Slaves of Obsession: A William Monk Novel

“WHEN IT COMES TO THE VICTORIAN MURDER MYSTERY, NO ONE CAN TOP PERRY. . . . THIS IS ONE OF HER BEST.”– San Francisco Examiner “LUXURIANT . . . IT’S E. M. FORSTER SPLICED WITH THOMAS HARRIS. . . . PERRY IS A MASTER.”– The Baltimore Sun “SCENES ARE BRILLIANTLY ETCHED . . . [Perry is] the most adroit sleight-of-hand practitioner since Agatha Christie.”– Chicago Sun Times Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. "We are invited to dine with Mr. and Mrs. Alberton," Hester said in reply to Monk's questioning gaze across thebreakfast table. "They are friends of Callandra's. She was to go as well, but has been called to Scotland unexpectedly.""I suppose you would like to accept anyway," he deduced, watching her face. He usually read her emotions quickly,sometimes with startling accuracy, at others misunderstanding entirely. On this occasion he was correct."Yes, I would. Callandra said they are charming and interesting and have a very beautiful home. Mrs. Alberton is halfItalian, and apparently Mr. Alberton has travelled quite a lot as well.""Then I suppose we had better go. Short notice, isn't it?" he said less than graciously.It was short notice indeed, but Hester was not disposed to find unnecessary fault with something which promised to beinteresting, and possibly even the beginning of a new friendship. She did not have many friends. The nature of her workas a nurse had meant that her friendships were frequently of a fleeting nature. She had not been involved with anygripping cause for quite some little time. Even Monk's cases, while financially rewarding, had over the last four monthsof spring and early summer been most uninteresting, and he had not sought her assistance, or in most of them heropinion. She did not mind that, robberies were tedious, largely motivated by greed, and she did not know the peopleconcerned."Good," she said with a smile, folding up the letter. "I shall write back immediately saying that we shall bedelighted."His answering look was wry, only very slightly sarcastic.They arrived at the Alberton house in Tavistock Square just before half past seven. It was, as Callandra had said,handsome, although Hester would not have thought it worth remarking on. However she changed her mind as soon as theywere in the hallway which was dominated by a curving staircase at the half turn of which was an enormous stained glasswindow with the evening sun behind it. It was truly beautiful, and Hester found herself staring at it when she shouldhave been paying attention to the butler who had admitted them, and watching where she was going.The withdrawing room also was unusual. There was less furniture in it than was customary, and the colours were paler andwarmer, giving an illusion of light even though in fact the long windows which overlooked the garden faced towards theeastern sky. The shadows were already lengthening, although it would not be dark yet until after ten o'clock at thistime so shortly after midsummer.Hester's first impression of Judith Alberton was that she was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She was taller thanaverage, but with a slender neck and shoulders which made more apparent the lush curves of her figure, and lent it adelicacy it might otherwise not have possessed. Her face, when looked at more closely, was totally wrong forconventional fashion. Her nose was straight and quite prominent, her cheekbones very high, her mouth too large and herchin definitely short. Her eyes were slanted and of a golden autumn shade. The whole impression was both generous andpassionate. The longer one looked at her the lovelier she seemed. Hester liked her immediately."How do you do," Judith said warmly. "I am so pleased you have come. It was kind of you on so hasty an invitation. ButLady Callandra spoke of you with such affection I did not wish to wait." She smiled at Monk. Her eyes lit with a flareof interest as she regarded his dark face with its lean bones and broad-bridged nose, but it was Hester to whom sheaddressed her attention. "May I introduce my husband?"The man who came forward was pleasing rather than handsome, far more ordinary than she was, but his features wereregular and there was both strength and charm in them."How do you do, Mrs. Monk," he said with a smile, but when courtesy was met he turned immediately to Monk behind her,searching his countenance steadily for a moment before holding out his hand in welcome, and then turning aside so therest of the company could be introduced.There were three other people in the room. One was a man in his mid forties, his dark hair thinning a little. Hesternoticed first his wide smile and spontaneous handshake. He had a natural confidence, as if he were sure enough ofhimself and his beliefs he had no need to thrust them upon anyone else. He was happy to listen to others. It was aquality she could not help but like. His name was Robert Casbolt, and he was introduced not only as Alberton's businesspartner and friend since youth, but also Judith's cousin.The other man present was American. As one could hardly help being aware, that country had in the last few monthsslipped tragically into a state of civil war. There had not as yet been anything more serious than a few uglyskirmishes, but open violence seemed increasingly probable with every fresh bulletin that arrived across the Atlantic.War seemed more and more likely."Mr. Breeland is from the Union," Alberton said courteously, but there was no warmth in his voice.Hester looked at Breeland as she acknowledged the introduction. He appeared to be in his early thirties, tall and verystraight, with square shoulders and the upright stance of a soldier. His features were regular, his expression politebut severely controlled, as if he felt he must be constantly on guard against any slip or relaxation of awareness.The last person was the Albertons' daughter, Merrit. She was about sixteen, with all the charm, the passion andvulnerability