A Sudden, Fearful Death

I like that Monk had two cases to solve in this one. I like the characters, the setting and the mystery itself. I think the books in this series are too long. I'm listening on audiobook so I can't really skim through dull parts. I was also screaming at the book for at 2 hours about something that should have been obvious at least to Hester.

Another well-written novel in the William Monk collection, Anne Perry really brings Victorian England to life. It is a real wake-up call being reminded that the idea of a woman training to be a doctor was such a laughable idea. How grateful I am to live in an era when a woman is appreciated for her intellectual abilities every bit as much (if not more) than her physical appearance. I don't want to give any spoilers but I was grateful that a barrister used his integrity over ambition. I'm looking forward to the next novel in the collection.

When Crimean nurse Prudence Barrymore is murdered and her body stuffed down a laundry chute, it is up to private investigator William Monk to discover who killed her. He has the aid of Hester Latterly who knew nurse Barrymore slightly and is now nursing in the same hospital.
I was happy there was a lot more of Monk in this book. The last two books had more to do with Hester and Oliver Rathbone, the solicitor who is usually involved in the crimes detailed this series. There are some good twists and turns in this story though it seemed to take a while to reach the conclusion with some side alleys that didn't seem to have much to do with the actual crime. I also didn't learn much new about Monk's memory lapse (from the first book) which is show more what makes up so much of his character. But it was a good read despite a few plot holes; there were women doctors in America in the 1850s so I'm not sure why there was so much disbelief in England that a woman could go to medical school. Innovations in sterile environments in medical facilities were discussed by people such as Joseph Lister and Florence Nightingale though perhaps still ridiculed at the time of this book. Ms. Perry writes well with a lot of good detail about Victorian settings, and all-in-all, this was a fine effort. show less

Courtroom Drama in Victorian England

This installment of the William Monk series is more courtroom drama than murder mystery. The book exposes the Victorian attitudes toward women's reproductive rights, a topic which is also timely todzy.

Compared with the other books I've read in the Monk series, I found this one disappointing. There are at least two reasons, which I'll mention obliquely to avoid giving too much away. But for about half the book or so, no-one realizes the true meaning of the murdered woman's letters to her sister, even though I thought it ought to have been blindingly obvious, considering what everyone knew of her character. The other problem I had was with the action taken at the end of the book by the defense attorney, Oliver Rathbone.

I'm also beginning to feel that the author is working her way through various Victorian social issues one by one--abortion was a central theme in this book, as child sexual abuse was in a previous book. I'm rather show more expecting prostitution, drug abuse, and possibly the workhouse to come up in future books.

However, I know I'm going to read a couple more in the series, at least, because of the slowly developing relationship between Hester and Monk. show less

Oh, I like the Monk novels, but this one turned out to have a big gaping hole. Perhaps Perry assumes her reader to be sufficiently in the mindset of the period not to realize that the letters could have a different meaning than she points to for over a hundred pages, but I thought it was most exasperating that they went on and on without realizing their import. Ah well. I begin to see how she's rearranged characters' foibles and mannerisms from the Thomas Pitt series, which makes it easier to analyze, as an author...

I had stopped reading this series and I have no idea why I stopped. This is set in Victorian England, and presents a society enmeshed in rules and regulations for each level of society. Medicine and surgery are in the early stages of development, and nurses do not have a professional entity. The story shows the helplessness of women in that age. A male member of the two different families rapes two young women and nothing is done. The main story centers on the murder of an outstanding nurse, and the trial of the alleged murderer. The plight of women and the emergence of surgery stand as the main attractions of this story. Perry does a wonderful job showing the feelings of the day in regard to these topics.