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William Monk #10
Las Raices del Mal
Una brillante novela de intriga escrita por la reina del crimen.
Un nuevo caso del inspector Monk sirve a Anne Perry para ofrecernos un fresco de la Inglaterra victoriana.
William Monk no suele aceptar casos de derecho matrimonial. Sin embargo, de vuelta de su luna de miel con su esposa Hester, no puede evitar involucrarse en la resolución de uno de ellos, cuando Miriam Gardiner es acusada del asesinato de su prometido.
Anne Perry, la reina del crimen, es reconocida por sus novelas ambientadas en la época de la Inglaterra victoriana.
Un nuevo caso del inspector Monk sirve a Anne Perry para ofrecernos un fresco de la Inglaterra victoriana.
William Monk no suele aceptar casos de derecho matrimonial. Sin embargo, de vuelta de su luna de miel con su esposa Hester, no puede evitar involucrarse en la resolución de uno de ellos, cuando Miriam Gardiner es acusada del asesinato de su prometido.
Anne Perry, la reina del crimen, es reconocida por sus novelas ambientadas en la época de la Inglaterra victoriana.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
726 people are currently reading
1521 people want to read
About the author
Anne Perry
363 books3,379 followersAnne 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews
March 19, 2013
I"m on an Anne Perry jag - reading one novel after the other and rather enjoying it too!
A bit of of sequence and read the one below a few years ago. The story before this dealt with opium and this ones with another ugly hidden secret of the rich and famous toward their servants.
Here's my latest:
I am a fan of Anne Perry's mysteries series as this one with William and Hester Monk set in
Victorian England. The whole setting, language, fashion styles, social and political happenings and all the uglies of the time is found in her writings. Proper (high) society to the dredge of the beyond what we know now, poverty and somewhere in between.
Ms. Perry addresses crime within the era and in fact, society does continue to have it in 2013. Sometimes the harshness of the reality of what is done is disturbing and if the writer didn't have such memorable characters and lay out the story as she does, I might turn from it. I don't.
This story is about murder, of course, and a court trial - as most of Ms. Perry's novels include- and the horrific lies told to keep an "image" and how that image is supported by high society. A woman engaged to a younger man from a wealthy family disappears with the family's footman who later is found killed. The woman is sought up one alley and down the other. Did she murder him or know who did? The young man can't believe his small fiancee would do that, nor will you believe who and why it was done.
I like Anne Perry - not all are five stars though - and will continue to read to keep up with the unfolding of the Monks and all the other characters I've grown to like or not, but continue to be interested in.
A bit of of sequence and read the one below a few years ago. The story before this dealt with opium and this ones with another ugly hidden secret of the rich and famous toward their servants.
Here's my latest:
I am a fan of Anne Perry's mysteries series as this one with William and Hester Monk set in
Victorian England. The whole setting, language, fashion styles, social and political happenings and all the uglies of the time is found in her writings. Proper (high) society to the dredge of the beyond what we know now, poverty and somewhere in between.
Ms. Perry addresses crime within the era and in fact, society does continue to have it in 2013. Sometimes the harshness of the reality of what is done is disturbing and if the writer didn't have such memorable characters and lay out the story as she does, I might turn from it. I don't.
This story is about murder, of course, and a court trial - as most of Ms. Perry's novels include- and the horrific lies told to keep an "image" and how that image is supported by high society. A woman engaged to a younger man from a wealthy family disappears with the family's footman who later is found killed. The woman is sought up one alley and down the other. Did she murder him or know who did? The young man can't believe his small fiancee would do that, nor will you believe who and why it was done.
I like Anne Perry - not all are five stars though - and will continue to read to keep up with the unfolding of the Monks and all the other characters I've grown to like or not, but continue to be interested in.
July 12, 2019
These mysteries are impossible to solve and almost impossible to put down because most of the way through the book, yo have literally no idea how it can be solved! Actually in this one I did get an inkling before the end. I was pleased with the amount of time given to William and Hester and their marriage- not too much. I felt a bit sorry for the barrister character.
March 19, 2015
Monk and Hester are now married, and beginning to build their life together, each having to make adjustments in preferences and considerations. As expected, there are some tense moments: Monk mustn't try to lay down the law, or force Hester into the role of a subservient wife, if he wants them to be happy, and she must also allow him to retain some pride and decision-making.
