Amazon.com
The promises that are breached, broken, and never born in Anne Perry's rich and resonant new William Monk mystery all have to do with the roles and positions of women in Victorian society. At the center of the book is a rousing courtroom drama, as young Zillah Lambert--daughter of a wealthy, well-meaning northern businessman and his socially ambitious wife--sues an immensely gifted architect, Killian Melville. Melville, Zillah argues, failed to live up to his promise of marriage and thereby ruined her chances of making any sort of acceptable match. Private detective Monk is brought into the case by lawyer Oliver Rathbone when his client (Melville), facing financial and social ruin, still refuses to offer any reason for his dastardly conduct.
Monk's attentions are occupied elsewhere, too. Hester Latterly, the courageous nurse who worked with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, and whose favors Monk and Rathbone both desire, is looking after a British officer, Gabriel Sheldon, who was badly wounded and disfigured in India. Gabriel's wife, Perdita, is having trouble adjusting to her husband's broken body and spirit. "It was not Perdita's fault that she was confused and frightened," Monk muses. "She had been protected all her short life. She had not chosen to be, it was her assigned role." Monk has also promised a housemaid in the Sheldons' service that he will look for her two little nieces--deaf and deformed from birth--who were abandoned by their mother almost 20 years before. As the cases tangle and combine (perhaps a tad too coincidentally for some tastes, but, then again, real life is full of coincidences), Perry manages to show us the many ways in which women were made to pay for their place in a male-dominated society. She also delivers a touching and surprisingly suspenseful story. Other Monk books in paperback: The Silent Cry, Cain His Brother, Defend and Betray, Weighed in the Balance. --Dick Adler
From Publishers Weekly
In this latest William Monk tale (after The Silent Cry, 1997), Perry offers her strongest indictment yet of Victorian England and a society "where beauty and reputation were the yardsticks of worth." Barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone defends Killian Melville, a talented young architect, in a breach of promise suit brought by Melville's benefactor, Barton Lambert, in support of Lambert's daughter Zillah. Melville insists that Mrs. Lambert, desperate that her daughter marry, misconstrued his friendship with the young woman. Meanwhile, Hester Latterly is hired to nurse Gabriel Athol, who was tragically injured in India and whose wife, Perdita, finds her desire to understand his suffering thwarted by a brother-in-law who insists that women be shielded from the realities of war and violence. Hester befriends Perdita's maid, Martha, who is desperate to find her two deaf, disfigured nieces who vanished years ago when her brother died and his wife disappeared. Rathbone hires Monk to investigate Melville and the Lamberts; Hester implores Monk to help Martha. The first case ends tragically before the startling truth behind Melville's refusal to marry is revealed; the second project ends on a happier note. Perry does a masterful job depicting Victorian hypocrisy regarding women. But she draws her stories together with an incredible connection whose dissonance spoils an otherwise exceptional novel. Mystery Guild main selection. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Perry (Brunswick Gardens, LJ 2/1/98) deftly brings her characters alive within a rich, finely detailed tapestry of Victorian London. Killian Melville, a young, gifted architect, seeks the services of lawyer Sir Oliver Rathbone to free himself from a marital misunderstanding with beautiful, rich, passionate Zillah Lambert and her social-climbing parents. As the trial unfolds, Melville's refusal to explain his unwillingness to marry Zillah veils him in mystery and builds the case against him. Rathbone engages the help of his old friends Hester Latterly, a nurse, and William Monk, a private investigator. Melville's murder sets the threesome to the task of exposing how calcified Victorian mores can render the human spirit grotesque. Highly recommended for popular collections. [A Mystery Guild main selection.]AMichelle Foyt, Fairfiel.-AMichelle Foyt, Fairfield Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times Book Review, Marilyn Stasio
...the story is full of feeling and weighted with intelligent thought about the status of women in mid-Victorian society.
From AudioFile
After a plodding start, the story evolves into several intertwined mysteries. Hardiman skillfully conveys the astonishment felt by each character as secrets are uncovered, one after another. Using variations of British accents and regional brogues, and employing subtle inflections denoting age and temperament, Hardiman makes it easy for the listener to identify and follow individual characters. He is especially adept at male characterizations, but female personae also develop distinct personalities. His adroit narration exposes us to a range of human conditions, from Victorian propriety to ruthless murder. B.L.W. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
Gifted architect Killian Melville begs barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend him in what is certain to be an ugly breach-of-promise suit. Melville claims he never asked lovely young Zillah Lambert, the daughter of his mentor and patron Barton Lambert, to marry him. Unfortunately, the young lady and her mother think otherwise and are already planning the couple's wedding. Melville swears that no matter what the consequences, he cannot and will not marry Zillah, despite her wealth and beauty. Rathbone senses there's more to the story but agrees to take the case. Days later, Melville is dead, an apparent suicide. Rathbone can't get the unfortunate young man out of his mind and determines to get to the bottom of the case, with the help of his trusted friends, detective William Monk and nurse Heather Latterly. The ugly, shocking truth leaves even the worldly trio completely stunned. The supremely talented Perry reaffirms why she's a perennial favorite. She makes Victorian London come brilliantly alive with authentic period details; her plot is stunningly original; and she has a knack for making her characters both real and genuine. Chalk up yet another winner in Perry's long list of best-sellers, and buy plenty of copies for this sure-to-be-hot book. Emily Melton
Review
"CAPTIVATING . . . ONE OF PERRY'S MOST ENGROSSING PUZZLERS . . . A period piece in the best sense, the action seamlessly growing out of the social tapestry she weaves."
--People (A Page-Turner of the Week)
"No one weaves plot and subplots as seamlessly as Perry. . . . Fans will be delighted by the long-awaited romantic denouement, which brought tears to my eyes."
--Los Angeles Times
"The story is full of feeling and weighted with intelligent thought about the status of women in mid-Victorian society."
--The New York Times Book Review
Review
"CAPTIVATING . . . ONE OF PERRY'S MOST ENGROSSING PUZZLERS . . . A period piece in the best sense, the action seamlessly growing out of the social tapestry she weaves."
--People (A Page-Turner of the Week)
"No one weaves plot and subplots as seamlessly as Perry. . . . Fans will be delighted by the long-awaited romantic denouement, which brought tears to my eyes."
--Los Angeles Times
"The story is full of feeling and weighted with intelligent thought about the status of women in mid-Victorian society."
--The New York Times Book Review
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