Killers of the King - Softcover

Charles Spencer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408851776 ISBN 13: 9781408851777

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2001

Synopsis

Killers of the King

About this title

About the Author:

Charles Spencer is a journalist who worked for The Surrey Daily Advertiser, London Evening Standard, The Stage and Television Today, before becoming the theatre critic of the Daily Telegraph.

Review:

"This is a pacy, well-researched and beautifully written story of intrigue, betrayal and Realpolitik, but above all cold-blooded institutionalized revenge on a massive international scale. No-one will ever see ‘the Merry Monarch’ Charles II in the same way again. Little did the regicides guess when they signed Charles I’s death warrant that they were effectively also signing their own.” ―Andrew Roberts, author of NAPOLEON AND WELLINGTON

"Accomplished and gruesome, this masterful account of the fate of the regicides breaks all barriers in weaving the lives--and the grim fates--of many into a seamless, pacy and riveting read, underpinned by the depth of scholarship for which Charles Spencer is renowned. An exceptional and highly original history book that sheds new light on one of England's bloodiest episodes.” ―Alison Weir, author of HENRY VIII: THE KING AND HIS COURT

"Imagine The Odessa File re-shaped to the contours of the 17th century, and you will have some idea of the pleasure to be had in reading Killers Of The King. The virtues of a thriller and of scholarship are potently combined.” ―Tom Holland, author of RUBICON: THE LAST YEARS OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

"Outstanding: a thrilling tale of retribution and bloody sacrifice, unflinching idealism and craven miscreancy. In fluent, measured, often witty prose, Killers of the King brilliantly evokes that febrile time when the hunters became the hunted and vengeance was avenged. Like all the best history books, it succeeds not only in telling a remarkable story, but also in illuminating the entire age.” ―Jessie Childs, author of GOD'S TRAITORS: TERRORS AND FAITH IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

"This is a worthwhile examination of an often ignored aspect of English history." ―Booklist

"While many readers already know the story’s end, Spencer purposefully builds anticipation over which men suffer excruciating death and which ones literally get away with murder." ―Publishers Weekly

"A gripping account of the aftermath of Britain's revolution, during which both sides fought for justice and Christianity and behaved despicably." ―starred review, Kirkus

“Spencer (Blenheim) has taken a novel approach to the history of the English Civil War (1642–51) and the Restoration that began in 1660. Rather than focusing on battles or court intrigues, Spencer gives the accounts of the regicides: the men who signed the warrant to have Charles I (1600–49) executed. This is an ambitious project as 59 men in total signed the document . . . This account is readable and entertaining . . . Spencer's excellent popular history will appeal to fans of Alison Weir and those interested in British history.” ―Library Journal

"The author is a practiced writer with an eye for striking details." ―Wall Street Journal

"This is one of history’s great manhunt stories, expertly, briskly told. Spencer is a graceful and particularly evenhanded writer, and he lets these 70 men’s stories carry their own weight and speak their own lessons on justice, loyalty and allegiance, and the strange and oftentimes fatal turns they take." ―Dallas Morning News

"Charles Spencer has written a book that is equal parts detective novel, thriller and horror story." ―The Historical Novel Society

"British author and historian Charles Spencer brings to light a riveting, historic tale of powerful revenge, and its centuries-long consequences, surrounding the execution of Charles I." ―New Canaan Advertiser

"Charles Spencer’s Killers of the King tautly brings out the human drama of the regicides in 1649 who executed Charles I." ―World Magazine

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1408851776
• ISBN 13: 9781408851777
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1