REVIEWS

Jane Kelly

1660: the monarchy is restored under Charles II and the hunt is on for those who signed his father’s death sentence in 1649. The story sweeps between London, the Netherlands and chiefly New England as Ned and Will, the chief regicides, flee to escape capture and cruel execution. The loyalty of both hunter and hunted to their religious and political causes weakens as age, frustration and changing times affect them. Nayler, the obsessive hunter, is persuaded to give up his search but is committed to press on to the bitter end. As he closes in on his prey, he hatches a cruel deceit to achieve his malicious purpose which drives the story to a thrilling conclusion. Ned and Will are bound together in flight but Ned becomes disillusioned with Will’s extreme Puritan fanaticism. The story contrasts the foul atmosphere of London to the wild wintry landscapes of north America. Alongside this is set the families of the regicides, left in deprivation and danger amid the cynical politicians and the corrupt excesses of their philandering monarch. A compelling tale with resonance for our own age riven by vast polarities in belief.

Jennifer Mcfarlane

I was excited to receive this book from Viking book club as it is not a genre that I would normally read and was interested to read about that period in history, the 17th Century in both America and Britain. The book which is well written is based mainly on fact, about the hunt for the regicides who had the signed the death warrant of Charles I. The Act of Oblivion. The book is split into four parts Hunt, Chase, Hide and Kill, the hunter in the book is one man obsessed with finding two of the regicides both Puritans, whom he blamed for the death of his wife in childbirth. The story takes you back and forth between England and America and details the living conditions of those times and covers both the Plague and the Great fire of London in 1666, though not in great detail as it was a background to the story. The lengths that the regicides went to conceal themselves and the lengths that the hunter went to find them were extraordinary are most of the story. The book was an enjoyable read though perhaps too much detail which seemed to drag the story out a bit. An interesting book for readers of historical fiction.

A. Martin

His father has been executed, Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth has foundered and now King Charles II has been restored to the throne. In an attempt to create reassurance and stability, Parliament passes ‘The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660’ which pardons crimes during the Civil War and subsequent Commonwealth period. There are exceptions, the most significant being the ‘Regicides’, those who signed his father’s death warrant. Richard Harris blends fact and fiction with a story focused on three main characters. Colonels Edward Whalley and William Goffe, his son-in-law, are regicides who, to escape their fate and motivated by absolute belief in their religious and political beliefs, seek sanctuary with Puritan communities in Massachusetts. Richard Naylor has been appointed by the crown to bring them to justice. He has traumatic personal reasons that drive him to track these particular parliamentarians to the ends of the earth if necessary. The ensuing hunt covers many years and has twists, turns and narrow escapes until it reaches its dramatic conclusion. Interleaved with the main story are reminiscences by the main characters and those left behind in England, which serve to provide a fascinating backdrop of historic and contemporary events. A thrilling and thought provoking read.

Carol Meekins

The Act of (Indemnity) and Oblivion of 1660 pardoned those who had committed criminal acts during the civil war and the interregnum period - except those directly involved in the execution of Charles 1. Two of the signatories to his death warrant Edward Whalley and his son- in- law William Goffe, both soldiers in Cromwell’s army, escaped capture and fled across the Atlantic. This is a fictionalised account of their lives as fugitives across New England and the obsessive efforts of Richard Nayler who is charged by the Privy Council to track them down. Life, attitudes and Puritan beliefs in 17th century Massachusetts are atmospherically evoked contrasting with the tribulations of Will’s wife and children in England dealing with poverty, hunger and the Great Fire. It is well researched and historically accurate although Nayler and his search are the author’s invention as too is the final ‘riding into the sunset’ ending. A fascinating read but not so much as a thriller but as an absorbing story bringing an important historical period to life.

Eloise Martine Petty

A story of determination, hardship, hatred and survival. A glance back to historical times, of 1660-1674, during the time of Oliver Cromwell and Charles 1st. An in-depth novel of how two regicides escaped England and found 'freedom' in America. Struggles of living with the knowledge that friends had perished at the hands of fanatic loyalists and aware this could also be their fate. Back and forth to how their families were surviving, as also being treated as traitors. Code breaking, betrayal and spying all add to the flow of this novel. The main characters, Richard Naylor, who is obsessed to avenge the death of his wife and unborn child, blaming Colonel Edward Whalley and Colonel William Goffe on this tragedy, while the two colonels go to extreme measures to avoid capture and death... The four sections, Hunt, Chase, Hide and Kill are smoothly linked into one another and take you on a journey between England and America where journeys took months, in squalid conditions. Outside of my normal reading material, I am delighted to have had the opportunity. An eye-opening glimpse back in time. A very good choice of book.

Nigel Green

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a fast paced and gripping narrative. I especially liked the fact that it was extremely well researched and historically accurate, whilst at the same time tells a compelling story. It is a period of English history that I regret to say I had very little knowledge about, and this book made me want to find out more about this intriguing period, which helped shape both the United Kingdom, and I was surprised to find out also America.