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William Monk #15
Dark Assassin
For countless readers, one of life’s great pleasures is the mesmerizing magic of a Victorian mystery by New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry. Her dramas of good and evil unfolding inside London’s lavish mansions and teeming slums hold us spellbound. Now, in Dark Assassin, she sweeps us into a darkly compelling world that we never dreamed existed.
A Thames River Police superintendent struggling to win the respect of his men, William Monk is on a patrol boat near Waterloo Bridge when he notices a young couple standing at the bridge railing, apparently engaged in an intense discussion. The woman waves her arms and places her hands on the man’s shoulders. A caress or a push? The man grasps hold of her. To save her or to kill her? Seconds later, the pair plunge to their death in the icy waters. Monk can’t help but wonder, was it an accident, a suicide, or a murder? It seems impossible to determine the truth, but haunted by the woman’s somber beauty, he is impelled to try.
Mary Havilland was her name, and she had planned to marry Toby Argyll, the fair-haired man who shared her fate. Mary’s father, an engineer employed by the Argyll Company, had recently died–a suicide, according to the police and Mary’s sister. But Mary’s friends tell Monk that she suspected her father had been murdered because of his stubborn insistence that the Argyll Company’s current project–the construction of a splendid new sewer system for the metropolis–was so badly flawed that it put the entire city in peril from flood and fire.
Monk is now faced with the mysteries of the three deaths. Aided by his intrepid wife Hester, he starts looking for answers and is soon treading a slippery path that takes him from the luxurious drawing rooms where powerful men hatch their unscrupulous plots to a world beneath the city where poor folk fight starvation. In nightmarish tunnels, Monk and Hester find true friends, among them Scuff, a young mudlark; Sutton the ratcatcher; and Snoot, Sutton’s clever terrier. For once, even Monk’s old enemy, Superintendent Runcorn, is on his side. As rainfall strains the fragile manmade underground, Monk must connect the clues before death strikes again.
With characters as vivid as Dickens’s, gripping courtroom scenes, breathless horrors beneath the earth, and a plot that twists and turns toward a stunning denouement, Dark Assassin is absolutely one of Anne Perry’s best.
From the Hardcover edition.
A Thames River Police superintendent struggling to win the respect of his men, William Monk is on a patrol boat near Waterloo Bridge when he notices a young couple standing at the bridge railing, apparently engaged in an intense discussion. The woman waves her arms and places her hands on the man’s shoulders. A caress or a push? The man grasps hold of her. To save her or to kill her? Seconds later, the pair plunge to their death in the icy waters. Monk can’t help but wonder, was it an accident, a suicide, or a murder? It seems impossible to determine the truth, but haunted by the woman’s somber beauty, he is impelled to try.
Mary Havilland was her name, and she had planned to marry Toby Argyll, the fair-haired man who shared her fate. Mary’s father, an engineer employed by the Argyll Company, had recently died–a suicide, according to the police and Mary’s sister. But Mary’s friends tell Monk that she suspected her father had been murdered because of his stubborn insistence that the Argyll Company’s current project–the construction of a splendid new sewer system for the metropolis–was so badly flawed that it put the entire city in peril from flood and fire.
Monk is now faced with the mysteries of the three deaths. Aided by his intrepid wife Hester, he starts looking for answers and is soon treading a slippery path that takes him from the luxurious drawing rooms where powerful men hatch their unscrupulous plots to a world beneath the city where poor folk fight starvation. In nightmarish tunnels, Monk and Hester find true friends, among them Scuff, a young mudlark; Sutton the ratcatcher; and Snoot, Sutton’s clever terrier. For once, even Monk’s old enemy, Superintendent Runcorn, is on his side. As rainfall strains the fragile manmade underground, Monk must connect the clues before death strikes again.
With characters as vivid as Dickens’s, gripping courtroom scenes, breathless horrors beneath the earth, and a plot that twists and turns toward a stunning denouement, Dark Assassin is absolutely one of Anne Perry’s best.
From the Hardcover edition.
340 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
About the author
Anne Perry
455 books3,214 followersAnne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life. A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
January 30, 2009
I don't know why I like her or why I read all her books. I've usually annoyed throughout the whole thing because of how emo her characters are. Every second of every day they are filled with haunting memories and personal insights for EVERYTHING. Basically it is: "And as she spread the marmalade on her toast, she was reminded of how cruel she was to her elderly uncle thirty years ago. Her failings were many and she resolved to be better in the future. She picked up the piece of toast and this brought more memories flooding back..."
