In this surpassingly excellent historical and psychologically intricate mystery, the fourth to feature ``inquiry agent,'' William Monk, former policeman in Victorian England, Perry ( Defend and Betray ) makes deft use of history to cast additional light on modern-day issues. After determining, with sorrow and anger, the identity of the man who raped a young woman in the garden house of her sister's home, Monk investigates the fatal strangling of a dedicated young nurse in a London hospital. Hired by his benefactress, Lady Callandra Daviot, who sits on the hospital's Board of Governors, Monk discovers in the victim's letters suggestions of a broken relationship with Dr. Herbert Stanhope. Stanhope is arrested for the murder and engages counsel Oliver Rathbone to disprove his guilt. Rathbone, in turn, asks Monk to continue his probing of the murder. Unconvinced of Stanhope's innocence but ``sure there is more to the story than we have discovered so far,'' Monk agrees. Aided by his friend, nurse Hester Latterly, and by Lady Callandra, Monk probes the murky, limited strata of women in Victorian society, realms that are harshly illuminated during Stanhope's lengthy, riveting trial. The plot follows a dark and twisting course as Monk and the others, including Rathbone, attempt to ferret out the facts of the case and serve both truth and justice. 50,000 first printing; author tour; Mystery Guild selection. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

William Monk ( Defend and Betray ) investigates the terrible rape of a woman in a garden and the strangulation of another in a London hospital. Wonderful Victorian backdrops, memorable characters, and vivid courtroom drama from a master craftswoman. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/93. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

YA-Another Perry mystery that highlights the frustrating status of women in Victorian England. The story hinges on society's low opinion of nurses and of both single and married women who seek abortions. A talented nurse is found strangled, and Inspector Monk and his friends, a nurse and a lawyer, follow the clues to see that the murderer will hang. It is difficult to decide which element is the author's true forte-the details of everyday life or the suspenseful courtroom dialogues. The plot has many twists and turns. Readers may suspect some of the answers, but surprises continue right until the last page. The opening chapters place readers in a subplot that provides background on different characters. The shift in the action is slightly confusing as these people are rarely mentioned again. However, Perry fans will not be disappointed, and newcomers will be entertained by a good mystery as they enter the world of Victorian high society.-Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The pace is initially leisurely as Perry not only builds up the facts in the case but also paints a detailed and authentic picture of Victorian England. The novel features a "private inquiring agent" named William Monk, who has "starred" in previous books and now is called on by a proper London lady to discuss the attack upon her sister in their backyard summerhouse. As Monk brings that situation to its conclusion, he gets involved in another, the murder of a nurse at a local hospital. What the two crimes have to do with each other represents a thick series of threads that Perry takes her time to weave together, but when the action moves into Old Bailey for a trial, the reader (the kind who may like Robert B. Parker but not only Robert B. Parker) finds his or her interest tightly woven into the plot. Sure to be in demand, sure to please. ~--Brad Hooper

William Monk, tough, unhappy ex-policeman hero of several of the author's Victorian-era novels (The Face of a Stranger, etc.), is almost peripheral in this one. It concerns the murder of strong- willed Prudence Barrymore, a gifted nurse of good family, with heroic service in the Crimean War behind her. Working now in London's Royal Free Hospital, mostly with prominent surgeon Sir Herbert Stanhope, she is found, strangled, in a hospital laundry chute. Monk is hired by Lady Callandra Daviot, on the hospital's board of governors, to try to find the killer. He enlists the help of old friend Hester Latterly, another dedicated nurse, who takes a job in the hospital, hoping to ferret out useful information. Her efforts are largely unproductive, and matters seem hopeless until evidence comes to light that puts Sir Herbert on trial for the murder. A series of courtroom scenes full of unexpected zigs and zags help redeem the many, many ponderous chapters that have gone before--weighed down with Monk's inner reveries, mini lectures on downtrodden Victorian woman, and lots of stately chitchat. Ambitious but overblown. (First printing of 50,000)