Investigator William Monk and his wife Hester become caught up in trying to solve the murders of two young women, one a doctor's wife and one a poor artist's model. The writing is good with many twists and turns but with a somewhat rushed and disappointing ending. ( )

I finished this book this afternoon. I've read some of this series before. Private Investigator William Monk and his new wife, Hester, are asked by their friend, Lady Callandra Daviot, to investigate the murder of Dr. Kristian Beck's wife and an artist's model. They were found in the artist's apartment, Argo Allardyce. Both with their necks broken. Callandra and Hester work with Dr. Beck at the hospital and they have high respect for him but Callandra is in love with him. Alas, Dr. Beck was married although not happily. In this book, we find out his history and why he and his wife are not happily married. But does her murder stem from this past? Does it have anything to do with their unhappy marriage? Or was the artist's model, Sarah Mackeson, the intended victim? Was it the artist? I wonder what will happen to Dr. Beck and Callandra in future novels.

I enjoyed the story although I found myself skipping a lot to get to the dialogues. ( )

no. 12

Library Journal Review: In her latest William Monk novel after Slaves of Obsession, Perry presents another gripping Victorian spellbinder. The strangulation murders of Elissa Beck, the wife of prominent Viennese surgeon Kristian Beck, and Sarah Mackeson, an artist's model—found together in a well-known painter's empty studio—lead to a series of bizarre discoveries. The prime suspect is Kristian. Investigator William Monk and his wife, Hester, probe the crime out of duty and friendship toward both Kristian and Lady Callandra Daviot, who works at the hospital and hides a love for the surgeon. Callandra dispatches Monk to investigate Kristian, his wife, and their friend Max Niemann, all during the Vienna uprising of 1848. When Kristian comes to trial, his father-in-law, the distinguished Fuller Pendreigh, volunteers to defend him; the final courtroom scenes bring all the characters together. Perry's deep, sympathetic characterizations help cement the complex plot, as she explores Victorian class distinctions, hypocrisy, duty, and morality. Highly recommended for all mystery collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ6/1/01.]—Michelle Foyt, Russell Lib., Middletown, CT (Reviewed October 1, 2001) (Library Journal, vol 126, issue 16, p147) ( )