Rating: 
Summary: The book was very good, except the mystery wasn't concluded.
Review: The mystery wasn't one of her best, but it wasn't too bad. The blossomed relationship between Monk and Hester made up for it. I felt that it ended to abruptly, and the mystery was left open, which wasn't that great. Overall, it was a pretty good book. I can't wait for the next!
Rating:
Summary: Best of the crop of terrific books by this author.
Review: The subject matter is intriguing, and the book is is well-paced. The subplot seamlessly blends with the main plot and we are quite satisfied with the ending.
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Page-Turner!
Review: There were two instances in this book where I nearly dropped it from excitement, disbelief and admiration for an author who continues to keep her readers guessing. This Anne Perry mystery is absolutely one of her top ones. I was completely unprepared for the twists and turns that she took. Her knowledge of the Victorian era is so vast that I almost believe she has a window to the past.... Hester, Monk and Rathbone do not disappoint--a definite page turner. I can't believe I have to wait monthes for the next one!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: MORE TWISTS AND TURNS THAN A ROLLERCOASTER!!
Review: This book "grabbed" me from the first page. I honestly felt as though I was there with the main characters, participating in their experiences and world. As I'd suspected, my INITIAL guess regarding the reason pretty young Zilla's supposed fiance "backed out" was totally "off-base," and made complete sense when it was ultimately divulged. The writing style is lively, EVERYTHING falls neatly into place, and thus I UNHESITATINGLY classify this novel as a COMPELLING "read." I had trouble putting it down once I got "into" it, and found the details related to life and customs during that period to be enlightening, particularly since I'm not a "well-versed" history buff, per se. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading works of general fiction which are neither exceedingly lengthy nor go into painstaking detail.
Rating:
Summary: MORE TWISTS AND TURNS THAN A ROLLERCOASTER!!
Review: This book "grabbed" me from the first page. I honestly felt as though I was there with the main characters, participating in their experiences and world. As I'd suspected, my INITIAL guess regarding the reason pretty young Zilla's supposed fiance "backed out" was totally "off-base," and made complete sense when it was ultimately divulged. The writing style is lively, EVERYTHING falls neatly into place, and thus I UNHESITATINGLY classify this novel as a COMPELLING "read." I had trouble putting it down once I got "into" it, and found the details related to life and customs during that period to be enlightening, particularly since I'm not a "well-versed" history buff, per se. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading works of general fiction which are neither exceedingly lengthy nor go into painstaking detail.
Rating:
Summary: MORE TWISTS AND TURNS THAN A ROLLERCOASTER!!
Review: This book "grabbed" me from the first page. I honestly felt as though I was there with the main characters, participating in their experiences and world. As I'd suspected, my INITIAL guess regarding the reason pretty young Zilla's supposed fiance "backed out" was totally "off-base," and made complete sense when it was ultimately divulged. The writing style is lively, EVERYTHING falls neatly into place, and thus I UNHESITATINGLY classify this novel as a COMPELLING "read." I had trouble putting it down once I got "into" it, and found the details related to life and customs during that period to be enlightening, particularly since I'm not a "well-versed" history buff, per se. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading works of general fiction which are neither exceedingly lengthy nor go into painstaking detail.
Rating:
Summary: A most thrilling and emotional novel for the mystery fan
Review: This book is a must read for those who love unexpected outcomes of the book!! I was assigned to read this for school, but I thoroughly enjoyed it to its fullest! The setting and language used make it a whole different society from today's world. It is an escape from our world, and sets the reader in a world of courtesy, rumors, elegant charm, riches, and scandal, which describe the Victorian England setting. Perry portrays her thoughts and ideas through masterful writing skills which draw the reader right into to the novel, just as if the reader was part of the gallery for Mellville's trial. It is hard to put down, and each chapter does not focus on one character, but portrays the lives of different characters with different occupations and lifestyles. It is also a book that makes you think of the tactics that each character might try next, in order to succeed. So relax, fix yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy your reading time as you travel far back into Victorian England for a story that is riveting and stirring to the emotions, while giving you a good feeling for the 'good guy'!
Rating:
Summary: A most thrilling and emotional novel for the mystery fan
Review: This book is a must read for those who love unexpected outcomes of the book!! I was assigned to read this for school, but I thoroughly enjoyed it to its fullest! The setting and language used make it a whole different society from today's world. It is an escape from our world, and sets the reader in a world of courtesy, rumors, elegant charm, riches, and scandal, which describe the Victorian England setting. Perry portrays her thoughts and ideas through masterful writing skills which draw the reader right into to the novel, just as if the reader was part of the gallery for Mellville's trial. It is hard to put down, and each chapter does not focus on one character, but portrays the lives of different characters with different occupations and lifestyles. It is also a book that makes you think of the tactics that each character might try next, in order to succeed. So relax, fix yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy your reading time as you travel far back into Victorian England for a story that is riveting and stirring to the emotions, while giving you a good feeling for the 'good guy'!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth waiting for!
Review: This is the best Monk yet! After devouring the first eight books, I was determined to get my hands on this one as soon as possible. Not expecting it until October, I was thrilled to find it out sooner. I usually don't buy hardbacks, but just couldn't wait. It was worth every penny, and every minute of waiting. Plot twists are totally unexpected, and all answers aren't revealed until the last page. If you feel you personally know Monk, Hester, and Rathbone, and care about their evolving relationship, you certainly won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Victorian Novel, Mediocre Mystery
Review: This is the first "Monk" mystery-novel I've read, and if I return to them it will be as novels. The psychological introspection of the two main characters is harrowing. The confining social atmosphere is terrifically realized, although Monk and Rathbone are perhaps too modern in their PC attitudes. The author so convincingly evokes Victorian conventional morality that neither I nor the blinkered protagonists ever guessed the surprise that is so appropriately at the core of this novel. In an artfully constructed plot, the "real" mystery arrives late in a rather tedious trial, when least expected. This is a memorable novel of interior mystery rather than action. I would have understood the characters' romancing more if I had started earlier in the series. If there's a flaw in the book, it may be an excess of feeling, of emotional flagellation--particularly in comparison to Bruce Alexander's similar Sir John Fielding series--and what seems a criminal dearth of legal preparation on the part of Rathbone (or is that typical of Vic. lawyers, Ms. Perry?). The agonizing sleuthing actually wins too easily, then romance triumphs, and the book ends with no satisfyingly clever resolution. Maybe Perry couldn't figure out proof of the villain's legal culpability? (Did anyone else think the architecture of Melville was modelled on Frank Lloyd Wright's? I actually thought Perry might have Melville escape to America and somehow, ah, influence his mother!)
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