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William Monk #8
The Silent Cry
Deep in London's filthy, dangerous slums, Victorians transacted their most secret and shameful business. For a price, a man could procure whatever he wanted, but it happened now and then that the price he paid was his life. Now, in sunless Water Lane, respected solicitor Leighton Duff lies dead, kicked and beaten to death. Beside him lies the barely living body of his son, Rhys. The police cannot fathom these brutal assaults, until shrewd investigator William Monk uncovers a connection between them and a series of rapes and beatings of local prostitutes. Then it begins to seem shockingly clear that young Rhys Duff must have killed his own father. In a heartstopping courtroom drama, the Crown's case against Rhys Duff, accused of patricide, begins its inexorable unfolding.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 12, 1997
291 people are currently reading
1415 people want to read
About the author
Anne Perry
362 books3,377 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
September 16, 2023
Mid-Victorian times - in a red light area of London an older man is found beaten to death, whilst besides him, a younger man is found beaten to the point of being unable to speak. In the same area, Private investigator Monk investigates the assaults on a number of women. Is there a connection?
As with all the books I have read in this series (this is number 8), this is a long and slow read. But this is to their credit, for they are all rich in characters, conflict, and atmosphere. They are beautifully written with no forced striving for impact. I admire the fact that Perry doesn’t feel the need to bury you under historical fact, or make points with a sledgehammer (the ‘Oooh, look at the way it was!’ and ‘Oooh, look what they used to do,’ syndrome). She simply gets on with the story using the right amount of history for context and the creation of atmosphere, and uses no heavy-handed modern voice of intrusion.
One of the best in a highly recommended series.
As with all the books I have read in this series (this is number 8), this is a long and slow read. But this is to their credit, for they are all rich in characters, conflict, and atmosphere. They are beautifully written with no forced striving for impact. I admire the fact that Perry doesn’t feel the need to bury you under historical fact, or make points with a sledgehammer (the ‘Oooh, look at the way it was!’ and ‘Oooh, look what they used to do,’ syndrome). She simply gets on with the story using the right amount of history for context and the creation of atmosphere, and uses no heavy-handed modern voice of intrusion.
One of the best in a highly recommended series.
January 7, 2019
Good story. Hester seems caught between her two friends, which is an absolute tease for the reader. I have to say that I am finding the written attempt at a rough London accent is getting on my nerves a bit!
December 28, 2012
I'm really not sure how to rate this book. On the one hand, it was Anne Perry's usual brand of brilliant, engaging writing, but the story itself left me feeling conflicted. I'll get into that in a spoiler soon. One final non-spoilerish note: she sure does write about the seedy things... I can only take so much of that.
August 12, 2024
Although I thought this one dragged a little (less action and more inner dialogue... especially as the Hester-Oliver-Monk triangle heats up) but as always a satisfying ending, even if I could see it coming about half-way in.
(Reviewed 8/6/09)
(Reviewed 8/6/09)
March 19, 2015
4.5 stars
Anne Perry has yet to disappoint. Multi-layered plots are woven deftly around and with a core cast of characters, and each novel is laden with fascinating and yet tiny details that make the setting incredibly vivid without the reader being overloaded. In this case, she highlights the the poverty of factory workers, especially those women working for a pittance who are sometimes forced to occasionally prostitute themselves to feed their children, and the living conditions they must suffer.
In this, the eighth Monk book, young John Evan is tasked with finding the assailant who murdered one man and left another beaten almost to death. Taking on a case of this magnitude is more of a stretch for him, but he recalls Monk's methods and adapts them to his own personality.
Hester, meanwhile, has a difficult nursing case, one which brings her back to both Rathbone and Monk. Drawn to Rathbone, she still feels an inexplicable pull towards Monk, despite the antagonism they often feel for each other. Monk, meanwhile, is still getting flashes of his former life. Discovering - and admitting - his former flaws and his current feelings are not always pleasing, especially where Runcorn is involved.
And then, the horrifying truth of the assault is finally revealed. Masterful.
