Blood on the Water

William Monk #20

by Anne Perry

As Anne Perry's New York Times bestselling novels always remind us, she is a matchless guide to both the splendor and the shame of the British Empire at the height of its influence. In her twentieth William Monk mystery, she brings us to London's grand Mayfair mansions, where the arrogant masters of the Western world hold sway--and to the teeming Thames waterfront, where one summer afternoon, Monk witnesses the horrifying explosion of the pleasure boat Princess Mary, which takes nearly two hundred of the merrymakers on board to their deaths.

The tragedy is no accident. As commander of the River Police, Monk should handle the case, but the investigation is turned over to the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. An Egyptian man is swiftly caught, tried, and sentenced to die. But almost as quickly, Monk presents evidence that Habib Beshara, though a nasty piece of work, was elsewhere at the time of the blast. The investigation, now in complete disarray, is hastily turned over to Monk.

Is the crime connected with the soon-to-be-opened Suez Canal, which will enormously benefit wealthy British shipping companies? Or did all of those innocent people drown to ensure the murder of only one of them? How did the bomber board the ship, and how did he manage to escape? Is he an anarchist or a madman?

Backed up by his astute wife, Hester, and his old reliable friend Oliver Rathbone, Monk vows to find answers--but instead finds himself treading the dangerous waters of international intrigue, his questions politely turned aside by a formidable array of the powerful and privileged. Events twist and turn like the Thames itself, leading to the shattering moment when Monk realizes, perhaps too late, that he is the next target.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Victorian

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2014

About the author

Anne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life after serving five years in prison for murder (in New Zealand). A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.

Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".

Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.

Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories

Reviews

[Heidi (can’t retire soon enough) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had been sometime since I read the 19th installment, which I recalled shook up the life of one of the secondary characters. I had wondered what would happen to Oliver Rathbone, friend and lawyer, who had been figuring greater in recent Monk books as he heads up trials related to the detective work of Monk and Hester. More on that later.

The book literally started with a bang as Monk witnesses a pleasure ferry blow up leaving 150 guests dead and others in the freezing (also poisonous) Thames River. Who could do such a heinous thing?

Before Monk even gets his wet clothes changed (after rescuing a dozen victims from the icy water in just a row boat), the case is taken away from him, and… well, that’s the rest of the story.

(Warning long ranting sentence ahead) Sadly, despite the great case (political mayhem, prejudice and conspiracy theories ensue), I was so disappointed to see Monk and Hester basically take a back seat to Rathbone who returns (always happy to see him) but a book about trial theories and waiting for Rathbone to help put the puzzle pieces together during pages and pages of slightly silly over explanations and inner woes was more than this reader wants in her MYSTERY stories. (Apologies if you’d classify that last bit as a run-on… I got a bit carried away!)

Least favorite book in this series so far. No surprise, I’m not in a rush to read the next one— I missed Hester’s antics, bravado and female presence, Monk’s voice was taken out of the storyline much too soon, and don’t get me started on their foster son.

Perry is a wonderful writer and certainly a popular and prolific one, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was being partially lectured to as I read the countless musings about 19th century English court and more. They are Perry’s characters so she has every right to make them what she wants, but I just wish we didn’t have to sit through a trial in the second half of every book.

I won’t abandon this series, but I’m proceeding with caution.

(Reviewed 2/16/26)

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give a favorite author just two stars, but this seemed to cover the same old ground, didn't offer any character development for Hester, Monk, etc., and once again spent too much time in a courtroom. By the end, I didn't much care who the murderer was, which is never good for a mystery!

[Karen A. Wyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series enough that I've continued to read it even as I found the quality declining somewhat. The key characters are well conceived and three-dimensional; I always enjoy returning to their world.

This time around, I particularly enjoyed the attention to the fallibility of eyewitness testimony and the dangers of relying on it, especially in an emotionally charged case. I was also glad to see so much of Scuff, a relative latecomer to the series and one of my favorites.

