Death of a Stranger

Death of a Stranger (William Monk #13) by Anne Perry (2002), narrated by David Colacci

Hester Monk is running a clinic in a sketchy part of London, treating prostitutes for disease and injury. But one evening, prominent businessman Nolan Baltimore is murdered in this neighborhood. It is presumed that an interaction with a prostitute or pimp went wrong. Then a young woman named Katrina Harcus approaches William Monk because she fears that the railway company Baltimore and Sons is involved in a shady deal that could result in unsafe conditions for its passengers. In the course of his investigation, Monk recovers some of his lost memories and they involve time working for this very rail company when a horrible crash occurred and his good friend Arroll Dundas was imprisoned. Is there danger of another train crash? And is that actually why Nolan Baltimore was murdered?

As with all of Anne Perry's mysteries, there is far more going on than there seems at first. What actually drew me in was that William would learn more about his past, after an accident that caused severe memory loss back in book one. He has always known that he was sort of a different person before his accident, judging from how people treated him after, so he has a certain paranoia about the sorts of things he could have done. But I also really liked the subplot about Hester's clinic. During the course of this novel they were having issues with their space and knew they might have to move. More importantly, because of the murder there were police everywhere, which meant the prostitutes weren't getting much work. One of my favorite parts of this book was a conversation about this problem between William and Hester, when she complained about the situation and William got a little snarky.

"You wish to find who killed Baltimore so the police will leave and the prostitutes can get back into business? You have strange moral convictions, Hester." 

I loved her takedown:

"If I could change the world so no women ever went into prostitution, I would," she said angrily. "Perhaps you can tell me where I should begin. Get every woman a decent living at something more respectable, perhaps? Or stop every man from wanting - or needing - to buy his pleasures outside his own home? Perhaps every man should be married, and every wife comply with her husband's wishes or better still, no man should *have* wishes he cannot satisfy honorably. That would solve at least half of it. Then all we would have to do is change the economy. After that, changing human nature should be relatively easy." 

Monks response: "You have rather escalated your demands. I thought all you wanted was for me to solve Nolan Baltimore's murder."

(I transcribed this from the audio, so I apologize for any inaccuracies in punctuation.)

This is why I love Hester. She is SO practical. A woman after my own heart. Had I lived in Victorian times, in a mystery novel, surely we would have been besties.

As with all the books in this series, it ends with a courtroom drama. Oliver Rathbone (mysteriously autocorrected by my phone, in a note, to "rat hobbies") is defending a young man of the murder using some rather elaborate questioning as he circles around to his point. The judge, who has obviously never read any other books from this series, gets more and more exasperated with Rathbone, asking him a number of times if he's planning to ever get to the point. I have to wonder that this judge isn't familiar with Rathbone, who I think is supposed to be a pretty well-known attorney in London at the time. I think this bit was maybe a bit overdone. However, when it all shook out, I was satisfied with the conclusion.

As I mentioned in my kntting post on Sunday, every winter I listen to one of these mysteries while knitting. It's so perfectly cozy. I almost stopped after the last book in this series, but I'm glad I chose to continue.

Funeral in Blue

Funeral in Blue by Anne Perry (2001), narrated by David Colacci

When two very different women are murdered together in an artist's studio, the case takes Hester and William Monk to gambling halls and the streets of Vienna. They delve into the personal lives of people close to them, and research the Vienna Uprising in 1848. One of the victims was the wife of Christian Beck, a doctor in a hospital where Hester has worked, making the case very close to the Monks and their friends.

I think most of the audiobooks in this series are narrated by a woman so I did not have high hopes for this male narrator, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book itself, however, left a lot to be desired.

The way the stories usually go, Monk and Hester start out thinking the case is about one thing, but when they follow the trail it leads them to something else entirely. But with this one, it turned out not to have anything to do with anything they had been investigating and was basically all a misunderstanding. So, not very satisfying.

