The Last Hours

 

Dorsetshire in 1348 and a strange plague is infecting the inhabitants resulting in thousands of deaths. What causes it and how how has it come to their region?

In The Last Hours by Minette Walters we meet the inhabitants of Develish who, led by Lady Anne, work tirelessly to prevent this new disease from entering their community. Her husband, Sir Richard, has ridden off to visit another community and returns when he is ill from the plague. He is refused admittance for fear that he will bring the disease to Develish. 

Sir Richard had insisted that a moat should be build around the community and this was instrumental in protecting Develish. When she married Sir Richard, Lady Anne had insisted that new hygiene measures such as an outside latrine should be constructed which also helped protect her people from the spreading of illness in general. Lady Anne had also taught the people of Develish to read and write, against the wishes of her husband. Develish is therefore able to cut itself off from the surrounding countryside and keep the disease at bay. But for how long?

Much of the novel involves the attempts of Thaddeus Thurkel and five boys from Develish who set off on an expedition to locate supplies needed if the people of Develish are to survive the winter. Meanwhile Lady Anne, with the assistance of several of the senior men, continue to keep the villagers safe.

Minette Walters provides graphic descriptions of the effects of the Black Death in wiping out entire communities, yet some people were able to resist the plague. Thaddeus and some of the other characters attempt to work out how the plague has come into their lives in the first place.

The Turn of Midnight by Minette Walters is the sequel to The Last Hours.