I did find the book somewhat repetitive. Several points about the key situation were made over and over by one character or another.

[Mickey Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt tired, if books can really feel at all. The characters all did what I expected them to do and I tired of the author's overuse of presenting their thoughts as questions.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Sentence: Monk leaned forward, resting on his oar for a moment as he stared across the water at the Pool of London

William Monk, head of the Thames Police Force, witnesses the explosion and sinking of a pleasure boat which results in the death of nearly 200 people. Almost immediately, as he and his men start their investigation, the case is removed from them and given to the regular land police. A man is accused, tried and found guilty, all on circumstantial evidence and with no motive given. The man’s sentence is stayed due to his illness, which also strikes Monk as questionable. With Hester’s help, Monk regains control of the investigation, with nearly fatal results.

Perry is such a fine writer. Her descriptions are wonderfully evocative as we begin with a tranquil scene on the Thames. She then immediately changes the entire mood and secures your involvement in the story with a terrible event. Perry takes us into the environment of every level of society; from the lowest to the highest, and makes each real and understandable.

The characters are each fully drawn and dimensional. In spite of this being the 20th book in the series, new readers are given a clear understanding of the characters, their backgrounds and their interrelationships. Long-time readers see how the characters have developed, grown—some literally—and how their lives have changed. We even have the introduction of a new, young character one hopes will remain in the series. Although Monk is the protagonist, there is an excellent balance in the use of characters, drawing upon the strength of each, including Hester’s background as a nurse during the Crimean War, Rathbone as a former barrister and judge, Scruff as a former mudlark, and Crow as an unlicensed doctor.

Ms. Perry’s voice is captivating. Her dialogue is natural and, occasionally, humorous. Determining the fate of Worm, an urchin and mudlark found by Scruff, himself a former mudlark who adopted himself to the Monks, is a charming interlude.

The plot is compelling. That Ms. Perry includes the trial into the final resolution of the mystery is something particularly interesting, demonstrating that the mystery isn’t solved until the guilty is brought to justice.

“Blood on the Water” is an excellent book with highs and lows, drama, excitement, and suspense. This is yet another wonderful book by Ms. Perry.

BLOOD ON THE WATER (Hist Mys-William Monk/Hester-London-Victorian) – VG+
Perry, Anne – 20th in series
Ballantine Book – 2014

[Carol Clabo · Rating 2 out of 5]

First time ever, I quit reading an Anne Perry book without finishing it. As mentioned by others, this just did not hold much interest. Yes, as always, her characters and setting are compelling. But the plot was, in a word, boring.
But my real issues with Anne Perry's most recent books are twofold:
1. Repetitive preachiness! While in the past I have enjoyed her exposing the vices of the Victorian era (many of those vices continuing to be relevant today), she seems to doubt we will get the point if it is not reiterated on almost every page. In the current book, this means multiple characters describing the flaws of eyewitness testimony in nearly identical words, over and over again. Please, I get it! I have noticed this repetiveness increasingly over the past few books.
2. Conspiracies have taken over....every plot must involve a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of society and goverment. An occasional conspiracy is fine......it can then be unexpected, but every time? To be fair, I must say this has been a trend for other mystery writers in the past few years. I wish they would all quit falling back on conspiracies as an overused plot device.

To sum up, in the past Anne Perry's plots were sufficiently interesting to keep me reading, even as I gritted my teeth over preachiness, and conspiracies. This time, no. I can't even say why. I just realized I had no particular interest in the solution to the mystery.

[We Are All Mad Here · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite as repetitive as the last one (#19), but.

The plot seemed a bit all over the place...Monk's investigating, now he's not, now Scuff is, oooh Rathbone's back in town, now Hester thinks of something she must investigate, now Monk's back on the case. Now this guy's guilty, now he's not, oh okay we got this other guy then, but who's really behind the whole thing? Could it be him? Or them? Or someone else?

Also, the ending was rather unsatisfying, in more than one aspect.

