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A review by felinity
A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry
4.0
Following closely on from the first book, this shows the trial [b:The Face of a Stranger|583883|The Face of a Stranger (William Monk, #1)|Anne Perry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320469225s/583883.jpg|6440293] but Monk is now investigating a murder within a household where beneath the surface lingers unhappy resentment.
Although this is technically a Monk book, Hester features very prominently - and not just as an irritant to Monk. Her very real frustration with the politics holding back medical reform despite the fame of Florence Nightingale and her new practices are clear. She's trying to change the face of nursing from a low-wage job offered to illiterate cleaners to a respected profession undertaken by skilled women, and yet society stands in the way of everything.
Monk, meanwhile, is realizing the hollowness of life without memory, and the terrible reality of those who serve justice blindly, but this book is not bleak. It's filled with emotion, and description, and Perry continues to surround us with details making the Victorian era come alive, from a separate staircase for female servants to a chocolate house. (Bring those back!) I was glad to have the next book ready to read.
Although this is technically a Monk book, Hester features very prominently - and not just as an irritant to Monk. Her very real frustration with the politics holding back medical reform despite the fame of Florence Nightingale and her new practices are clear. She's trying to change the face of nursing from a low-wage job offered to illiterate cleaners to a respected profession undertaken by skilled women, and yet society stands in the way of everything.
Monk, meanwhile, is realizing the hollowness of life without memory, and the terrible reality of those who serve justice blindly, but this book is not bleak. It's filled with emotion, and description, and Perry continues to surround us with details making the Victorian era come alive, from a separate staircase for female servants to a chocolate house. (Bring those back!) I was glad to have the next book ready to read.