A review by greenldydragon
A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry

3.0

As a fan of Anne Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries, I had high hopes for the William Monk Mysteries. In this second book, Monk is called to investigate the death of Octavia Moidore, which at first, appears to be the work of a burglar. Horrible family drama ensues, and Harriet Latterly goes in undercover to investigate the family from inside the house. While I only put this book down once in frustration (less pauses in reading than with the first Monk mystery), overall, the investigation has very little fact and a whole lot of gossip. The amount of evidence by the final conclusion is minimal and that was frustrating as a reader. Instead of contradicting evidence or any evidence on which the reader can try and sort out the answer, this book leads the reader without providing enough information for them to do their own "mental" investigation.

Overall, I gave it three stars because of the character of Septimus, the uncle. He has some interesting notes and well-developed personality even though he wasn't mentioned with a high frequency. I even highlighted a few of his lines that really struck me. He redeems the book in a way, in my mind.