Still my barely explicable love for this series soldiers on.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Monk witnesses, at close hand, a pleasure boat sinking in the Thames, he and the others on the river spent hours rescuing the few survivors, knowing that there was no chance for those below decks or the women in heavy dresses. He naturally expects the case to be assigned to the River Police; after all, it's in their jurisdiction and they have far more experience than the relatively-new Metropolitan Police, yet politics intervene and soon the uproar surrounding the trial is too great to continue. When the alleged criminal is convicted and then saved days before death, the public's ire is almost too great. Amidst other fears, it appears that the man charged may not have been the bomber, and soon the mishandled case is back in Monk's hands.

Monk is now left with a messy investigation, and an almost impossible task: to prove that, despite the original farce of a trial, the English justice system is still working and that they got the right man.

The plot, set in Victorian London, seems strangely relevant today. As always, Perry demonstrates a fine understanding of the ethics behind some legal decisions: Is it more important just to get the right man, or to get him the right way? Should we do everything possible to find a criminal, even if affects an innocent man? Should corruption be exposed, if it causes a loss of confidence in the justice system? Hester's patient teachings to Scruff explain some of the complexities of these decisions, as Scruff - and Monk - ask themselves and others the awkward questions.

What really carries the book is the discussion of teamwork. This isn't one where the lead character knows everything and does everything. The truth is pieced together by Monk with help from Hester, Orme, Scruff, and Rathbone, each of whom is conflicted, torn between honor and loyalty to friends, family, the system, the country. When the final pieces come together, it's almost unbearable, the depth and simultaneous pettiness of the tragedy is so great.

An incredible read.

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Victoria Grusing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy and own most of her Monk and Pitt books. It seems she sometimes repeats what is known more times than needed to fill some pages. In this book, much happens on the last few pages that she could have used more words in detailing. Also a little follow up might have been satisfying. After spending pages in court, it would have been nice to read how the case was completed. I assume Rathbone's newest interest will be featured in books to follow. I hope that the details of what becomes of York, Pryor and others may have some coverage.

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This only gets 3 stars because the ending is preposterous--Perry does have those. But reading this one made me mull over the differences between these books and the Pitt books. Here we see the mid-section of the Victorian Age, and things like the Bazalgette reformation of London's sewer system and the building of the Suez Canal as contemporary events that are part of the plots. In the Pitt books, set about 40 years later, these are everyday things.

[Katherina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Anne Perry, I really do, but I couldn’t get into the book. After reading the first chapter, I had to force myself to read the second and then gave up. It feels weird to say the book was so slow considering the first chapter deals with the boat explosion, but it absolutely had no page-turner-effect on me. Hopefully my next Anne Perry will capture me as usual.

[Krista Bac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Als je graag in plaats van een leuk moordverhaal de hele tijd wil lezen over een zeikende huisvrouw die zich zorgen maakt dan is dit echt het boek voor jou

[Gerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book just did not cut the mustard with me, it was a hard grind getting through it - but get through it I did (I don't know why - dogged determination I think).

It promised much with the opening chapter quite gripping as the Princess Mary, a Thames pleasure cruiser, gets blown up with Commander William Monk of the River Police close by. But from then on it goes downhill, or should that be down river, and degenerates into a turgid, slow-moving, unexciting plot with very few, if any, thrills at all.

Who did blow the cruiser up? Well, an Egyptian national is the prime suspect and, after much dull text he is convicted and jailed by the Metropolitan police after Monk had been removed from the case. Somehow it comes out that the suspect might not have done the dirty deed, at least not on his own, and Monk is restored to investigating but he goes the same way as the rest, boringly looking for the real culprit.

Another Egyptian emerges as the likely suspect, the unfortunate race being blamed because of the political problems with the building of the Suez canal. Eventually it turns out that he has been put up to do the job and the last few pages suddenly introduce new facts that bring someone else into the investigation. But it is still unexciting and does not capture the imagination at all, despite Monk's best efforts.

