Execution Dock
The William Monk Series - Book XVI
by Anne Perry
Newly appointed as commander of the Thames River Police, Monk is determined to succeed where his
predecessor Durban failed, and catch Jericho Phillips. Monk knows that Phillips is an evil man
who runs a child prostitution ring and is guilty of the death of a young boy. Meanwhile, Oliver
Rathbone has been approached by his father-in-law to defend Phillips on behalf of an unknown third
party. Rathbone’s dazzling performance in court means that Phillips gets off, while Monk and Hester
are made to look incompetent and emotional. Rathbone has not reckoned with his erstwhile friend and
his friend's allies, for Monk is determined to get his man.
This is a book that hits the ground running and doesn’t stop until the final page. It even starts
with a chase scene, something most authors are content to leave until the end. Perhaps to its detriment,
it also uses one of the stock plots just about every long-running police series uses at some point,
the one where the protagonist discovers that his beloved mentor is not exactly the saint he thought he
was. Fortunately, there is a lot more in here than that, and even this cliché is given a fiery new
life that most writers could not hope to achieve. This is a very intense tale, stretching the talents
of all the characters to their limits and then some, while it deals with an unpalatable subject in a
way that gives it all the horror it deserves. Although parts of this book could stand a little editing,
I can highly recommend it as the sort of story Perry is justifiably famous for, and which leaves
standing most other writers attempting similar things. |
The Book |
Headline |
April 2009 |
Hardback |
075532062X / 9780755320622 |
Historical Crime / 1864 London, England |
More at Amazon.com
US ||
UK |
Excerpt |
NOTE: Deals with child pornography |
The Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed 2009 |
NOTE: |
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