I've also gotten over the whole crazy introspection/mind-reading thing. Hester and Monk are constantly extrapolating a ton of information based on looking in someone's eyes. This is not limited to this series, of course, but is quite prevalent and I find it ridiculous. You simply can't glean more than someone's general mood from looking in their eyes or observing their expression, you just can't. This is something I'm willing to overlook if the story is better, but in this case I couldn't.

In general, this is a pretty good series and I'm a little surprised to see that I've already read twelve of them. I was considering stopping after this disappointing one, but then I read the description of the next book and it sounds more appealing, particularly since there is progress in the overarching story of William Monk's memory loss. So perhaps I'll continue on to the next book one day.

R.I.P. VIII Challenge Wrap-up

October is over and with it the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge. I read the following books for this challenge:

When Nights Were Cold by Susanna Jones
Slaves of Obsession by Anne Perry
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
14 by Peter Clines

I really liked all of these books a lot. I'm especially happy that I finally read 14, as it's been on my list to read for quite a while now and I think I needed this push to finally prioritize it. It was very unusual and creative and just fantastic. I highly recommend it. Even the Anne Perry book was a particular standout for that series. Her books are comfort reads to me in a way because I always know what to expect, but this one was especially good. The Stephen King book was especially well timed for this challenge, though I would have read it whenever it came out. When Nights Were Cold was also a priority since I had ordered it all the way from the UK. (It's still unavailable in the US, but there are some used copies on Amazon, and I highly recommend it.)

I had hoped to finally read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, but although I checked it out of the library and even renewed it at least once, I never quite got to it. I also wanted to read Your House Is On Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye which my library was supposed to have available, but I looked all over the place and couldn't find it. Until yesterday, when I was walking past the display of new large print books and spotted it lying there completely out of place. I've read only a few pages so far, but the style reminds me a bit of Shirley Jackson and that is a good thing.

The R.I.P. VIII review site is here if you'd like to read the reviews of other participants, which I recommend. There are almost 500 reviews there now, from somewhere around 200 different blogs.

I don't frequently participate in reading challenges, but I'm glad I took part in this one. It was fun, seasonally appropriate, and has encouraged me to read a couple of books I had been putting off for quite a while. I look forward to participating again next year!

Slaves of Obsession

Slaves of Obsession (William Monk #11) by Anne Perry

Investigator William Monk is hired to find the parties who are trying to blackmail a gun dealer named Daniel Alberton. But that is not Alberton's only problem - America is in the midst of the Civil War and he has promised to sell a large quantity of guns to the Confederates. Their representative is present when Monk visits, and they are soon joined by a man named Breeland who represents the Union and urges Alberton to sell to his side instead. But Alberton will not go back on his word infuriating Breeland as well as Alberton's own daughter Merrit, who is romantically interested in Breeland. A heated exchange about the war and slavery is followed later that night by a murder, and soon William Monk and his wife Hester find themselves on their way to war-torn America in search of a killer.

I hadn't expected to pick up another Anne Perry mystery so soon, but I needed something comforting and familiar. After finishing When Nights Were Cold, I didn't know what I wanted to read and started about 5 different books, finally settling on MASH Angels and Slaves of Obsession which I ended up reading concurrently. Do you ever get in that sort of a reading funk where nothing seems right? It happens rarely, but I really hate it. I know by now that all I can do is pick something and force my way through while waiting for the feeling to eventually pass. It's a good time to pick up a book where you know what to expect.

There were, however, a couple of things especially interesting about this one. First, the Civil War. This was unexpected but welcome. Slavery is a part of our history that no matter how much I read about it is still somehow difficult to believe, and I liked seeing it from the perspective of the British. But also, the trip to the US during the war was a great opportunity to see Hester in action as a nurse. My favorite part of the story was when Monk and Hester were searching for Breeland and Merrit who had run off together and were suspected murderers. They found Merrit right away and she joined Hester on the battlefields helping wounded soldiers. One of my favorite aspects of this series is Hester's experiences as a nurse and though we learn a bit about her experiences in the Crimea, those are told through flashbacks. I was very happy to get to see her in action on the Civil War battlefield.