So yeah, funny how too much emotional information makes a character as thin as paper. She describes historical details (though I also sort of hate how she does dialects) and physical environments very well. And in the meantime, she works in a few murders and a riveting court case (actually, court case was kind of thrown in here at the end unlike how she normally has it running parallel and wasn't exciting at all). This one was okay--others in this series I have liked more--though I was pleasantly surprised that for once the murderer was not a secret pedophile like the culprit is in most of her books.
So yeah, funny how too much emotional information makes a character as thin as paper. She describes historical details (though I also sort of hate how she does dialects) and physical environments very well. And in the meantime, she works in a few murders and a riveting court case (actually, court case was kind of thrown in here at the end unlike how she normally has it running parallel and wasn't exciting at all). This one was okay--others in this series I have liked more--though I was pleasantly surprised that for once the murderer was not a secret pedophile like the culprit is in most of her books.
April 22, 2009
I'm not quite sure why I prefer the William & Hester Monk tandem so decidedly over Perry's other Victorian married couple, the Pitts, but I do, although the thrill of the unresolved sexual tension is gone since William and Hester got married, of course. It looks now as if they are about to adopt a street urchin, if I read my signals right. Anyway, this Perry, as usual, flew as much or more on the Dickensian descriptive details as on the plot. In this case, the setting is the construction of the London sewers, and there are shivers from the damp and stink on practically every page. It actually starts to feel a bit unrelieved, even though Perry introduces an aristocratic sub-plot in the "women's side" of the story. (That particular formula - Monk having the "man's half" of the plot, and Hester working her magic on the women - also grated slightly at the beginning, where I thought the setup of having them both encounter the same issue through entirely different channels was a bit coincidental and creaky. However, it worked later on as the alternation between their plots helped give rhythm to the advancement of the story.) There's a twist after the apparent resolution through the trial of an apparent villain (I won't say more so as not to spoil any potential readers), but I was less interested in that than in the intensity of the catfight it spawned. Hester may be anachronistically feminist, but I do find her interactions with the more conventional varieties of Victorian womenfolk - and Perry, to her credit depicts many varieties - to be amongst the more attractive features of this series.
Definitely enjoyed this; would recommend it to those who are already familiar with the characters, but would suggest that readers new to Perry start with an earlier book or two in the series to get a feel for who Monk, Hester, Rathbone and Runcorn really are.
Definitely enjoyed this; would recommend it to those who are already familiar with the characters, but would suggest that readers new to Perry start with an earlier book or two in the series to get a feel for who Monk, Hester, Rathbone and Runcorn really are.
May 1, 2012
For me, an absolutely rich reading experience! Each time I pick up one of the novels in this on-going series from Ms. Perry, it is like visiting old friends for me. I attribute that feeling to the mastery of this author in character development.
William and Hester Monk are the primary characters in these novels. Over the years, as you read these novels in the order that they were written, you experience the evolving relationship of William and Hester.
You experience each mystery through the eyes of the Monks. Ms. Perry opens to you William and Hester's thoughts and feelings with every event they witness or are a part of. The result is that you as the reader become thoroughly engaged in these stories as Hester and William set about to right the wrongs they view around them.
The primary theme in this episode is revenge. That does not become apparent until the end of the story. What you experience is the pain and despair that can be wreaked by an individual who is unable to forgive an injustice that he experienced. It emphasized for me the value in the principle of forgiveness and did it in a most entertaining way.
William and Hester Monk are the primary characters in these novels. Over the years, as you read these novels in the order that they were written, you experience the evolving relationship of William and Hester.
You experience each mystery through the eyes of the Monks. Ms. Perry opens to you William and Hester's thoughts and feelings with every event they witness or are a part of. The result is that you as the reader become thoroughly engaged in these stories as Hester and William set about to right the wrongs they view around them.
The primary theme in this episode is revenge. That does not become apparent until the end of the story. What you experience is the pain and despair that can be wreaked by an individual who is unable to forgive an injustice that he experienced. It emphasized for me the value in the principle of forgiveness and did it in a most entertaining way.
April 7, 2023
Excelente inicio con Anne Perry!!
Y lo mejor de todo es que no sabia que sus novelas de misterio estaban ambientadas en la época victoriana. Y eso fue un plus de satisfacción a una novela muy bien contada.
El misterio, la intriga, los personajes y la ambientación y por sobre todo el cierre son excelentes, no aburre y enganchan desde la primera pagina. Definitivamente no será lo último que lea de Anne Perry. Creo que ya soy fan de Monk y Hester. Y voy a empezar a leer su saga en el orden correcto.
Aunque leer sus novelas de forma autoconclusiva tampoco tiene desperdicio.
Altamente recomendado!🙌
Y lo mejor de todo es que no sabia que sus novelas de misterio estaban ambientadas en la época victoriana. Y eso fue un plus de satisfacción a una novela muy bien contada.
