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reinamwr's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. I really liked this second book in the William Monk series. The mystery plot surprised me, and the characters are very well-drawn (as is the setting) and sympathetic. I can see myself getting distracted by this series, to the detriment of the rest of my to-read list.
jodiesackettbrown's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
terese_utan_h's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
debaloo2002's review against another edition
3.0
While I did not like book #2 in the William Monk series as much as I liked book #1, you can count me in for book # 3. Detective William Monk didn't seem to be do much detecting to solve this murder, in fact, one of my favorite characters, Nurse Hester, did most of the detecting. In spite of that, I really like this series because I enjoy the characters and the time period it was set in (1856), plus I'm a sucker for a blossoming Victorian romance!
macthekat's review against another edition
5.0
What a remarkable story! I love the way Perry takes us back to the Victorian London and lets us smell it! The storytelling is amazing and she is an artist at dispense - now I want to read one more book in the series. I can't get enough of the characters!
maureenabell78's review against another edition
2.0
The crimes are clever, but the twist of a detective whose lost his memory is already getting old. Plus, knowing the author's biography makes it impossible to relate to the main female character without feeling creepy.
amekatz's review against another edition
4.0
Octavia Haslett, Sir Moirdore's daughter, is murdered in her first-floor (second-floor for us Yanks) bedroom, and Monk and Evan are put on the case. Evidence points to an intruder climbing through her window, but Monk soon proves that the killer had to be someone in the household. Lady Moidore has taken to her bed, ill with distraught, so Monk enlists Hester to apply as nursemaid and do some discreet investigation. Of course, everyone knows one of the servants MUST be guilty. Monk isn't so sure, even when evidence is found in one of the footmen's bedrooms; he believes someone planted it there. Monk refuses to arrest the footman when Runcorn orders him, and Runcorn not only takes him off the case but throws him off the police force. He leaves Evan on the case but sends a different policeman to arrest Percival, who was subsequently hung. It turns out the poor footman hung for a crime he didn't commit becuase there was no crime.
Many people have written that A Dangerous Mourning moves too slowly and spends too much time describing the Victorian household. But that's why I love Anne Perry's William Monk and Thomas Pitt series. I thoroughly enjoy learning about how historical households were run and society at large. People say the classes today are too stratified, and maybe they are, but it's nothing compared to the Victorian age. True, Hester and William appear to be growing ever closer in their relationship, and Charlotte married Thomas Pitt, but her family was not peerage. But Octavia and Percival could NEVER have fallen in love and wanted to marry. I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with more of the Monk series and continue from wherever my reading dropped off.
Many people have written that A Dangerous Mourning moves too slowly and spends too much time describing the Victorian household. But that's why I love Anne Perry's William Monk and Thomas Pitt series. I thoroughly enjoy learning about how historical households were run and society at large. People say the classes today are too stratified, and maybe they are, but it's nothing compared to the Victorian age. True, Hester and William appear to be growing ever closer in their relationship, and Charlotte married Thomas Pitt, but her family was not peerage. But Octavia and Percival could NEVER have fallen in love and wanted to marry. I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with more of the Monk series and continue from wherever my reading dropped off.
dgrachel's review against another edition
4.0
Skip the audiobook. The Recorded Books version - at least the one available through Hoopla - is defective. The recording jumps around the text about 3/4 of the way through the book. This last for several chapters.
The story itself is engaging, with interesting characters, and a nice twist at the end.
The story itself is engaging, with interesting characters, and a nice twist at the end.
asmyr42's review against another edition
4.0
One of the things Anne Perry captures so well, from which most authors of Victoriana excuse themselves, is the stifling impotence that was a reality of daily existence for most groups in Victorian England. Unless one inhabited a very particular group of wealthy men - first sons, mind you - one could find oneself utterly at the mercy of someone in no way superior, except in rank. It's galling to the modern mind, and a discomfort sometimes important to experience, especially when the experience is vicarious.