Another important thread in this series is Monk's memory loss. In the very first book he wakes up after an accident and cannot remember anything about his life before, or the person he once was. Slowly he discovers things here and there and doesn't like what he learns about himself. In the course of this investigation he stumbles across someone he knew in his previous life and learns something about himself that is especially distasteful and about which he feels quite ashamed. This would have been bad enough before, but now that he is married to Hester - and doesn't keep anything from her - he worries about her reaction when he tells her. This all adds a bit of extra tension to their relationship while all these other events are going on.

I'm over halfway through this series - it's up to #19 as of this year - and still enjoying it. I think now I'm caught up to the point where I can start getting the audio version again (the last few weren't available) so I look forward to that for the winter!

The Twisted Root

The Twisted Root by Anne Perry (1999), narrated by Terrence Hardiman

A young man approaches William Monk, frantic because his fiance has been missing after suddenly fleeing a garden party without warning. Guests saw her leave in a carriage and when the coachman is found murdered, all eyes turn to the bride-to-be. But when Miriam Gardner is found, she won't say a word about why she left the party, or who killed the coachman. It is up to William Monk, with help from his wife Hester, to get to the bottom of the mystery.

As with the other books in this series, there are apparently disparate plotlines that come together later in the book. While the main mystery is happening, Hester is investigating the theft of some medicines at the hospital where she is a volunteer. As I predicted, that story began to converge with the murder but not in the way I thought it would.

This is the first book in this series that I was tempted to give a two-star review on Goodreads. I was frustrated because Miriam Gardner clearly knew the answers Monk and the police were looking for, and simply wouldn't tell them. Usually things are a mystery because the only person who really knows what happened and is still alive is the person who has committed the crime. Here, there is an innocent witness who refuses to speak and I didn't quite buy it. There are ways to get delicate Victorian ladies to speak is all I'm saying. However, in the end during the trial when the truth came out - as it always does - it was so deliciously scandalous it was completely worth it. So, three stars it is.

Monk and Hester are now married, and that added an extra layer to the narrative as they both struggled to navigate this unfamiliar territory. Neither are used to having to answer to anyone, and it causes a bit of a strain, though clearly their affection outweighs the compromises they must make. Another point of interest was Hester's fight to gain respect for nurses, especially difficult when one of them seems to be stealing medicines, presumably for nefarious reasons. Hester concedes that many of the stereotypes of nurses are well founded, and points out that it doesn't help that part of their compensation is beer.

When I first received this audiobook from the library I was disappointed to find a male narrator, because I was hoping for Davina Porter, who narrated the first books in the series. But Hardiman was certainly up to the task and I came to find his voice comforting and enjoyable to listen to. I seemingly never tire of this series, regardless of how I experience it.

A Breach of Promise

A Breach of Promise (William Monk #9) by Anne Perry (1997)

Oliver Rathbone is employed to defend a young architect in a breach of promise suit. Killian Melville is accused of backing out of his plans to marry Zillah Lambert, but he says he never proposed to her in the first place. Rathbone considers it a hopeless case; not only is it hard to defend someone for allowing plans to go so far without clearing up the misunderstanding, but he also doesn't understand why Melville is so dead set against marrying Zillah in the first place. He knows there's more to the case than this, but Melville refuses to reveal all. Rathbone employs William Monk to help him find out as much as possible about the family to help his case.

Meanwhile, Hester Latterly is nursing a returned soldier who has been grievously injured. Employed in the household is a woman who is interested in finding her two disfigured nieces who she lost track of years ago after her brother's death. She implores the visiting Monk to help her find them, and he agrees to take on what he sees as a hopeless case. Predictably, the two cases end up converging.

