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Company of Liars [Hardcover]

Karen Maitland (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 31 Jan 2008

Midsummer's Day, 1348.

On this day of ill omen, plague makes its entrance. Within weeks, swathes of England witll be darkened by death's shadow as towns and villages burn to the ringing of church bells.

While panic and suspicion flood the land, a small band of travellers comes togther to outrun the breakdown in law and order. But when one of their number is found hanging from a tree, the chilling discovery confirms that something more sinister than plague is in their midst. And as the runes warn of treachery, it appears no one is quite what they seem, least of all the child rune reader, who mercilessly compels each of her companions to tell their stories. And face the consequences.

Take a leap of imagination and embark on an unforgettable journey through the ravgaed countryside ... with only a scarred trader in holy relics, a conjuror, two musicians, and a deformed storyteller for company.

Product details

  • Hardcover: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Michael Joseph; 1st Edition edition (31 Jan 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0718153227
  • ISBN-13: 978-0718153229
  • Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 15.8 x 4.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 466,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Karen Maitland Page
Karen Maitland
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Product Description

Review

'A compelling mystery story that should appeal to anyone looking for an engrossing, bulky, fireside read' -- Daily Mail

'A richly evocative page-turner which brings to life a lost and terrible period of British history, with a disturbing final twist worthy of a master of the spine-tingler, such as Henry James' -- Daily Express

'Atmospheric and original, a novel of suspense and terror' -- Woman & Home

'Compelling and highly atmospheric' -- Mirror

'Maitland combines the storytelling traditions of The Canterbury Tales with the supernatural suspense of Kate Mosse's Sepulchre in this atmospheric tale of treachery and magic'
-- Marie Claire

About the Author

Karen Maitland lives in Lincolnshire and is the author of The White Room, which won an Author's Club Best First Novel Award.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 79 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite entertainment 16 May 2009
By Didier TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Historical novels are the love of my life (apart from my wife and kids that is), and this is very probably one of the very best I've ever read.

The year is 1348, when the plague laid most of Europe waste. Camelot is a seller of fake relics, and when the plague reaches England he decides to try and outrun it, heading north. Along the way, he picks up other misfits until they make up a company of nine: the Venetian musician Rodrigo and his pupil Jofre, the one-armed storyteller Cygnus, the painter Osmond and his wife Adela who is with child, the conjuror Zophiel, and the midwife Pleasance who has a remarkable, white-haired child with her: Narigorm. Together they set out trying to outrun the plague.

What happens next is an incredibly engrossing story, told with gusto. This is one of those novels that keep you up at night, unable to stop reading, eager to know what'll happen next. England during the plague is described in such telling and colourful details that the place comes alive, and you cannot help but feel 'this is surely how it must have felt like in reality'. England in the grip of the plague swiftly descends into chaos, and lawlessness becomes the rule. And through this bleak landscape, rain constantly pouring down, the nine companions trudge on and slowly get to know each other better.

Before long it becomes clear that each of them has a secret to hide, and none of them is what they make out to be. All have have been beaten down and trodden upon by life's mishaps, and - sometimes for the best of reasons or quite simply because they had no other choice - are now living a lie, haunted by their past.

550 pages of superb entertainment for the price of barely two packs of cigarettes, what are you waiting for?
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35 of 38 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing yet faintly disappointing 13 July 2009
By MH Darlington
Format:Paperback
Overall I have to say that I enjoyed Company of Liars. It was absorbing from the first pages and quickly built up a detailed and effective atmosphere of the bleakness of the times. The descriptions of the environment are wonderfully evocative without ever becoming long-winded.
Karen Maitland is skilled at creating characters with whom we can empathise and associate with, in this case Camelot, outwardly a seller of holy relics but to us, the readers, a self-confessed seller of hope.
The almost paranormal elements of the story are cleverly introduced and I found myself more than once with a few goosebumps and the odd shiver down the spine (forgive what seem like cliches but it's pretty much how parts of the book made me feel). The feeling of apocalyptic doom descending over a country in the grip of the Black Death was wonderfully conveyed but....
I would like to have given this book three and a half stars but I can't do that. And I couldn't quite bring myself to give it four as I feel the ending(s) left me with a feeling of profound disappointment.
The twist is rather obvious from quite early in the book and yet this isn't the main disappointment. It's the feeling I had that the author either didn't know how to end the story or that she was under pressure from her publisher to get it finished by a deadline and had to rush.
Either way, the build-up and development of the story were let down by the ending which is a shame as I'd found myself unable to put the book down in the earlier stages.
That said, I'd still read her next book.
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37 of 41 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Truth Will Out 25 Feb 2008
By Ellis J. Delmonte
Format:Hardcover
If the plague ever hits your home town and you have to make a dash for safety, be very careful who you choose as companions. This riveting medieval who (or what) dunnit leads you along the not so safe path away from the ravages of the Black Death into the clutches of a mysterious killer. Keeping you company are a motley crew including conjurers, musicians and a secretive dealer in Holy Relics, not to mention a very scary rune reader that almost put me off children forever. As they flee for their lives, they also flee from the lies on which those lives have been built to face the brutal and often fatal consequences of truth. The detail is superb, the research spot on and the atmosphere suitably grim. There is little in the way of mercy, respite or humour, so be ready for a colourful journey into the one of the darker periods of English history.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Company of Liars
After reading Gallows curse by the same author I was expecting much more of this book,
it was slow in places and a bit far-fetched, I found it boring in some parts and was... Read more
Published 19 days ago by maggie123
4.0 out of 5 stars Convincingly dark
'Company of Liars' brings the Middle Ages to life more successfully than most historical novels. I wasn't sure about the prologue, but once the story got going as told by Camelot... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Gill Page
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
I've just skimmed through a few of the reviews and found it rather odd that some would focus so much on it being a "historical" novel. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Galning
5.0 out of 5 stars I would never lie
What an excellent story.
With a twist at the end I did not expect
Well written, good characterisation,it would make a great film.
Published 29 days ago by SteveL
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
My favourite novel of the year so far. Just brilliant. Fantastic entertainment from start to finish with terrific characters. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. I. Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Really good book. I like my fiction a bit unusual and this ticked all the boxes. I loved the combination of the supernatural and the 'real life' setting during the plague in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Flurominx
5.0 out of 5 stars A very satisfying readd.
An excellent story with well-rounded characters and complex enough plot to keep the pages turning. It has made me want to read the rest of Karen Maitland's novels.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs W R Carrick
4.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good read
Interesting and fairly compelling story, if a little slow at times. Gives the reader an insight into the doom, gloom and abject fear which must have prevailed during the time of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by I CLARK
4.0 out of 5 stars Company of Liars
Purchased as a xmas pressie for my wife she likes it however she also purchased a copy for her sister two weeks later for less than half the price I paid
Published 2 months ago by Mr B
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing!!!
I have a big interest in medieval stories and this takes you there. Thiss tory is full of suspense and twist and turns a must read.
Published 2 months ago by Perrie-Jay Morris
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