There continues to be medical and nursing history. Anaesthetic is now more commonplace, changing surgery for the surgeons as well as the patients. Hester, along with Florence Nightingale, is still trying to improve conditions at the hospitals and to train nurses to a higher standard, to make them skilled professionals rather than untrained, drunken cleaners. Nightingale is regarded, sentimentally, as a lady sweeping genteely through a ward at night, soothing fevered brows - rather as she is now - but is in the process of setting up her own training school (something which actually occurred in 1860, at St. Thomas' Hospital). Unfortunately Hester's hospital is not as forward-thinking.
The social issue Anne Perry focuses upon here is that of veterans: those who fought in earlier wars, and the many who are now old and poor, unable to afford the medicines they need or to go to hospital. Used and discarded, these valiant soldiers who fought at Waterloo and Trafalgar are now the vulnerable in society, and yet hospital administrators and doctors seem to discount them, leaving only a handful of people and some dedicated nurses to try to help them.
The mystery, of course, is murder, with the answer in long-buried history. Monk, Hester and Rathbone require all their skill and co-operation if they are to save their clients - if their clients are as innocent as they believe - and when the answer is finally revealed, it is the unthinkable.
There continues to be medical and nursing history. Anaesthetic is now more commonplace, changing surgery for the surgeons as well as the patients. Hester, along with Florence Nightingale, is still trying to improve conditions at the hospitals and to train nurses to a higher standard, to make them skilled professionals rather than untrained, drunken cleaners. Nightingale is regarded, sentimentally, as a lady sweeping genteely through a ward at night, soothing fevered brows - rather as she is now - but is in the process of setting up her own training school (something which actually occurred in 1860, at St. Thomas' Hospital). Unfortunately Hester's hospital is not as forward-thinking.
The social issue Anne Perry focuses upon here is that of veterans: those who fought in earlier wars, and the many who are now old and poor, unable to afford the medicines they need or to go to hospital. Used and discarded, these valiant soldiers who fought at Waterloo and Trafalgar are now the vulnerable in society, and yet hospital administrators and doctors seem to discount them, leaving only a handful of people and some dedicated nurses to try to help them.
The mystery, of course, is murder, with the answer in long-buried history. Monk, Hester and Rathbone require all their skill and co-operation if they are to save their clients - if their clients are as innocent as they believe - and when the answer is finally revealed, it is the unthinkable.
October 3, 2025
One of the weaker entries in this long-running series. I'm doing a buddy-read of this series with a GR friend. We're reading a book a month and we started with the first book. It's been fun watching our three main characters (William Monk, Hester Latterly, Oliver Rathbone) develop and grow.
Now, as for this book, the sad truth is that the plot for the main story line has holes big enough to drive a tour bus through them. In addition the baddie's motive is so very over the top as to make it unbelievable.
On the plus side, there are several side stories that were worth further exploration. One involved the plight of aged veterans who couldn't get to the hospital for medical pain relief, and the efforts of some to set up a home visit system for these forgotten survivors of the Napoleonic War.
The second involved the sordid, illegal practice of 'selling' the bodies of the poor, family-less, people who died in the paupers' clinics to medical schools and teaching hospitals for their anatomy/autopsy classes. Grave-less 'resurrectionists', as it were. I wanted to see more of that story line, even as I wondered why it even appeared in the book at all.
As the book opens William Monk and Hester Latterly are newly married. I had good time watching them settle into domesticity. No smooth sailing for them, their personalities and independent natures wouldn't allow that. The author didn't dodge Oliver Rathbone's reaction to their marriage, either.
Perry's books often have an abrupt ending. This one's ending seemed to speed to the mystery's conclusion then screech to a stop. And that was it, with barely a nod to the wrap-up of a related case.
Over all,I was disappointed in this one.
Next up, we tackle Slaves of Obsession. It's 1861 and the Civil War in the US is a major player in the story. Should be interesting.
Now, as for this book, the sad truth is that the plot for the main story line has holes big enough to drive a tour bus through them. In addition the baddie's motive is so very over the top as to make it unbelievable.
On the plus side, there are several side stories that were worth further exploration. One involved the plight of aged veterans who couldn't get to the hospital for medical pain relief, and the efforts of some to set up a home visit system for these forgotten survivors of the Napoleonic War.
