (we get to know Mr Downing of the famous no. 10, a puritan turn-coat, who repents post-Cromwell, and helps Nayler cs snare some regicides in Holland). The book’s ending is a fictive ending made up by Harris, whereby Frances receives a forged letter from Will (drafted by Nayler) inviting her to come and join him in America. Nayler follows and befriends Frances, who uncovers the trail to her husband (Ned, her father, has died after a stroke and four years of incapacitated life, taken care of by Will). Nayler by this time has taken refuge in France, after the lord chancellor has fallen out of grace of the frolicking Charles II. In Paris Nayler reads a newspaper story on a mysterious angel, in new model army outfit, who saves a remote community of settlers in Hadley, from Indian annihilation (the rising of the Native American tribes, known as King Phillips war). Nayler rightfully guesses William Goffe to be the saving angel. Frances leads him to her husband, who is confronted by a gun against the back of his head (Nayler). A shot goes off… and a dramatic ending ensues.
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LibraryThing member starkravingmad
Historical novel about two "regicides" who escape to America after their involvement in the execution of King Charles under Oliver Cromwell. Fast-paced and interesting for the first half then become repetitive.
LibraryThing member lauralkeet
After Charles II became King of England in 1660, the government launched a manhunt to track down all of the regicides: the judges and other individuals responsible for 1649 trial and execution of King Charles I. Some were easier to find than others; the most elusive were Edward (Ned) Whalley and
Nayler is not only doing the government’s bidding but is out to settle some scores, especially with Whalley and Goffe, and convinces the government to fund an expedition to America. The two fugitives settle in a Puritan community and are initially accepted by the locals. They hope to invite their families to join them at a later date. But when Parliament makes it illegal to interfere with the manhunt, Whalley and Goffe are forced to go underground, sometimes literally. They move from one settlement to another to stay one step ahead of their pursuers.
There were a few points that stretched credibility, such as Nayler’s expert navigation of the New England wilderness. And the ending, while satisfying, felt “made for TV”. But it was a rollicking good way to learn about historic events that were unfamiliar to me.
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his son-in-law, William Goffe, who fled to New England. In Act of Oblivion, Robert Harris recreated the manhunt as a work of fiction. Richard Nayler, one of the only fictional characters in the novel, led the pursuit. As Harris writes in his Author’s Note, “I suspect there must have been such a person – you cannot sustain a manhunt without a man hunter – but whoever he was, his identity is lost to history.”Nayler is not only doing the government’s bidding but is out to settle some scores, especially with Whalley and Goffe, and convinces the government to fund an expedition to America. The two fugitives settle in a Puritan community and are initially accepted by the locals. They hope to invite their families to join them at a later date. But when Parliament makes it illegal to interfere with the manhunt, Whalley and Goffe are forced to go underground, sometimes literally. They move from one settlement to another to stay one step ahead of their pursuers.
There were a few points that stretched credibility, such as Nayler’s expert navigation of the New England wilderness. And the ending, while satisfying, felt “made for TV”. But it was a rollicking good way to learn about historic events that were unfamiliar to me.
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LibraryThing member N.W.Moors
This is historical fiction but a pretty accurate retelling of the lives of two of the regicides of Charles I, Ned Whalley and Will Goffe. Ned was the cousin of Oliver Cromwell, and Will, his son-in-law, married to daughter Frances. When Charles II was returned as King, he vowed to hunt down the 59
Judges Cave on West Rock in New Haven is one of the places where the two men hid as they were hunted by the king's men and bounty hunters. My own genealogy is intertwined with these two men, and I've retraced some of their footprints, so I found this book fascinating. Mr. Harris is an excellent writer and weaves an excellent tale of early New England. The Reverand John Davenport hosted them for a while (he was a founder of New Haven and a strict theologian, running the Colony of New Haven by Mosaic Law - he also was instrumental in the trial of Margaret Bailey, a relative and accused of witchcraft and exiled to Westchester county with her husband, though she was more of a gossip). George Downing is another relative who fought on the side of the Puritans in the Civil War, then switched sides and betrayed many of the regicides to their deaths of hanging, drawn, and quartering.
It is known that Ned Whalley had a stroke and died of old age, but Will Goffe's later life is unknown after he saved the town of Hadley from an Indian attack. I liked the ending that Mr. Harris came up with. It's a terrific read if one is interested in the English Civil War and early New England, and I highly recommend it.
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men who signed his father's death warrant, despite pardoning all others (this was the Act of Oblivion). Ned and Will escaped to America, hoping to find refuge among the Puritans there.Judges Cave on West Rock in New Haven is one of the places where the two men hid as they were hunted by the king's men and bounty hunters. My own genealogy is intertwined with these two men, and I've retraced some of their footprints, so I found this book fascinating. Mr. Harris is an excellent writer and weaves an excellent tale of early New England. The Reverand John Davenport hosted them for a while (he was a founder of New Haven and a strict theologian, running the Colony of New Haven by Mosaic Law - he also was instrumental in the trial of Margaret Bailey, a relative and accused of witchcraft and exiled to Westchester county with her husband, though she was more of a gossip). George Downing is another relative who fought on the side of the Puritans in the Civil War, then switched sides and betrayed many of the regicides to their deaths of hanging, drawn, and quartering.
