The Swift and the Harrier

'Historical fiction at its finest' - Belfast Telegraph

Dorset, 1642.



When bloody civil war breaks out between the King and Parliament, families and communities across England are riven by different allegiances.



A rare few choose neutrality.



One such is Jayne Swift, a Dorset physician from a Royalist family, who offers her services to both sides in the conflict. Through her dedication to treating the sick and wounded, regardless of belief, Jayne becomes a witness to the brutality of war and the devastation it wreaks.



Yet her recurring companion at every event is a man she should despise because he embraces civil war as the means to an end. She knows him as William Harrier, but is ignorant about every other aspect of his life. His past is a mystery and his future uncertain.

The Swift and the Harrier is a sweeping tale of adventure and loss, sacrifice and love, with a unique and unforgettable heroine at its heart.



Minette Walters is one of the world's bestselling crime writers and has sold over 25 million copies of her books worldwide. She has won the CWA John Creasey Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award in America and two CWA Gold Daggers. The Swift and the Harrier is her third historical novel. She lives in Dorset with her husband.



This well-researched, atmospheric tale is as gripping as any of her thrillers.



A cleverly crafted combination of romance and adventure story.



'A wonderfully engaging heroine ... propulsive plot'



The author best known for her crime fiction sets this enthralling tender love story against the brutal background of the English Civil War.



Minette Walters, a stalwart of crime fiction, is excellent on the horrors of civil war in Dorset, and Swift is a memorable and spirited [...] heroine.



A staggeringly talented writer



Both gripping and fascinating. The civil war in Dorset is evoked brilliantly, the characters are real and intriguing and the love story tender.



A sweeping historical romance with a very appealing central character ... a great story well told



This is historical fiction at its finest. [...] Jayne is a fantastic character, a woman very much in a man's world, living and working to bring succour to those in need.



I loved every moment of this brilliantly evocative saga of struggle, love and danger set against the horrors of civil war



A truly, utterly, gripping English Civil War love story that is as fleet and majestic as the birds of the title. This is Minette Walters at her brilliant best.



Wonderful and sweeping, with a fabulous sense of place and history



Enthralling... I was caught from the first page



A Vividly-wrought and powerful story