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Midwinter
Certain Travellers in Old England
636 pages
A wintry, atmospheric chase through the hidden byways of Old England, where loyalty and love collide in the shadow of a doomed rebellion.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like plunging into the frosty, shadowed heart of eighteenth-century England, where every snow-dusted hedgerow hides a secret and the landscape itself feels alive. It is a brisk, atmospheric adventure that balances the breathless tension of a political thriller with the melancholic romance of a lost cause. The narrative sweeps you along hidden byways and into the company of mysterious brotherhoods, wrapping you in a mood of wintry peril and rugged survival. The prose is robust and evocative, painting a vivid picture of a divided nation while exploring the heavy burdens of duty, honor, and forbidden desire. It will thoroughly delight fans of classic, swashbuckling historical fiction who crave high stakes, secret loyalties, and a deeply immersive sense of place.
- Mood
- wintry
- shadowy
- perilous
- mysterious
- Tone
- earnest
- romantic
- suspenseful
- atmospheric
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- loyalty and betrayal · the romance of lost causes · duty versus desire · hidden histories
- The writing
- Evocative and robust, blending muscular action sequences with lyrical, atmospheric descriptions of the rugged English countryside.
- The arc
- Moves from an urgent, duty-bound pursuit through disorienting peril and romantic entanglement, culminating in a bittersweet but honorable resolution.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love classic, atmospheric adventure tales steeped in historical intrigue, secret societies, and the melancholy of doomed rebellions.
Content notes
- period-typical violence
- peril
- treason
About the book
While Bonnie Prince Charlie prepares to reclaim his throne, Captain Alastair Maclean is travelling the dangerous byways of England in a desperate search for a Jacobite traitor. His first suspect is Sir John Norreys -- but is he really the traitor, or is Maclean influenced by his love for Sir John's beautiful bride? Chased by Hanoverian huntsmen, and led to the brink of death by a crazed gypsy, Maclean summons the aid of Midwinter -- mysterious leader of the brotherhood of "the Naked Men." - Back cover.
Description from Open Library.
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