Cain His Brother

Rating:
Summary: Cain His Brother
Review: This is the best book by this author that I have read so far.

Perry's writing style is unobtrusive, somewhat given to unclear pronouns, but generally solid.

I found it interesting that nothing seemed to differ between this setting, in 1859, and the setting of the author's Pitt novels, in the late 19th century, except that the Pitts have telephones. I wonder how authentic that is. I found no obvious errors, except that, in keeping with the rest of Perry's books, the women seem very independent for the period.

Perry has come up with what must be one of the best characterization hooks ever invented. William Monk suffers from amnesia. He has reason to think he was an unpleasant person, a person capable of wronging others, in the past. But... he can never know what, exactly, he did. I would have liked to see a few more original touches in his *current* character, but it's still a fascinating idea.

The plot of Cain his Brother is outstanding. A minor consistency error here and there does not detract from its drama. A man has murdered his twin brother -- or has he? I thought I had the secret figured out several times, but I was wrong. But when the answer was revealed, it made perfect sense. Perry sometimes has surprise twists out of nowhere at the end of her books, but this time she got it exactly right. I remained unclear on one thing --Ravenstone's motivation -- but that may be my oversight.

This is a very entertaining historical mystery which I strongly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Starts good, ends bad.
Review: This is the first Anne Perry book I have read. Therefore, you may take my review as a message to other first time Perry readers, not the fans.

I started the book with reasonable expectations. The opening scenes painted a normal murder mystery, perhaps a bit cliched, but decent. Monk set off on basic detection, and all was good. And he reported back to his client. And then he detected. And reported. Again, and again, with _zero_ new information or plot development. In between the fruitless detective efforts, Monk met new people and exchanged social minutiae with his few friends, but no progress on the case.

Monk eventually tracks the suspect down around page 200, brings him into custody, the trial starts, and then the suspect is murdered. Monk finds the culprit amazingly fast, the case is solved and the book ends. Why? I don't know. There was little build-up, and pithy resolution, so the book could have continued blithly for another 300 pages.

I did not enjoy this book. The pacing was bad. Roller-coaster writing. The plot was cliched: multiple personality disorder and amnesia were the core plot points of this confused book. The exposition was bad: the author repeated and digressed until you knew the scenery in nauseating detail. The characters were simplistic. They, too, were as stereotypical as the plot.

I do not reccommend this book to other readers.

Rating:
Summary: Another fine offering by Anne Perry
Review: This was one of her better books in regards to the "Brothers Stone/Stonefield". I was left rather disappointed, however, by the completely unrelated subplot of Drusilla Wyndham. Unless this is a precursor for a future novel, I felt it was "fluff" to fill space. I hope I am proved wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Cain His Brother
Review: Today I read a used first edition that I bought, so part of my review is my memory of the first time I read it. Unlike some other mysteries I'd reread lately, I had no difficulty remembering the main points -- they made too strong an impression.

I thought I knew what was going on by page five. I was correct in one supposition, but the truth was far stranger than I'd imagined.

For a time it may seem that the typhoid epidemic in evil twin Caleb's stomping grounds is irrelevant, although interesting in itself if you care about medical history. I liked learning about Hester's version of oral rehydration therapy and blanched when I read about burning tobacco leaves for fumigation. Do not allow yourself to become impatient. It's all relevant and that will be revealed in due time.

Is Angus' wife, Genevieve, a cold-hearted accessory to his murder? Did Caleb murder Angus? Is Angus still alive? Why did the author give him the same name as one of the Pitts' cats? (You may ask, but you won't get an answer.) Since we have another Angus, will an Archie show up?

What about Lord Ravensbrook, who was guardian to the Stonefield brothers? What's his role in this tragedy? Mr. Niven was unwittingly ruined by his friend, Angus. Does he really hold no grudge?

Who is the lovely Drusilla and why is she seeking out William Monk? She's a member of Society, as he isn't. Certainly her many charms give Monk the opportunity to unfavorably compare Hester to her in his mind. Will he live to regret this or does Hester have a rival? Does Hester even care?

If you're a fan of Oliver Rathbone, don't worry. He'll have plenty to do during the trial scene. Hester isn't neglected, either. I thoroughly enjoyed her solution to one person's nasty little trap for our hero.

Contrary to what other reviewers have said, this book isn't confusing. While I admit to having been partially fooled the first time I read it, once a crucial point became clear, everything made perfect sense. I definitely recommend this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Thought I knew it all until the Twist...
Review: Today I read a used first edition that I bought, so part of my review is my memory of the first time I read it. Unlike some other mysteries I'd reread lately, I had no difficulty remembering the main points -- they made too strong an impression.

I thought I knew what was going on by page five. I was correct in one supposition, but the truth was far stranger than I'd imagined.

For a time it may seem that the typhoid epidemic in evil twin Caleb's stomping grounds is irrelevant, although interesting in itself if you care about medical history. I liked learning about Hester's version of oral rehydration therapy and blanched when I read about burning tobacco leaves for fumigation. Do not allow yourself to become impatient. It's all relevant and that will be revealed in due time.

Is Angus' wife, Genevieve, a cold-hearted accessory to his murder? Did Caleb murder Angus? Is Angus still alive? Why did the author give him the same name as one of the Pitts' cats? (You may ask, but you won't get an answer.) Since we have another Angus, will an Archie show up?

What about Lord Ravensbrook, who was guardian to the Stonefield brothers? What's his role in this tragedy? Mr. Niven was unwittingly ruined by his friend, Angus. Does he really hold no grudge?

Who is the lovely Drusilla and why is she seeking out William Monk? She's a member of Society, as he isn't. Certainly her many charms give Monk the opportunity to unfavorably compare Hester to her in his mind. Will he live to regret this or does Hester have a rival? Does Hester even care?

If you're a fan of Oliver Rathbone, don't worry. He'll have plenty to do during the trial scene. Hester isn't neglected, either. I thoroughly enjoyed her solution to one person's nasty little trap for our hero.

Contrary to what other reviewers have said, this book isn't confusing. While I admit to having been partially fooled the first time I read it, once a crucial point became clear, everything made perfect sense. I definitely recommend this novel.

Rating:
Summary: A missing man, and a dangerous twin brother.
Review: William Monk is hired by Genevieve Stonefield to find her missing husband, Angus. He was last seen visiting his twin brother Caleb, who lives in Limehouse; the destitute part of London. Monk must find Caleb, but no - one is willing to talk. Just who is Caleb, and why is everyone so afraid of him. Monk must face some of his own private demons and realises that even the simplest things can be more complicated than he ever imagined. Another brilliant novel from Anne Perry.