Defend and Betray

One of the better Anne Perry books. Who would you die to defend? The confessed killer in this book does not seem to have a good reason to have killed her husband, but she did. Hester and Monk discover the truth. Side characters are well drawn, especially a young widow whom Hester is trying to help find something meaningful to do. The plight of women in those days is highlighted and is shocking-married women have no rights even to their own children, much less to property. From high society to the daily lives of the lowest classes, Anne Perry tells a great story and draws a most instructive picture of (fortunately) by gone times.

This series just gets better with each book. Anne Perry writes about this era with so much detail. You feel as if you are actually there and experiencing it yourself. In this book Monk is asked by Oliver Rathbone to try to find out the real reason Alexandra Corlyon has confessed to murdering her husband. Oliver Rathbone is magnificent in this book. We also meet his father, Henry. I also enjoyed the character of Major Tiplady, Hester's current employer. The courtroom drama at the end of this book is worth waiting for. When young Cassian Corlyon takes the stand, it is heartbreaking, but very well written. I am going to read "Sudden, Fearful Death" next and hope it is as good as this one.

This was a great mystery novel. I was totally shocked and disgusted by the motive for the murder. I stayed up till about 1 in the morning to finish reading this and then I couldn't sleep because I was so shocked. Needless to say, I did not fare well in school the next day. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery novel.

You might think that a confession in the first few chapters of a mystery novel would be a bad idea. Why keep reading? Anne Perry proves she knows best once again in this, the third novel in the William Monk series. Here we read on page after exciting page because we want to know WHY Alexandra Carlyon would murder her husband, Thaddeus.Fans of Anne Perry know that the author is fascinated with secrets, who keeps them, and why. Because this book focuses on disclosures in Alexandra Carlyon's murder trial, rather than a murder investigation per se, we are able to follow each labrynthine path that the author lays down. Did Alexandra murder her husband because of jealousy? Because she was in love with someone else? Or to protect someone she loved?This book is gripping and intriguing--a real page-turner. If you like Victorian mysteries and the modern TV series Law and Order you will love this book. Part detective work, part legal work, the case will keep you guessing!

Having read other Anne Perry novels (which really are of a high standard), I carried a high expectation of Defend and Betray. Although it is not a whodunnit, the court case at the end is as good as any Christie novel, as Victorian London is told with some relish

A wonderful Victorian novel from Anne Perry. After reading it you'll want to pick up the next in the series to find out what the detective and "his faithful sidekick" (my words, not hers!) are up to now. Not that you have to read these books in the order in which they are published - jump in anytime and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.