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allisgaze's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely, slowly drawn out mystery in her usual style but at last the potential romantic triangle of our main characters untangled itself. So satisfying, and left me wanting much more of Monk and Hester.
joelle's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve been slowly reading through Perry’s “William Monk” series and I enjoy its gritty Victorian setting and the three main recurring characters—with the mix of vexation and genuine regard they all seem to feel towards one another.
However, I find I can’t read any of the novels back-to-back as one book is very much like the other: an intriguing mystery, some very upsetting events (the overall themes tend to be pretty dark and this one in particular really bummed me out), a surprising twist, and all of the characters having the same thoughts over and over again—I feel like each book could be half as long without losing any of the narrative. Yet the repetition of inner monologues, not just with themselves but with each other, too, does add a kind of comforting familiarity to an otherwise grim storyline.
However, I find I can’t read any of the novels back-to-back as one book is very much like the other: an intriguing mystery, some very upsetting events (the overall themes tend to be pretty dark and this one in particular really bummed me out), a surprising twist, and all of the characters having the same thoughts over and over again—I feel like each book could be half as long without losing any of the narrative. Yet the repetition of inner monologues, not just with themselves but with each other, too, does add a kind of comforting familiarity to an otherwise grim storyline.
garnetofeden's review against another edition
3.0
I believe this is the first work I've read by Anne Perry. Despite being set in Victorian times, it had some of the characteristic markers I associate with and enjoy in Regency fiction. I figured out the reason Killian wouldn't marry Zillah long before its reveal, but it's totally believable that none of the characters ever guessed it. I could also buy some of the characters' progressive thinking on women's rights, but unfortunately the progressive views characters voiced on homosexuality came across as anachronistic. I also enjoyed the veterans theme. I thought the author did an excellent job of weaving history into her fictional plot without overdoing it to the point it became uninteresting. However, she did get at least one detail wrong: Endymion is by Keats not Shelley (pg. 51,53).
Questions remaining:
Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.
Questions remaining:
Spoiler
Will we again see Margaret Ballinger now that Hester and Monk are engaged? Or was she merely a disposable character introduced simply to prove a point and further the plot?Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.
cdbaker's review against another edition
2.0
This one took forever to get going. And some of the stuff was way too coincidental. And I HATE the ending.
robynryle's review against another edition
3.0
There was a point where the book kind of bogged down, and everyone seemed to be repeating themselves over and over again. There are a I guess at least two mysteries to be solved here, and the repetition is redeemed by the cool solution to at least one of they mysteries. I don't know all the series characters, Monk, Rathbone and the Nurse, so I was less interested in their lives.
readivine's review against another edition
3.0
It's all thanks to Booksale that I found this masterpiece. I've read this when I was in high school and you should take note that I'm a sucker for detectives and mysteries. (It's probably due to the insane amount of Nancy Drew books and Detective Conan episodes I gobble up) I've forgotten most of the plot but I still remember the thrill I felt when I read this book. A Breach of Promise skirts the story of an architect breaking off his engagement to a prominent woman. Well, that was the main event of course until a murder shifts the spotlight. William Monk is a cynical yet endearing character and it was really breathtaking when the answers were all laid out perfectly in the ending.
author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition
5.0
Breach of Promise by Anne Perry is #9/24 of her long-running William Monk series. I hope it is one of her best because I can’t imagine how it could be any better. The story includes two mysteries: Mr. Killian Melville (a brilliant architect) is being sued for breach of promise for failing to marry Zillah Lambert (his rich and beautiful fiancée). The second mystery is locating Leda and Phemie Jackson, deaf and deformed, who were abandoned as small children almost two decades ago. A mark is an excellent mystery is when the reveal is not just surprising but changes the meaning of everything that came before.
Pure mystery gold. Unexpected and retroactively obvious.
For my expanded notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2021/06/breach-of-promise-by-anne-perry.html
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Check out https://amzn.to/2SpaDMN to see my books.
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Pure mystery gold. Unexpected and retroactively obvious.
For my expanded notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2021/06/breach-of-promise-by-anne-perry.html
“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Check out https://amzn.to/2SpaDMN to see my books.
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
William Monk is asked to investigate when an outstanding young architect ends his engagement to a daughter of a socially prominent family. What he discovers is that all is not what it seems.