Customer Reviews

Weighed in the Balance (Windsor Selections S)

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

 

 

I started on Anne Perry by recommendation of a friend, and loved the Monk series. At the time, "Twisted Root" had come out a few weeks before, so I read through the first nine to get caught up.

My first impression of "Weighed" was "What?" There was just nothing really grabbing at my attention about slander. True, Friedrich *may* have been murdered, but it didn't have the immediacy of the others.

But of course, I was reading through it sort of quickly to get caught up, and this *was* after I had finished the entire Pitt series and was a bit annoyed with how it got sort of bogged down after about eight books...

So I picked up "Weighed in the Balance" again a few months ago, and really read it. I was surprised at how different it seemed now that I considered it, and after I had read the later books too.

Granted, slander just doesn't grab you by the throat and demand your attention. I had the same initial problem with "Breach of Promise."

This re-reading also took place after my European history class had covered Germany in the nineteenth century, so I also had more historical perspective this time and could understand the German principalities and their concerns better.

This book is more subtle and slower-moving than some. But I still think it's a good entry into the Monk series. All along, I kept thinking "Gisela couldn't have done it--Zorah's toast!" But the reasoning for it made sense--it was well developed.

It was surprising and great to see emotionally corseted Oliver Rathbone take a risk and take up Zorah's cause. Though if you read, he sounds a little attracted to her...hmm! His development as more than the dry, skillful barrister was great to read. I never saw Oliver as really having passions and emotions before this--granted, there's been some gentle and sort of half-hearted courting of Hester, but after this book, it was possible he might actually get the girl in the end. At least, it evened the odds more!

Monk also gets some development here--glimpses into his past. He also is romantically disillusioned yet again by Evelyn von Seidlitz. After Imogene, Hermione, Drusilla, and now Evelyn, it's possible he's actually gotten a romantic *clue*! Throughout the books, Perry keeps him slowly learning about himself and romance, and what he really is and what he wants. Even if some of us feel like giving him a good smack for being such an emotional duffer sometimes! ;-)

The idea of the Cinderella couple gone wrong is interesting--most wouldn't dare to touch on something so exalted as royalty. Even in writing fiction today, besmirching those who were once considered "chosen by God" to rule is somewhat taboo.

I reiterate that I still don't find it quite as gripping as some of her other Monk novels, but this one is more subtle and dark. It covers the lengths one may go to in order to save their good name and image in an era where honor and reputation were practically deified. It's got probably some of the *biggest* bits of character development in the series, "Sins of the Wolf" probably having the most *significant*. Not her best Monk novel, but still superb and not to be consigned to the shelves at all!

This book focuses on the political machinations of a small German realm prior to the unification of Germany. Most of the action is set in either Victorian England or Venice. The plot revolves around a slander suit against Countess Zorah Rostova by Princess (a courtesy title) Gisela. The countess has publicly accused the princess of murdering her husband, Prince Freidrich. The official cause of death was internal bleeding, following a riding accident.

The book develops from the perspectives of Ms. Rostova's barrister, Sir Oliver Rathbone, private investigator, William Monk, and his friend, nurse Hester Latterly. The countess is threatened with financial ruin, and Sir Oliver's career is on the line. Ultimately, the defense takes the tack of trying to prove that a murder has taken place. That search goes into unexpected areas.

The handling of the trial is masterly, and will please those who stick with the story that long. Much of the rest of the book is slow-going with little happening either in the way of character development or plot advancement. It often seems like filler.

If the book had focused on just the trial, this could have been a five star novella. If reduced to that area, there still would have been a few problems. The author never adequately explains why Sir Oliver and the countess faced financial ruin if the suit was lost. Barristers lose suits all of the time. Unless a plaintiff can prove substantial economic damages and malice, slander is not going to cost the defendent very much beyond the defense. Also, if this suit was so risky, it is not obvious why Sir Oliver took the case.

The trial has a great strength of doing some marvelous character development with the princess through the testimony that she and others provide. This was a virtuoso accomplishment because the princess is kept well hidden until then by her public image of being one-half of one of Europe's most romantic couples.

The book has some interesting things to say about what happens after you get your wish. I suggest that if you do read the book that you consider the potential downsides of what you wish for, as well.

Find the truth!

Anne Perry takes William Monk--and us--to the uppermost of the upper-crust in Europe: the royalty. There William flirts with a rich and powerful lady of the court while trying to find something--anything--that will help Oliver win the toughest court case of his career. He discovers that in his pre-amnesiac days, he had a taste for the good life. My, my. Meanwhile, back in London, Oliver realizes he's definitely bitten off more than he can chew. What was he thinking when he agreed to defend the beautiful, bewitching Zorah of her slanderous charge against Princess Giselda? Win or lose, his career will never be the same again. I honestly don't know what these guys would do without Hester. The woman has more common sense than the two of them put together. Why doesn't one of them see what a gem she is?? Maybe in the next book Oliver will at least take her in as an associate and start paying her for her advice! Meanwhile, put on the teakettle, break out the cookies, and enjoy this lighter-than-usual Perry production. .

