Customer Reviews

Dark Assassin: A Novel (William Monk Novels)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mysteries are deeper, villains more frightening when they're set in Victorian London. Anne Perry has proven this time and again with her William Monk series, and she does so once more with Dark Assassin.

Now a superintendent with the Thames River Police, Monk is on regular patrol near the Waterloo Bridge when he and his crew helplessly watch as a couple fall into the dark frigid waters. Did they think they had seen a struggle Was it a murder suicide or some grisly death pact?

The pair were young and in love, planning to marry. The man was Toby Argyll and the girl Mary Havilland. She had recently lost her father who worked for the Argyll Company, a mega firm involved in the building of what was purported to be a splendid new sewer system. However, Mr. Havilland had serious doubts about the efficiency of the proposed system. He voiced these doubts too often, Mary believed, and was murdered for his claims.

With Hester, his steadfast wife, by his side Monk begins to investigate the deaths of the young couple. There seems to be no question that there has been skullduggery at the Argyll Company, but who took the lives of Toby, Mary, and her father?

Shades of Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, Dark Assassin is a gripping listen as narrated by David Colacci who perfectly captures the voices of upper class Brits as well as the poor who labor beneath the city.

- Gail Cooke

It's true that this latest William Monk mystery novel is quite different from the previous ones in that instead of looking at one particular mystery plot from several different angles (one subplot that would've involved Monk's efforts, while another concentrated on Hester's and yet a third involved barrister Oliver Rathbone's contribution to the case), "Dark Assassin" is more of a "one-tone" mystery novel -- one sees things almost exclusively from Monk's point-of-view.

William Monk has a new job as a police inspector with the Thames River Police. It is position that he has accepted because of the job security that it offers and because the inspector that he's replacing, the deceased Inspector Durban, had recommended him for the job ("The Shifting Tide"). Monk, however, is finding it heavy going trying to fill the popular Durban's shoes, especially since he feels the guilt of having survived while Durban died, and because he feels as if the other policeman of the Thames River Police not only hold him accountable for having survived, but also question his competence. One evening, while on patrol, Monk and his team witness the questionable plunge onto the Thames by a young couple. Both die from the impact. However it remains unclear as to whether or not it was a suicide pact between the two, if one of them was trying to push the other off the bridge and was pulled along by the struggle, or if one was trying to end his/her life and the other was pulled along. Monk soon discovers that the dead woman was Mary Havilland, that her own father had committed suicide a few months before -- something that quite devastated Mary -- and that the man who feel off the bridge with her was her ex-fiance, Toby Argyll. Moved by the tragic deaths and unsure as to what happened, Monk resolves to discover what really happened on the bridge and to prevent Mary from having the fate of being declared a suicide. Strangely enough, Monk receives help from an unexpected quarter -- from his old foe, Superintendent Runcorn, who had investigated Mary's father death, and who is having second thoughts about Havilland's death. Will Monk and Runcorn discover anything that will help them prove that Mary had not committed suicide out of despair? Or will all this cooperation be in vain?

When I said that it was more of a "one-tone" mystery novel I meant that absent was the many tones and point-of-view that Anne Perry usually imbues her novels with, where the reader would be privy to how some of the characters viewed things (wrong-headed though they may be) and the pain and anguish that comes with the realisation as to where these views have led them or have wrought. "Dark Assassin" concentrated more on the subplot involving the investigation into the Havillands' activities (father and daughter) and Monk's new duties. And unfortunately, this time around Hester's contributions were confined mainly to her making a few social rounds as she tried to get the chief suspect's wife to testify against him. I rather missed the old Hester full of vim and vigour, ready to go out on a limb in order to help someone. On the other hand, this was a truly wonderfully absorbing read -- not very suspenseful one, it is true, but absolutely riveting nevertheless. And while I rather missed the skillful manner in which Ms Perry usually brought her multifaceted characters to life, the dark, urgent atmosphere of this novel -- those vividly rendered scenes in the nightmarish tunnels below the city where is everything is dank and damp for example-- more than made up for it. It is true that the pacing was slightly more sedate and a tad less breathless; but this was more because the novel moved between the Havilland case and Monk's other duties on the river than anything else. All in all though, "Dark Assassin" was an excellent read, and one that I enjoyed completely in spite of the fact that it was a little less compelling and darkly intriguing than previous installments. Only one thing truly confused me (and SPOILER ALERT here) I rather thought that during the Victorian period, if you were arrested on a criminal charge, you were remanded, which made the plot twist at the end a little problematical.

The death of Inspector Durban in The Shifting Tide leads William Monk to replace Durban with the Thames River Police as a debt of honor and to provide some much-needed income. As the book opens, Monk is shivering in the bow of a police boat during January as the boat slowly approaches Waterloo Bridge. Less than two hundred feet away, Monk spots a man and woman facing one another with passion . . . just before something terrible happens.