Anne Perry has yet to disappoint. Multi-layered plots are woven deftly around and with a core cast of characters, and each novel is laden with fascinating and yet tiny details that make the setting incredibly vivid without the reader being overloaded. In this case, she highlights the the poverty of factory workers, especially those women working for a pittance who are sometimes forced to occasionally prostitute themselves to feed their children, and the living conditions they must suffer.
In this, the eighth Monk book, young John Evan is tasked with finding the assailant who murdered one man and left another beaten almost to death. Taking on a case of this magnitude is more of a stretch for him, but he recalls Monk's methods and adapts them to his own personality.
Hester, meanwhile, has a difficult nursing case, one which brings her back to both Rathbone and Monk. Drawn to Rathbone, she still feels an inexplicable pull towards Monk, despite the antagonism they often feel for each other. Monk, meanwhile, is still getting flashes of his former life. Discovering - and admitting - his former flaws and his current feelings are not always pleasing, especially where Runcorn is involved.
And then, the horrifying truth of the assault is finally revealed. Masterful.
November 11, 2018
Two well-to-do men, father and son, are set upon in St. Giles -- a rather notorious (and impoverished) part of London. The father is deceased, but police detective Evan discovers that he's still alive and has him taken to the hospital. Evan and his partner, Schott, set about trying to learn who is behind the murder and assault.
Meanwhile, in the Seven Dials, Vida Hopgood has engaged former police inspector William Monk to look into the rapes of some of the women employed by her husband's factory ... women who are turning to amateur prostitution to put food on the table during lean times.
While it's fairly obvious to the reader that the cases are more connected than either the police or Monk believe, the "whodunnit" came as something of a surprise. The clues were littered throughout the book in an artful fashion that made me wonder how I didn't figure it out on my own way before the reveal ... but that's the art of a well-constructed detective story.
Author Anne Perry clearly knows London's history, as well as Victorian-era police procedures, medical practices, and more. The research shines through on every page, making the story authentic but not pedantic.
Highly recommended.
Meanwhile, in the Seven Dials, Vida Hopgood has engaged former police inspector William Monk to look into the rapes of some of the women employed by her husband's factory ... women who are turning to amateur prostitution to put food on the table during lean times.
While it's fairly obvious to the reader that the cases are more connected than either the police or Monk believe, the "whodunnit" came as something of a surprise. The clues were littered throughout the book in an artful fashion that made me wonder how I didn't figure it out on my own way before the reveal ... but that's the art of a well-constructed detective story.
Author Anne Perry clearly knows London's history, as well as Victorian-era police procedures, medical practices, and more. The research shines through on every page, making the story authentic but not pedantic.
Highly recommended.
February 26, 2025
this one had such a good but horrifying story, unfortunately it was killing me how obvious it was who the perpetrators were
January 16, 2012
Another enjoyable Victorian mystery. Monk tries to track down a group of gentlemen who are viciously attacking prostitutes in one of London's worst slums. The ending is typically overwrought, but I continue to enjoy these characters and the setting.
Monk and Hester draw ever closer together.
Monk and Hester draw ever closer together.
July 3, 2012
I remain absolutely spellbound by Anne Perry's ability to present an involved mystery story set in Victorian England while at the same time providing thought-provoking commentaries both on the social evils of that time (as well as on all times in general) and on the inequalities between the lives of the very wealthy and the lives of the very poor--and also, of course, to continue the evolving romance between the main characters. Granted, it's a rather slow romance; this is #8 in the Inspector Monk series, and so far they have only kissed once, but they're getting there, and this book ends with the two of them talking without being in an argument.
John Evan, who now appears to be a sergeant in municipal police force that is eventually going to be come Scotland Yard, is in charge of the patrol that is called in when two severely beaten bodies of gentlemen, a man and his son, are fond in St. Giles, one of London's slum areas. When he finds that one of the bodies is in fact still alive, he has that victim sent to a hospital managed by the mortician and later gets Hester Latterly recommended & hired as the nurse when the young man goes home. Meanwhile, Monk is hired by a sweatshop owner to find out who is responsible for a series of rapes of women working at the sweatshop, and his preliminary evidence suggests that the son and a coup le of his friends were the rapists. Hester gets Rathbone to defend the youth, and
Rathbone hires Monk to go prove his innocence. As usual, the story winds up with an unbelievable court drama, with Hester saving the day once again.