The second involved the sordid, illegal practice of 'selling' the bodies of the poor, family-less, people who died in the paupers' clinics to medical schools and teaching hospitals for their anatomy/autopsy classes. Grave-less 'resurrectionists', as it were. I wanted to see more of that story line, even as I wondered why it even appeared in the book at all.
As the book opens William Monk and Hester Latterly are newly married. I had good time watching them settle into domesticity. No smooth sailing for them, their personalities and independent natures wouldn't allow that. The author didn't dodge Oliver Rathbone's reaction to their marriage, either.
Perry's books often have an abrupt ending. This one's ending seemed to speed to the mystery's conclusion then screech to a stop. And that was it, with barely a nod to the wrap-up of a related case.
Over all,I was disappointed in this one.
Next up, we tackle Slaves of Obsession. It's 1861 and the Civil War in the US is a major player in the story. Should be interesting.
January 23, 2024
Not one of my favorites as far as the mystery is concerned (saw too much of it coming too early in the story), but I did like the new Monk and Hester combination... so that made up for guessing much of the storyline in advance (which I don't always do with Anne Perry books).
(Reviewed 9/6/09)
(Reviewed 9/6/09)
August 1, 2018
A book by Anne Perry is always an entertaining story and the 10th Books as not disappoint. Hester and Monk have just returned from their honeymoon. They are slowly adjusting to their life together. Hester is a volunteer at a hospital and Monk accept a job to locate Miriam Gardiner, a young woman who disappeared from luncheon party at party celebrating her engagement to the son of the house. Monk soon finds the coach in which she fled. The coachman nearby but strangles. Hester is working to change the practice at the hospital she is volunteering. Pain drugs are missing from the drug storage area. Hester befriends an elderly soldier who is receiving pain drugs from an unidentified source. I did get tired on several times how much we owed these men for saving their country. The twists and turns the story to bring the thread together will hold your interest until the shocking end. I highly recommend this book and series.
July 31, 2020
This needed stronger editing. Repetitious scenes and repeated dialogue bog down the middle and latter half, sucking the steam out of an otherwise decent, albeit occasionally melodramatic, mystery about a mysterious woman accused of murder.
March 15, 2015
La trama es muy interesante y el final logra sorprenderte. Casi la mitad de la novela habla sobre cómo eran consideradas las enfermeras en la época victoriana, por lo que la trama de los crímenes se diluye un poco. Así y todo, la historia te atrapa y es una lectura amena.
August 11, 2009
Anne Perry uses the cultural mores of the 18th century as the backdrop for her books, and in The Twisted Root the reader is delivered into a time when cultural taboos leave a woman ready to die rather than tell what she knows about three murders that she has been charged with committing. Even though the plot twists in this Perry book keep readers involved, the characters are missing the intensity of the earlier Monk books. It seems once William Monk recovered his memory and decided to settle into the domestic bliss of married life with Hester, some of the fire went out of each of them. Perry tries to rekindle that fire by depicting the inevitable conflicts, mainly unspoken, that must have been present in any 18th century marriage between an independent woman and a man who is unsure of how to define himself as the husband to this independent woman.
The major secret of the book is apparent almost from the first. The only details left hanging are how and why the villain committed the crimes and who one of the victims is.
One thing that is obvious is that the arrests and trial that play major roles in the plot bring home the inadequacies of the justice system of this time period. Evidence? What evidence? These people had motive and opportunity, so forget that there's no evidence against either of them that would stand up in a modern American court of law. I don't know how accurate that is to the reality of the time, but Perry usually does a good job of research.
One problem with all of Perry's books is her insistence on repeating things the reader already knows. How many times do we have to be reminded that Hester served as a nurse with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War? These repetitions do not further the plot and in this book they slow things down.
Still, it's interesting to get a glimpse of the reality of domestic life during this time, and to know that Hester wants to hire someone to do the cooking and the housework because she doesn't like to do it. William goes along with her because her cooking does leave something to be desired.
The major secret of the book is apparent almost from the first. The only details left hanging are how and why the villain committed the crimes and who one of the victims is.
One thing that is obvious is that the arrests and trial that play major roles in the plot bring home the inadequacies of the justice system of this time period. Evidence? What evidence? These people had motive and opportunity, so forget that there's no evidence against either of them that would stand up in a modern American court of law. I don't know how accurate that is to the reality of the time, but Perry usually does a good job of research.
