1992 mystery, second in Perry's William Monk series (Victorian
police work). Over the winter of 1856-1857 in London, Monk is assigned
to a new case: a young widow living in her father's house, found
stabbed to death in her bed.
This isn't a mere series entry, though, as Monk continues to
clash with his superior in the police force, and ends up getting
sacked about two-thirds of the way through the book (and then sets up
as a private enquiry agent). Most of the book deals with the utter
unconcern by the rich for the lives of the lower classes, as well as
observations of what's clearly a profoundly unhappy household.
Because that's not something Monk can see except during his
interviews, Hester Latterly, formerly a nurse in the Crimea, returns
and works as an undercover informer in the household. (I suspect
there's meant to be a slow-burn romance going on, but it's mostly slow
and very little burn. And, aha, I realise in retrospect that the
pleasant lawyer who comes in to provide assistance is slated to be
Monk's romantic rival.)
As before, the Crimean War casts a long shadow, but Perry is more
interested in the period than in the crime; there's an inconsistency
which I'd have thought that the most basic examination of the body
should have spotted. (But then I haven't committed as many murders as
Perry.) (As far as you know.) The reader is asked to take a great
logical leap which, while it's mildly foreshadowed, doesn't seem quite
to link up with what actually hapened, and one key clue makes little
sense; but perhaps I'm disappointed because I'd predicted a greater
level of hidden depravity than was actually revealed in the end.
The story often seems quite similar to that of The Face of a
Stranger, and given how many of the servants tell Monk that
obviously he won't accuse any of the family, I rather expected him
to say "well, during my last, highly publicised, investigation, I
did end up accusing one of the family". (The aftermath of that
investigation is mentioned here, so it's not just the author wanting
to avoid letting readers in on the answer to the first book if they're
starting the series here.)
There's a fair bit of infodumping on the operation of a Victorian
household; the book feels padded even though it's not actually hugely
long. While I'm not desperate to read the next one I'll probably do it
eventually. Followed by Defend and Betray.
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