In this 24th book in the 'William Monk' series, the Victorian police detective investigates a kidnapping. I'm a fan of the Monk novels and had high hopes for this book. Sadly, I was disappointed.😒
*****
Commander William Monk of London's 'Thames River Police' had a difficult past. A decades-old injury left Monk with severe permanent amnesia, a condition he had to hide to remain a police detective. Monk struggled to maintain the pretense, and even recovered snippets of memory, but his life was a rocky road. Monk persevered, however, and eventually married a fine woman named Hester and secured his current job.
As the story opens, a wealthy London builder named Charles Exeter requests assistance from the Thames River Police.
Exeter's wife Kate was abducted, and the kidnappers have demanded a large ransom for her return.
Exeter can put the money together, but is unfamiliar with the location chosen for the exchange - a filthy, dangerous, dilapidated slum called Jacob's Island. Since the river police are acquainted with the hellhole, Exeter would like them to escort him in.....and back out (presumably accompanied by his wife).
Monk selects five of his best men, and the six policemen and Exeter approach Jacob's Island in a couple of boats. Two men stay with the skiffs, Monk and Exeter approach the exchange location, and the three remaining cops stake out various exits.....in an attempt to trap the kidnappers.
SPOILER ALERT / SPOILER ALERT / SPOILER ALERT
(The rest of this review contains possible spoilers)
Things go shockingly wrong, however. The police are attacked, the money is snatched, and Kate is killed. 😖
Exeter is distraught, and the Commander blames himself for the fiasco.
What really eats Monk up though, is the certainty that one of his men is in cahoots with the kidnappers, who knew exactly where every cop would be stationed.
As the rest of the story unfolds, Monk makes it his mission to bring the kidnappers to justice and to expose the cop who betrayed him. Monk REALLY hopes the traitor isn't Officer Hooper - a man Monk considers his best copper and his friend - but Monk investigates everyone involved in the Jacob's Island operation.
This exposes a lot of secrets, including a hanging offense. And in that era, you could be tried and hung in a matter of days! 😵
Monk also confides in his wife Hester, an intrepid woman who nursed soldiers during the Crimean War, and opened a free clinic for prostitutes and indigent people.
Hester asks Will (Scuff) - a young man the Monks took in as a lad - to secretly obtain information about the 'suspected' police officers - to determine if one of them could be bribed or blackmailed.
Before long some clues about the abduction come to light: a London ruffian starts spending A LOT of money he should not have; and a young woman who works at a bank discovers irregularities in Kate Exeter's trust fund. All this puts the police on the trail of the kidnappers.....and leads to more murder and mayhem. 🔪
Additional characters in the book include Celia Darwin - Kate's plain, almost impoverished cousin; Maurice Latham - a lawyer who's the trustee of Kate's trust fund; Mr. Doyle - the manager of the bank that holds the Exeter accounts; Oliver Rathbone - an attorney and longtime friend of William and Hester Monk; Police Officers Laker, Bathhurst, Marbury, and Walcott - who went to Jacob's Island with Monk; and more.
Sounds like a good story, right? Unfortunately it doesn't pan out. These are some of the novel's flaws (IMO):
- The solution to the kidnapping is glaringly obvious, but Monk is uncharacteristically obtuse. He comes across as willfully blind to the truth.
- The cops are constantly mooning around and sporting 'expressions of pity' when they think about crime victims. Come on! They're in the law enforcement profession! Not where we want a bunch of wusses.
- Observations about the investigation are repeated ad infinitum, and slow the book to a crawl. The novel could have been shortened by half.
- Two characters 'fall in love' almost as soon as they clap eyes on each other. I don't buy this in ANY book, and it's especially odd in this context.
- A key witness commits perjury for a reason that doesn't make a lick of sense. 🙄
- Hester, who's usually a major character, makes only a token appearance - mostly to comfort her husband. I don't like her being relegated to this role.
For me these (and other) 'blemishes' detract from the book.
One thing the author does well is demonstrate the snobby attitude of the supremely arrogant 'upper classes' - who openly disdain anyone they think is 'below them.' I'm always happy to see these snotnoses get taken down a notch (or ten). 😁
If you're a big fan of the Monk stories you might want to read this book. Otherwise, I don't recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Anne Perry), and the publisher (Ballantine Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 2 stars
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