One problem with all of Perry's books is her insistence on repeating things the reader already knows. How many times do we have to be reminded that Hester served as a nurse with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War? These repetitions do not further the plot and in this book they slow things down.
Still, it's interesting to get a glimpse of the reality of domestic life during this time, and to know that Hester wants to hire someone to do the cooking and the housework because she doesn't like to do it. William goes along with her because her cooking does leave something to be desired.
February 11, 2022
i had No Idea this book was going to spin on its head like that
usually i expect her books to do this (and they always do) but this time i wasnt enjoying myself much in the beginning. i usually am hooked from the start but i was going through some stuff irl and couldnt focus. but once i got to the last 3rd of the book - yall my mind was BLOWN. there was no way i would have ever seen that coming even if i was fully invested holy-
anne perry you never disappoint
usually i expect her books to do this (and they always do) but this time i wasnt enjoying myself much in the beginning. i usually am hooked from the start but i was going through some stuff irl and couldnt focus. but once i got to the last 3rd of the book - yall my mind was BLOWN. there was no way i would have ever seen that coming even if i was fully invested holy-
anne perry you never disappoint
February 2, 2012
Another enjoyable Victorian murder mystery. The author decided to take a break from worrying about the subjugation of women - in this book she frets over the neglect of aging veterans and the low prestige of the nursing profession; the latter is always a favorite topic.
Monk and Hester, together at last!
Monk and Hester, together at last!
August 18, 2019
Wow. What a doozy. It took me a while to figure out the ins and outs but I gasped audibly once I did. As always, the courtroom scenes was absolute fire. As always, the judge, the jury and the people in the gallery made me chuckle. There were some really great characters.... Old Mr. Rob, Michael Rob and Phillips the apothecary.
January 5, 2015
It's fine. I find that with these Monk books, I can pretty much always put my finger on who did it from the beginning, but then Perry spends 500 pages of narrative investigating other things before coming back at the end and pulling the rabbit out of the hat to get her "ending twist" (often with the help of coincidence). I never get a sense of progression, or the little hints along the way that help the reader to build a case. Instead it's just "who does your gut tell you Perry's picked to be the murderer" - now read 500 pages and see what unlooked-for coincidence turns up at the last moment to shockingly convict them.
If these books were really only William Monk, I wouldn't be reading them. I find him uninteresting, and the narrative is constantly telling me how brilliant and awesome he is at his job, when I don't think it proves it at all. In this book, we get the addition of some period-accurate sexism/patriarchal instincts towards his new wife Hester, which may be in character but only adds to my dislike for him. (I also think Perry rushed their relationship. I don't think they have any chemistry - again, the narrative just says they do, without showing it - and they went from vicious arguments to proposal to marriage in two seconds flat. I might buy things more if we'd had a book where they were shown to be falling in love, but that didn't happen. Proposal on last page of one book, married by first page of the next. And Monk demanding Hester be domestic. SIGH.)
Luckily, there's also Hester and Callandra and Rathbone, who are great, and minor characters as well. I love Cleo, and Henry Rathbone, and Evan, and John Robb and his grandfather. My favorite parts of this book were Hester's relationships with the Robbs and with Cleo. Really very well done.
If these books were really only William Monk, I wouldn't be reading them. I find him uninteresting, and the narrative is constantly telling me how brilliant and awesome he is at his job, when I don't think it proves it at all. In this book, we get the addition of some period-accurate sexism/patriarchal instincts towards his new wife Hester, which may be in character but only adds to my dislike for him. (I also think Perry rushed their relationship. I don't think they have any chemistry - again, the narrative just says they do, without showing it - and they went from vicious arguments to proposal to marriage in two seconds flat. I might buy things more if we'd had a book where they were shown to be falling in love, but that didn't happen. Proposal on last page of one book, married by first page of the next. And Monk demanding Hester be domestic. SIGH.)
Luckily, there's also Hester and Callandra and Rathbone, who are great, and minor characters as well. I love Cleo, and Henry Rathbone, and Evan, and John Robb and his grandfather. My favorite parts of this book were Hester's relationships with the Robbs and with Cleo. Really very well done.
March 13, 2020
4.5 Stars
rounded up to 5 Stars.
January 4, 2024
Me ha gustado porque este tipo de historias me gustan, pero sin más.
