The King's List

Tom Neave Trilogy #3

by Peter Ransley

What price betrayal? The bloody saga of revolution and republicanism reaches its climax in the final instalment of the Tom Neave trilogy.

1659. Tom Neave, now Lord Stonehouse and feared spymaster for the republic, must do what he can to maintain the reins of power. With Oliver Cromwell dead, a ruthless struggle for control of the country begins.

A Royalist rebellion is easily put down, but is of concern for Tom – his son Luke is among those imprisoned. Having been freed by his father and back with his family, Luke claims he is disillusioned with the Royalist cause. But can Tom trust him? Pre-occupied by his son’s uncertain allegiance, by the distant, manipulative behaviour of his beloved wife Anne, and by rumours of his treacherous father Richard, Tom is ill at ease. His own long-buried secrets threaten to erupt, with irrevocable consequences.

As the struggle for power in England becomes more urgent, rumours abound of the return of the exiled king. Copies of the ‘King’s List’ are in circulation – the names of those who signed the death warrant of the late king, of which Tom is one. While an army marches on London, the fate of the nation – and that of Tom and his family – lies at stake.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, 17th Century, Mystery, Historical

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2014

About the author

Peter Ransley has written extensively for television. His BBC adaptation of Sarah Waters's 'Fingersmith' was nominated for a BAFTA for best series in 2006 and his ITV drama 'Falling Angel', starring Emilia Fox and Charles Dance, was screened in 2007. He is a winner of the Royal Television Society's Writer's Award.

Reviews

[Peter]

The final of a trilogy of which I hadn't read the others but I chose this because of the interesting historical period, the circumstances and events surrounding Restoration of Charles II 1659-1660. The historical events kept the interest more-so than the far too intense hero and the melodrama surrounding his family and relationships. Tom Neave, now Sir Thomas Stonehouse, had risen to a powerful position during the Interregnum but the possible Restoration provides complications because he signed Charles I’s death warrant and his brutal father and naïve son are both Royalists. The excess melodrama does detract a little from a non-anachronistic story which uses the history intelligently.

[Tracey- Jo]

An interesting story set in the time of the English civil war aftermath. It's nice to read a different take on life at that time. My one complaint is that it was a read that felt slow as there was little emotion in the characters that could give them.weight . This meant that I had little sympathy at crucial times in the plot and that let the book down.

[Stacey]

I found with this book that there was no real story line until about half way through but once it began and got interesting it was a good solid historic fiction book

[Veronica]

The final volume of Peter Ransley's trilogy -- worth the longer than expected wait. It's the best of the three I think. Atmospheric and edgy, with great scene setting evoking the smells, sounds, and sights of London in 1660. The relationships Tom has with his family and others are nicely ambiguous and uneasy. Yes, there are one or two rather ludicrous escapes, especially towards the end, and the epilogue is out of place, but it's not as muddled and implausible as volume 2. I enjoyed reading it.

[Mary]

I was not aware going in that this is book 3 of a series. It was an easy catch up, but I will be going back to read the other 2 books. An exciting read, very well written.