El misterio, la intriga, los personajes y la ambientación y por sobre todo el cierre son excelentes, no aburre y enganchan desde la primera pagina. Definitivamente no será lo último que lea de Anne Perry. Creo que ya soy fan de Monk y Hester. Y voy a empezar a leer su saga en el orden correcto.
Aunque leer sus novelas de forma autoconclusiva tampoco tiene desperdicio.
Altamente recomendado!🙌
August 11, 2007
DARK ASSASSIN (Historical-Police Procedural-London-1863) – VG
Perry, Anne – 15th in series
Ballantine Books, 2006-US Hardcover – ISBN: 0345469291
First Sentence: Waterloo Bridge loomed in the distance as William Monk settles himself more comfortably in the bow of the police boat.
*** William Monk is now an Inspector with the Thames River police. London is building a new sewer system after The Great Stink of 1858. While on boat patrol, Monk and his men see a couple arguing and both go into the polluted Thames which kills them. But what did they see? Was it an accident that became a fatal accident? A murder and the killer dies with the victim? A suicide and the man dies trying to save the woman? The woman’s death is proclaimed a suicide. Monk doesn’t believe anyone who was working so hard to clear her father’s reputation, after he also died of a supposed suicide, and provide he was right in believing the way in which the sewers were being built was dangerous would take their own life. Monk even joins forces with his old nemeses, Superintendent Runcorn.
*** Ms. Perry continues to impress me with her writing. Her ability to take an historic event and build an interesting, suspenseful story around it is unsurpassed. She creates fascinating characters and makes them real; not only Monk and Hester, is wife, but Scuff, the street urchin who feels responsible for Monk, and Sutton the ratcatcher and his dog, Snoot. Each of the characters is brought to live and image under Ms. Perry’s writing. I am always delighted to find the newest book by Ms. Perry.
Perry, Anne – 15th in series
Ballantine Books, 2006-US Hardcover – ISBN: 0345469291
First Sentence: Waterloo Bridge loomed in the distance as William Monk settles himself more comfortably in the bow of the police boat.
*** William Monk is now an Inspector with the Thames River police. London is building a new sewer system after The Great Stink of 1858. While on boat patrol, Monk and his men see a couple arguing and both go into the polluted Thames which kills them. But what did they see? Was it an accident that became a fatal accident? A murder and the killer dies with the victim? A suicide and the man dies trying to save the woman? The woman’s death is proclaimed a suicide. Monk doesn’t believe anyone who was working so hard to clear her father’s reputation, after he also died of a supposed suicide, and provide he was right in believing the way in which the sewers were being built was dangerous would take their own life. Monk even joins forces with his old nemeses, Superintendent Runcorn.
*** Ms. Perry continues to impress me with her writing. Her ability to take an historic event and build an interesting, suspenseful story around it is unsurpassed. She creates fascinating characters and makes them real; not only Monk and Hester, is wife, but Scuff, the street urchin who feels responsible for Monk, and Sutton the ratcatcher and his dog, Snoot. Each of the characters is brought to live and image under Ms. Perry’s writing. I am always delighted to find the newest book by Ms. Perry.
August 20, 2012
Another faintly ridiculous yet enjoyable entry in this Victorian mystery series. This one is set in the early 1860s during the construction of the famous London sewer system. Following the Great Stink of 1858 everyone agrees that the sewer is necessary, but the work is dangerous and has disturbed the "toshers" - those who make their living scavenging from the sewers.
In need of a steadier source of income, Monk has dropped his private practice and joined the Thames River Police. I was a little disappointed that he doesn’t spend much time on the river in this book, but instead does pretty much the same kind of detective work he has always done.
The author is no longer even bothering to take notice of the coincidences that always have Monk and Hester working on the same case. The mystery is not particularly compelling, but the setting is interesting enough to make up for it. The ending is as melodramatic as usual, with an unbelievable contrivance used to pull even the elegant Rathbone down into the filth of the tunnels.
In need of a steadier source of income, Monk has dropped his private practice and joined the Thames River Police. I was a little disappointed that he doesn’t spend much time on the river in this book, but instead does pretty much the same kind of detective work he has always done.
The author is no longer even bothering to take notice of the coincidences that always have Monk and Hester working on the same case. The mystery is not particularly compelling, but the setting is interesting enough to make up for it. The ending is as melodramatic as usual, with an unbelievable contrivance used to pull even the elegant Rathbone down into the filth of the tunnels.