There were a couple jarring notes in this, with the characters apparently coming to unfounded conclusions, and there was one aspect about the astonishing denouement that I simply cannot accept, but the story was so intriguing that I stayed up four hours after when I should have gone to bed to read it. What more could an author want?
John Evan, who now appears to be a sergeant in municipal police force that is eventually going to be come Scotland Yard, is in charge of the patrol that is called in when two severely beaten bodies of gentlemen, a man and his son, are fond in St. Giles, one of London's slum areas. When he finds that one of the bodies is in fact still alive, he has that victim sent to a hospital managed by the mortician and later gets Hester Latterly recommended & hired as the nurse when the young man goes home. Meanwhile, Monk is hired by a sweatshop owner to find out who is responsible for a series of rapes of women working at the sweatshop, and his preliminary evidence suggests that the son and a coup le of his friends were the rapists. Hester gets Rathbone to defend the youth, and
Rathbone hires Monk to go prove his innocence. As usual, the story winds up with an unbelievable court drama, with Hester saving the day once again.
There were a couple jarring notes in this, with the characters apparently coming to unfounded conclusions, and there was one aspect about the astonishing denouement that I simply cannot accept, but the story was so intriguing that I stayed up four hours after when I should have gone to bed to read it. What more could an author want?
February 20, 2017
Took me a couple of tries to get into this book, but that was more me than the author. The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is that there was far too much repetition of the evidence. Had the detective truly kept a chronological order of the crimes involved and the whereabouts of all the suspects, the issue wouldn't have been resolved at the very last minute of the trial.
September 20, 2020
The Monk books tend to deal with the ugly underbelly of the pretty pretty Victorian world, and this one is particularly intense, dealing with several forms of rape. We also get to reacquaint ourselves with John Evans, Monk's former sergeant, and we learn why Runcorne hates Monk so intensely.
Not an easy book to read, but well worth reading.
Not an easy book to read, but well worth reading.
September 5, 2013
Very dark, a topic that is hard to read so I keep putting the book down until I cannot stand it and pick it up again. Victorian England is dark and depressing full of hopeless people because of the class system. I am glad it is not like that today.
February 19, 2021
One of my favorites in this series thus far. A gritty mystery, an investigation by the police and Wliiam Monk as an agent of private inquiry that parallel one another, and finally an insight into the animosity between Monk and his former boss, Runcorn.
May 28, 2017
Very good and has a very surprising twist at the end.
**Please note that there is content in this book that isn't suitable for people under 12/could be disturbing for sensitive readers**
**Please note that there is content in this book that isn't suitable for people under 12/could be disturbing for sensitive readers**
December 18, 2017
I liked how we got to know a little more about Monk's past. I was also happy to see Hester get treated like a lady by Rathborne.
August 26, 2019
It’s official: there will never be an Anne Perry novel that I don’t like. After 9 books of hers, and having nothing negative to say about any of tbem whatsoever, I can’t even begin to fathom it. Of course, it’s entirely possible, but I really, truly can’t imagine not absolutely LOVING everything she’s written.....even though it breaks my heart.
I can never guess it all. I’m not one to guess in the first place, bur I keep thinking since I’ve read so many of her mysteries that I can pick up on her secrets one book at a time. That’s not going well thus far. 😂 Perry is an absolute genius. Even if you’ve figured out part of it, you’re likely to not know the whole of the situation and you won’t know until the last page.
And when I say the last page I mean the last page. It’s brutal.
