Death of a Stranger (William Monk Mystery, Book 13)
A dark journey into the seedy underbelly of Victorian society
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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- €1.99
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- €1.99
Publisher Description
William and Hester become wrapped up in two separate cases - but are they as unconnected as they first seem?
Staggering revelations and a shocking murder propel the Monks into fresh dangers in Anne Perry's gripping mystery Death of a Stranger. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Arthur Conan Doyle.
'Few mystery writers this side of Arthur Conan Doyle can evoke Victorian London with such relish for detail and mood' - San Francisco Chronicle
Hester Monk's voluntary work in Coldbath Square is increasingly demanding. Every night she tends to a stream of women of the streets who have been injured or become ill as a result of their trade. But the injuries are becoming more serious, and now a body has been discovered in one of the area's brothels. The dead man is none other than the wealthy and respectable Nolan Baltimore, head of Baltimore and Sons, a successful railway company. With calls for the police to clean up the streets, Hester decides she must intervene to protect these women who stand to lose everything.
Meanwhile her husband, William Monk, has been approached by Katrina Harcus, who suspects that the company her fiancé works for may be guilty of fraud. That company is Baltimore and Sons. As Monk endeavours to prevent a serious crime, possibly even a tragedy, taking place, he faces some staggering revelations. And with the link between the two cases becoming ever clearer, Monk finds that the time has come to confront his own demons - even if it means losing all that he now holds dear...
What readers are saying about Death of a Stranger:
'Anne Perry's 13th addition to the Monk series is fast paced, exciting and as dark as you'd expect'
'I cannot fault this latest offering from the "Queen of Crime"... I literally couldn't put it down!'
'A riveting mystery wrapped up in the dark and seamy side of Victorian London'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Perry's latest novel (after 2001's Funeral in Blue) to feature mid-Victorians William Monk and his wife, Hester, offers an ingenious and baffling plot, compelling characters, both major and minor, plus plenty of courtroom drama, but is something of a diamond in the rough. In London's East End, Hester, a former nurse with Florence Nightingale, has established a shelter for prostitutes where the ill and injured can be treated. One night, a well-known railway magnate is found dead in a nearby brothel, and the police presence in the area grinds the illicit business of the pimps and prostitutes to a halt. William, meanwhile, has undertaken a private investigation into possible fraud. His client, the fianc e of a young executive for the same railway as the murder victim, fears her betrothed may be implicated in the fraud scheme. As William recognizes parallels with the past, memories that he lost in an accident seven years earlier start to haunt him. Unfortunately, the book suffers from hasty execution, as reflected in repetitious phrasing, pronouns with unclear antecedents and confusing narrative transitions between Hester and William and between William in the present and William before his amnesia. The result is a challenging read, though established fans will likely forgive the author her lapses because she tells such a wonderful story.
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