Es el segundo libro que me leo de la trama de Monk y es el que menos me ha gustado con diferencia
Es el segundo libro que me leo de la trama de Monk y es el que menos me ha gustado con diferencia
February 14, 2021
La primera novela de la autora que leo. Compre el libro solo por la sinopsis (no es poca cosa) y la verdad es que la historia es mucho más de lo que la sinopsis nos presenta. No se dejen engañar.
Comienza de manera lenta pero apresurada a la vez, nos presenta el conflicto ya en las primeras paginas pero todo se va desarrollando de manera lenta y últimamente me estoy dando cuenta que ésto es lo que hace que una novela tenga mucho mas impacto en su final. Como sucedió con Las raíces del mal.
Una historia que nos sitúa en un Londres victoriano donde a partir de la desaparición de una joven se van sucediendo diferentes hechos que se conectan entre sí, que nos sorprenderán cada vez más y que culminará con EL final. Sí. EL señor final, las últimas 100 paginas las leí en el mismo día, interrumpida por diferentes cuestiones, pero apenas terminaba de hacer lo que tenia que hacer volvía y lo retomaba.
"Las raíces del mal" es el decimo libro de la serie protagonizados por William Monk, y fue el primero que leí... por lo que puede decirles que no hay ningun problema con comenzar por el decimo y seguir con otros aunque hay ciertas cuestiones personajes de los personajes que podrían verse afectadas (nada que cambie mucho la historia principal del libro).
Algo que quiero mencionar y que no voy a dejar pasar por alto es el rol que le da a la mujer y creo que es algo muy valioso. Anne Perry nació en 1938 y cuando este libro fue publicado tendría unos 60 años. Las mujeres que se presentan en este libro no son nada parecido a lo que uno podría llegar a encontrarse en una novela victoriana. Ellas son fuertes, decididas, con valores, con HISTORIA, y con la capacidad de hacer grandes aportes a la historia. Definitivamente es algo que me maravilló.
Un libro con el cual costó engancharme, pero que a medida que agarraba ritmo y me adentraba en la historia me daba cuenta de cuán increíble era la historia que Perry nos quería transmitir.
Comienza de manera lenta pero apresurada a la vez, nos presenta el conflicto ya en las primeras paginas pero todo se va desarrollando de manera lenta y últimamente me estoy dando cuenta que ésto es lo que hace que una novela tenga mucho mas impacto en su final. Como sucedió con Las raíces del mal.
Una historia que nos sitúa en un Londres victoriano donde a partir de la desaparición de una joven se van sucediendo diferentes hechos que se conectan entre sí, que nos sorprenderán cada vez más y que culminará con EL final. Sí. EL señor final, las últimas 100 paginas las leí en el mismo día, interrumpida por diferentes cuestiones, pero apenas terminaba de hacer lo que tenia que hacer volvía y lo retomaba.
"Las raíces del mal" es el decimo libro de la serie protagonizados por William Monk, y fue el primero que leí... por lo que puede decirles que no hay ningun problema con comenzar por el decimo y seguir con otros aunque hay ciertas cuestiones personajes de los personajes que podrían verse afectadas (nada que cambie mucho la historia principal del libro).
Algo que quiero mencionar y que no voy a dejar pasar por alto es el rol que le da a la mujer y creo que es algo muy valioso. Anne Perry nació en 1938 y cuando este libro fue publicado tendría unos 60 años. Las mujeres que se presentan en este libro no son nada parecido a lo que uno podría llegar a encontrarse en una novela victoriana. Ellas son fuertes, decididas, con valores, con HISTORIA, y con la capacidad de hacer grandes aportes a la historia. Definitivamente es algo que me maravilló.
Un libro con el cual costó engancharme, pero que a medida que agarraba ritmo y me adentraba en la historia me daba cuenta de cuán increíble era la historia que Perry nos quería transmitir.
August 3, 2012
This is #10 in the Inspector Monk series, although he has not been an inspector since Book #1, and Monk and Hester are finally married. (Is that a spoiler? Sorry about that!) Marriage has not hurt them, however, and the series just keeps getting better and better; this probably should get four stars instead of three. Perry keeps coming up with these odd murders (in this case, three of them), all tied together with some terrible social injustice brought about simply because of the inequality between the high class and the low, with innocent people being charged with hideous crimes from which only Monk’s relentless pursuit of facts and Sir Oliver Rathbone’s mastery of court procedure can save them—except that, as usual, it is Hester, who solves the crime. As usual, too, we get some intriguing glimpses into life in Victorian British society, from its slums to its croquet parties in the garden, from below the stairs to the top of the stairs, from its hospitals to its courtrooms.