I thought I had the breach of promise case all figured out early on, but I was pleasantly surprised with how wrong I was. There was a twist that I didn't see coming at all! The plot is more complex than in the past books of this series. In fact, a lot of things came up in the end that would have resulted in another whole court case. I think we are left to assume that it was tied up neatly, but man, I wanted to see it happen. It was only very loosely related to the original case but was really very interesting. I wish the resolution of the original case had led into another book about this other case. But alas, the next book is something different entirely. It's strange how oddly rushed and incomplete the ending felt.

This is also a pivotal book for the long-coming romance between Monk and Hester. Unfortunately, it was just thrown with all the other wrapping-up that happened in a rush at the end. I've been waiting patiently since book one for them to recognize their affection for each other, so I was satisfied that it finally happened.

In many ways the books in this series are all the same. The same sorts of people appear over and over, Monk and Hester have the same sorts of conversations and arguments. They are also a little too accepting of things like homosexuality and women's rights considering the time in which they live (which I'm fine with, as it makes them more likable to me.) But these books are such comfort reads! Here in the Boston area last week, that was exactly what I wanted. I was far too distracted by the events surrounding the Marathon bombing to read anything else and was very glad to have this paperback on my shelf when I most needed it.

Despite my criticisms of the ending, I think the plots were among the most interesting and compelling of the series so far. As a side note, I don't think I ever notice the covers on these books - I can't even think what any of the others look like - but I really like this one. Something about the black and white photo, especially the lady with her umbrella, appeals to me. I'm looking forward to continuing on to the next book in the series!

The Silent Cry

The Silent Cry by Anne Perry (1997)

Policeman John Evan finds two men in an alley, one dead and one gravely injured. They aren't from this dangerous part of London; they were a father and son from a nicer area, and Evan sets out to find out why they were in such a neighborhood and who was responsible for these crimes. The son, Rhys Duff, regains consciousness but is unable to speak. His mother hires a nurse to help care for him as he recovers from his serious injuries. The nurse, of course, is Hester Latterly. Meanwhile, William Monk - the star of this series - is conducting an investigation in another bad part of town, determined to find out who has been beating and raping prostitutes. He knows nobody would ever be convicted of mistreating prostitutes, but if only he can find out who it is the people of that neighborhood may seek their own sort of justice.

The eighth in the William Monk series of Victoria-era mysteries, this novel has similar appeal to the others. But it seems to contain even more examples of injustice. No judge in this society will convict someone of raping a prostitute, and everyone knows it. Rhys Duff, a victim himself, begins to look like a possible villain but he can't speak - and both of his hands are convenient broken, so he can't even express himself in writing. I was surprised when he had to appear in court anyhow, without the ability to tell his side of the story or defend himself in any way. As usual, we learn the truth at the very end and in this case it was an uncharacteristically horrifying ending that I just did not see coming. Yikes.

Hester is the main reason I read this series, and I was happy that there was a lot going on with her in this story. In addition to nursing Rhys Duff, she was having a bit of romance. In reading descriptions of later books, I know that she ends up married during this series and I'm rather eager to get to that, which will be soon. A strong, independent woman, I can imagine that her courtship and marriage won't be a conventional Victorian one and I'm quite looking forward to it.

Hester's ascerbic wit really makes this series. For example, in one memorable scene she is meeting Rhys's friend Duke, who gravely underestimates who he is talking to. Seeing her carrying a book on the history of the Ottoman Empire, he assumes she was taking it to Rhys. Sensing his assumptions on what would interest a woman, Hester tells her of her impressions of the people and culture of Istanbul from her visit there. Duke recovered from his surprise and went on:

    "Is there much call for domestic servants in Istanbul? I would have thought most people would have employed natives, especially for fetching and carrying."
    "I imagine they do...I was too busy to think of such things. I left my own lady's maid in London. I did not think it was any place for her, and it was quite unfair to ask her to go." She smiled back at him. "I have always believed consideration for one's servants is the mark of the gentleman...or lady, as the case may be. Don't you agree?"
   "You had a lady's maid?" he said incredulously. "Whatever for?"
    "If you ask your mother, Mr. Kyneston, I am sure she will acquaint you with the duties of a lady's maid," she answered, tucking the book under her arm.