May 26, 2012
William Monk is a Thames River Police superintendent on a patrol boat when he notices a young couple standing at a bridge railing, apparently engaged in an intense discussion. The woman waves her arms and places her hands on the man's shoulders. A caress or a push? The man grasps hold of her. To save her or to kill her? Seconds later, the pair plunge to their death in the icy waters. Monk can't help but wonder, was it an accident, a suicide, or a murder? It seems impossible to determine the truth, but haunted by the woman's somber beauty, he is impelled to try.
Mary Havilland was her name, and she had planned to marry Toby Argyll, the man who shared her fate. Mary's father, an engineer employed by the Argyll Company, had recently died-a suicide, according to the police and Mary's sister. But Mary suspected her father had been murdered because of his stubborn insistence that the Argyll Company's current project-the construction of a splendid new sewer system for the metropolis-was so badly flawed that it put the entire city in peril from flood and fire.
Monk is now faced with the mysteries of the three deaths. Aided by his intrepid wife Hester, he starts looking for answers and is soon treading a slippery path that takes him from the luxurious drawing rooms to nightmarish tunnels beneath the city where poor folk fight starvation. Scuff, a young mudlark, Sutton the ratcatcher, his dog Snoot, return in this book. And for once, even Monk's old enemy, Superintendent Runcorn, is on his side.
With characters as vivid as Dickens's, gripping courtroom scenes, breathless horrors beneath the earth, and a plot that twists and turns toward a stunning denouement, Dark Assassin is absolutely one of Anne Perry's best.
I can't say it any better than the book jacket. I thoroughly enjoyed the book (which makes it clear that we are lucky to live now and not then).
Mary Havilland was her name, and she had planned to marry Toby Argyll, the man who shared her fate. Mary's father, an engineer employed by the Argyll Company, had recently died-a suicide, according to the police and Mary's sister. But Mary suspected her father had been murdered because of his stubborn insistence that the Argyll Company's current project-the construction of a splendid new sewer system for the metropolis-was so badly flawed that it put the entire city in peril from flood and fire.
Monk is now faced with the mysteries of the three deaths. Aided by his intrepid wife Hester, he starts looking for answers and is soon treading a slippery path that takes him from the luxurious drawing rooms to nightmarish tunnels beneath the city where poor folk fight starvation. Scuff, a young mudlark, Sutton the ratcatcher, his dog Snoot, return in this book. And for once, even Monk's old enemy, Superintendent Runcorn, is on his side.
With characters as vivid as Dickens's, gripping courtroom scenes, breathless horrors beneath the earth, and a plot that twists and turns toward a stunning denouement, Dark Assassin is absolutely one of Anne Perry's best.
I can't say it any better than the book jacket. I thoroughly enjoyed the book (which makes it clear that we are lucky to live now and not then).
May 4, 2018
William Monk has joined the Thames River Police as an Inspector following the death of Durban in the adventure. He and his crew witness a couple fall from a bridge and drown before they can rescue them. This leads to events in the building of the London sewers and the sharp business practices.
Hester has moved with William south of the river and has reluctantly stopped working at the clinic but will this last? Inevitably both Runcorn and Rathbone are featured but will the outcome be successful? Read and find out.
Interesting twist at the end but a weakish plot. 3stars.
Hester has moved with William south of the river and has reluctantly stopped working at the clinic but will this last? Inevitably both Runcorn and Rathbone are featured but will the outcome be successful? Read and find out.
Interesting twist at the end but a weakish plot. 3stars.
December 20, 2014
I have become an ardent Anne Perry fan. I love to listen to her stories on audio with my husband. Be warned however that her stories are intense.
This is one of Ms. Perry's William Monk stories. In this story Monk has given up private detecting since now he has a wife Hester to support. He is working on the Thames River police. I hadn't thought about London needing officers on boats to control river crime, but it is so.
As usual this is not merely a complicated mystery but is also the love story of William and Hester. And I always enjoy the many secondary characters like Scuff the street urchin and Squeaky the bookeeper at the hospital Hester volunteers at.
This is a story that highlights that things are rarely what they seem. You will not be disappointed. Highly recommended to anyone who loves a good mystery, suspense and a continuing love story.
This is one of Ms. Perry's William Monk stories. In this story Monk has given up private detecting since now he has a wife Hester to support. He is working on the Thames River police. I hadn't thought about London needing officers on boats to control river crime, but it is so.
As usual this is not merely a complicated mystery but is also the love story of William and Hester. And I always enjoy the many secondary characters like Scuff the street urchin and Squeaky the bookeeper at the hospital Hester volunteers at.
This is a story that highlights that things are rarely what they seem. You will not be disappointed. Highly recommended to anyone who loves a good mystery, suspense and a continuing love story.
