Defend and Betray (William Monk Mystery, Book 3)
An atmospheric and compelling Victorian mystery
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3.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Can Monk beat the clock and prevent an innocent woman from going to the gallows, before it's too late?
The third novel featuring Investigator Monk is a thrilling mystery of Victorian England from the acclaimed author Anne Perry. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.
'A richly textured and timeless novel of suspense. Anne Perry's Victorian England pulsates with life and is peopled with wonderfully memorable characters' - Faye Kellerman
After a brilliant military career in India, General Thaddeus Carlyon finally meets death not in the frenzy of battle, but at a London dinner party, in what appears to be a freak accident. But the General's beautiful wife readily confesses that she killed him - a story she clings to even under the shadow of the gallows.
Investigator William Monk, nurse Hester Latterly and Oliver Rathbone, counsel for the defence, work feverishly to break down the silence of the accused and her husband's proud family; and with the trial only days away they inch towards the appalling heart of the mystery.
What readers are saying about Defend and Betray:
'As brilliant and absorbing as ever... This was gripping. Great writing and brilliant characters'
'Catches the atmosphere of the time really well. Anne Perry always tells a great story, keeps you turning pages and always wanting more'
'A very good read. Hooked from front page to last'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Perry's third mystery set in Victorian London, military hero Thaddeus Carlyon falls from the top of a staircase and is impaled on a suit of armor below--an ignoble end to a distinguished career and a definite damper to the dinner party he had been attending. When his death turns out to be a murder, his wife takes sole responsibility and is quickly arrested. But Carlyon's sister believes the widow innocent and enlists the help of her friend Hester Latterly, a nurse, who soon brings in her associates from The Face of a Stranger and A Dangerous Mourning : barrister Oliver Rathbone and troubled former policeman, amnesia victim and dogged investigator Thomas Monk. The quietly feminist Latterly, the gentlemanly Rathbone and the seemingly cold Monk (who discovers hidden aspects of himself as readily as he does clues) advance the narrative in tandem. Unobtrusively creating a richly detailed period atmosphere, Perry leads readers gradually through a case involving Carlyon's traumatized son and vengeful daughter, revealing social and moral nuances in the grand tradition of the Victorian novel--even though the finale relies on a plot device badly overused in current crime fiction. ( Oct. )