I was delighted when it ended and I could move on to something more interesting ... bring on something more entertaining to whet my appetite and restore my faith in reading!

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monk and Hester in London in a pickle as usual, this is the 20th book in this series, and it takes place during time of the building of the Suez Canal. Now the young homeless dock boy, Scruff, has been adopted. Monk is with the water police, and watches as a pleasure boat blows up, killing around 180 people. There are a lot of politics, the case is taken away from him, and an innocent Egyptian is convicted. Monk finds evidence that it is a false conviction. There are quasi of arcs, i.e. Monk’s trouble with his last job, his life before he got amnesia, and Rathbone’s, an attorney friend who has to go to prison and his unrequited love for a married lady.. But these are very vague and if you haven’t read all the books the arcs are too vaigue. The book is a bit dreary, Monk goes around London, and everyone is angry that the case was taken away, and he talks to a lot of people. There aren’t many clues, maybe a design on a boat. Hester, the nurse colleague of Nightingale, saves the day, talking to military people she saved to find out the motive of the bombing. It’s a bit boring, and nothing much happens until the end. It revisionist sensibilities bringing up a massacre of Egyptians during the canal building. But it is fun to enter Monk and Scruff’s world on the river

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I disagree with reviewers who said that the author has lost focus. I thought this was excellent. There were plenty of exciting episodes in between the less exciting courtroom drama. All my favorite characters, including Monk, Hester, and Scuff, got into interesting situations while endearing themselves even more. And I found the end surprising. Keep them coming!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/3 to 3/4 of this book was excellent. The last 3rd or so with the introduction of the second trial is where my appreciation for the book fell off for me somewhat. I can understand the author wanting to ensure some story time for Rathbone but in this case I felt turning the focus of the story from Hester and Monk to Rathbone took away the intrigue and flow. A compelling plot unfolds starting with the explosion on board a pleasure boat on the Thames (the Princess Mary) causing the death of over 170 people on board... modern-day terror in Victorian times... fabulous. Monk, being head of the River Police witnesses the explosion and gets involved in the investigation until suddenly, without warning he’s pulled off the case and it’s reassigned to the Metropolitan police. Needless to say, the investigation, arrest and subsequent trial all get botched and Monk is pulled in again to clean up the mess. Astutely, he soon realizes that there may be more to this unfortunate compromising of the case than pure incompetence and then turns his eye to uncover how deep the corruption and cover-up goes. Hester and Scuff both play key roles in the story and the investigation and it’s great to see how that little family unit of the three of them has developed. An enjoyable and satisfying read overall.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am done for now with Anne Perry.

I love Monk and Hester and Scuff. Even though it is irritating that Hester and sometimes Scuff will go off investigating without telling Monk what they are doing. What kind of teamwork is that?

But the ending to this book really ticked me off. Perry fabricated the solution to the mystery from thin air. Usually when I get to the end of a mystery and the villain is revealed I 'aha - now I see the subtle clues'. On very rare occasions I figure it out before our hero, and then feel very smug and proud of myself. But this one was just ridiculous.

So, if you haven't read the book already, after you do, come back and tell me where you figured it out.

p.s. Here's a bit of writing I did appreciate; 'Purpose. Perhaps it was the next best thing to happiness. Empty time was a dark hole in which monsters lived and too easily came to the surface.'

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed - usually love the Monk series, but this book was hard to get through. There was very little action, but LOTS of mulling over the situation and the consequences. I can't tell you how many paragraphs were written in the format "He (or she) wondered, Was it A? or B? or maybe even C?" The solution of the "mystery" seems to be contrived and there were no hints to its existence until it appears in the last couple of pages. I struggled to get through this one, and found myself skimming lots of paragraphs toward the end....this is the last Anne Perry for me.

[Peggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I skipped through it hoping it would get better, but it only got less readable for me. Repetition, constant speculations followed by her usual question marks. Her last couple of novels have left much to be desired, and that really disappoints me as I really loved her earlier books. I can't mark it "finished" because I barely was able to read a paragraph here and there to get the gist of what was happening.