June 30, 2021
Started out fine enough, but had a little too many of Anne Perry’s unfortunate trade marks: the over explaining of characters’ emotions, repetitive imagery, & giant leaps to conclusion based on hunches and no evidence.
This mystery didn’t have much going for it from the beginning, so the book was already on shaky ground (pun intended) before we were treated to one of Perry’s lamest court room scenes ever which was completely devoid of tension & purpose. Also, isn’t Oliver Rathbone a defense barrister? I didn’t realize he could also prosecute. . . That was confusing & strange to me, but maybe that’s just my American ignorance of British criminal law showing.
Two stars (not one) because Scuff is a fantastically new side character and because I’ll always love William Monk. I’m determined to finish this series someday, so here’s to hoping the next one is more solid.
This mystery didn’t have much going for it from the beginning, so the book was already on shaky ground (pun intended) before we were treated to one of Perry’s lamest court room scenes ever which was completely devoid of tension & purpose. Also, isn’t Oliver Rathbone a defense barrister? I didn’t realize he could also prosecute. . . That was confusing & strange to me, but maybe that’s just my American ignorance of British criminal law showing.
Two stars (not one) because Scuff is a fantastically new side character and because I’ll always love William Monk. I’m determined to finish this series someday, so here’s to hoping the next one is more solid.
March 20, 2010
Few writers since Dickens, with whom Anne Perry is frequently compared, can capture the aura of Victorian London as she does. Perry’s plots take her readers all over the city, from its seediest neighborhoods to its river to its hidden underground. She seamlessly weaves social and moral issues into her stories. She also sees to it, unlike most series writers, that her characters do not stagnate. In Dark Assassin, Monk is forced to confront the mutual dislike between him and former boss Runcorn, in order to achieve what has become a mutual goal. A new relationship with an appealing, homeless street urchin develops. And the brilliant but introverted Monk must learn, at last, to become a leader of men.
November 4, 2012
I was intrigued by the back cover blurb when I saw this on the sale shelf at my local library. A murder mystery set in Victorian London - "That rare blend of novel that's a page turning thriller yet literary" - apparently.
It's definitely a page turning thriller and what is more it has a genuine surprise within pages of the end of the book. Without wanting to give too much away I enjoyed the feeling of having the rug pulled from under my feet just when I thought the author was winding the story down.
Whether it is literary I will leave to others to decide but I will certainly look out for other books by this author.
It's definitely a page turning thriller and what is more it has a genuine surprise within pages of the end of the book. Without wanting to give too much away I enjoyed the feeling of having the rug pulled from under my feet just when I thought the author was winding the story down.
Whether it is literary I will leave to others to decide but I will certainly look out for other books by this author.
January 3, 2012
Couldn't get through it and I usually like Anne Perry. Boring.
August 29, 2016
Enjoyable.
August 9, 2020
This was another example of Mme. Perry's ability to write enthralling historical mystery stories, but also of the incredible translations of Florence Bertand.
Since I write books in English (UK) myself I usually read books by Anglophone authors in the original language. The William Monk series is the only exception due to the fact, that I so greatly admire Mme. Bertrand's work. I read the first of the series en Français and only a couple of days later I could not remember the language I had read it in, but the oh so typical atmosphere of England and it's stories based in Victorian times. Then, when I looked for further books in the public library I only found them in French, no wonder, since I live in Brittany.
That was the start of my love for this series and yes, I have read all of the books in French. In this one Anne Perry follows her usual storyline after a fashion and yet not. This book contains more emotional trouble for the protagonists, William Monk, his wife Hester and their friend Oliver Rathbone than most of the previous volumes and even though the true culprit should be obvious almost from the start, the author manages to lead her readers astray until the end. Even though I was sure I had clocked the villain she managed to make me doubt my instinct just as much as her characters theirs, the actual crime is just so deviously constructed it boggles the mind.
No more spoilers, if you like Anne Perry's writing as much as I do, you will most certainly not be able to put this down before your eyes fall shut with exhaustion, it is THAT good.
Since I write books in English (UK) myself I usually read books by Anglophone authors in the original language. The William Monk series is the only exception due to the fact, that I so greatly admire Mme. Bertrand's work. I read the first of the series en Français and only a couple of days later I could not remember the language I had read it in, but the oh so typical atmosphere of England and it's stories based in Victorian times. Then, when I looked for further books in the public library I only found them in French, no wonder, since I live in Brittany.
That was the start of my love for this series and yes, I have read all of the books in French. In this one Anne Perry follows her usual storyline after a fashion and yet not. This book contains more emotional trouble for the protagonists, William Monk, his wife Hester and their friend Oliver Rathbone than most of the previous volumes and even though the true culprit should be obvious almost from the start, the author manages to lead her readers astray until the end. Even though I was sure I had clocked the villain she managed to make me doubt my instinct just as much as her characters theirs, the actual crime is just so deviously constructed it boggles the mind.