Hester is used to being underestimated, and having her duties as a nurse relegated, in some eyes, to that of a housekeeper. She always responds quickly and cleverly and I enjoy every minute of it. If only I were so clever myself.

Upon finishing The Silent Cry, I really wanted to move right on to the next one (which I bought in used paperback at the same time) but I have a couple of other books I need to get to first for book groups. Hopefully soon though, I've been moving through this series far too slowly!

Weighed in the Balance

Weighed in the Balance by Anne Perry (1996)

Prince Friedrich and his wife Gisela lived one of the great love stories of their time. They left Felzberg because the Queen did not approve of their marriage and Friedrich chose exile rather than give up the woman he loved. Now, Prince Friedrich has died as a result of complications from an accident, and Countess Zorah Rostova has accused Gisela of murdering him. Gisela in turn is charging Zorah with slander and has hired Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend her. The case seems hopeless as soon as Rathbone learns of Friedrich and Gisela's almost mythical and very public love, even more so when he learns that Gisela didn't leave Friedrich's side during his illness and would therefore be unable to procure poison with which to kill him as accused. Though Rathbone implores Zorah to retract her statements, she insists on their truth. Rathbone soon employs the help of William Monk and, to a lesser extent, Hester Latterly to help investigate the case.

In addition to the complicated personal relationships, this novel was filled with a great deal of political intrigue. Prince Friedrich's family and associates were split over unifying the German provinces under Prussia or continued independence. If I were a good librarian I'd do a little history reading to find out how much of that story was based on actual history, but I am lazy about that sort of thing. It would have been awesome to have a couple of pages at the end explaining the facts behind the novel.

A noticeable aspect of Anne Perry's books is the amount of internal dialogue in the form of analysis of people's personalities and motivations. Every conversation is broken up by thoughtful deconstruction and observations of one character about another. Are people really that insightful? Can that much information really be gleaned from a look in someone's eyes? I tend to think it's all a bit much, but then again I've never been accused of being insightful myself. This analysis adds a lot of information to the story I suppose, but I can't decide whether I consider it a positive or negative aspect of her writing. I think I would just little a tiny bit less of it.

Mysteries are kind of great for me because I'm always surprised. I have no idea where they're going, nor do I particularly try to figure it out. I just happily ride along, learning more and more about the story until finally the secrets are uncovered and I am satisfied. I found this one slightly more predictable than previous books in the series but that may just be because I've gotten used to reading this genre.

As much as I enjoy reading about William Monk and Sir Oliver Rathbone, it's Hester Latterly who I really enjoy and there was less of her in this book than I like. Hopefully she will be more present in future books in this series. 

Good twin, bad twin

Cain His Brother by Anne Perry (1995)
 

I'm slowly working my way through this series of Victorian-era mysteries featuring William Monk. This one centers around twin brothers, one a gentleman and the other a n'er-do-well inhabitant of the poor rough neighborhood of Limehouse in London. Angus and Caleb long had an antagonistic relationship, but despite their distaste for each other, Angus didn't hesitate to visit Caleb in Limehouse to lend him money when needed. When Angus goes missing, his brother Caleb is suspected of murdering him. Of course nothing turns out to be at all what was suspected, as William finds out during his investigation, assisted by a cast of familiar characters including lawyer Oliver Rathbone and nurse Hester Latterly.

I liked this novel less than the others I've read so far in this series, primarily because Hester wasn't featured as prominently. It was mostly centered around Monk and Rathbone and although I like them, I much prefer Hester. We got a bit of Hester's life here and there as she nursed typhoid victims in Limehouse, but didn't spend nearly as much time with her as I'd like.

This case involved twin brothers, and I suspected the outcome about 100 pages from the end. I'm pretty oblivious with mysteries and rarely even try to guess the outcome of books so I suspect this one was unusually predictable. There are just a couple more from this series I need to tackle in book form before I can get back to the audiobooks. Hopefully I can catch up in time to listen to these mysteries while doing some winter knitting!