Plus there are the incredible characters. Monk, as always, gives me much heartbreak and makes me swoon. Hester is a badass and I will always admire her and root for her. I also love Evan and Rathbone, even though they have smaller roles. (Especially in this book.) I’m waiting for the romance to take a little more of the forefront of the story because omg.....chemistry.....things are HAPPENING. I just don’t know when and it’s putting me through it. 😭
The content of this mystery was pretty brutal. Lots of talk of rape and violence against women. I loved the vhemence with which Monk defended these prostitutes in a time where nobody cared for the voices or women, especially not those women. And the ending.....my heart hurts so much....
In any case, this year has reminded me of why I used to read these more and I wish I hadn’t slowed down.... I’m definitely picking up the 9th book soon!
I can never guess it all. I’m not one to guess in the first place, bur I keep thinking since I’ve read so many of her mysteries that I can pick up on her secrets one book at a time. That’s not going well thus far. 😂 Perry is an absolute genius. Even if you’ve figured out part of it, you’re likely to not know the whole of the situation and you won’t know until the last page.
And when I say the last page I mean the last page. It’s brutal.
Plus there are the incredible characters. Monk, as always, gives me much heartbreak and makes me swoon. Hester is a badass and I will always admire her and root for her. I also love Evan and Rathbone, even though they have smaller roles. (Especially in this book.) I’m waiting for the romance to take a little more of the forefront of the story because omg.....chemistry.....things are HAPPENING. I just don’t know when and it’s putting me through it. 😭
The content of this mystery was pretty brutal. Lots of talk of rape and violence against women. I loved the vhemence with which Monk defended these prostitutes in a time where nobody cared for the voices or women, especially not those women. And the ending.....my heart hurts so much....
In any case, this year has reminded me of why I used to read these more and I wish I hadn’t slowed down.... I’m definitely picking up the 9th book soon!
August 11, 2025
Nicely done mystery, with several separate threads slowly being woven into one gut-wrenching case.
While the mystery and the courtroom scenes certainly held my interest, what I really appreciated were the glimpses of Monk's earlier career as a policeman. In this book he finds himself investigating in a neighborhood where almost everyone he meets remembers him as a hard copper and he has no memory of them at all. I was so glad to see the meeting with Runcorn. Perhaps now their relationship will be less rancorous.
Next up: A Breach of Promise. I really am enjoying my buddy-read of this series. I read most of these books as they were published, but that was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I remember none of the plots. All I do remember is that I liked them enough to keep reading the series.
While the mystery and the courtroom scenes certainly held my interest, what I really appreciated were the glimpses of Monk's earlier career as a policeman. In this book he finds himself investigating in a neighborhood where almost everyone he meets remembers him as a hard copper and he has no memory of them at all. I was so glad to see the meeting with Runcorn. Perhaps now their relationship will be less rancorous.
Next up: A Breach of Promise. I really am enjoying my buddy-read of this series. I read most of these books as they were published, but that was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I remember none of the plots. All I do remember is that I liked them enough to keep reading the series.
August 26, 2020
To quote one Mr. Kornheiser - “I believe I had that.”
And I’m done with these books. Time to find a new series. Hester’s antics at the end were way over the top. No way a woman in that age does what she did. I don’t care how progressive she is.
And I’m done with these books. Time to find a new series. Hester’s antics at the end were way over the top. No way a woman in that age does what she did. I don’t care how progressive she is.
March 27, 2020
Éprouvant et émouvant. Une belle surprise.
April 25, 2021
Quelle tension dans ce livre et quel plaisir d'y retrouver Hester, Monk et Oliver Rathbone. Ce tome lève également un peu le voile sur le passé de Monk.
July 20, 2024
I've read Anne Perry before and really enjoyed her writing, so picked this up at a thrift shop on a 2/$1 sale! Once again, I really appreciate her knowledge of London in the late 1800's. The details of life among the rich and privileged classes, along with life in the most dangerous and poverty-stricken slums, brings one directly into those worlds. Her research is truly beyond belief. She imparts the smells, sounds, sights, even how things FEEL. This is why I read her again.
The story line itself is quite intriguing, how a privileged father and son are found in a dark street of a squalid slum, the father dead, the son near death, beaten by whom and why? Investigator William Monk is hired to uncover the perpetrators of totally different crimes: the rapes and beatings of local prostitutes. Are they connected? The answers are not as simple as one might guess.
