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The King's Exile
The King's Exile
May 4, 2025 12:46 AM

Author:Andrew Swanston,David Thorpe

The King's Exile

Spring, 1648.

When Thomas Hill, a bookseller living in rural Hampshire, publishes a political pamphlet he has little idea of the trouble that will follow. He is quickly arrested, forced on a boat to Barbados and condemned to life as a slave to two of the island’s most notoriously violent brothers.

In England war has erupted again, with London under threat of attack. When news of the king’s execution reaches the island, political stability is threatened and a fleet commanded by Sir George Ayscue arrives to take control of the island for Cromwell. The threat of violence increases. Thomas finds himself witness to abuse, poison, rape and savage brutality.

When a coded message from Ayscue to a sympathiser on the island is intercepted, Thomas is asked to decipher it. A disastrous battle seems inevitable.

But nothing turns out as planned. And as the death toll mounts, the escape Thomas has been relying on seems ever more unlikely…

Reviews

An excellent sequel: rich, rewarding, intricate but with that strong narrative drive that marks out a true page-turner. Thomas Hill has grown in depth and breadth and is a truly sympathetic character.

—— M.C. SCOTT

Margery Allingham deserves to be rediscovered

—— P.D. James

The real queen of crime

—— Guardian

Allingham is the best of mystery writers

—— New Yorker

Margery Allingham stands out like a shining light

—— Agatha Christie

A genuinely terrifying and evocative crime novel... Once you've read it, it's hard to shake off the sense of foreboding that permeates this serial killer story

—— crimefictionlover

So much more than an simple whodunit - a clever, sophisticated modern crime novel

—— Sunday Mirror

[A] cracking psychological thriller

—— Good Housekeeping

Belinda Bauer is disconcerting. She follows none of the usual formulae governing crime fiction, defies easy labelling and sees deeper than most into people's emotions.

—— The Times

Nobody scares me quite like Belinda Bauer

—— Sharon Bolton

Bauer's novels are among life's pure pleasures. Her assured style and uncanny knack for capturing the quirks of human nature make her one of the stand-out writers of her genre. Clever, dark, insightful and not just a little bit funny.

—— ALEX MARWOOD, author of The Wicked Girls and The Killer Next Door

Bold and original, Rubbernecker draws you into unexpected psychological territory with its sophisticated, fast-paced story. A thought-provoking page-turner you won't be able to put down.

—— KOETHI ZAN, author of The Never List

Another excellent outing for Bauer

—— The Lady

Magical writing from a maestro of surprises

—— Evening Telegraph

One of the best crime writers in the country

—— Daily Record

Absorbing . . . refreshingly unconventional

—— Irish Times

A real page-turner.

—— Independent 'i'

a wholly original writer.

—— S Magazine

A thrilling plot, full of suspense.

—— The Sun

Claustrophobic, compulsive and gripping

—— Daily Express

I read Disclaimer in two sittings . . . It's that good. . . The premise is the star of the show but Knight's success lies in keeping her plot, characterisation and unpredictability up to that same standard.

—— Daily Express

A fine example of the genre . . . unbearably tense

—— Sunday Express

An unsettling page-turner of The Girl on the Train variety that wil live on in readers' imaginations

—— Grazia

A faultlessly constructed, page-turning debut, Disclaimer delivers its twists and surprises with ease. It is both clever and moving, and I'm full of admiration.

—— JOANNA BRISCOE

It's Disclaimer that turns out to be the Gone Girl of the season

—— New York Times

An ingenious and involving tale and a very successful first novel

—— Literary Review

Fiendishly clever

—— Daily Mail

Renee Knight's stunning debut is a thriller with a particularly literary flavour, but also with a heart. Best enjoyed slowly, with no skipping to the heart-wrenchign conclusion. Terrific.

—— Saga Magazine

A deeply probing, intense psychological thriller that was gripping and very difficult to put down

—— Huffington Post

Disclaimer forms a trinity alongside Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train as the best of domestic noir . . . Disclaimer will be climbing the bestseller list

—— New York Daily News

An original plot, well-paced to its unexpected climax

—— The Times

A highly assured debut novel with a cracking premise . . . a remarkable well written page turner

—— Euro Crime

A superior piece of dark emotional fiction that will get under your skin.

—— Sainsburys magazine

Plunges us into our worst nightmare - somebody knows our darkest secret, and they're sharing it

—— Val McDermid

A finely crafted puzzle box

—— Spectator

A brilliant premise, superbly executed. I love this book

—— CLARE MACKINTOSH, author of I LET YOU GO

fantastic - was absolutely gripped. Great idea, could not put it down.

—— Tweet from Lucy Diamond

Disclaimer is a real one-nighter

—— Tweet from Polly Samson

It's knockout

—— Tweet from Claudia Winkleman

The marvel of the new suspense novel “Disclaimer” is that it lives up to its unusually gripping premise.
Disclaimer forms a trinity alongside “Gone Girl” and the “The Girl on the Train” as the best of domestic noir. That this is a first novel from Renee Knight, a British television screenwriter, makes her sure hand with what’s sinister that much more stunning.

—— New York Daily News

A sensational psychological thriller

—— Jackie Collins

excellent debut

—— KATE MOSSE, Guardian

This bestseller is definitely one of the best thrillers of 2015.

—— Marie Claire

More original and sophisticated than your average psychological thriller, Renée Knight's DISCLAIMER is an accomplished and addictive tale.

—— Sunday Times
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