No more spoilers, if you like Anne Perry's writing as much as I do, you will most certainly not be able to put this down before your eyes fall shut with exhaustion, it is THAT good.
December 24, 2020
One thing I love about this series is how well the author weaves actual London history into her stories. In this installment, Hester and Monk deal with a crime related to the construction of a massive sewage system, intended to clean the River Thames and helped along, at least in part, by the death of Prince Albert of cholera. It seems to me that we often think, about older times - "But, how could they not have known?"
It's interesting to wonder what we're doing now that, in 150 or so years, will cause the residents of Earth to wonder the same about us. (Sadly, though, we can probably predict at least a few of those things.)
As to the story itself, I like that the basic structure of the first several in the series has been tampered with quite a bit in the later books. And I love that Scuff seems to be a permanent addition to the cast, as well as Orme, Sutton the rat catcher, and Hester's friends from the clinic. I'm especially grateful that a few of the recent entries in the series have surpassed what was looking like a long, long 3-star stretch.
It's interesting to wonder what we're doing now that, in 150 or so years, will cause the residents of Earth to wonder the same about us. (Sadly, though, we can probably predict at least a few of those things.)
As to the story itself, I like that the basic structure of the first several in the series has been tampered with quite a bit in the later books. And I love that Scuff seems to be a permanent addition to the cast, as well as Orme, Sutton the rat catcher, and Hester's friends from the clinic. I'm especially grateful that a few of the recent entries in the series have surpassed what was looking like a long, long 3-star stretch.
April 12, 2017
This novel takes place as Victorian London is building a new sewer system after "the Big Stink" made it almost impossible for anyone to get near the Thames, a open sewer. In the midst of the excavation murder is suspected after a man, and then his daughter, both fearing that the haste to build the sewer tunnels will result in needless death, are found dead within a few weeks of one another. Learn more than you ever wanted to know about sewage, methane gas and the rats and other inhabitants of underground London, balanced out by the courage of Willam Monk, his devoted wife and their friends and associates.
August 22, 2020
Suicide or murder? This takes place during the building of the sewers under London. I thought I knew the villain and so did the protagonists. Oh no, another end of the book surprise.
November 22, 2020
Several years after being kicked off the Metropolitan Police Force (which was at least partly his own fault), William Monk, erstwhile “private enquiry agent” in 1863 London, is finally back in uniform -- though he’s not entirely happy about it. Having gotten involved with crime on the Thames in the last volume, he’s now an Inspector in the River Police (and the Met’s longtime rivals). After her encounter with the plague at her charity clinic, his wife, Hester, an ex-Crimean nurse, has been ordered to stay at home -- at least temporarily. Not that she can help involving herself in whatever injustices come to her notice, however. Monk has witnessed a young couple topple off Westminster Bridge (accident? suicide? murder?) and his investigation leads him into reopening an earlier case of suicide, which was one of Superintendent Runcorn’s cases. (Monk and Runcorn had been friends and close colleagues, then rivals, then enemies, and are now moving slowly back into an uneasy accommodation.) The plot focuses on the urgent need to replace London’s totally inadequate sewer system, occasioned both by the Great Stink of 1858 and by the recent series of typhoid and cholera outbreaks. Of course, there’s lots of money to be made in such a mammoth (and competitive) public works project, and that can lead to sloppy attention to safety regulations and even murder. All of which is well and good (and the details are pretty interesting), but Perry repeats her old problem of letting the narrative get away from her. The plotline is confusing, salient points are repeated numerous times (just in case the reader wasn’t paying attention, I guess), and she has a tendency to make casual reference to earlier events or bits of business that have, apparently, been edited out of the text. On the other hand, she’s been bringing in a whole new group of supporting players lately, both among Monk’s subordinates in his new job and among his other acquaintances on the river, and on the staff of Hester’s clinic. I wish she’d bring back Sgt. Evan, though; he doesn’t deserve to be so cavalierly dumped.
December 31, 2015
I really don't know what to make of this book. At first, I was so enraged at Monk for forcing Hester to give up nursing, which is an essential part of her very soul, I could barely concentrate on any other aspect of the story. Thankfully, he finally saw the light, but not until well past the halfway mark of the book which ruined most of the reading experience for me. If he had persisted in his stubborn blindness, I truly doubt I would have read further in the series. And the ending seemed a little far-fetched. Maybe it was because I missed earlier clues due to a lack of focus, although everyone else seemed to miss the clues, too.