I gave it four out of five stars mainly because it moves along rather slowly. It keeps one's interest, but not to the point where I couldn't bear to put it down. Still, a very good read, and an ending I wasn't expecting, but overall satisfying.
The story line itself is quite intriguing, how a privileged father and son are found in a dark street of a squalid slum, the father dead, the son near death, beaten by whom and why? Investigator William Monk is hired to uncover the perpetrators of totally different crimes: the rapes and beatings of local prostitutes. Are they connected? The answers are not as simple as one might guess.
I gave it four out of five stars mainly because it moves along rather slowly. It keeps one's interest, but not to the point where I couldn't bear to put it down. Still, a very good read, and an ending I wasn't expecting, but overall satisfying.
April 17, 2019
This book was somewhere between a three and a four. It was engrossing, but I felt like Anne Perry had already done much of this plot in one of her earlier works, "Defend and Betray." There were some notable differences, however.
I got this book from a used-bookstore. I almost didn't, and passed it by, because I have such ambivalent feelings about Anne Perry's works. In the end, I left my prior stack of books at the cash register and went back for it. The cashier said that she herself loves Anne Perry books, and seemed delighted that I had chosen it. (I would wonder whether she's delighted with all her customers' purchases, but she hadn't raved over the other books I'd selected.) I had to sigh and say that I feel ambivalent about Anne Perry's works, which is why I hadn't selected it at first. Some of them I've enjoyed immensely, and others, not at all. But I DID go back for this one, which ought to indicate something.
I also have reservations about the author herself, Anne Perry, who actually did commit murder as a young teen. I hate for her to capitalize on the experience in her books, but sometimes her themes are more of mercy, pity, reconciliation, etc. Often, she portrays the murderer in a sympathetic light, not to excuse them, but to pity them. Usually, I limit my reading of her books to just library books, where there is less royalties, because less copies have been bought. Or like this book, I limit it to second-hand shops.
Some of the story was engrossing; other parts had the detectives mundanely plodding along, gathering evidence slowly, with more dead ends than actual clues. I do like Hester's character, and even Monk's has become more understandable. (No, it's not the same Monk character from the TV series, "Monk," because this book is set in Victorian England.) I enjoy Anne Perry's writing style.
I knew who the culprit was - or one of them, I won't give away how many there are. I knew, although I didn't want it to be so. I didn't, however, guess the motivation. I had a completely different motivation mapped out that fit the evidence, until the very end.
I thought Monk's later conversation with Runcorn was well done - one of courage, a huge step forward in their interactions. I am always impressed when authors write of people attempting to heal a breach, whether or not they succeed, because so few people attempt reconciliation anymore. I'm not convinced that Monk was after reconciliation as much as he was after understanding, but understanding is always the first step towards it.
Interesting quotes, favorites or otherwise:
In speaking of the rough part of town, Anne Perry had written: "They could even have been misguided preachers come to save sinners from themselves, and been attacked for their presumption and their interference." Not a bad reminder of the hostility that some people have towards preachers trying to help.
"Mourning was always a time for family closeness. Outsiders, no matter how excellent their friendship, felt intrusive and did not know what to say."
"Thank you so much for coming. It is not always easy to visit people who are ill or bereaved. One never knows what to say ..."
"Evelyn von Seidlitz could never be the friend Hester was. She was beautiful, certainly, but she was also as shallow as a puddle, innately selfish. That was the kind of ugliness which touched the soul. Whereas Hester - with her angular shoulders and keen face, eyes far too direct, tongue too honest - had no charm at all, but a kind of beauty like a sweet wind off the sea, or light breaking on an upland when you can see from horizon to horizon, as it had in his youth on the great hills of Northumberland. It was in the blood and the bone, and one never grew tired of it. It healed the petty wounds and laid a clean hand on the heart, gently."
