Blood on the Water: A William Monk Novel by Anne Perry
Genre: Historical Mystery;
Publisher: Ballantine Books (2014);
ISBN: 978-0345548436.
Although I missed a couple of the latest books in the William Monk series by Anne Perry, I was sent this one in exchange for an honest review and was excited to get back on the horse, so to speak.
As usual, Perry takes us deep into the lives of William and Hester Monk in 1856 London. A large pleasure boat explodes on the Thames, right in front of William and his deputy. Many people are killed or injured, and the city is outraged. The resulting investigation is taken away from the River Police, which seems either a very foolish or very political decision… or both.
Of course, William doesn’t let that stop him. He begins an undercover investigation of his own. As is usual in the Monk series, the questioning and research seem to drag a bit, but the story itself was interesting enough to keep my interest. It all leads up to last-minute denouements and a seat-of-your-pants revelation in the courtroom.
Favorite characters are back, including the adopted son, the shamed barrister, and the staff at the woman’s shelter, all of whom help to add color to the story.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and know that long-time readers of this series won’t be disappointed.