Silly title, but a good book

The Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry (1994)

Hester Latterly is between jobs and sees an ad in the paper looking for a nurse to accompany an elderly lady as she travels from Edinburgh to London. Having never been to Scotland, Hester thinks this would be a lovely way to spend the time before her next job starts. Little did she know that the poor woman would die in her charge and Hester would be charged with murder! Thrown into jail, she can only sit helplessly by as her friends William Monk and Oliver Rathbone try to find information to exonerate her and find the real culprit.

I’ve been listening to this series on audio off and on for a few years. These older titles appear to no longer be available to download or on CD so I was stuck lugging around a hardcover copy. It’s worth it though. I love these Victorian mysteries with all their society scandals and strange (to me) customs of that time and place. Because I don’t generally read mysteries I can’t compare these, but to me they are complex and unpredictable.

I really like Hester Latterly – she is not from wealth, but she’s respectable, smart, and tenacious. I imagine that she is a plain woman, and I know she cares little for looks. She is down to earth enough to imagine she may end up single her whole life because so many men are put off by her intelligence and independence. But she would rather be true to herself than be frivolous in order to live a conventional life and fit in with society. When she was working as a nurse during the Crimean War she saw horrors enough to ensure she’d never be a shallow society lady even if she wanted to.

This series is great for wintery or rainy-day reading. Curled up with an afghan and some tea, this is the perfect engrossing read for a cozy afternoon.

A Christmas Promise : a review

A Christmas Promise by Anne Perry (2009)

Thirteen-year-old Grace Phipps happened across a lost-looking 8-year-old a few days before Christmas in Victorian England. The young Minnie Maude is looking for Charlie, her donkey, who was missing, along with his cart, after Uncle Alf was killed. Despite her reservations Grace says she’ll help look for the donkey, but of course they end up investigating the murder of Uncle Alf.

This short novel by Anne Perry has a stronger Christmas theme than the other one that I read, as it took place in the days leading up to Christmas and there were frequent mentions of preparations for the holiday. Another major contrast is tht A Christmas Journey took place among the upper classes, while A Christmas Promise was set in a poor neighborhood and the main characters were children.

Just as quick to read, it was less cozy than A Christmas Journey because of the frequent mentions of cold and discomfort. It seems there was always a harsh biting wind, and the characters were constantly pulling their shawls more tightly about their bodies. Still, it was enjoyable in its own way, so I recommend it if you enjoy mysteries set in the Victorian period.

A Christmas Journey : a review

A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry (2003)

Anne Perry is my guilty pleasure. I secretly yearn to live in Victorian times and wear ornate dresses with constricting undergarments while attending balls and adhering to strict social standards. Ok, maybe not. But I really felt like slipping back in time and indulging in one of her historical novels, and this short Christmas-themed book was perfect.

Little festivity appeared in A Christmas Journey, however. It began at a country house where a group of friends gathered for a long weekend in early December. A budding romance between Gwendolyn and Bertie was cause for much speculation, but at least one person was unhappy with the situation. One evening Isobel made a cruel remark about Gwendolyn’s romantic motivations in front of everyone. Later, Gwendolyn’s body was found in the icy river, after having apparently thrown herself off a bridge.

Vespasia, our heroine, offered support to Isobel, now ostracized for her assumed role in Gwendolyn’s suicide. The two women set off on a journey to deliver Gwendolyn’s last letter to her mother along with news of her death. The journey is longer and more arduous than they had expected, and they learn a great deal about Gwendolyn’s shocking past.

Aside from brief mentions of Christmas at the beginning and end of the book, this was a normal murder mystery so it wouldn’t feel strange to read it at another time of year. It was a very short 180 pages, which I read in just over a day. A perfect quick cozy read! Anne Perry has written several short Christmas mysteries, and I’ll keep these in mind over the next several months - they’ll be perfect for snowy weekends.