I'm also undecided about Monk joining the River Police. At first it seemed like a good idea and a fresh change, but as the story progressed there were too many similarities between the Monk series and the Pitt series when Thomas joined Special Branch. He is a newcomer with little respect and connections who seems to be bumbling along in unfamiliar territory. I can only hope Monk fares better than Pitt and his wife is not relegated to an afterthought in the series.
The good. At least Mary and her father were vindicated and will have proper burials. Also, about three books before I had entertained the notion that Perry might have Monk and Hester adopt an orphan or street child and, lo and behold, Scuff turns up. Once again, the scenes with Hester really stand out.
Unusual names. Aston. Melisande.
I'm also undecided about Monk joining the River Police. At first it seemed like a good idea and a fresh change, but as the story progressed there were too many similarities between the Monk series and the Pitt series when Thomas joined Special Branch. He is a newcomer with little respect and connections who seems to be bumbling along in unfamiliar territory. I can only hope Monk fares better than Pitt and his wife is not relegated to an afterthought in the series.
The good. At least Mary and her father were vindicated and will have proper burials. Also, about three books before I had entertained the notion that Perry might have Monk and Hester adopt an orphan or street child and, lo and behold, Scuff turns up. Once again, the scenes with Hester really stand out.
Unusual names. Aston. Melisande.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2016
A fan of Anne Perry's William Monk mystery series this one was a solid read. I salute the author's cleverness and deft hand as she interweaves the investigative efforts of William Monk, a new member of the London River Police, with those of his wife, former Crimea Nurse, with both of them working to solve the mystery surrounding the double death of a young couple.
I can't quite give this one 4 stars, though. I found Perry's description of a party scene where a society lady gets tipsy and embarrasses both herself and Hester Monk to be silly and ludicrous. It was almost as if Anne Perry had never been around a party-goer, as he or she slowly gets plastered to the point of falling down. The way the author described it, the drunken state happens much too precipitously and so is totally unbelievable.
I also found the narrations of Monk's ventures down into the underground sewers of London to be too overwrought with the horrors of the grimy, foul, disgusting conditions. A little of that goes a long way.
The novel did engage me right to the end, though, which is a good sign. For me, it was a good, reliable 3-star mystery read.
I can't quite give this one 4 stars, though. I found Perry's description of a party scene where a society lady gets tipsy and embarrasses both herself and Hester Monk to be silly and ludicrous. It was almost as if Anne Perry had never been around a party-goer, as he or she slowly gets plastered to the point of falling down. The way the author described it, the drunken state happens much too precipitously and so is totally unbelievable.
I also found the narrations of Monk's ventures down into the underground sewers of London to be too overwrought with the horrors of the grimy, foul, disgusting conditions. A little of that goes a long way.
The novel did engage me right to the end, though, which is a good sign. For me, it was a good, reliable 3-star mystery read.
May 30, 2011
This is my first Monk book, although it is the 15th in his series. He is a detective, now with the River police, who suffered amnesia at the beginning of the series. Now he is haunted by a past he cannot remember. Was he a good man or a ruthless man? Brave or cowardly? Could he fight with a cutlass? His wife, Hester, is independently drawn into the same mystery that Monk is trying to solve, but she also has a family tragedy in her past that she cannot overcome. The mystery is good (two suicides, but were they really murders to hide a tale of bribery and corruption and the possibility that cutting corners in building sewers can cause an unprecidented accident of horrifying proportions), but it ends very abruptly. I wondered about a few characters. What happens to them? It was almost like a chapter had been left unprinted. Maybe one reads about it in the next mystery? There are also some storylines that were not resolved (specifically Clacton, and corruption in the River Police), but they will also probably be continued in the next book.
June 2, 2011
New to Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries, I was impressed with the atmosphere she generated as much as the characters. The characters, William Monk, A Thames River Police Superintendent, his nursing wife, the various characters in his station and all the underground workers and thugs who inhabit the vast underground system of sewers below London come to life.
The suicide of two people or their murder takes place against the backdrop of chilling fogs, frost and rain. One almost feels like shivering while reading of the misery of some of her characters.
The mystery is satisfying and has surprising twists. The description sometimes seems a bit overraught, especially when most chapters begin with descriptions of the foul weather.
The dangers involved in building an enormous underground sewer system to carry away the plague-causing waste of London is realistically wrought.
The suicide of two people or their murder takes place against the backdrop of chilling fogs, frost and rain. One almost feels like shivering while reading of the misery of some of her characters.
The mystery is satisfying and has surprising twists. The description sometimes seems a bit overraught, especially when most chapters begin with descriptions of the foul weather.
The dangers involved in building an enormous underground sewer system to carry away the plague-causing waste of London is realistically wrought.
