Minette Walters writes with an ease of style that is a pleasure to read. Within moments of turning the first page, a world is constructed which portrays life, intrigue and passions. The characters you want to identify with and the story is believable. The pace of the book moves quickly and feels alive. It is no wonder that Minette Walters is such a well-acclaimed author with many successful novels to her claim. The novel takes place in Dorset during the civil war and the book is well researched in the history of the time. The antagonism between royalists and parliamentarians, catholic and protestants is explicit and forms a backdrop to the story of Jayne Swift the protagonist who is a physician from Dorset and William Harrier who embraces civil war and with whom she forms an unlikely bond which opens up a tale of mystery adventure and love.