A Sudden, Fearful Death

Victorian private inquiry agent William Monk is hired to investigate the brutal rape of a young London woman and the strangulation murder of Nurse Prudence Barrymore, a talented, extraordinary woman who had served in the Crimea with Florence Nightingale.

YA-Another Perry mystery that highlights the frustrating status of women in Victorian England. The story hinges on society's low opinion of nurses and of both single and married women who seek abortions. A talented nurse is found strangled, and Inspector Monk and his friends, a nurse and a lawyer, follow the clues to see that the murderer will hang. It is difficult to decide which element is the author's true forte-the details of everyday life or the suspenseful courtroom dialogues. The plot has many twists and turns. Readers may suspect some of the answers, but surprises continue right until the last page. The opening chapters place readers in a subplot that provides background on different characters. The shift in the action is slightly confusing as these people are rarely mentioned again. However, Perry fans will not be disappointed, and newcomers will be entertained by a good mystery as they enter the world of Victorian high society.
Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

William Monk, tough, unhappy ex-policeman hero of several of the author's Victorian-era novels (The Face of a Stranger, etc.), is almost peripheral in this one. It concerns the murder of strong- willed Prudence Barrymore, a gifted nurse of good family, with heroic service in the Crimean War behind her. Working now in London's Royal Free Hospital, mostly with prominent surgeon Sir Herbert Stanhope, she is found, strangled, in a hospital laundry chute. Monk is hired by Lady Callandra Daviot, on the hospital's board of governors, to try to find the killer. He enlists the help of old friend Hester Latterly, another dedicated nurse, who takes a job in the hospital, hoping to ferret out useful information. Her efforts are largely unproductive, and matters seem hopeless until evidence comes to light that puts Sir Herbert on trial for the murder. A series of courtroom scenes full of unexpected zigs and zags help redeem the many, many ponderous chapters that have gone before--weighed down with Monk's inner reveries, mini lectures on downtrodden Victorian woman, and lots of stately chitchat. Ambitious but overblown. (First printing of 50,000) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

William Monk ( Defend and Betray ) investigates the terrible rape of a woman in a garden and the strangulation of another in a London hospital. Wonderful Victorian backdrops, memorable characters, and vivid courtroom drama from a master craftswoman. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/93.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.