"Scenes [are] described in lush, sensuous strokes by Ms. Perry. . . . Monk, the dark and brooding hero . . . infuses this luxuriantly detailed series with its romantic soul." --The New York Times Book Review.
When Countess Zorah Rostova asks London barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend her against a charge of slander, he is astonished to find himself accepting. For, without a shred of evidence, the countess insists that the prince of her small German principality was murdered by his wife, the woman who was responsible for his exile twenty years before. Though private investigator William Monk and his friend Hester Latterly, manage to establish that the prince was indeed murdered, as events unfold the likeliest suspect seems to be Countess Zorah herself. . . .
"THE DENOUEMENT IS UNEXPECTED AND INGENIOUS." --Los Angeles Times
"Perry serves up as arresting an opening as ever." --Kirkus Reviews
A MAIN SELECTION OF THE MYSTERY GUILD®
**
Amazon.com Review
Set in the mid-1800s, this mystery brings the passionate and exotic aristocrats of a tiny German kingdom into contact with Victorian England, in particular with William Monk, the darkly romantic hero of Anne Perry's historical series. Countess Zorah Rostova first approaches Sir Oliver Rathbone with a story of murder, accusing the woman for whom an exiled prince has renounced his crown of killing him. Rathbone hires Monk to investigate, and both men are bewitched by the alluring women in the prince's court-in-exile. In pursuit of the truth, Monk follows a trail from England to Venice and then to the kingdom of Felzburg, a journey that teaches him much about the political intrigue in central Europe during those turbulent times.
From Publishers Weekly
The byzantine politics and aristocratic squabbles of a small German principality called Felzburg exasperate and puzzle William Monk in his seventh distinctive appearance (after Cain His Brother). Monk, a Victorian-era "agent of inquiry," is still haunted by a baffling amnesia, and he feels that his associates?the rigidly proper barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone and the uncompromising and outspoken nurse Hester Latterly?have taken on more than they can handle when Sir Oliver decides to defend Countess Zorah Rostova against a slander charge. The patriotic Zorah has accused Princess Gisela of Felzburg of murdering her husband, Prince Friedrich, heir to the throne, who presumably had died as a result of a fall from a horse. Gisela is suing. The issue of slander is almost lost in all the politicking. Gisela and Friedrich had lived in English exile, Gisela having played a sort of Wallis Simpson role to Friedrich's Edward. But Friedrich dreamed of returning triumphant to Felzburg in order to defend the statelet's independence against the unifying tide of Germany. Zorah's defense requires that Monk polish his image, refine his abrasive nature and interview some devious, scheming?and perhaps murderous?aristocrats. Was Friedrich poisoned? Was Gisela the intended target? Who profits? Are personal or political motives dominant? Perry indulges her characters in a bit too much unproductive speculation, but the novel springs to life in the courtroom scenes, where careful investigation and astute teamwork produce some astonishing revelations that presage the end of Victorian propriety and an era's pretense of innocence. Major ad/promo; Mystery Guild main selection; author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
"Scenes [are] described in lush, sensuous strokes by Ms. Perry. . . . Monk, the dark and brooding hero . . . infuses this luxuriantly detailed series with its romantic soul."
--The New York Times Book Review.
When Countess Zorah Rostova asks London barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend her against a charge of slander, he is astonished to find himself accepting. For, without a shred of evidence, the countess insists that the prince of her small German principality was murdered by his wife, the woman who was responsible for his exile twenty years before. Though private investigator William Monk and his friend Hester Latterly, manage to establish that the prince was indeed murdered, as events unfold the likeliest suspect seems to be Countess Zorah herself. . . .
"THE DENOUEMENT IS UNEXPECTED AND INGENIOUS."
--Los Angeles Times
"Perry serves up as arresting an opening as ever."
--Kirkus Reviews
A MAIN SELECTION OF THE MYSTERY GUILD®
**
Amazon.com Review
Set in the mid-1800s, this mystery brings the passionate and exotic aristocrats of a tiny German kingdom into contact with Victorian England, in particular with William Monk, the darkly romantic hero of Anne Perry's historical series. Countess Zorah Rostova first approaches Sir Oliver Rathbone with a story of murder, accusing the woman for whom an exiled prince has renounced his crown of killing him. Rathbone hires Monk to investigate, and both men are bewitched by the alluring women in the prince's court-in-exile. In pursuit of the truth, Monk follows a trail from England to Venice and then to the kingdom of Felzburg, a journey that teaches him much about the political intrigue in central Europe during those turbulent times.
From Publishers Weekly
The byzantine politics and aristocratic squabbles of a small German principality called Felzburg exasperate and puzzle William Monk in his seventh distinctive appearance (after Cain His Brother). Monk, a Victorian-era "agent of inquiry," is still haunted by a baffling amnesia, and he feels that his associates?the rigidly proper barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone and the uncompromising and outspoken nurse Hester Latterly?have taken on more than they can handle when Sir Oliver decides to defend Countess Zorah Rostova against a slander charge. The patriotic Zorah has accused Princess Gisela of Felzburg of murdering her husband, Prince Friedrich, heir to the throne, who presumably had died as a result of a fall from a horse. Gisela is suing. The issue of slander is almost lost in all the politicking. Gisela and Friedrich had lived in English exile, Gisela having played a sort of Wallis Simpson role to Friedrich's Edward. But Friedrich dreamed of returning triumphant to Felzburg in order to defend the statelet's independence against the unifying tide of Germany. Zorah's defense requires that Monk polish his image, refine his abrasive nature and interview some devious, scheming?and perhaps murderous?aristocrats. Was Friedrich poisoned? Was Gisela the intended target? Who profits? Are personal or political motives dominant? Perry indulges her characters in a bit too much unproductive speculation, but the novel springs to life in the courtroom scenes, where careful investigation and astute teamwork produce some astonishing revelations that presage the end of Victorian propriety and an era's pretense of innocence. Major ad/promo; Mystery Guild main selection; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.