Cain His Brother

Anne Perry really out did herself in this one. Keeps you guessing up to the end.

I love Anne Perry's ability to twist and wind through a story and keep you hanging until the last pages. I also love her well researched novels that offer such exsquisite detail about Victorian London, especially the class differences (particularly in this book). Unfortunately I found the conclusion of this novel truly unoriginal and disappointing. The result it ended with was a thought that had ocurred to me earlier in the novel, but I doubted it just because of the lack of inspiration it required. I am more fond of the Monk/Latterly series than the Pitts series, and "Cain..." is one of the better stories among the Perry novels, but I would definitely read it knowing in advance that the ending doesn't compare with the rest of the story. If you want a truly excellent Anne Perry book, read "The Face of a Stranger" (the first Monk/Latterly novel). A great read.

William Monk is hired by Genevieve Stonefield to find her missing husband, Angus. He was last seen visiting his twin brother Caleb, who lives in Limehouse; the destitute part of London. Monk must find Caleb, but no - one is willing to talk. Just who is Caleb, and why is everyone so afraid of him. Monk must face some of his own private demons and realises that even the simplest things can be more complicated than he ever imagined. Another brilliant novel from Anne Perry.

This book holds your attention from the very start. Victorian London is re-created in exquisite detail by Perry, and the characters are described in such a way that you feel like you know them. The book contains several interesting plots and a surprise ending.