A thrilling political history about the months that brought England to the cusp of civil war, from the acclaimed author of The Blazing World

A nation on the cusp of war. A king ousted from his capital by the people. A society on the brink of collapse. From Jonathan Healey comes a thrilling history about the months that sent England into civil war

‘The House of Cards-ish drama remains gripping to the last’ LITERARY REVIEW

‘A narrative worthy of any political thriller’ ALICE LOXTON

After years of tension between a king and his people, in 1641 England reaches a semblance of peace. Armies have disbanded, legislation has passed to ensure Parliament will continue to sit, and the people are tentatively optimistic. Radical politicians congratulate themselves on a stunning political victory. Royal servants are coming to accept an altered future.

Then comes winter. With it, chaos, protests, political deadlock, and eventually a remarkable attempt by King Charles I to destroy his opponents. On 4 January 1642 Charles marches on the small riverside city of Westminster at the head of an army, seeking to arrest five Members of Parliament. In doing so, he sets in motion a series of events that will lead to bloodshed and war, changing a nation forever.

Why did the English Civil War break out? The Blood in Winter tells the story of an English people's great political awakening, and of a nation that splintered into bloodshed at a terrifying speed. Jonathan Healey recreates the claustrophobic atmosphere of the day, with rowdy protestors in the streets and London blanketed in coal smoke. It is a story of remarkable but flawed characters, all faced with unpalatable choices, and a frightening picture of a society in profound distress.

"A lucid, fast-paced and exhilarating account of how, if not necessarily why, England descended into civil war . . . Vivid details brighten almost every page . . . Healey turns mere names into figures who linger long in the memory. There is hardly a paragraph not enlivened by his eye for the mannerisms, quirks and eccentricities of the actors in his story. The Blood in Winter is a highly accomplished and impressively accessible account of one of the most complicated and consequential series of events in British history. Its pages teem with larger-than-life personalities and dramatic incident . . . The House of Cards-ish drama remains gripping to the last" - Literary Review

"This is a wonderful book, exhaustively researched, vigorously argued and teeming with the furious joy of seventeenth-century life" - The Times on 'The Blazing World'

"A brilliant, bloody account of England's most dramatic century . . . Thrilling" - The Telegraph on 'The Blazing World'