[Gerry Welsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up randomly from the New Books display at the library. I liked it very much. I apparently jumped into the middle of a series about a law officer in London in the 1860s. William Monk and his wife Hester are likeable, interesting characters. Between Monk in the 1860s and Maisie Dobbs in the 1930s, I will soon be an expert on the history of crime and social mores of the London of yesteryear. I will now go back to earlier volumes of the Monk series to see what I have missed.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first Anne Perry I haven't been able to finish.

I was interrupted for couple of days while reading it and realized I truly didn't care who committed the murder and if I had to read another sentence about the courtroom prosecution, I'd scream.

I found the book slow, tedious and surprisingly dull. Until now, I've found Anne Perry's books to be compelling and hard to put down.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, now I remember why I stopped reading Anne Perry some time ago. After having the book on hold at the digital library and checking it out several times, I still couldn't finish it. The book just didn't hold my interest. I don't know if her writing changed that much from the early books or if my tastes have just changed, but I just couldn't care what happened.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Began with a bang and went out the same way! I was startled breathless both times too since the plot developed at a much slower pace much of the book. The book is full of all that makes for a gritty, dark tale of murder and conspiracy against the public's outcry of fear and a lust for vengeance. It delights in the unexpected. Just when the reader thinks they have things figured out, a twist occurs and, no, reader is way out.

This author has been a go to comfort for over two decades now and it was with true pleasure that I reached for the twentieth book in this historical mystery series set in the mid-Victorian era with the primary characters being a husband and wife detective team along with a surrounding cast of equally engaging characters. Some series go flat or start to lose any form of innovation to the stories, but I have not found that to be the case here. This is a series that really should be started with the beginning and read on through as the main characters' stories run right alongside the individual cases they solve in each book with strands from some of these cases leading into the next story whether it be Monk and Hester's detecting or Oliver taking over the case in court.

This particular story begins with a horrific explosion and the deaths of nearly two hundred people. Monk and Orme are there along with many from the Thames River Police and begin to start sorting out the nightmare when inexplicably they are pulled off the case and it is given to the Metropolitan Police even though it happened on the water. Public outcry is strong in the face of such a marked attack on people engaged in an innocent activity. Those taken in the explosion were representative of both ordinary people, but some related to powerful, influential people. The pressure is strong for a swift action and in the process the investigation isn't as thorough as it should have been. Monk and his men are forced to watch helplessly as things are not handled well though a suspect, possibly scapegoat, is taken into custody and brought to trial.

After the sentencing, it is Monk who stumbles on the convicted man's unbreakable alibi and things come full circle. The investigation is re-opened and put back into the hands of Monk and his men with the pressure escalated now that their are news posts and talks of conspiracy and corruption in the government, police and courts added to it all. Does it have to do with the negotiations for the Suez Canal in Egypt? Is it an act of hate against the British Empire? Or is it something else? Monk has the job of untangling it all and giving the prosecutor something unbreakable and true.

Hester makes her own investigative plans to help her husband knowing the pressure he is under and the danger he faces as the clues lead to powerful conspirators being involved. But she is not alone as their adoptive son falls back on his beginnings to scour the banks of the river through those that scratch out a living there to help arrive at a solution. As they all work separately, Monk learns the killer isn't afraid to kill again to protect himself and William Monk is the new threat as his investigations bring him closer and closer to the right answer. Will he find the answers and get them into Oliver and the prosecutor's hands before the killer gets him or his loved ones first?

This particular story just like many others in the author's repertoire has a universality to it. I say that because even though the plot is set in Victorian times, the issues are true of our times as well. The society, dress, activities and speech may be a bit antiquated, but the motives, emotions and thinking could be any time or place.

Speaking of the historical side, the author truly does have a strong, authoritative grasp on the life and times of that period. The description doesn't take over the story line, but it is there adding just another well-written layer to enjoy.