I got this book from a used-bookstore. I almost didn't, and passed it by, because I have such ambivalent feelings about Anne Perry's works. In the end, I left my prior stack of books at the cash register and went back for it. The cashier said that she herself loves Anne Perry books, and seemed delighted that I had chosen it. (I would wonder whether she's delighted with all her customers' purchases, but she hadn't raved over the other books I'd selected.) I had to sigh and say that I feel ambivalent about Anne Perry's works, which is why I hadn't selected it at first. Some of them I've enjoyed immensely, and others, not at all. But I DID go back for this one, which ought to indicate something.
I also have reservations about the author herself, Anne Perry, who actually did commit murder as a young teen. I hate for her to capitalize on the experience in her books, but sometimes her themes are more of mercy, pity, reconciliation, etc. Often, she portrays the murderer in a sympathetic light, not to excuse them, but to pity them. Usually, I limit my reading of her books to just library books, where there is less royalties, because less copies have been bought. Or like this book, I limit it to second-hand shops.
Some of the story was engrossing; other parts had the detectives mundanely plodding along, gathering evidence slowly, with more dead ends than actual clues. I do like Hester's character, and even Monk's has become more understandable. (No, it's not the same Monk character from the TV series, "Monk," because this book is set in Victorian England.) I enjoy Anne Perry's writing style.
I knew who the culprit was - or one of them, I won't give away how many there are. I knew, although I didn't want it to be so. I didn't, however, guess the motivation. I had a completely different motivation mapped out that fit the evidence, until the very end.
I thought Monk's later conversation with Runcorn was well done - one of courage, a huge step forward in their interactions. I am always impressed when authors write of people attempting to heal a breach, whether or not they succeed, because so few people attempt reconciliation anymore. I'm not convinced that Monk was after reconciliation as much as he was after understanding, but understanding is always the first step towards it.
Interesting quotes, favorites or otherwise:
In speaking of the rough part of town, Anne Perry had written: "They could even have been misguided preachers come to save sinners from themselves, and been attacked for their presumption and their interference." Not a bad reminder of the hostility that some people have towards preachers trying to help.
"Mourning was always a time for family closeness. Outsiders, no matter how excellent their friendship, felt intrusive and did not know what to say."
"Thank you so much for coming. It is not always easy to visit people who are ill or bereaved. One never knows what to say ..."
"Evelyn von Seidlitz could never be the friend Hester was. She was beautiful, certainly, but she was also as shallow as a puddle, innately selfish. That was the kind of ugliness which touched the soul. Whereas Hester - with her angular shoulders and keen face, eyes far too direct, tongue too honest - had no charm at all, but a kind of beauty like a sweet wind off the sea, or light breaking on an upland when you can see from horizon to horizon, as it had in his youth on the great hills of Northumberland. It was in the blood and the bone, and one never grew tired of it. It healed the petty wounds and laid a clean hand on the heart, gently."
December 30, 2012
In recent years Anne Perry has soared to the best seller lists with her crime novels set in Victorian England. She writes two "series" detective novels, the first and more successful being the "Inspector Pitt" series and the second revolving around the darker more complex character of the policeman turned private investigator William Monk and the nurse Hester Latterley.
"The Silent Cry" is the eighth of the William Monk series and like many of her previous novels both in this series and the Pitt series it takes as its theme the hypocrisies of Victorian society.
It begins with the discovery of two bodies in the grim streets of the London slums. The older man, a respected middle class solicitor by the name of Leighton Duff lies beaten to death; the other, his son Rhys Duff, lies close to death. When he regains consciousness the horror of his experience has rendered him mute and his injuries preclude any other form of communication. Hester Latterly is employed to nurse the badly beaten young man as the police begin their investigation into the death of Leighton Duff.
At the same time Monk is commissioned by the owner of a sweatshop to find out who has been raping and beating the girls who work for her. These are part-time prostitutes, women with husbands and families who are forced to turn to a little part time prostitution to keep their families alive. Monk's investigations indicate that the rapes are carried out by three men of good breeding and indeterminate age. Inevitably the two cases begin to merge together and it seems that the rapist and the murderer of Leighton Duff may in fact be his own son, Rhys.
