A Breach of Promise (William Monk Novels) - Hardcover

Perry, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0449908496 ISBN 13: 9780449908495

Publisher: Fawcett, 1998

Synopsis

When Anne Perry sets her magic pen to paper, Victorian England awakens from her long sleep to vibrant, teeming life. Firelight flickers in luxurious withdrawing rooms. Ambitious ladies gossip and scheme. Horse-drawn carriages clatter over cobblestones while cries of flower sellers and newsboys ring out in crowded streets. In this magnificent new novel featuring investigator William Monk, however, it is the breathless hush of a London courtroom that first holds readers enthralled.

The plaintiffs in a sensational breach of promise suit are wealthy social climbers Barton and Delphine Lambert, suing on behalf of their beautiful daughter, Zillah. The defendant is Zillah's alleged fiancé, brilliant young architect Killian Melville, who adamantly declares that he will not, cannot, marry her. Not even to his baffled counsel, distinguished barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone, will Killian explain his rejection of rich and charming Zillah.

Utterly baffled, Rathbone turns for help to his old comrades in crime--Monk, the private investigator who knows his city like the back of his hand, and fearless nurse Hester Latterly. But even as they scout London for clues, from Mayfair to sordid Devil's Acre, the case suddenly and tragically ends. An outcome that no one--except a ruthless murderer--could have foreseen.

Stripping away the pretty masks that conceal society's darkest transgressions, Anne Perry unflinchingly exposes the human heart's deepest hiding places--and creates the most mesmerizing courtroom drama of her distinguished career.

About this title

About the Author

Among Anne Perry's other novels featuring investigator William Monk are The Silent Cry, Cain His Brother, Defend and Betray, and Weighed in the Balance. She also writes the popular novels featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, including Pentecost Alley, Traitors Gate, The Hyde Park Headsman, Highgate Rise, Ashworth Hall, which was a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, and, most recently, Brunswick Gardens. "Her grasp of Victorian character and conscience still astonishes,  said The Cleveland Plain Dealer about the author. Hundreds of thousands of readers agree.

From the Inside Flap

rry sets her magic pen to paper, Victorian England awakens from her long sleep to vibrant, teeming life. Firelight flickers in luxurious withdrawing rooms. Ambitious ladies gossip and scheme. Horse-drawn carriages clatter over cobblestones while cries of flower sellers and newsboys ring out in crowded streets. In this magnificent new novel featuring investigator William Monk, however, it is the breathless hush of a London courtroom that first holds readers enthralled.

The plaintiffs in a sensational breach of promise suit are wealthy social climbers Barton and Delphine Lambert, suing on behalf of their beautiful daughter, Zillah. The defendant is Zillah's alleged fiancé, brilliant young architect Killian Melville, who adamantly declares that he will not, cannot, marry her. Not even to his baffled counsel, distinguished barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone, will Killian explain his rejection of rich and charming Zillah.

Utterly baffled, Rathbone turns for help to his old comrade

Reviews

In this latest William Monk tale (after The Silent Cry, 1997), Perry offers her strongest indictment yet of Victorian England and a society "where beauty and reputation were the yardsticks of worth." Barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone defends Killian Melville, a talented young architect, in a breach of promise suit brought by Melville's benefactor, Barton Lambert, in support of Lambert's daughter Zillah. Melville insists that Mrs. Lambert, desperate that her daughter marry, misconstrued his friendship with the young woman. Meanwhile, Hester Latterly is hired to nurse Gabriel Athol, who was tragically injured in India and whose wife, Perdita, finds her desire to understand his suffering thwarted by a brother-in-law who insists that women be shielded from the realities of war and violence. Hester befriends Perdita's maid, Martha, who is desperate to find her two deaf, disfigured nieces who vanished years ago when her brother died and his wife disappeared. Rathbone hires Monk to investigate Melville and the Lamberts; Hester implores Monk to help Martha. The first case ends tragically before the startling truth behind Melville's refusal to marry is revealed; the second project ends on a happier note. Perry does a masterful job depicting Victorian hypocrisy regarding women. But she draws her stories together with an incredible connection whose dissonance spoils an otherwise exceptional novel. Mystery Guild main selection.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gifted architect Killian Melville begs barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend him in what is certain to be an ugly breach-of-promise suit. Melville claims he never asked lovely young Zillah Lambert, the daughter of his mentor and patron Barton Lambert, to marry him. Unfortunately, the young lady and her mother think otherwise and are already planning the couple's wedding. Melville swears that no matter what the consequences, he cannot and will not marry Zillah, despite her wealth and beauty. Rathbone senses there's more to the story but agrees to take the case. Days later, Melville is dead, an apparent suicide. Rathbone can't get the unfortunate young man out of his mind and determines to get to the bottom of the case, with the help of his trusted friends, detective William Monk and nurse Heather Latterly. The ugly, shocking truth leaves even the worldly trio completely stunned. The supremely talented Perry reaffirms why she's a perennial favorite. She makes Victorian London come brilliantly alive with authentic period details; her plot is stunningly original; and she has a knack for making her characters both real and genuine. Chalk up yet another winner in Perry's long list of best-sellers, and buy plenty of copies for this sure-to-be-hot book. Emily Melton

Perry (Brunswick Gardens, LJ 2/1/98) deftly brings her characters alive within a rich, finely detailed tapestry of Victorian London. Killian Melville, a young, gifted architect, seeks the services of lawyer Sir Oliver Rathbone to free himself from a marital misunderstanding with beautiful, rich, passionate Zillah Lambert and her social-climbing parents. As the trial unfolds, Melville's refusal to explain his unwillingness to marry Zillah veils him in mystery and builds the case against him. Rathbone engages the help of his old friends Hester Latterly, a nurse, and William Monk, a private investigator. Melville's murder sets the threesome to the task of exposing how calcified Victorian mores can render the human spirit grotesque. Highly recommended for popular collections. [A Mystery Guild main selection.]AMichelle Foyt, Fairfiel.
-AMichelle Foyt, Fairfield
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Fawcett
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0449908496
• ISBN 13: 9780449908495
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 374