Sins of the Wolf (William Monk Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Anne Perry (Author)

Book Description

Series: William Monk Novels | Publication Date: August 30, 1995

"Perry [has two] strengths: memorable characters and an ability to evoke the Victorian era with the finely wrought detail of a miniaturist."
--The Wall Street Journal
Nurse Hester Latterly finds herself well-suited for the position: accompany Mrs. Mary Farraline, an elderly Scottish lady with delicate health, on a short train trip to London. Yet Hester's simple job takes a grave turn when the woman dies during the night. And when a postmortem examination of the body reveals a lethal dose of medicine, Hester is charged with murder--punishable by execution.
The notorious case presents detective William Monk with a daunting task: find a calculating killer amongst the prominent and coolly unassailable Farraline clan. Since Hester must be tried in Edinburgh, where prejudice against her runs high, there is little that the highly skilled barrister Oliver Rathbone can do to help. He can only try to direct her Scottish lawyer from the frustrating sidelines, and pray that Hester will not be sent to the gallows....
"When it comes to the Victorian mystery, Anne Perry has proved that nobody does it better."
--The San Diego Union-Tribune
A MAIN SELECTION OF THE MYSTERY GUILD
AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE LITERARY GUILD

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Perry staple character Nurse Hester Latterly is accused of murdering and robbing a patient.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The doyenne of Victorian historicals (The Hyde Park Headsman, LJ 3/1/94) offers another mystery masterwork in the William Monk series. After nurse Hester Latterly's elderly charge dies on the train from Edinburgh, the police charge her with murder via an overdose of heart medication. Hester is innocent, of course, so Monk hastens to Edinburgh for a background search of the family who originally hired Hester. Back in London, lawyer Oliver Rathbone prepares to defend Hester but must defer to the Scottish courts. As always, Perry's measured, literate prose and strict attention to every detail of custom, location, and culture result in pure reading pleasure.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804113831
• ISBN-13: 978-0804113830
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Perry is the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels, including Dark Assassin and The Shifting Tide, and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels, including The Cater Street Hangman, Calandar Square, Buckingham Palace Gardens and Long Spoon Lane. She is also the author of the World War I novels No Graves As Yet, Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, At Some Disputed Barricade, and We Shall Not Sleep, as well as six holiday novels, most recently A Christmas Grace. Anne Perry lives in Scotland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hester Latterly Charged with Murder, July 2, 2000

By 

drdebs (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sins of the Wolf (William Monk Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

When Hester Latterly, a former Crimean War nurse, takes on a brief assignment between jobs to assist an elderly Scottish woman from Edinburgh to London she has no idea that when they reach their destination she will be charged with murder. Despite the best efforts of her friends private detective William Monk and lawyer Oliver Rathbone, she is put on trial in Scotland. You will enjoy following the twists and turns in this 19th-century "Law and Order"-type mystery as the skilled Anne Perry takes you from investigations to trial procedures without ever missing a beat or hitting a false note.

Perry's Monk mysteries are a bit darker and more psychologically thrilling than her more well-known Pitt series of mysteries, but devoted fans of the Pitts will recognize the skilled plot and character developments, the labrynthine twists and turns of the investigations, and the focus on scandals and secrets.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating, well-plotted mystery., January 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sins of the Wolf (William Monk Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Anne Perry has done well on the bestseller lists every time her books have come out. After reading this book, I can see why. This is an incredible, breathtaking book. Hester Latterly has been accused of killing an elderly woman in her charge on a train from Edinburgh to London. Things get progressively worse for her when a private detective who is a close collegue of hers comes up with very little to prove her innocence, but a light at the end of the tunnel does eventually appear. Anne Perry brilliantly describes England and Scotland with vivid detail. She even brings the village she lives in in Scotland, Portmahomack, into it. There is a great deal of psychological detail, but keep reading. The end left me with my mouth hanging open. One of the very best historical mysteries I have read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the William Monk series, February 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Sins of the Wolf (William Monk Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

William and his barrister friend Oliver come to the aid of Hester, whose latest charge died in her care, and the family is accusing her of their matriarch's murder. William and Oliver must go to Scotland, where Oliver isn't authorized to practice law, because that's where the trial is. The courtroom drama is as good as those in Scott Turow's and John Grisham's novels. Who framed Hester, and why? That's what William's about to find out. . .

The three friends face life and death together here, and you can truly feel the bond that's been established among them. Though they don't always like each other, their loyalty and valor in helping one another makes this series a real delight. A great read all the way around