eyes.2c Reviews

A Christmas Return (Christmas Stories #15)    by Anne Perry.                              Never disappointing, Perry pens a mystery novella that keeps you wondering. An unusual Christmas present, the wretched reminder of a tragic past and a cry for help, catapults Mariah Ellison, (Charlotte Pitt's grandmother), into a situation that has her drawing on all the fortitude she can muster. Mariah Ellison finds herself facing her own dark past memories as she comes to the aid of a friend. A dark wound of twenty years ago is reopened and Mariah is called to aid a friend in need. Twenty years ago Mariah's friend, Cullen Wesley died under strange circumstances just after he'd withdrawn as the attorney for a man accused of the rape and murder of a child. Subsequently, his ex client  Owen Durward  was acquitted.  is back in  Now Durward has returned to the village of ' Hasl...

An Echo of Murder (William Monk #23)   by Anne Perry                             As always a masterful rendition of murder inquiry, doubt, and the machinations of the human mind under stress. Once again Perry brings a reality check to murder most foul.  Commander Monk of the Thames River Police is confronted by a murder unlike any he's seen before.  A Hungarian man has been killed in what appears to be some sort of ritualistic endeavour. The body is surrounded by seventeen candles, two of them a dark, purplish-blue color. As more killings occur fear spreads throughout the Hungarian community. Are these sacrificial murders, a secret society run amok, evidence of extreme ethnic prejudice, or the product of a deranged mind? Is the perpetrator English or Hungarian? The community wants answers and a scapegoat is needed. The person of possibility turns out to be a friend of ...

Murder on the Serpentine (A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel   #32) by  Anne Perry In this novel Pitt finds himself undertaking a mission for Queen Victoria. One that could have grave consequences for the Prince of Wales and the future of the monarchy.  We meet some interesting new characters along with old friends. A boating accident on the Serpentine, ' a decorative stretch of water that curved across the middle of Hyde Park.' I n the dead of night of a trusted and favoured courtier of the Queen's--Sir John Halberd drowns. This leads to Pitt being called before the highest figure in the land. His task, to discreetly continue the inquiries Halberd had undertaken for the Queen and to discover the truth behind the boating 'accident.' It seems embroiled in the affair is Delia Kendrick, a former mistress of the Prince of Wales and now wife to one of his closet friends.  For me a huge part of the intrigue of this novel lies in the emotional and psychol...

A Christmas Message: A Novel (Christmas Stories #14)   by  Anne Perry On the surface of this Christmas mystery, Victor Narraway and his wife  Lady Vespasia  (two of my favourite Perry characters) travel to Jerusalem for Christmas. En route, at their hotel in Jaffa, they run across an interesting older gentleman who hands them a parchment to deliver in Jerusalem just before he is killed by a mysterious figure "The Watcher". The story morphs into a Dali like journey of deserts and death, faith defined and refined, and deepening spiritual mysteries. Following the theme of the wise men seeking truth and wonderment as they track the star that lead them to Bethlehem, Narraway and Vespasia embark on a similar journey, followed by the dark watcher. Along the way they are joined by another. Three pieces of parchment, and the truth for all mankind, are part of this journey. Narraway and Vespasia are confronted by their own beliefs and the gradual refi...

R evenge in a Cold River: A William Monk Novel  #22  by  Anne Perry A drowned man is washed up along the Thames. Why has Custom Officer McNab called in  Commander Monk of the Thames River Police to investigate? A man who is an escaped prisoner is under McNab's jurisdiction. The dislike of McNab for Monk is palpable, as is the supercilious attention McNab gives to Monk. Already my hackles are raised. This is the man who instigated action in which Orme was killed. Of course the Thames River cohorts are suspicious. As am I! Monk's past rises to haunt his coming days along with the advent of some American vessel owners who recall him from San Francisco. McNab looms like a malevolent spectre, it seems he knows things about Monk's past and is using Monk's ignorance to advantage. MacNab's feeling for Monk is 'more than professional rivalry, more than personal dislike. It was hate, deep and poisonous hate.' The link between the river pirates an...

Treachery at Lancaster Gate ( A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel #31) by Anne Perry '... the breaking of trust in the government was the beginning of anarchy' Oh My! Those twisty, deadly curve balls that Perry knows well how to let fly once again bowl me over for a six. This time Thomas Pitt, commander of Special Branch is facing bombings, police corruption and the possibility of collusion in high places. Collusion that threatens Jack Radley, Pitt's brother-in-law holding a highly placed position in the Foreign Office, who is currently working on a lucrative contract between the British and Chinese governments. Pitt's investigation could bring this all tumbling down like a house of cards. A bombing occurs, killing and injuring police officers. Anarchists are blamed, but as Pitt investigates all roads lead to the young, opium addicted son of Godrey Duncannon, the architect of those talks between the two governments. Godrey is essential to the success of the...

A Christmas Escape: A Novel by Anne Perry   I It took me a while to realize that this story is about Hester Monk's brother, Charles Latterly. Charles has decided to escape the harshness of a Victorian London Christmas and has journeyed to a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of three active volcanoes in Italy. His hostelry is perched against the upper reaches of the volcano. Here Charles hopes to attain a measure of inner healing, a different perspective. What he finds is a strange mixture of guests and a volcano that appears anything but benign. The dark grumbling of that entity are viewed differently by the guests. Some are drawn to it, others repelled. Languid days, the mystery of the volcano, the sense of something almost mystical beyond the grasp of mere mortals colours the background and enhances the electricity amongst the various guests, all calmed by the host, Stefano whose culinary abilities seem to act at times as ...

