THE LAST HOURS
Book ID/图书代码： 05430017C00002
English Summary/英文概要： In June, 1348, the Black Death enters England through the port of Melcombe (now Weymouth) in the County of Dorsetshire. Unprepared for the virulence of the disease, and the speed with which it spreads, the people of the county have little or no defence. By the time the pestilence ends in the winter of 1350, contemporary writers record that barely one in ten of Dorset’s population is still alive. Whole villages vanish from history forever, and a culture of terror and superstition spreads across England as news of the Black Death’s killing power is carried abroad by messengers. In the belief that God has sent a plague to punish sinners, most follow the teachings of the Church and look for salvation through atonement and absolution. A few question whether God’s nature is as vengeful as the Church preaches, and take measures to protect themselves. THE LAST HOURS is set in the demesne of Develish in Dorsetshire. Widowed by her husband’s death from the pestilence, Lady Anne assumes control of his people’s future – 200 bonded serfs without rights of ownership to land. Strong, compassionate and resourceful – qualities she kept hidden from the husband she loathed and despised - Lady Anne chooses a bastard slave, Thaddeus Thurkell, to act as her steward. Together, they decide to quarantine Develish by bringing the serfs inside a defendable moat and sharing the available food amongst all. With this sudden overturning of the accepted social order, where serfs exist only to serve their lords, conflict arises when they’re given a voice. Ignorant of what is happening in the world outside, they wrestle with themselves, with God and the terrible uncertainty of their futures. They fear starvation when their food runs out but they fear the pestilence more. Who amongst them has the courage to leave the safety of the demesne in search of supplies and news?
And how safe is anyone in Develish when an unexplained murder threatens the uneasy status quo…?
In THE LAST HOURS Minette Walters brings all her trademark intelligence to a totally new timeframe - creating a vivid and powerful drama through compelling characters whose journey readers will be drawn to. THE LAST HOURS is an exciting new direction from an established best-selling author and Minette is currently writing the sequel.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 当黑死病在1348年7月从（位于英格兰南部）的多塞特郡梅尔库姆港口侵入英格兰时，没人知道这种病毒会如此迅速地传播和致命。教会以上帝为由，当人们开始相信瘟疫是对邪恶的惩罚时，宗教的恐惧就控制了他们的心。
但是谁能解释无辜新生儿的死亡呢？难道上帝对对他的造物如此愤怒，以至于他想要毁灭全人类吗？
有一个人反对这个想法：Develish的安妮夫人
这位受过教育的修女，是女性中的佼佼者，不仅识文断字而且深谙教义。当瘟疫席卷而来时，安妮的丈夫残忍地离她而去，这位夫人决定寻找更明智的方法来保护她的村民，而不是每天去忏悔罪恶。她非常精通将病人从未感染人中分离出来的重要性，她把她的人从她的庄园周围的护城河里撤回，甚至拒绝进入她的丈夫。
她这样做，使得自己的女儿和她丈夫的管家与己为敌，但她的决心却得到了农奴头领的支持。。。直到食物储备几乎耗尽，所有人的神经都受到持续监禁的考验，以及庄园内这些人对外面世界正在发生的事情的未知。Develish的人们都幸存了下来。但这能维持多久？瘟疫什么时候会穿越护城河？当他们开始防护时又会发现什么？
跌宕而又起伏，《最终时刻》是一部讲述了人类在对抗历史上最为可怕的流行病时，所体现的智慧和忍耐力的精彩绝伦的故事。Develish的安妮夫人，渥特丝创造了一个令人难忘的，杰出的，女教育家，和创新者。(Sandy)
Awards/获奖情况：
About the Author/作者介绍： 米内特•沃尔特斯是英国最畅销的犯罪作家之一。她是十二本小说的作者，获得了冰屋的CWA 约翰.克拉西奖，美国的爱伦坡大奖以及The Scold’s Bridle和邪恶狐狸l两个CWA金短剑。她和丈夫一起住在多塞特郡，她的作品被翻译成三十六种语言，在全世界销售了2500万册书。 10年的沉淀之后，她将以第一个令人惊叹的历史冒险剧“最终时刻”，重新回到文坛。 1349是续集。
Minette Walters is one of England’s best-selling crime writers. She is the author of twelve novels, winning the CWA John Creasey Award for The Ice House, the Edgar Allan Poe Award in America for The Sculptress and two CWA Gold Daggers for The Scold’s Bridle and Fox Evil. She lives in Dorset with her husband and has been translated into thirty-six languages and has sold 25 million books worldwide. After a break of 10 years, she will be bursting back on to the literary scene with her first stunning historical adventure, THE LAST HOUR. 1349 is the sequel.
Format:
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：UK: Atlantic/ Allen & Unwin ( 2 book deal)
Germany: Heyne ( 2 book deal)
Denmark: Modtryk
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