March 9, 2013
Another solid mystery in Anne Perry's William and Hester Monk series. Monk has a new job on the Thames River Police. From his boat he observes a man and a woman fall together off a bridge into the freezing polluted river, where they die almost instantly. Is it an accident, suicide, or murder? The investigation leads to a huge daunting project to construct a sewer system under the streets of Victorian London, and thus to the fascinating array of characters who populate a bizarre and frightening underground world. As always in this series, Monk's past, to the extent he remembers it, intrudes into the present investigation. And of course the delightful Hester pokes her nose into everything and contributes as much to the solution of the crime as does her husband, maybe more. There are some surprises before the quite satisfactory ending. Altogether a very pleasant read.
March 8, 2015
Creo que cometí un error al decidir que iba a comenzar a leer los libros de Anne Perry leyendo 'Asesino en la oscuridad'. Hubo partes del libro que no alcancé a comprender del todo ya que hacían referencia a situaciones que habían ocurrido en libros anteriores. Pero si tengo que decir la verdad, este libro lo elegí un poco al azar, y no me fijé si había otros libros anteriores de la autora, asi que no estoy en posición de quejarme.
A pesar de lo que acabo de mencionar, el libro me gustó mucho. Me encontré muy interesada por los personajes y la construcción del alcantarillado de la ciudad, y la historia en general me atrapó bastante. El giro argumental de las últimas páginas me tomó completamente por sorpresa, y el final me dejó muy satisfecha, algo que considero esencial en las novelas policíacas. No puedo esperar a leer mas libros de Anne Perry.
A pesar de lo que acabo de mencionar, el libro me gustó mucho. Me encontré muy interesada por los personajes y la construcción del alcantarillado de la ciudad, y la historia en general me atrapó bastante. El giro argumental de las últimas páginas me tomó completamente por sorpresa, y el final me dejó muy satisfecha, algo que considero esencial en las novelas policíacas. No puedo esperar a leer mas libros de Anne Perry.
February 17, 2013
This is my second book by Anne Perry. I absolutely love her use of the English language and find her wording to be not only descriptive but quoteable. Compared to American authors her plots seem to move slower but it is because she spends much detail in developing the thoughts and motives behind the characters. This book is set in England in the 1850's when they were developing the sewer system after the city had developed cholera and typhoid. Sound boring? Not at all! It is historically accurate and facinating as I have found myself going to google to find out more. As with her other book I find them to be a wonderful combination of both history and the entertainment I look for when reading a novel.
July 31, 2009
Although i have not yet read the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, I'm beginning to feel that this series is starting to overlap with it, which is a pity. The tension and dynamic Monk, Hester and Rathhone in the other novels added a level of suspense that played well with the mystery. The increasing domestication of the detective and the war nurse make this effort start to read like a romance novel. And that's not really my cup of tea.
Interesting data on the building of the sewers and what a enormous undertaking that was, but not enough in the end to be worthy of recommendation. You'd have to be a real hardcore fan, i think, for this one.
Interesting data on the building of the sewers and what a enormous undertaking that was, but not enough in the end to be worthy of recommendation. You'd have to be a real hardcore fan, i think, for this one.
October 31, 2009
William Monk has returned to the London police force, now working with the river patrol. While on patrol Monk and his crew witnessed a couple fall from the Waterloo Bridge and drown. Was it a murder or was the young women trying to commit suicide and pulled the young man to his death as he tried to stop her? Monk discovers that the young woman was questioning her father’s supposed suicide. Her father, an engineer was employed by a company that was engaged in the construction of the London sewers, a project of epic proportion. He was questioning the company’s procedures and the safety of the project.
February 9, 2011
I have read many of the Thomas Pitt series from Anne Perry, but this was my first from the William Monk series. This book probably would have been better appreciated if I had read the earlier William Monk books. There is a lot about the characters' pasts in this book that I wasn't able to appreciate. That being said, the past was brought up over and over again in a redundant way. Also, the mystery here seemed circular in nature and it seemed the characters didn't make any progress until the very end of the book. This made the book seem long. I generally enjoy a good Anne Perry mystery, but this one was just OK.
July 2, 2020
I found this one kind of boring at times. The writing is good and characters are well defined, but I felt Monk spent too much time going here and there, and talking to this person or the other with no real purpose at all, specially because one does not get any real clue to figure out (as opposed to just guessing) the killer identity until the last quarter of the book. Instead, all evidence keeps piling against one character that one knows for sure is not guilty, if only for how obvious it is. Also, connection among all involved plot lines is kind of whimsical at the end, as all action happens in the last 70 pages. All in all, not bad; just not good either (for my taste in thrillers).
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