Corridors of the Night: A William Monk Novel (William Monk #21 ) by Anne Perry This story does indeed begin in the 'corridors of night' when Hester discovers a young child traversing the hospital corridors looking for help for her brother. Another complex Perry plot evolving around the selling of children, kidnapping, medical experiments and related ethics, and of course betrayal and murder, that is  centred around the stalwart Monk and Hester. A daughter is betrayed, and Monk is betrayed by someone from his past. This is Hester's story though and the tragedy and betrayal  that Monk is part of seems to slip into the background as Hester's plight is brought to the fore. Responding to a friends request to cover her night dirty times at a local hospital, Hester is unwittingly drawn into a plot involving medical experimentations with blood transfusions, using unwilling young children. When it is known that Hester has uncovered their transgressions, Hester is kidnap...

The Angel Court Affair (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Series Book 30) by Anne Perry This time Pitt is caught in the maelstrom of religious opinions and dissent. Pitt has been asked to guard Sofia Delacruz, a charismatic woman who is creating ripples amongst the  religious by challenging their fast held beliefs. Sofia is an English woman who ran away to Spain and has now returned as a religious speaker. She brings with her a message of radical beliefs that is upsetting the status quo. Pitt has been charged with her safety at a time when there is political unrest across Europe. Questions arise for Pitt about God and belief. Questions about the acceptance and worth of intelligent women, questions Jemima is asking of Pitt and Charlotte. Perry deals insightfully with questions of love and faith, forgiveness and hope.  Sofia disappears and it is up to Pitt with the help of Vespasian and Victor Narraway to help.  The reasons for Sofia's return to England are tied up with h...

A New York Christmas: A Novel by Anne Perry  Anne Perry's  superb writing skill continues to delight me. What goes on beneath the surface of her stories is always a pleasure to ponder. In A New York Christmas sacrifice and love shine through. Questions follow questions, seemingly dark and despairing, and yet a light shines through and truth is revealed.       It's 1904 and Thomas and Charlotte Pitts daughter 23 year old daughter Jemima journeys across the Atlantic as a companion to a wealthy young woman Delphinia Cardew,who is to marry into a wealthy New York family--the Albrights. This was to be Jemima's 'first real adventure of her life.' There are strange undercurrents amongst the Albrights. Jemima is unsure about Phinnie's brother-in-law to be, Harley. Phinnie moves between spoilt heiress aware of her alleviated societal place and insecure young woman. A mystery surrounding Phinnie's mother Maria comes to a head and Jemima finds herself in jail ch...

Blood on the Water: A William Monk Novel #20 by Anne Perry       Wow! I was spellbound to the very end, and swimming in the dark along with most of the cast until then too!     When our story opens Monk and Orme are one minute enjoying skimming along the Thames, the next they are thrust into disaster as a pleasure boat explodes, leaving in its wake the dead and drowning. An horrific scene that I could barely take in, along with Monk and Orme and others on the river that night. 200 people are dead. The whys and wherefores are mired in political bungling and intrigue alongside heightened public tensions and rage.  The River police inquiry is taken over by the Metropolitan police. Political or convenience? A scapegoat has been found! Guilty or innocent? Someone has to pay. The posturing in the courtroom reaches new heights. Hester, Scruff and Rathbone? All are players, and a delightful new urchin Worm makes a brief appearance. I do hope he stays! ...

Death on Blackheath: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel by Anne Perry Blood and hair and broken glass on stone steps, a disappeared lady's maid in a household near Greenwich. Special Branch Commander Pitt is called in because Owner Dudley Kynaston is 'deeply involved in matters of naval defense.'      Rosalind Kynaston is puzzled, but all Ailsa, Mrs. Bennett Kynaston, the Dudley's widowed sister-in-law, and uncharitable piece of work can say is, how dare maid,  Kitty Ryder, meet someone unsuitable so close to the house and if she does return she should be dismissed. Was the hair and blood evident of an argument, or something more dire? That's what Pitt and the stalwart Stoker have to ascertain. We learn more about who Stoker is in this volume. One's heart warms to this man! There are other high up persons and offices interested in what's going on. Edam Talbot for one. Things spiral out in concentric rings from here to a surprising end. I sympathized ...

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry What a wonderful story. I have always liked Claudine Burroughs, a volunteer in Hester Monk’s clinic for sick and injured prostitutes. I like her pluck, her courage and her sense of fair play and justice. I cheer for the way she has stepped outside of the role society and her husband expects her to pursue, that of supportive wife and homemaker, of adhering to society's rules for women. She has taken up the cause of the less fortunate. In doing so she is receiving far more than she's gives, a sense of purpose. Life has become meaningful. Wallace of course hates her charity work. It is not gentile enough for his social aspirations. How I dislike her husband Wallace. A bully really who sees his wife as an extension of himself. To the point that Wallace dictates her in the wearing and buying of even her dresses. Her behaviour needs to support him ingratiate himself in society and up the ladder of business and success. Claudine's commentary ...

Blind Justice (William Monk Series #19 ) by Anne Perry Having been given an ARC of  Blind Justice I decided to read as many of the William Monk Series as I could before this one. To say that I became entangled and embroiled in them to the point of distraction is no understatement. William Monk and Hester's journey along with their friends from Sir Oliver to Scruff and others is precious, a journey in growth of the characters involved and in insightful moments of reflection on life, integrity, justice, freedom and love.  The series is  well worth the reading time. Whether you start at #1 or #19,  without a doubt you will want to devour the series. In Blind Justice Hester takes up the cause of her employees at her clinic for sick and injured prostitutes. Her employee's father has been defrauded by the church he belongs to and is now in serious debt. This seemingly worthwhile cause has repercussions that stretch back to Jericho Phillips and for Oliver Rathbone,...