The unexpected event places Monk into an investigation that the Thames River Police would normally not pursue, much to the consternation of his new supervisor who is rightly concerned about a surge in river robberies. At the same time, Monk is having a hard time gaining control over his men and learning how to stop river crime.

As Monk pursues his investigation, he finds lots of loose ends that leave him dissatisfied. That, in turn, leads him to an uneasy alliance with his former friend and adversary, Superintendent Runcorn.

The loose ends all tie together into a trail that leads to the mad dash to create sewers to eliminate disease from London. Before the book ends, both Monk and Hester find themselves among the dank, dark underground rivers that crisscross London. You'll find as entertaining a crew of expert underground helpers as Charles Dickens ever produced for these adventures.

I was tempted to grade this as a five-star book, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do that after remembering how slowly the book develops after the initial scene. Certainly, from about the half-way point to the end, this is a five-star effort full of interesting plots, subplots and villains that you'll long remember.

I don't recall a book in this series that I've enjoyed more than the second half of Dark Assassin.

The unique nature of river crime promises more exciting stories to come in this fine series.

William Monk, now an inspector with the Thames River Police is on a routine patrol of the river when he watches helplessly as the bodies of a young man and woman fall from the Waterloo bridge. Even though Monk was an eyewitness, he has doubts about happened. Was the fall an accident, a deliberate push,or a struggle?

It's always a pleasure to read about Monk and his wife Hester. They are compelling protagonists and fully fleshed-out characters who have grown with each subsequent story. Anne Perry's plots rarely disappoint, and this one is no exception, but her real gift is the atmosphere and the sense of time and place that she evokes.

Dark Assassin is the latest in Anne Perry's series of novels featuring William Monk and Hester Latterly, now his wife. In this story, Monk has taken a job with the River Police. One night while out on the river with his men, he and his crew witness the deaths of a man and a woman off a bridge over the Thames-- what they cannot decide, however, is if they witnessed a murder, a suicide or an accident. The case affects Monk deeply as he is reluctant to allow the deaths to be ruled suicide if there is a possibility that another verdict can be made so the young woman, particularly, can be buried in hallowed ground. He becomes especially suspicious when he finds that the young woman's father supposedly committed suicide a few weeks before. To ivestigate the two deaths, he teams up with Inspector Runcorn of the London Police, who had been Monk's partner in Monk's former life.

Anne Perry excels at bringing Victorian England to life-- not just the romantic aspects, but the grittier reality of every day life. In this book she focuses on the building of the massive sewer tunnels beneath the city, and the life underground. Perry doesn't flinch at showing the seamier sides of life, and she takes great pains to constantly let us know how sheltered the middle class and above are from the living conditions of the people who labor to make their privileged lives possible.

So how does Hester fit into this story? She plunges right into it, as she, also, is disturbed at the idea of the young woman being wrongfully buried in unhallowed ground. It brings back memories of the suicide of her own father, many years before. However, she approaches it from another angle, by going to see the MP who is responsible for the tunnels being built under the City of London and making the suggestion that there is a safety issue involved. The MP and his wife are both decent people and his wife, especially, readily agrees to assist Hester in finding out the truth about the young woman's death.

The mystery in this book is not particularly extraordinary, and at the end it seems rather rushed-- which is a frequent problem in Anne Perry's books-- I like to have everything wrapped up in a neat little package with a bow on top, but I enjoy these books for the richness of the characters and the glimpse of a life that is very different from today's life, but in a lot of ways is still the same. It is a pleasure to see the return of young Scuff, and there is a hint that he may become a more regular character.

All in all, this is an enjoyable book; it's not the kind of mystery that you can just read and forget. but like all of Perry's books, it is designed to make you think, and it gives you plenty to think about.

I am a William Monk fan to the point that I like this series better than Perry's other two. Monk and Hester have a social conscience, a steadfast integrity, a deep committment to search for justice and truth no matter how difficult it may be. It is this that gives these books a depth that keeps the reader coming back for more.

Monk has a new job as superintendent with the Thames River Police. He is still uncertain in his new job, and is not sure how his men will take to him. In this mystery, Monk is on regular patrol near the Waterloo Bridge when he and his crew helplessly watch as a couple fall into the dark frigid waters. The freezing water and heavy clothes insures that no rescue is possible. Was it a murder/suicide, an accident or a death pact?

The two are identified as Toby Argyll and Mary Havilland, a young couple in love and planning to marry. Monk discovers that Mary's father is also dead, an apparent suicide. He worked for the Argyll Company, an important firm involved in the building of what is to be a splendid new London sewer system. Monk also discovers that Mr. Havilland had expressed serious doubts about the proposed system and he voiced these doubts. Mary did not believe her father committed suicide, she claimed he was murdered because of his vocal doubts about the sewer system.