As always the picture Anne Perry paints of the underside of Victorian England is stark and believable. The hypocrisy of a society that will turn every stone to find the murderer of a respectable lawyer but will not lift a finger to help the women who are being raped and beaten is grimly portrayed. This is the London of Jack the Ripper, a dark and frightening place, contrasting with the genteel civility of the middle classes.
But sadly, this is not one of Perry's better books. In fact the denouement when it comes is an insult to a writer of Anne Perry's calibre. Within the last few pages of the book, with a still-mute Rhys on trial for his life (an unlikely scenario to begin with), Perry produces a "rabbit out of the hat" that leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied and cheated. Nothing in the rest of the book has foreshadowed this conclusion and one is left with the overwhelming impression that the writer herself did not know what the solution to the crime would be until the end of the novel.
Having churned out the last few pages it was as if she lacked the time or the energy to go back over the book and rectify the glaring errors that the solution demonstrates during the course of the novel. In fact quite the contrary. The crime may have been solved, for example, during the first chapter of the book as it would have presented itself to the very first doctor who examined young Rhys. Additionally the behaviour of a number of the characters should have been differently portrayed given the circumstances of the ending. Even the date of the crime seems to move during the course of the book. These sloppy inconsistencies ruin an otherwise interesting and intriguing tale.
"The Silent Cry" is the eighth of the William Monk series and like many of her previous novels both in this series and the Pitt series it takes as its theme the hypocrisies of Victorian society.
It begins with the discovery of two bodies in the grim streets of the London slums. The older man, a respected middle class solicitor by the name of Leighton Duff lies beaten to death; the other, his son Rhys Duff, lies close to death. When he regains consciousness the horror of his experience has rendered him mute and his injuries preclude any other form of communication. Hester Latterly is employed to nurse the badly beaten young man as the police begin their investigation into the death of Leighton Duff.
At the same time Monk is commissioned by the owner of a sweatshop to find out who has been raping and beating the girls who work for her. These are part-time prostitutes, women with husbands and families who are forced to turn to a little part time prostitution to keep their families alive. Monk's investigations indicate that the rapes are carried out by three men of good breeding and indeterminate age. Inevitably the two cases begin to merge together and it seems that the rapist and the murderer of Leighton Duff may in fact be his own son, Rhys.
As always the picture Anne Perry paints of the underside of Victorian England is stark and believable. The hypocrisy of a society that will turn every stone to find the murderer of a respectable lawyer but will not lift a finger to help the women who are being raped and beaten is grimly portrayed. This is the London of Jack the Ripper, a dark and frightening place, contrasting with the genteel civility of the middle classes.
But sadly, this is not one of Perry's better books. In fact the denouement when it comes is an insult to a writer of Anne Perry's calibre. Within the last few pages of the book, with a still-mute Rhys on trial for his life (an unlikely scenario to begin with), Perry produces a "rabbit out of the hat" that leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied and cheated. Nothing in the rest of the book has foreshadowed this conclusion and one is left with the overwhelming impression that the writer herself did not know what the solution to the crime would be until the end of the novel.
Having churned out the last few pages it was as if she lacked the time or the energy to go back over the book and rectify the glaring errors that the solution demonstrates during the course of the novel. In fact quite the contrary. The crime may have been solved, for example, during the first chapter of the book as it would have presented itself to the very first doctor who examined young Rhys. Additionally the behaviour of a number of the characters should have been differently portrayed given the circumstances of the ending. Even the date of the crime seems to move during the course of the book. These sloppy inconsistencies ruin an otherwise interesting and intriguing tale.
