Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Read
Review: Other reviewers have gone into details on the actual plot. Comments on some of the pieces that make the book so interesting: the description of life along the docks in England was gritty and riveting. Grimes had us walking the docks with Monk, seeing through his eyes--almost like a televison camera --how people lived and struggled daily to survive. Hester's work with ill prostitutes is also presented in a very realistic manner--there is nothing sugarcoated about the lives Grimes describes.
Monk is presented as one of the more liberated men in literary works: he understands when his wife is working long hours and respects what she's doing. Grimes has delivered a good mystery here along with an interesting wife-husband relationship. A book worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: an engrossing mystery
Review: Out of necessity, Monk takes up an investigative crime assignment involving the theft of African ivory. Sounds straightforward enough, but there's more to the story, including of course the typical ingredients--murder, cover-up, and false identity. Gripping storylines, sprinkled with good relevent social commentary. Overall, full of action and mystery. Anne Perry's books are always to be recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Shame on R. Strong "lady617" !
Review: R. Strong judges, condemns, and punishes Anne Perry for a crime committed in the past, for which she paid the penalty given by a court of law! That she has been able to find a new life and become successful is praiseworthy. R. Strong:who made you God? how can you refuse to allow someone to start over and redeem herself? Shame on you!
The book itself is prime Perry, solid prose, twists here and there, suspenseful as the dickens (pun intended), fleshing out of several characters...and l haven't the heart to tell you the details for fear of spoiling the fun in reading this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful character insight, great story
Review: The title refers not only to the mystery Monk is working to solve on the Thames River, but also changes in the familiar characters we've come to know in the series. Ms. Perry gives us a much better look at what is in their hearts and minds.
Where, in the past, Monk and Hester's relationship seemed almost platonic, there is now warmth and we have no doubt as to their love for each other. Monk comes across as much more human and loses the chip on his shoulder he's carried throughout the series. Personally, I found him much more likeable.The real evidence of Ms. Perry's growth is the insight she gives regarding Margaret Ballinger and, in particular, Sir Oliver. For example, in the past we were simply told what Rathbone felt; in Shifting Tides, his thoughts, fears, and hopes are laid bare for us to struggle through with him. An enjoyable portion of the book is given to the couple and their dialogue involving fundraising attempts at various society functions shows a sense of humor not often seen in Ms. Perry's writing. Ms. Perry also gives us several entertaining secondary characters such as the shamelessly manipulative Mama Ballinger. You can almost hear Rathbone's sigh of relief when he escapes the sitting room. He has met his match in Mama B...and she knows it. All in all, it is an excellent, satisfying read- get comfortable and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Up to Standards
Review: This book was extremely disappointing - not the usual caliber of work this author produces. The story was disjointed and filled with absurd coincidences. The characters were caricatures, and their behavior illogical. The only saving point were the descriptions of daily life on the waterfront in this period of English history. I would generally recommend this author, but not this particular story.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelously Intricate Plot!
Review: When reading about private enquiry agents in Victorian England, one always longs for the subtleties of Sherlock Holmes . . . and one seldom finds them. The opening detection in The Shifting Tide reminded me at times of Sherlock Holmes, and the plot complications actually exceed most Sherlock Holmes stories. I found myself riveted with delight as the story developed well beyond my wildest expectations.
The characters are engrossing as they deal with what is greater than themselves in selfless ways.
Unlike most stories about detection, this one involves the whole family both investigator William Monk and his wife, Hester, who runs a threadbare clinic for injured and sick women of ill repute. That makes the story more engrossing as well.
For those who want to really sink themselves into the Victorian era, this book captures many different perspectives -- foreign shipping, life working on the Thames, rat catching, homeless youngsters, streetwalkers, the river police, the pubs, defending criminals, downstairs in the great houses, upstairs in the salon and the glitterati during their social occasions.
The story alternates between a man's and a woman's perspective which makes it all the more engaging.
The story's main weakness is that the writing style lacks punch, often describing events abstractly rather than drawing the reader into their midst. Story threads disappear for long periods of time, and obvious paths are not pursued until the end for unexplained reasons.
But compared to other books about detection in Victorian England written in recent years, this is a great effort.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for Anne Perry fans
Review: William Monk usually investigates the crimes of the wealthy that inhabit some of the finest mansions in London. This time out Anne Perry takes Monk to the river and docks that is out of his comfort zone as an investigator. He has bills to pay and is happy to get any kind of work. Clement Louvain wants Monk to investigate the theft of a cargo of ivory from one of Louvain's schooners. .Louvain does not want the theft reported to the River Police. Monk's wife, Hester, runs a clinic for desperately ill women of the street who have no other place to go. Louvain brings an ill woman who came off of one of his ships to Hester. After the woman is found dead, Hester realizes that she had the Black Plague. The plague had wiped out half the population of England two centuries before. If anyone knew, mass panic who ensue; the clinic and its inhabitants would likely be burned down. The clinic must be locked down and no one must be allowed to escape from inside. Monk must answer the question of why Louvain would bring the woman to Hester. Anne Perry writes both the Thomas Pitt series and the William Monk series. When I am reading one or the other series, it is always my favorite at the time. Anne Perry has an uncanny knack of painting the scenes of her stories so vividly that you are transported back in time. She captures the essence and the flavor of the time period. This book had at first two seemingly different storylines: the stolen ivory and the plague. I found the scenes with the clinic: the difficulty in raising funds for a clinic for fallen women, the struggle in running it, the characters associated with it, and the dealing with the plague the more intriguing storyline. It was not until the storylines merged into one that I started to enjoy the story involving the shipyards. I think it was all a little too gritty for my taste. The relationship between Monk and Hester has evolved since the early books, and even later ones that involved their courtship. You always knew they were close and had a special bond, but this time you really felt it even though they had very few scenes together. Anyone who has never read the Monk series should go back and read them in order. It would be worth it because Anne Perry is an excellent writer who always has good, suspenseful plots.
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