This is not your usual Anne Perry, which is not an endorsement but more of a warning. From almost the very beginning of the story the author browbeats you with the one clue that if you know anything about flowers you will know who did the crime and how. There is very little suspense and no character development and by the end you couldn't care less if the beautiful (an adjective repeated constantly) Countess Zorah Rostova did the crime or not.

Referencing the audio version, the narrator does an admirable job with the narration and the male voices but he wasn't very good when it came to portraying the female characters lending a, if not intended, comedic slant to the book.

This book focuses on the political machinations of a small German realm prior to the unification of Germany. Most of the action is set in either Victorian England or Venice. The plot revolves around a slander suit against Countess Zorah Rostova by Princess (a courtesy title) Gisela. The countess has publicly accused the princess of murdering her husband, Prince Freidrich. The official cause of death was internal bleeding, following a riding accident. The book develops from the perspectives of Ms. Rostova's barrister, Sir Oliver Rathbone, private investigator, William Monk, and his friend, nurse Hester Latterly. The countess is threatened with financial ruin, and Sir Oliver's career is on the line. Ultimately, the defense takes the tack of trying to prove that a murder has taken place. That search goes into unexpected areas.

The handling of the trial is masterly, and will please those who stick with the story that long. Much of the rest of the book is slow-going with little happening either in the way of character development or plot advancement. It often seems like filler.

If the book had focused on just the trial, this could have been a five star novella. If reduced to that area, there still would have been a few problems. The author never adequately explains why Sir Oliver and the countess faced financial ruin if the suit was lost. Barristers lose suits all of the time. Unless a plaintiff can prove substantial economic damages and malice, slander is not going to cost the defendent very much beyond the defense. Also, if this suit was so risky, it is not obvious why Sir Oliver took the case.

The trial has a great strength of doing some marvelous character development with the princess through the testimony that she and others provide. This was a virtuoso accomplishment because the princess is kept well hidden until then by her public image of being one-half of one of Europe's most romantic couples.

The book has some interesting things to say about what happens after you get your wish. I suggest that if you do read the book that you consider the potential downsides of what you wish for, as well.

Find the truth!

I've read the accusation that Perry can be too predictable, but each recent book has had something a little new. She has a great sympathy for people's weaknesses; she never paints a character totally good or evil, but allows for depth, humor, pathos, and a touch of romance. Her presentations of women's roles 100 years ago are great reminders of how far we've come, and still have to go. And yet, this was a delightful read for relaxing

Talk about giving the ending away in the first chapters--it was, as my sister Becky says--fore-clobbering. I agree with one reviewer who said if you know anything about flowers (I just didn't know which of the many possibles until the last few pages) you get the ending early on. I do enjoy learning history from this series, but I didn't care about tiresome German kingdom-states politics of the 1800s. The narrative was tedious to say the least. Try another in this series and skip this one.

Private inquiry agent William Monk is becoming something of a traveler; a couple of books ago, he went off to the wilds of Scotland on a case, and this time he takes his investigations to Venice and Germany. (From the enthusiasm with which she describes the city, I suspect the author must have visited Venice herself and gotten hooked on it.) Other than that, there's a certain Ruritanian element to the story this time. Oliver Rathbone, recently-knighted defense attorney, takes the case of a countess from a minor German state who has slandered the widow of the recently deceased husband by insisting she murdered him, and who is now facing a ruinous civil action. It's the great love story of the age, the crown prince who gives up the throne for the woman he loves, choosing to live in exile in Venice and Britain, still convinced a dozen years later that his people will invite him back. Monk investigates on Rathbone's behalf, searching for evidence of the defendant's claim, and uncovering apparent proof that the prince was in fact murdered -- but the widow is the only one who could *not* have done it, which doesn't help the countess. (I didn't find the argument for murder really very convincing, however.) Meanwhile, Hester is nursing a young man who is slowly recovering from what sounds like polio and who has lost the use of his legs. She brings in a damaged young woman from a previous book as a morale-boosting visitor and the two (naturally) develop a closer relationship. Monk finds himself ensnared by the comfortably idle lives of the rich (it's a weakness with him, especially regarding the women he meets), Rathbone agonizes over whether he was a fool to take on an impossible case, and Hester kibitzes both of them while pursuing her matchmaking. Unfortunately, Perry rather pulls the solution to the mystery out of a hat in the last couple of pages with no carefully dropped clues for the reader. And this is at least the third Monk novel in which the story line turns on botched abortions (which has to make one wonder whether Perry is anti-abortion rights today, using the lack of medical skills in the mid-Victorian period to make a specious case).

The story itself was not so bad, but what I really disliked about this story was learning Monk had no trouble with having an affair with a married woman. I really felt as if this detracted from this story.

I actually haven't read this book yet; however, I absolutely love Anne Perry and haven't read a bad book of hers yet and don't expect to.