This one starts when an anguished young man hires Monk to find his missing fiancée, who dashed away from a pre-marriage party and disappeared with the family coach and coachman, whose body is found many miles away. With the typical extraordinary coincidences that fills Perry’s novels, Monk finds that the missing girl was raised \by a nurse from Hester’s hospital, where there is growing concern about missing drugs. Monk becomes friendly with a rural policeman who is investigating the coachman’s murder and also is taking care of a sickly grandfather, who though impoverished has a stock of medications in his cupboard. One thing leads to another, as it always does, and the story becomes as tightly wound as a strand of DNA.
This one starts when an anguished young man hires Monk to find his missing fiancée, who dashed away from a pre-marriage party and disappeared with the family coach and coachman, whose body is found many miles away. With the typical extraordinary coincidences that fills Perry’s novels, Monk finds that the missing girl was raised \by a nurse from Hester’s hospital, where there is growing concern about missing drugs. Monk becomes friendly with a rural policeman who is investigating the coachman’s murder and also is taking care of a sickly grandfather, who though impoverished has a stock of medications in his cupboard. One thing leads to another, as it always does, and the story becomes as tightly wound as a strand of DNA.
May 19, 2012
This is a splendid novel set in London in midsummer 1860. It begins with the abrupt departure and disappearance of Miriam Gardiner, a commoner, from a garden party celebrating her betrothal to Lucius Stourbridge, a younger man of considerable means. Lucius hires William Monk, an agent of inquiry, to find his fiancée. With the particulars of this mystery launched, the story switches to Monk's recent bride, Hester, who is a volunteer nurse at the North London Hospital, which has a mystery of its own - medicines are disappearing. These two plots will intertwine.
Within this historical setting, the author crystallizes progress in the past hundred and fifty years. I cringed at the subservient role of women in general back then, and the pitiful concept of the nursing profession in particular. Within this context, the author portrays determined efforts of strong minded women struggling without much wiggle room. However, to do this, there is excessive narration of the character's internal thoughts, the nuances of them, sometimes convoluted. If these were related through dialogue and body language, the read would be livelier.
Masterful plotting drives this story. Around page 204, the culprit narrows to one of two characters; an experienced mystery reader would know which one. But why? Later, the author, instead of adding some implausible twist, explicitly eliminates cute surprises and gives the reader subtle clues, which keeps you turning pages, trying to figure the TWISTED relationships of secrets within secrets. This is edge of your seat plausible complexity with historical subtext.
Within this historical setting, the author crystallizes progress in the past hundred and fifty years. I cringed at the subservient role of women in general back then, and the pitiful concept of the nursing profession in particular. Within this context, the author portrays determined efforts of strong minded women struggling without much wiggle room. However, to do this, there is excessive narration of the character's internal thoughts, the nuances of them, sometimes convoluted. If these were related through dialogue and body language, the read would be livelier.
Masterful plotting drives this story. Around page 204, the culprit narrows to one of two characters; an experienced mystery reader would know which one. But why? Later, the author, instead of adding some implausible twist, explicitly eliminates cute surprises and gives the reader subtle clues, which keeps you turning pages, trying to figure the TWISTED relationships of secrets within secrets. This is edge of your seat plausible complexity with historical subtext.
January 3, 2014
A very intense plot involving two story arcs that do merge. The first is about a missing widow, Miriam Gardiner, who has vanished on the day that she is celebrating her engagement to young Lucius Stourbridge. Missing along with her is the family coachman along with the carriage and horses. When the man is found with his head bashed in, suspicions fall on Miriam, being the last person to see him alive, but when Lucius' mother is found in her bedroom with her head crushed, Miriam is arrested. And she appears doomed to hang -- for she will say nothing in her defense. In a parallel tale, Hester is continuing to volunteer at the hospital but her attempts to modernize the care for patients and nurses' training is halted by a bureaucratic director. Then she finds out that one of the nurses is stealing morphine. Does Hester turn her in, or will she try to find the real truth? It's a fairly good novel, and has a nicely complex plot, but the reason why this didn't get five stars was that I was able to figure out who did the killing early on. I hate it when that happens. Overall four stars and a recommendation. Oh yes -- Hester and Monk have finally married.