Monk and Hester investigate the deaths of the young couple and in an unual twist, Monk receives help from his old nemisis, Superintendent Runcorn. Runcorn investigated Mary's father's death and is having second thoughts about it being suicide.

I gave "Dark Assassin" 4 stars instead of 5, because Perry does not have Hester as involved in this mystery as she has been in the past and her absence is noticeable. It also delves more on Monk's new duties and his uncertainties in his new job rather than on the subplots that are usual in his other novels. However, it is still an absorbing read and one which furthers our understanding of Victorian England society and Monk and Hester's place in it.

As the icy waters of the Thames claimed the lives of two Londoners, Inspector William Monk could not be sure, as it played out before his horrified eyes, what he really saw. He watched helplessly from his River Police vessel as the bodies of a young man and woman tumbled from the bridge. No one knows better the unreliability of eyewitness accounts than a policeman. Now, Monk is confronting his own uncertainty. Could the couple have been arguing and lost their balance? Was the man trying to toss her over, or did he try to save her and she pulled him over with her? Even Monk's subordinates who watched along with him do not agree on the details.

The police do know, however, that whatever happened, the new sewer construction seems to be at the center of it. The young woman's father worked deep in the tunnels for a company owned by her fiance's family. The word on the street is that the tunnels got to him, he couldn't take it any longer and he shot himself. But at the time of his demise, he was looking into the safety of the construction. A fortune stood to be made from the huge project, so if someone was making ripples, unscrupulous big business interests wouldn't hesitate to eliminate the "problem." And the daughter took up the cause where her father left off. Did she find out something that her betrothed was attempting to hide? Maybe the same thing her father had found out?

As the truth slowly comes to light through a great number of interviews --- both Monk's and Hester's, with a little help from their friends --- all three deaths start to smell fishy. And as for the sewers, well, the whitewashed reports of no serious injuries need to be reexamined, or the term "serious injuries" must be redefined. Tunnel work has never been rated among the safest occupations, so the optimistic lack of casualties smacks of a disturbing cover-up. Delving into the underground unearths a fiendish killer, and the deadly chase begins. If Monk doesn't watch every step, he may fall prey to the killer or, possibly worse, the tunnels themselves.

Anne Perry has created an extraordinary pair of sleuths: Hester, Monk's headstrong wife, a nurse who can boast of having worked with Florence Nightingale, and Monk himself, a superb investigator and a man of quiet strength, surprised by his passion for a woman of such fierce opinions. Their interactions with the Victorian world of 1860s London show the extent of society's evolution over the past 150 years.

Written convincingly in period prose and dialect, DARK ASSASSIN is a lively tale filled with action, compassion and, of course, mystery.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

Ms. Perry exposes us to a whole new world in Victorian England in this latest installment of the William Monk series. In it we see the dark reaches under the streets in the teeming sewers and byways of Victorian London. We also are treated to a wonderfully tight-knit plot that is a page-turner until the end. Ms. Perry keeps the tension tight and the plot even tighter. I love the William Monk series, and this is a fine example of what this series has to offer. We also get to see some great characters that she introduced in her last book - Sutton and his wonderful little dog Snoot and Monk's little friend Scuff, who I'm sure we're going to see more of in other books. I wait all year for the new William Monk book, and now that I've read this one, I'm back to waiting again.

Once again Anne Perry provides an interesting story while giving a look at life in Victorian England. How many of us know about the building of sewers and tunnels undergroun? William Monk has a new job and seems more settled. Hester is there again as her involvement in solving crimes increases. Perhaps this couple is beginning to blend with the Pitts, another married couple in another Perry series. The tension remains high and there are twists and turns that continue until the end. A good read for Perry fans. Charactors from the last book return and appear to be getting ready to be permanent.

First Sentence: "Waterloo Bridge loomed in the distance as William Monk settles himself more comfortably in the bow of the police boat."

William Monk is now an Inspector with the Thames River police. London is building a new sewer system after The Great Stink of 1858. While on boat patrol, Monk and his men see a couple arguing and both go into the polluted Thames which kills them. But what did they see? Was it an accident that became a fatal accident? A murder and the killer dies with the victim? A suicide and the man dies trying to save the woman? The woman's death is proclaimed a suicide. Monk doesn't believe anyone who was working so hard to clear her father's reputation, after he also died of a supposed suicide, and provide he was right in believing the way in which the sewers were being built was dangerous would take their own life. Monk even joins forces with his old nemeses, Superintendent Runcorn.

Ms. Perry continues to impress me with her writing. Her ability to take an historic event and build an interesting, suspenseful story around it is unsurpassed. She creates fascinating characters and makes them real; not only Monk and Hester, is wife, but Scuff, the street urchin who feels responsible for Monk, and Sutton the ratcatcher and his dog, Snoot. Each of the characters is brought to live and image under Ms. Perry's writing. I am always delighted to find the newest book by Ms. Perry.