The Last Hours by Minette Walters is the last of the eight books I bought from the book fair. After Transcription by Kate Atkinson, I was genuinely scared. Transcription drained me, and I didn’t want another disappointing read. I just wanted to read a good story. All I wanted was a good reading experience. Luckily, The Last Hours by Minette Walters delivered. The book did not disappoint.

The Last Hours by Minette Walters is a story set in Medieval England. It begins when the Black Death enters England through the port of Dorsetshire in June 1348. No one knows the manner of sickness or how it spreads and kills so quickly. The Church cites God as the cause, and fear grips the people as they come to believe that the plague is a punishment for wickedness. But Lady Anne of Develish has her ideas. With her brutal husband absent from the manor when news of this pestilence reaches her, she looks for more sensible ways to protect her people than daily confessions of sin. Constant confinement and ignorance of what is happening in the outside world test everyone’s nerves. The people of Develish are alive. But for how long? And what will they discover when the time comes for them to cross the moat again? 

The Last Hours, by Minette Walters, saved me from a reading slump. I honestly didn’t think this book would leave a lasting impression. But against all odds, it did.

When I started the book, I’ll admit I didn’t find it that interesting. Right off the bat, we are introduced to a bunch of characters. Minette Walters does not waste any time in descriptions and jumps head-first into the story. It took a few chapters for me to be fully invested in the book, but once I did, there was no turning back. It’s a slow burn where patience is paid off. The selling point of the book is hands down, the dialogue. It was nothing short of perfection. The dialogue was heart-hitting, and it carried a lot of weight. It passed information between characters and relayed information to the reader as well. But, most importantly, it played a major role in the story’s progression. Speaking of characters, I loved them. They were well-written complex characters, and reading about them was absolute fun. It was fascinating watching them adapt to their situation and navigate the politics of that time. Minette Walters crafted such good characters. I found myself rooting for Lady Anne and Thaddeus with all my heart and hating other characters with the same intensity. Since I don’t want to give any spoilers, I won’t mention names. The Last Hour is a dark book that doesn’t shy away from talking about humanity’s worst traits. It highlights that even during a plague as great as the Black Death, people still looked for ways to capitalise on it. Trigger warning for rape, incest and a whole lot of death. The writing might not be poetic, but the story, characters and dialogue more than made up for it. Truthfully, a poetic style of writing would not suit the book. 

The Last Hours by Minette Walters was just the book I needed. It’s a two-part series, and I can’t wait to read the sequel. My rating for The Last Hours by Minette Walters is 4 out of 5. I highly recommend reading this book. It’s an underrated novel that I’m sure you will enjoy reading.