The suspense and mystery are strong and twisting so that the reader can never quite be sure that the solution is in hand. The plot slowly (very slowly so be patient) builds adding clue upon clue as William Monk, his wife Hester, his adopted son Scuff and his men search out each witness and suspect. Oliver Rathbone wasn't in this one from the beginning, but he does join in when the drama heads to the courtroom and even he has an investigative role to play as court corruption is suspected. He is still temporarily disbarred from representing the law or defending a client, but he is called in to consult. Those courtroom scenes were quietly intense as it became a race to see if time would run out before the prosecution provided a strong enough case for conviction and if Oliver could nose out what was going on with those that participated in the previous trial that went so wrong.

As to the characters and the human side of things, I once again enjoyed William and Hester detecting together. The cases are dark and gritty, but the human element represented by the main characters are warm and bright spots that keep the dread and shivers caused by the murder and evil away. They worked separately for the most part and shared the majority of the narration with a few times given over to Scuff or Oliver. The tension and heat between them that was present in the early stories has mellowed, but the detecting fire and love is still there. I love how the author has a gift of delving deep into her characters exposing more about them with each new story including more about this couple's relationship with each other and those around them. They have slipped into the roles of a long married couple, but that takes nothing away from their fire and zeal for justice and for each other.
After Rathbone had gone, Monk and Hester sat up long into the night talking. No matter how heavy the problem or how tangled, there were ways in which these were Monk's happiest times. There was a deep pleasure, a peace of the soul, in sharing even the most desperate battles with a woman he loved with whom he shared not just passion, but an abiding friendship.
Loc 65% William Monk, Blood on the Water

Other characters have strong secondary story lines too. Oliver recently ended things with his wife and it is hard to see him coming to grip with all that went before to bring it to that, but I love the new Oliver that came out of it. And Scuff, he is growing up and flourishing under William and Hester's loving care. He is contributing more and more to their cases and I think this was the first time he verbally acknowledged William as his dad.

There are a few things that I felt were a tad rushed or under-explained, but nothing that caused me real trouble. Part of it was probably intentional to keep me guessing to the end, but not all of it. It's possible that some of it will carry over into new stories too. Again, it wasn't stuff that affected the main plot or outcome when that is finally teased out.

So, in the end, I was left with an exciting, emotional, and engaging (and yes, the alliterative juices are flowing) mystery that I couldn't put down many times. I would recommend this book/series to those who enjoy strongly authentic slow to build historical mysteries that are stronger on the mystery side and solved by a husband and wife- led detective team full of deep character development and mild romance.

My thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Sandra Jackson - Alawine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monk witnesses a pleasure boat being blown up but before he can start to investigate he is taken off the case. An innocent man is convicted and only another crime on the River leads Monk to the truth that the man that was convicted wasn't there the eyewitnesses were unreliable. Monk takes the information to his superiors and is put back on the case.

But when it appears he is getting to close to the truth the ferry he is riding in is rammed and he almost loses his life. Now more convinced then ever that government corruption was behind the original conviction Monk, with the aid of his friends will uncover the truth and take down the man pulling the strings.

Rathbone is back but still unable to practice law.
Scruff sends Worm (a young boy) to Hester and she arranges for him to live at the clinic.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but basically not my style...... One summer afternoon a horrifying explosion of the pleasure boat, Princess Mary, sends to their deaths nearly two hundred merrymakers. Solving this mystery is the primary plot of this William Monk mystery.

[Margaret]

The second Anne Perry I've read and probably the last. I found the plot uninteresting and the characters flat.

[Mª Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐

[Marilou Elles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Perry always a good read. Well written and thought out and always a solid conclusion.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these characters so I enjoy seeing them again, as long as I space out reading the books in the series. This one could have used a lot more Hester, as she is my favorite character.
There is a certain sameness about all the books, which in the right mood I find soothing.

[Audrey Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights an interesting history that has faded for many.