Like all of the William Monk books, this was gripping from start to finish (except for the repetitious mental torment scenes that have always been the downside of Perry's novels for me). Perry writes atmosphere so well, the crimes are hideous, and Monk and Hester continue to be some of my favourite characters.But the book had its failings - and one of them in particular was serious. The last case Monk took to court ('Execution Dock') was lost because he didn't prepare the evidence adequately, and defense lawyer Rathbone tore it to shreds. So there were constant musings in this book that the evidence against the man Monk was pursuing MUST be watertight. But then Monk went to court with a very shaky case - one that was almost thrown out. There was no attempt to compare the handwriting on the crucial note with the handwriting of the accused - it was merely stated that he 'must' have written the note. There was no attempt to trace the note after it left the hospital - it seemed to be enough to know who had taken it. No one even thought of looking for 'Jackie', who was named in the note. The whole thing was so circumstantial that I'm surprised the prosecutor agreed to take the case. I'll still read the next Monk/Hester novel. But while I used to utterly love Perry's books, these days I find myself more critical. It's been awhile since I read Anne Perry's "Monk" series (even though he's one of my favorite characters) because of a pile of other reads waiting for me.I started reading this and couldn't figure out why I couldn't remember the previous case. I kept thinking I had it confused with a "Pitt" book, but then half-way through, I realized I read these out of order! haha I have yet to read the one proceeding this one ("Execution Dock"). Normally you can read them out of order, but not this time! Silly me!I was a little surprised by how shaky this Monk case was and how there wasn't a follow-up to some of the clues (i.e. the hand-written note's sender)even though Monk's instincts were spot-on.Although after reading her books for decades and used to twists and turns, I found myself shocked at the ending.Overall another good read and now I look forward to reading the previous one.
Do You like book Acceptable Loss. By Anne Perry (2011)?
Loved it. If Victorian mysteries can be so dramatic and edge of the seat, I plan to read more!
—evistav
Tough content, aptly handled by a master storyteller.
—Dust660