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Anne_P...
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Anne_P...
March 9, 2010
Yet again, Anne Perry does it! This book is my favourite of all her mysteries. I love the Monk Series best of all. The Twisted Root grips from the beginning, and won't let go, even after you've finished! Every character is convincing and exciting, making it hard to guess who did the dirty deed.
I highly recommend it!
I highly recommend it!
November 10, 2023
After a disappointing “in the style of Anne Perry” book, I started re-reading the Monk series when Libby can’t find something to interest me. There may be some faults in Perry’s writing, but she writes eloquently. She has the grasp of Victorian life and sensibilities; has interesting stories that bring characters and situations to life.
May 18, 2017
William Monk and Hester Latterly are now married. The story is in the general mold of the series in that the first half is the setting of the scene with Monk trying to locate a runaway fiance. This inevitably leads to the first of the bodies and the arrest of Miriam and her step mother Cleo Anderson for murder. Oliver Rathbone is then brought in to fight the case with little to go on but as the trial unfolds so do the clues unearthed by William and Hester.
Now well into the series the writing seems to flow much better and there are less loose ends in the story. Good descriptions of the life of the classes that very much marks London life of the mid 1800's.
About 3.5 for this one though I scored 4.
Now well into the series the writing seems to flow much better and there are less loose ends in the story. Good descriptions of the life of the classes that very much marks London life of the mid 1800's.
About 3.5 for this one though I scored 4.
August 14, 2024
Of the 10 in this series, I favored 3 or 4 over the others, but this is my favorite of the 10. A spell binding story of why the bride to be ran away and I was frustrated along with her lawyer, as to why she faced terror and hanging for a murder that she would not talk about at all! Wow what a story.
May 25, 2025
Very much enjoyed this, didn't realize when I first saw this suggested on Libby that it was part of a series. Will look for and start with the first one. Had forgotten how much I used to enjoy mystery as a genre and had shifted to primarily sci-fi/fantasy many years ago. I was looking up Thomas Perry (unrelated, mystery author who I very much enjoy reading) and her name also came up.
March 20, 2019
Excellent writing. This is my first Anne Perry book. #10 in the Mr. Monk series. I would read more of this series, the characters are interesting.
August 15, 2020
Got the right guy. Totally missed the motive. Not even in the ballpark.
That's the thing with Anne Perry- she makes you walk through the process one step at a time, no wild leaps, no tech gadgets solving the puzzle at the ninth hour, just good solid characters and good solid stories.
That's the thing with Anne Perry- she makes you walk through the process one step at a time, no wild leaps, no tech gadgets solving the puzzle at the ninth hour, just good solid characters and good solid stories.
October 15, 2021
Un bon suspense un peu desservi par une fin tirée par les cheveux
November 6, 2022
Audio-borrowed from Hoopla
Narrator: Terrance Hardiman
3.5 stars
Narrator: Terrance Hardiman
3.5 stars
October 26, 2020
This was a pretty good one. At least 3.5 stars for the issues raised, the lack of stupidity in following or not following clues, and the much-needed mellowing of the character of Monk.
July 21, 2011
As I have mentioned, Anne Perry's books improve with each new novel. Hester and Monk are newlyweds and attempting to adjust to this new lifestyle. Hester has never been a "housewife" and dislikes the confines of cooking and cleaning, and Monk will not allow Hester to work for wages. The story centers on a young widow, Miriam Gardiner, about to remarry. At a casual party, the prospective bride runs away without telling her reason. The coachman who drives her is found murdered five days later, and Miriam Gardiner has disappeared. Monk becomes involved when the future groom, Lucius Stourbridge, needs help locating Miriam. As usual, Perry discusses the problems of the time such as the sorry state of nursing. The majority of nurses could barely read and their wages were poor and consisted of a meal and alcohol. A surgeon might save a patient, but the nursing care after surgery was deadly. Sir Oliver Rathbone appears to defend Miriam and her friend Cleo from murder and from stealing medicine. Perry inserts the dilemma of war veterans that are sick and poor and cannot afford medicine or medical attention. Cleo has been stealing medicine from the hospital to give to these veterans. And of course, the ending is a surprise. I had figured the correct murderer, but not all the issues involved.
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