A Breach of Promise

Rating:
Summary: The best one yet!
Review: Before, The Sins of the Wolf was the best, but now . . . I change my mind. This one takes its place. Not only was the underlining drama that goes throughout the series great, but the actual mystery was so unpredicatable! Usually, the mystery itself is predictable that you knew who dunnit before the book tells you (well the murderer I knew), but this book surprised me. I can't wait for the next one. Anne Perry has done it again!

Rating:
Summary: Reader is cheated of an ending!!!!!
Review: I was very disappointed with the latest Perry book. She spends a great deal of time developing characters and plot, and for the first half of the book you have to wonder where it is she is trying to take the reader. Finally the plot starts to thicken and she takes you on a roller coaster ride through England. Then, just as fast as she gets your attention, she ends the book without a conclusion. I felt cheated and left hanging! It was almost as if she got tired of writing, or the last two chapters got lost in the mail??? She spends over 300 pages setting up a great murder/mystery and then poorly sums it up in less then 15 pages, leaving the reader wondering what happens to the murder and the other characters who are connected. I can't say I will be reading many more Perry books in the future if this is how they will end!

Rating:
Summary: My first Anne Perry but not my last
Review: I am not a reader of mysteries. But I picked up this book in the library because of the title. It was excellent! In a subtle way, Perry makes a good point about Victorian treatment of women. Its a book well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Latest Perry not up to snuff
Review: I have read most of Anne Perry's mysteries and, while I still find her very readable, I wish she would edit herself a bit more judiciously. Lately, it seems her concerns about Victorian women's positions are too often verbalized and not demonstrated. In 1999, none of us need to be persuaded of the injust treatment of Victorian women. Too, her characters she has created to represent "society's" unsympathetic views are invariably flat and uninteresting. How much more intriguing if the boorish brother in PROMISE were truly concerned for his sibling and vulnerable in his confusion over what to do, if he had a sense of humor or compassion. I found the main plot intriguing, but the subplot rather dull until it finally, and unconvincingly, merged with the main plot. I was also disappointed by the lack of closure in the story--it seemed quite tricky to get the murderer to confess or have sufficient proof of the truth. Instead, the story ended suddenly, needing a good two chapters to tie up loose ends. I'll keep reading Anne Perry, because the atmosphere she creates is excellent, and her mysteries can be very intriguing, but her weaknesses are becoming more apparent with each new book.

Rating:
Summary: Could not put it down
Review: This was a page turner from the start. It was Anne Perry, as usual, at her best. Don't be tempted to read the last few pages first, you will be very upset with yourself. Miss Perry has done her homework again and given us a look into Victorian life as noone else can. The best Monk since "Face of a Stranger".

Rating:
Summary: I LOVED IT!
Review: I've read all of Anne Perry's books in the last 18 months and am anxiously waiting for the next one to come out. I have become quite attached to Hester and Monk and nearly jumped out of bed with total glee at 1 in the morning when I finished. I had to remind myself that these are not real people. Unlike some other authors, Anne Perry seems to be keeping her story lines strong. I hope she continues for a long time. I can't wait to see what Hester, Monk and Rathbone will be up to next time. I'm also looking forward to hearing from Thomas and Charlotte soon.......

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: This book is a major comback for Anne Perry.
Review: Lovers of mysteries set in Victorian England have always valued Anne Perry's work. Except for a few total clinkers like "Sins of the Wolf," Anne Perry has had the ability to delve into her character's lives with sharp insight and her descriptions of Victorian England are magnificent. Unfortunately, Perry's work has suffered from several weaknesses of late, especially plodding, ridiculous, and tasteless plotlines. I have grown tired of Hester's Crimean War reminiscences and her stillborn love-life. Just when I was ready to give up on Perry, along comes "A Breach of Promise," which is a breath of fresh air. This book has spirit, an intriguing plot (not without some absurd coincidences, however), social commentary, and Hester, Monk and Rathbone at their most fascinating. The surprises in the book are genuine and startling and the ending is satisfying. Can Anne Perry follow this one up with another equally as good? It will be a tough challenge.

Rating:
Summary: most boring of monk books
Review: This plot of this book was totally unbelievable. The book could have been half the size if Ms Perry had put that downtrodden Victorian female soapbox away after a few uses. And how could Ms Perry,an English femme fatale, confuse Shelley and Keats?

Rating:
Summary: Another tour-de-force from Anne Perry!
Review: Anne Perry has done it again! "A Breach of Promise" is the best yet in the William Monk/Hester Latterly/Oliver Rathbone series, and Perry succeeds brilliantly in portraying the fog-bound hypocrisy of Victorian England. The atmosphere of cold, foggy and drizzly Victorian London can be almost be felt and the attitudes and behaviour of the English aristocracy of the time are harshly, yet compassionately, portrayed. And if that is a contradiction in terms, read the book to find out why.

The plot itself is well thought-out although the denouement fell curiously flat, almost as though Perry ran out of stamina. And the relationship between William Monk and Hester Latterly is growing by leaps and bounds - I look forward to see how Perry will develop this theme in her subsequent books. I feel that Monk and Latterly are a more hard-edged couple than Perry's other creation of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt - although both William Monk and Thomas Pitt are examples of people from outside the charmed social circles who carry considerable loads of cynicism and angst.