The shifting tide

Throughout much of the long-running William Monk series, set in Victorian England, the former London police officer and now "private enquiry agent" has been defined by his amnesia. In book after book, Monk has struggled to regain knowledge of his identity before the coach accident that took his long-term memory. In Perry's last Monk novel, Death of a Stranger0 (2002), the investigator regained his memory. In the latest, he barely remembers his amnesia at all and leaves the streets to work London's "longest street," the Thames. The question is: What is Monk without his amnesia? This book seems to abandon the now fully functioning Monk in favor of the far more varied and changeable Thames. After Monk is hired to investigate the theft of a cargo of ivory from a merchant ship and a related murder, he and the reader become aware of what a universe the river represents--and a crime-riddled one at that. It is fascinating to watch Monk try (and fail) to apply his London street smarts to a secretive milieu totally governed by the tides. Monk's investigation blends into his wife's work (Hester runs a clinic for assaulted or sick prostitutes) when a shipowner's cast-off mistress is brought in to the clinic with a mysterious ailment. This ailment eventually threatens all of London. Sketchy characterization, a somewhat obvious plot, but marvelous historical material on the Thames. --Connie Fletcher Copyright 2004 Booklist

The strain of publishing two major novels a year continues to show in bestseller Perry's 14th historical to feature private inquiry agent William Monk and his wife, Hester, despite the fresh start for Monk, who has recovered from the amnesia that afflicted him in Death of a Stranger (2002). In the autumn of 1873, because he needs the money, Monk agrees to recover valuable cargo stolen from a ship waiting to be unloaded at an East End London dock for the ship's owner, Clement Louvain, with the proviso that Louvain will also prosecute the thieves for murdering the ship's watchman. Monk enlists the aid of a young Cockney orphan, Scuff, who doubts Monk's ability to investigate a Docklands crime: "Yer in't got the wits fer it, nor the stomach neither. Yer stick to wot yer can do-wotever that is." Meanwhile, Hester, who receives no pay for the clinic she runs for streetwalkers, must deal with an unexpected death that she suspects may be murder. Unfortunately, the author too often tells rather than shows. The reader waits impatiently for the "ruthless" Monk to say or do something that suggests that quality. Still, with its focus on the lower classes and the Thames, the plot will resonate with fans of Dickens's riparian novel, Our Mutual Friend. And, as always, Perry uses her characters and story to comment on ethical issues that remain as relevant today as they were in Victorian times. Expect another bestseller. Agent, Donald Maass. (On sale Apr. 27) FYI: Perry has recently edited a mystery anthology with a Charles Dickens theme, Death by Dickens (Forecasts, Feb. 23). (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In her 14th William and Hester Monk mystery, Perry continues to explore the ethical vicissitudes of Victorian London. Private investigator William is hired by Clement Louvain to recover ivory stolen from Clement's ship just arrived from Africa. Hester's clinic for prostitutes is strapped for money, but matters take an even worse turn after Clement deposits a woman there identified as a friend's spurned lover. The woman is killed, and the Monks work separately to solve several related mysteries and protect London from a deadly epidemic. The Shifting Tide is more talky than usual for the author and drags in places, but, as always, the characters and their milieu remain vivid. Perry wraps up the moral dilemmas created by Clement's greed with a powerful conclusion as a Dickensian nightmare turns Melvillean. David Colacci's reading is both subdued and stirring. Recommended for popular collections.-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Throughout much of the long-running William Monk series, set in Victorian England, the former London police officer and now "private enquiry agent" has been defined by his amnesia. In book after book, Monk has struggled to regain knowledge of his identity before the coach accident that took his long-term memory. In Perry's last Monk novel, Death of a Stranger (2002), the investigator regained his memory. In the latest, he barely remembers his amnesia at all and leaves the streets to work London's "longest street," the Thames. The question is: What is Monk without his amnesia? This book seems to abandon the now fully functioning Monk in favor of the far more varied and changeable Thames. After Monk is hired to investigate the theft of a cargo of ivory from a merchant ship and a related murder, he and the reader become aware of what a universe the river represents--and a crime-riddled one at that. It is fascinating to watch Monk try (and fail) to apply his London street smarts to a secretive milieu totally governed by the tides. Monk's investigation blends into his wife's work (Hester runs a clinic for assaulted or sick prostitutes) when a shipowner's cast-off mistress is brought in to the clinic with a mysterious ailment. This ailment eventually threatens all of London. Sketchy characterization, a somewhat obvious plot, but marvelous historical material on the Thames. ((Reviewed February 15, 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews.

William Monk agrees to look into the theft of some African ivory from a ship docked in London. But why wasn't the theft reported to the River Police? Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

The strain of publishing two major novels a year continues to show in bestseller Perry's 14th historical to feature private inquiry agent William Monk and his wife, Hester, despite the fresh start for Monk, who has recovered from the amnesia that afflicted him in Death of a Stranger (2002). In the autumn of 1873, because he needs the money, Monk agrees to recover valuable cargo stolen from a ship waiting to be unloaded at an East End London dock for the ship's owner, Clement Louvain, with the proviso that Louvain will also prosecute the thieves for murdering the ship's watchman. Monk enlists the aid of a young Cockney orphan, Scuff, who doubts Monk's ability to investigate a Docklands crime: "Yer in't got the wits fer it, nor the stomach neither. Yer stick to wot yer can do-wotever that is." Meanwhile, Hester, who receives no pay for the clinic she runs for streetwalkers, must deal with an unexpected death that she suspects may be murder. Unfortunately, the author too often tells rather than shows. The reader waits impatiently for the "ruthless" Monk to say or do something that suggests that quality. Still, with its focus on the lower classes and the Thames, the plot will resonate with fans of Dickens's riparian novel, Our Mutual Friend. And, as always, Perry uses her characters and story to comment on ethical issues that remain as relevant today as they were in Victorian times. Expect another bestseller. Agent, Donald Maass. (On sale Apr. 27)FYI: Perry has recently edited a mystery anthology with a Charles Dickens theme, Death by Dickens (Forecasts, Feb. 23). Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.