I have been “hooked” on Anne Perry novels for a good while now. There are a number of reasons for this addiction. One reason I enjoy these novels as much as I do, is that AP is, to my way of thinking, a master at creating characters with depth to their personalities. This installment in the William Monk series is a prime example of that well-honed skill.Monk, a former police inspector and currently a private investigator for hire who has fallen on hard times financially, accepts an assignment to recover some missing ivory that was part of a shipment a man had imported to London. Monk is a bit out of his depth here because it means he will have to pursue his search for the missing cargo along London’s river district. Monks’ ability to blend in on the streets of the city, do not translate to the area of the river’s edge. It, therefore, requires him to enlist the aid of several of the denizens of the district in order for him to accomplish his assignment and garner the promised reward. Meanwhile, Hester, Monk’s wife, is involved with a clinic for women in something of a red light district of London. Hester is a nurse by training, primarily gaining her expertise during the Crimean war. She along with a well to do young woman named Margaret, have set out to administer medical aid to the street walkers of the area who really have no place to go to recover from the myriad ailments that afflict them. During one fateful evening, the gentleman who has hired Hester’s husband to find his missing shipment of ivory, brings a very sick young woman to Hester’s clinic and pays for this young woman to be taken care of by Hester and Margaret. The young woman appears to be suffering from a serious case of pneumonia, but when she dies, Hester discovers that the woman has died of suffocation and also a disease way more deadly than pneumonia.This is the set up for what follows. Before all is said and done in this well crafted mystery, Hester and Monk’s professional world will intertwine resulting in them being separated for an agonizing stretch of time for both of them. I recognize I have left you hanging. There is much to enjoy within the pages of this story. Favorite characters from previous episodes appear in this novel and that made it all the more enjoyable for me. But, as I stated earlier in this review, AP’s skill at characterization brings a variety of personalities to life and as their creator, imbues them with human qualities that make them, humble and charitable on the one hand, and in one or two cases, the epitome of greed and avarice on the other.
This is the first Anne Perry book I have read. I thought the plot moved too slowly. Too much time devoted to the events at the clinic. Monk just got short shrift and found the ivory too easily. It could be argued that he had bigger fish to fry finding the reason for Hodge's death. The characters were interesting. I liked the rat catcher and his dog the best but found it a bit unbelievable that he stayed on at the clinic. I loved Scuff, the young wharf rat, as he reminded me of some of Dickens' wily youngsters. Hester was an admirable soul in her dedication to helping the women of the street even though it was unpopular to do so by the people in the strata of society she once frequented. The description of the setting at the clinic and at the waterfront was well done because it made me feel the bone-chilling cold, the unrelenting dampness and the bleakness of the places. Add to that the hopelessness of the victims in the clinic and the illegal trafficking of goods around the wharves ..... all made for a very depressing setting. AP did a great job here.
What do You think about The Shifting Tide (2005)?
This is my first Anne Perry - and I am glad to have discovered a writer who has what promises to be several good series waiting for me to read. This one was a notch above the usual period detective story. The protagonists were touchingly vulnerable and there is a strong sense of social justice at the core of the story.Where Perry excels is dialogue - both the cant of the underclass, and the oppressively constrained conversations of their social betters. It's vivid and unstrained and once you get your eye in, you can hear it leap off the page. I also appreciated her unromantic view of the Victorian era - This is a hard cruel world, and there is a sense of dread hanging over all the characters. I look forward to chasing up the rest of this series and reading them in order!
—Graham Crawford
So many events happen and new people are introduced in this book. Lady Callandra has decided to marry Dr Beck and the two of them are headed to Austria. Sir Oliver Rathbone has discovered his love of Margaret and has asked her to marry him. Monk has taken a case that involves the river and a different class of people. Monk also meets and forms a friendship the Scruff and the River Police. Hester faces grim facts when she discovers that one of the woman under her care died from the Black Death. The clinic must be guarded and no one can leave, and all stand the chance of contacting the dreaded disease. As usual, Perry does an excellent job in describing the setting and the characters. The reader can feel the panic and fear. Again, Perry drives home the fact that many will willingly donate money to help the "heathens" in Africa, but will ignore the "fallen" women suffering in London.
—Debbie Maskus
Another masterpiece by Anne Perry. What I like about her books is the development of characters that like our own lives has different people coming and going in our lives. We also change jobs just like Monk seems to have had happen. This way she can continue her series by keeping it new. I will have to admit I will miss Lady Callandra and am kind of jealous for Hester with the relationship between Margaret and Sir Oliver. But again that's life!!! Can't wait to read what is next for these characters!!
—Melinda Mobley