March 12, 2009
SILENT CRY (Hist Mys/PP-William Monk-England- 1800s) - Ex
Perry, Anne - 8th in series
From Fantastic Fiction: Deep in London's filthy, dangerous slums, Victorians transacted their most secret and shameful business. For a price, a man could procure whatever he wanted, but it happened now and then that the price he paid was his life. Now, in sunless Water Lane, respected solicitor Leighton Duff lies dead, kicked and beaten to death. Beside him lies the barely living body of his son, Rhys. The police cannot fathom these brutal assaults, until shrewd investigator William Monk uncovers a connection between them and a series of rapes and beatings of local prostitutes. Then it begins to seem shockingly clear that young Rhys Duff must have killed his own father. In a heartstopping courtroom drama, the Crown's case against Rhys Duff, accused of patricide, begins its inexorable unfolding.
For me, this is one of her best Monk books. We learn much more about his background. An incredible sense of time and place; great characters.
Perry, Anne - 8th in series
From Fantastic Fiction: Deep in London's filthy, dangerous slums, Victorians transacted their most secret and shameful business. For a price, a man could procure whatever he wanted, but it happened now and then that the price he paid was his life. Now, in sunless Water Lane, respected solicitor Leighton Duff lies dead, kicked and beaten to death. Beside him lies the barely living body of his son, Rhys. The police cannot fathom these brutal assaults, until shrewd investigator William Monk uncovers a connection between them and a series of rapes and beatings of local prostitutes. Then it begins to seem shockingly clear that young Rhys Duff must have killed his own father. In a heartstopping courtroom drama, the Crown's case against Rhys Duff, accused of patricide, begins its inexorable unfolding.
For me, this is one of her best Monk books. We learn much more about his background. An incredible sense of time and place; great characters.
November 3, 2013
Two people are found in the notorious St. Giles neighborhood of London. Leighton Duff is dead, but his young son Rhys is barely clinging onto life. In the Seven Dials, women workers are being raped and savagely beaten, and sweatshop owner Vida Hopgood hires William Monk to find out who has been abusing her workers. Hester Latterly is hired to nurse Rhys back to health. Rhys is the one who holds the clues, but he has been rendered mute by the horrific events he witnessed. This wasn't a book for the sensitive as Perry is quite graphic at times about the story, so proceed with caution. Fortunately, Perry doesn't present her novel for the shock value of the subject matter, instead this is a good look at the Victorian hypocrasy on women and their bodies and sexuality. I give this one a four star rating, and a recommendation.
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/The_Si...
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/The_Si...
July 12, 2015
Perry weaves together two stories of rape, murder, and mayhem while advancing the individual stories of her protagonists and carefully describing the geography of the activity. It is an interesting book but it used a plot line much like the last one I read. In her work, high-minded persons are often set up for a fall and underdogs are lifted, at least in reputation. With that bit of understanding, it was not difficult to determine the likely perpetrators. of course, it would not be a very interesting story if ordinary thieves and prostitutes caused problems.
I think one of the difficulties for serials is maintaining a clear history. She may have a clear history for Monk but I can't make the numbers work. In this book he worked with Runcorn for 20 years in a dangerous slum. In another book Monk was in the financial sector before he became a policeman. In Silent Cry, he is in a romantic triangle with Sir Oliver and Hester who is still in her 20s. I do not think Perry has ever clearly defined his history.
May 20, 2015
I'd forgotten how good the William Monk series is. It's been at least a year since I read the last one. I've read them in order, and am now up to book eight. Can't put it down. The plot is intriguing. The time and place, that is, Britain after the Crimean War, is a placement within history I always enjoy. The pace suits me, not too fast, not too slow, not too edgy. An enjoyable mystery for the reader to unravel by turning the page.
Read
October 2, 2010A fantastic story. You will not believe the ending. Anne Perry has a real gift. No swearing or foul language. People seem so real and sincere. Just sit back and be entertained for a few days. It is not a fast read. You must read every word.
December 25, 2016
Rather predictable fare, with Hester nursing a perpetrator but perhaps he is not, William Monk persuing evidence and his past will he find either. Is Oliver Rathbone running out of ideas in court? A fairly reasonable victorian era crime novel.
February 16, 2021
I'd go 3.5 on this one, but since I can't, I decided that the actual character development, which has been missing in the last few, meant that this one is good enough to bump up. Very interesting problem in this book--very interesting solution.
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