A Breach of Promise (William Monk Novels)

by Anne Perry

1999

Status

Available

Publication

Ivy Books (1999), 384 pages

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: In a sensational breach-of-promise suit, two wealthy social climbers are suing on behalf of their beautiful daughter, Zillah. The defendant is Zillahâ??s alleged fiancé, brilliant young architect Killian Melville, who adamantly declares that he will not,cannot, marry her. Utterly baffled by his clientâ??s refusal, Melvilleâ??s counsel, Sir Oliver Rathbone, turns to his old comrades in crimeâ??William Monk and nurse Hester Latterly. But even as they scout London for clues, the case suddenly and tragically ends, in an outcome that no oneâ??except a ruthless murdererâ??could

User reviews

LibraryThing member mckait
I did not expect to like this book as well as I did. I chose it for a bit of
fast read fun. It has also been a while since I took on anything Victorian.
The books begins with a young man who was a gifted archetect, Killian Melville,
seeks out Barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone, to defend him in court
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against the charge of Breach of Promise.
The defense is that Killian has never actually asked for the hand of Zillah, a beautiful
young lady, in marriage. That he knew that marriage plans were being made but that
he never thought it was his own wedding being discussed.

Rathbone was at first disinclined to take the case. He simply thought Melville was a fool and a cad!
Something though, convinced him. Something about the honesty of the way Melville presented himself
convinced the Barrister to defend him. Thinking that the odds of winning this case were slim to none,
Rathbone asks his long time friend and investigator William Monk to aide in the endeavor.

But this is not the only story. Gabriel Lambert was wounded badly and in fact disfigured in the war in India.
Hester Latterly, a friend of both the Barrister and the Investigator is a woman who served valiantly in the Crimea n
War, has been asked to be a live in nurse and caregiver for Lambert. His young wife Perdita is distraught and frightened and has no skill in caring for someone with injuries, and needs such as her husband has
brought home with him.

This is a ripping good story, a mystery whose solution will have you leaping out of your comfy chair
and shouting you cannot mean it! And the back story is of how women were thought to be nothing
more than ornamental, and unable to learn or accomplish anything more than keeping a home and their men happy. I really liked this one. I will certainly read more in this series.
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LibraryThing member CatieN
Good historical mystery-William Monk series
LibraryThing member corglacier7
The 9th entry in the William Monk series, this one definitely picked up the pace from the last few entries. The case had a few melodramatic aspects, but Monk's exploration of the stark reality of a woman's place in mid-Victorian England, and the price paid for defying that convention, dovetails
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very neatly with significant steps in his romance with independent-minded ex-nurse Hester Latterly, and new awareness of the man he's become in the last few years. One of the best character books in this series.
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LibraryThing member krisiti
A brilliant woman architect, disguised as a man, finds herself engaged to another woman... I think that any other author would have made that plot a comedy, but I didn't even think of laughing until I read that summary.The subplot with the deformed children was also nicely handled, and dovetailed
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well with the main one - perhaps a bit too coincidental, but mysteries often are.How did Dolly lean so much about poisons?
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LibraryThing member moontyger
Most of the plot twists in this mystery were pretty obvious, but I enjoyed it anyway. I don't always mind knowing the solution in advance; it is interesting to see how the author gets us there. (And I think, after a certain number of mysteries read, it gets harder and harder for an author to truly
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surprise the reader.)

My one criticism is that, somehow, all 3 main characters in this novel have quite modern sensibilities when it comes to gender and homosexuality. Yes, it makes them easier to like, but I can't quite escape the feeling that it's not particularly realistic. I know; I know - I'm not usually much on reading books with protagonists I don't like either. It's always an issue with period books. I'm not complaining, exactly, but I really couldn't escape the feeling that it was awfully unlikely.

I also felt that the ending was curiously incomplete; it felt as though there were more story to tell, but the book just stops and I'm not sure why. All right, you've found the evidence, but now what? I guess we're just supposed to assume, but in the case given in the book, I found that inadequate. I'd like to know what happened.
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LibraryThing member delphimo
This is a quite interesting story based on beauty and appearance. There are several stories within this book: the disfigurement and loss of an arm of an English soldier during the uprisings in India, two deaf and facially disfigured orphaned sisters, and the superb beauty of a young lady. The
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breach of promise begins a trial that has Sir Oliver Rathbone at a loss as to how to defend his client. The story takes many twists and turns that would ruin the fun for the next reader. The story points to the problems of women during this time in England's history. Hester Latterly defies tradition and shines as a woman dependant on no man. But this defiance carries a dear price. I am anxious to read the next novel of this series. Usually an author seems to become mundane as a series progresses, but Perry seems to improve with each story.
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LibraryThing member jamespurcell
A Victorian Mystery that is so compelling that it was impossible to put down. I read it in one afternoon. Some non Victorian attitudes about women and leaps of faith in some of the subplots, but it worked.
LibraryThing member N.W.Moors
Oliver Rathbone takes on a breach of promise case. The young man, Killian Melville, involved insists he didn't ask the woman to marry him, but her family is suing anyway. Monk must investigate since no one understands why Melville won't marry the beautiful and eligible heiress. Meanwhile, Hester is
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nursing a soldier, a survivor of the Indian mutiny badly wounded in a street brawl afterward.
I've been reading the Monk books in order and I think this is the best one yet. The storylines are strong and meld together at the end in a very satisfactory manner. More than the mysteries I enjoy the way Ms. Perry writes about Victorian society and this book covers both attitudes toward women of that era and the way in which the deformed are treated.
Having finally resolved his relationship with Runcorn in the last book, Monk is now free to deal with his own feelings. He's mellowed some over time and is finally ready to confront his true feelings toward Hester.
Another great book in this series.
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LibraryThing member macthekat82
I love how Anne Perry delves into the hypocrisy of the Victorian area. The way women was treated as possessions and as if they were minors - their total disempowerment. How she pushes us into the dark underbelly of London. But also how she shows us the beauty of the art, architecture and fashion.
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And of course she keep me up past midnight again and again with her stories and mystery. The sneaky lady had me thinking I knew what the plot was and when let that part unfold 70 % into the book and takes us on another mystery for the last 30 % of the book. Sneaky and very effective. I am very tired today because I stayed up way past my bedtime to read the end of this book.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1997

Physical description

384 p.; 4.2 inches

ISBN

0804118558 / 9780804118552

Barcode

1600196
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