It is known that Ned Whalley had a stroke and died of old age, but Will Goffe's later life is unknown after he saved the town of Hadley from an Indian attack. I liked the ending that Mr. Harris came up with. It's a terrific read if one is interested in the English Civil War and early New England, and I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member SteveJohnson
Robert Harris has consistently shown his skill at recreating widely differing historical periods, from ancient Rome to WWII England to Russia during Yeltsin's regime. In Act of Oblivion, he tries a new century, the late 1600s after the death of Cromwell and Charles II's ascent to the throne. As
A handful are taken into custody and some others surrender, hoping the king will grant them pardons. Instead, they all end up hanged, then drawn and quartered with their heads on pikes at the entrances to London.
While several of the regicides escape to Europe, two head for Colonial New England and Harris' story goes back and forth between their attempts to avoid detection in America and the authorities efforts to track them down by locating their families in London.
Harris captures the infighting and plotting in the royal court amidst a city wracked by plague and fire. But he does an even better job imagining life in Boston, Hartford and New Haven in the 1690s, where small settlements, most of them led by Puritan religious fanatics, struggle to carve out a lonely existence in the vast north American forest.
The plot wanders at times. The regicides spend years in hiding and it is hard to keep up the tension over that period of time.
But Harris is aiming for a more serious theme. Charles and his brother, the Duke of York, are corrupt, frivolous and cruel, while the Puritans are always guided by their belief that God is guiding their actions and their success or failure must reflect his approval or disapproval of them.
A surprisingly large number of folks are willing to shelter the fugitives, at least so long as there are no serious consequences for doing so. But when the authorities draw near, self preservation out-ranks belief and the regicides are told to move on.
One of the regicides is a relative of Cromwell and one of his top generals, and he reminisces regularly about the high and low points of the revolution. After much thought, his faith has been challenged. Of Cromwell, he muses, "One could never be too sure with Oliver. Ambition and godliness, self-interest and the higher cause, the base metal entwined with he gold.”
Act of Oblivion is not my favorite Harris book. Fatherland and Archangel have tighter story lines and more agreeable heroes. But I admire his recreation of a time in American history that is rarely written about, and I have a much better understanding of the English civil war after reading it.
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part of the deal he made to return to power, Charles has agreed to forgive those who launched the civil war, except for the 50+ men who signed his father's death warrant or presided over the trial.A handful are taken into custody and some others surrender, hoping the king will grant them pardons. Instead, they all end up hanged, then drawn and quartered with their heads on pikes at the entrances to London.
While several of the regicides escape to Europe, two head for Colonial New England and Harris' story goes back and forth between their attempts to avoid detection in America and the authorities efforts to track them down by locating their families in London.
Harris captures the infighting and plotting in the royal court amidst a city wracked by plague and fire. But he does an even better job imagining life in Boston, Hartford and New Haven in the 1690s, where small settlements, most of them led by Puritan religious fanatics, struggle to carve out a lonely existence in the vast north American forest.
The plot wanders at times. The regicides spend years in hiding and it is hard to keep up the tension over that period of time.
But Harris is aiming for a more serious theme. Charles and his brother, the Duke of York, are corrupt, frivolous and cruel, while the Puritans are always guided by their belief that God is guiding their actions and their success or failure must reflect his approval or disapproval of them.
A surprisingly large number of folks are willing to shelter the fugitives, at least so long as there are no serious consequences for doing so. But when the authorities draw near, self preservation out-ranks belief and the regicides are told to move on.
One of the regicides is a relative of Cromwell and one of his top generals, and he reminisces regularly about the high and low points of the revolution. After much thought, his faith has been challenged. Of Cromwell, he muses, "One could never be too sure with Oliver. Ambition and godliness, self-interest and the higher cause, the base metal entwined with he gold.”
Act of Oblivion is not my favorite Harris book. Fatherland and Archangel have tighter story lines and more agreeable heroes. But I admire his recreation of a time in American history that is rarely written about, and I have a much better understanding of the English civil war after reading it.
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LibraryThing member DramMan
No a blockbuster thriller but a beautifully crafted, exquisitely paced historical recreation - packed with believable period detail, redolent of time and place. A joy to read.
LibraryThing member INeilC
A cracking good pageturner showing the best of Robert Harris's style. The tension mounts as the hunting down and execution of the killers of Charles I continues apace. A chase across New England ensues - the descriptive prose is so good you can smell the place.
LibraryThing member denmoir
A story about two men hiding in an attic for twenty years does not hold much hope of being interesting, yet the author manages to carry it off. One always expects something to happen in the next chapter.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2022
Physical description
480 p.; 9.45 inches
ISBN
1529151759 / 9781529151756
Similar in this library
DDC/MDS
| 823.92 |