A Dangerous Mourning

A William Monk Novel #2

De: Anne Perry

Narrado por: Davina Porter

No breath of scandal has ever touched the aristocratic Moidore family—until Sir Basil’s beautiful widowed daughter is stabbed to death in her own bed, a shocking, incomprehensible tragedy.

Inspector William Monk is ordered to investigate in a manner that will give the least possible pain to the influential family. But Monk, brilliant and ambitious, is handicapped by lingering traces of amnesia and by the craven ineptitude of his supervisor, who would like nothing better than to see
Monk fail. With the help of nurse Hester Latterly, a progressive young woman who served with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea, Monk gropes warily through the silence and shadows that obscure the case, knowing that with each step he comes closer to the appalling truth.

Crack another case with William Monk.©1991 Anne Perry (P)1995 Recorded Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"As tension mounts in the household and a handsome and disliked footman becomes a scapegoat, Monk covertly arranges to introduce Hester Latterly, who served with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea and has helped Monk before, as a nurse in the Moidore home. Although a grave miscarriage of justice occurs and Monk is dismissed from the police force for a matter of conscience, the strong-willed pair persists in pressing the case to its chilling conclusion." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Anne Perry can write a Victorian mystery that would make Dickens's eyes pop." ( New York Times Book Review)
"A richly textured, masterfully plotted, thoroughly enjoyable read." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Superb Story!

The second William Monk book deals primarily with the power of the wealthy and the aristocracy (the male members thereof) to hide all manner of scandalous situations, in order to avoid any hint of scandal to touch their families. Which often was accomplished through manipulation of information and the blaming of scapegoats among the servants or other members of the lower classes. In such men's eyes, the wellbeing, and even the lives of servants and similar creatures are easily sacrificed in order to keep their own and their families' reputations unsullied.

In "A Dangerous Mourning," a widowed daughter of Sir Basil Moidore is found stabbed in her own bed in her father's house. Monk is assigned to the case along with his assistant, Sergeant Evan. As the investigation proceeds, certain evidence is turned up pointing to a disliked footman in the household, but Monk feels that there is something wrong going on. In order to find out what that something is, he enlists Hester Latterly to help by becoming private nurse to Sir Basil's wife (mother of the murdered woman).

Because Monk is not convinced that the footman did it, and believes that there is insufficient evidence, he refuses a direct order from Runcorn, his boss in the police, and is fired/resigns from the force. Sergeant Evan is then forced to arrest the footman and the case is closed. Being forced to become a private investigator in order to make a living, Monk continues the investigation through Hester. No, this does not mean Monk and Hester have made up all their differences: they still argue as often as not and are continually offending each other. However, they do recognize a certain intelligence and integrity in each other, and a similar dedication to equity and justice.

As I read this second book, I became more aware of Perry's skill at describing people, both physically and in character. Really quite good!

In addition, it occurred to me that it is important to read these William Monk books in order. Not only do characters reappear from previous books, but references are made in one book to cases which occur in previous books. For instance, this book contains references to the Gray case, which was the case in the first Monk book. And book 3, which I am now reading, refers to matters arising both in the Gray case, and in the Moidore case (book 2). So, while the books can be enjoyed in any order, the greatest enjoyment comes in chronological order.

However you decide to read these booksk, you are sure to have a wonderful time!

A bit long but very good

Could have been a little shorter. Too much inner thoughts etc made it flow loving.

Loved it

Since I’ve discovered Anne Perry I am “reading” (if I’m permitted to say that on Audible) each of her different series as fast as possible! The stories are so well crafted and the characters interesting! My only regret is not knowing about her earlier, the also means I have hours upon hours to enjoy before having to wait for a new book!

Surprising finish!

Good story, but Monk seemed to lack investigation skills, so not surprising someone else had to figure it out. Hoping he improves!

Enjoyable, but frustrating

I enjoyed this book but will not visit another in the series.

Let me explain...

The narration is excellent. Davina Porter is a gem.

The setting is quite good. From eel pies and onion soup, to the daily routines of servants, to the ineptitudes of doctors and their expectations of nurses, to the rituals which were involved in every kind of social interaction, Victorian London, and the lives of its inhabitants, are fleshed out in remarkable detail.

Many of the characters are good, too. Hester Latterly is a stand out: brash, intelligent, opinionated, sensitive, compassionate, proactive.

And the basic plot is engrossing: a women dead, carved up by an intruder in the night, only it wasn't an intruder but someone in the house who did it -- a very respectable house filled with both respectable people, and servants. The conflict this creates, and the ways the conflict plays out, is fascinating to observe...mostly.

The problem is that the novel plods. Not in a satisfying, slow, luxurious way. In a tedious way. Most of the action consists of repetitive conversations, leading to interrogations that are uninformative, leading back to conversations that are usually seething underneath with barely suppressed contempt or indignation, leading to more interrogations with the same people as before, with almost nothing new coming to light, and so on, and so on. This is actually fine for a while as it builds tension. But I found myself skipping a bit at the end, trying to get to some good parts.

Part of what's frustrating is that the main character (who is not Hester, sadly) is so impotent throughout. His hands are tied by the situation, and they never become untied, so that by the end of the story he has barely done anything to accomplish its resolution. This might be accurate for the time and situation, but it's usually not what you want in the protagonist of a detective novel.

What's more, there was a line of inquiry I was almost screaming for them to pursue, which was completely ignored until the last few pages. In my mind, in a murder mystery, obscuring the obvious by simply ignoring it is a cardinal sin.

In conclusion: I did enjoy the novel, but I find it difficult to recommend. It's an odd thing to admit at the end of a 4 star review, but there you have it.

Enjoyed every minute of it.

New to Monk and enjoyed this one so much I purchased the entire series. Davina Porter is great too.

Long but worth every minute

First the narrator was quality all the way. Story superb. I strongly recommend it even though it is quite long.

Hester and Monk are a good team

Hester and Monk, Evans make such a good team even if they don’t initially recognize it. Anne write a great story full of history and humanity. Changes come so slowly, but they do come.

As good as it gets

Incredible storyteller. Excellent narration. Limited number of “Smiles that didn’t reach…”aaarg. But one more “withdrawing room” and, and “my smile won’t reach…” arg.

Growth in Characters

Just as I was about to give up on this series; the characters were fleshed out much more. Phew.