of her years. She was fairer than her mother, and had not the beauty, but she had a similar strength ofwill in her face, and less ability to hide her emotions. She allowed herself to be introduced politely enough, but shedid not make any attempt to pretend more than courtesy.The preliminary conversation was on matters as simple as the weather, the increase in traffic on the streets and thecrowds drawn by a nearby exhibition.Hester wondered why Callandra had thought she and Monk might find these people congenial, but perhaps she was merelyfond of them, and had discovered in them a kindness.Breeland and Merrit moved a little apart, talking earnestly. Monk, Casbolt and Judith Alberton discussed the latestplay, and Hester fell into conversation with Daniel Alberton."Lady Callandra told me you spent nearly two years out in the Crimea," he said with great interest. He smiledapologetically. "I am not going to ask you the usual questions about Miss Nightingale. You must find that tedious bynow.""She was a very remarkable person," Hester said. "I could not criticise anyone for seeking to know more about her."His smile widened. "You must have said that so many times. You were prepared for it!"She found herself relaxing. He was unexpectedly pleasant to converse with; frankness was always so much easier thancontinued courtesy. "Yes, I admit I was. It is ...""Unoriginal," he finished for her."Yes.""Perhaps what I wanted to say was unoriginal also, but I shall say it anyway, because I do want to know." He frownedvery slightly, drawing his brows together. His eyes were clear blue. "You must have exercised a great deal of courageout there, both physical and moral, especially when you were actually close to the battlefield. You must have madedecisions which altered other peoples lives, perhaps saved them, or lost them."That was true. She remembered with a jolt just how desperate it had been. It was as remote from this quiet summerevening in an elegant London withdrawing room, where the shade of a gown mattered, the cut of a sleeve. War, disease,shattered bodies, the heat and flies, or the terrible cold, could all have been on another planet with no connectionwith this world at all except a common language, and yet no words that could ever explain one to the other.She nodded."Do you not find it extraordinarily difficult to adjust from that life to this?" he asked, his voice was soft, but edgedwith a surprising intensity.How much had Callandra told Judith Alberton, or her husband? Would Hester embarrass her with the Albertons in future ifshe were to be honest? Probably not. Callandra had never been a woman to run from the truth."Well I came back burning with determination to reform all our hospitals here at home," she said ruefully. "As you cansee, I did not succeed, for several reasons. The chief among them was that no one would believe I had the faintest ideawhat I was talking about. Women don't understand medicine at all, and nurses in particular are for rolling bandages,sweeping and mopping floors, carrying coal and slops, and generally doing as they are told." She allowed her bitternessto show. "It did not take me long to be dismissed, and earn my way by caring for private patients."There was admiration in his eyes as well as laughter. "Was that not very hard for you?" he asked."Very," she agreed. "But I met my husband shortly after I came home. We were . . . I was going to say friends, but thatis not true. Adversaries in a common cause, would describe it far better. Did Lady Callandra tell you that he is aprivate agent of enquiry?"There was no surprise in his face, certainly nothing like alarm. In high society, gentlemen owned land or were in thearmy or politics. They did not work, in the sense of being employed. Trade was equally unacceptable. But whatever familybackground Judith Alberton came from, her husband showed... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Among Anne Perry's other novels featuring investigator William Monk are A Breach of Promise, The Silent Cry, Cain His Brother, Defend and Betray, Weighed in the Balance, and most recently The Twisted Root. She also writes the popular novels featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, including Bedford Square, Pentecost Alley, Traitors Gate, The Hyde Park Headsman, Highgate Rise, and Ashworth Hall, which was a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. "Her grasp of Victorian character and conscience still astonishes," said The Cleveland Plain Dealer about the author. Hundreds of thousands of readers agree. Anne Perry lives in Scotland. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From AudioFile In London in 1861, British gun manufacturer Daniel Alberton is approached by representatives of both sides of the US Civil War and asked to sell hundreds of guns to one or the other. When Alberton is found murdered, suspicion falls on the Northerner, who also has a relationship with Albertson's daughter. Narrator Simon Jones creates a complex tapestry of unique accents--from London's refined and Cockney variations to Union crispness and Confederate drawl. Female characters fare less well, though his careful coloring of protagonist Inspector Monk is essential in clarifying the puzzling conflicts in Perry's fast-paced story. Jones excels at the controlled but tension-filled dialogue of the courtroom interrogations. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Slaves of Obsession moves from Victorian England to the United States on the brink of the Civil War, evoking not only the nuances of the English class system but also the fierce passions and partisan loyalties that ignited the bloodiest conflagration in American history. When Daniel Alberton, a well-born arms merchant, asks private enquiry agent William Monk to investigate an extortion attempt, the former policeman is thrust into a conflict between competing Americans, Lyman Breeland and Philo Trace, who have come to London to purchase guns for the Union and Confederacy forces respectively. Bound by honor to complete the sale of a trove of weapons he has promised to Trace, Alberton refuses Breeland's plea to change his mind. Breeland is championed by Merrit, Alberton's 16-year-old daughter, who makes an impassioned argument for the anti-slavery position. Then Alberton is brutally murdered and the arms shipment stolen, and Merrit elopes with Breeland. Monk and his wife Hester are dispatched to America to retrieve the young woman and bring her seducer back to England to face a murder trial. Hester, who was a nurse in the Crimea, comports herself admirably on the battlefield at Manassas while Monk searches for Breeland and arrests him amidst the carnage. But once back in England, Monk's investigative efforts cast doubt on Breeland's guilt and point to a killer closer to home. Hester Monk emerges as a fascinating character in her own right. Her relationship with the enigmatic William, whose fragmented recollections (of who and what he was before the accident that erased most of his memory) still haunt him, is thoughtfully evoked. As usual, Perry handles the secondary characters with brio. Breeland, in particular, becomes in the author's capable hands a man whose obsessive devotion to the Union cause underscores his inability to return Merrit's love. As Hester tells the infatuated young woman, "To see the mass and lose the individual is not nobility. You are confusing emotional cowardice with honour.... To follow your duty when the cost in friendship is high, or even the cost in love, is a greater vision, of course. But to retreat from personal involvement, from gentleness and the giving of yourself, and choose instead the heroics of a general cause, no matter how fine, is cowardice." This sixth entry in the Monk series evokes the era in which it is set with a fine eye for details of dress, manners, décor, and culture, while skillfully unfolding the emotional and intellectual depths of both William and Hester, whose well-honed intelligence makes it clear that she, too, deserves a series of her own. --Jane Adams --This text refers to the perfect edition. From the Inside Flap Three Cassettes, 5 hoursRead by Simon JonesThe year is 1861. The American Civil War has just begun, and London arms dealer Daniel Albertson is becoming a very wealthy man as emissaries from both sides of the conflict rush to purchase his wares. The quiet dinner party held by Albertson and his beautiful wife seems remote indeed from the passions rending America. Yet investigator William Monk and his bride, Hester, sense growing tensions and barely concealed violence in this well-appointed mansion. For two of the guests are Americans, each vying to buy Albertson's armaments.Philo Trace, the Southerner, is both charming and intelligent, but a defender of slavery. Northerner Lyman Breelove is a disturbing blend of political zealot and personal reserve--to whom Albertson's teenage daughter has pledged her heart. Soon Monk and Hester's forebodings are fulfilled. For within this group, one is brutally murdered in a cruel ritualistic fashion, and two others disappear--along with Albertson's entire inventory of weapons.Slaves of Obsession twists and turns like a powder keg fuse as Monk and Hester track the man they believe to be a cold-blooded murderer all the way to Washington D.C. and the bloody battlefield at Manassas. Yet finally, in a hushed London courtroom scene, Anne Perry holds her readers breathless and spellbound while Sir Oliver Rathbone fights to defend the innocent . . . and perhaps the guilty . . . from the hangman's noose. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal The latest in Perry's Victorian mysteries featuring William and Hester Monk takes the reader from British drawing rooms and courtrooms to American Civil War battlefields and the docks and depths of the Thames River. Vividly describing all of these settings, Perry weaves an intricate tale of love, greed, slavery, and murder. William Monk, agent of enquiry, is employed to discover who is blackmailing respectable merchant and arms dealer Daniel Alberton. Monk soon finds himself investigating Alberton's murder, however, and looking for the murderer on the battlefield at Bull Run. Full of unexpected twists and revelations, this intriguing and satisfying mystery is one of Perry's best. All public libraries will want to purchase it to satisfy the author's many fans.DJean Langlais, St. Charles P.L., IL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the perfect edition. From Publishers Weekly At the start of Perry's latest Victorian page-turner (after The Twisted Root), London-based private detective William Monk agrees to attend a dinner party at the lush home of arms dealer Daniel Alberton only for the sake of his wife, Hester. Hester, who served as a nurse with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea, is as gregarious as her husband is reserved. At the party, the Monks meet a volatile cast of characters, including Daniel's wife, Judith, a half-Italian beauty devoted to her husband and their 16-year-old daughter, Merrit. Daniel clearly adores Judith, as does her cousin, Casbolt, her husband's dapper partner in the arms business. Merrit, however, is blinded by passion for Lyman Breeland, a tall, thirtyish American who has come to England to buy guns for the Union Army. When Breeland's handsome Confederate counterpart, Philo Trace, appears unexpectedly at the end of dinner, Daniel admits that he's selling guns to Trace rather than Breeland because Trace asked first. Later, after Daniel turns up dead and Merrit runs off to America with Breeland, Monk and Hester follow, landing with Trace in the thick of the first battle of Bull Run. Monk brings Breeland back to London to stand trial for Daniel's murder, only to have doubts before the ship docks. Rich in period detail and ripe with an understanding of the agony of unrequited love, Perry's heated tale is marred by a subplot involving blackmail and pirates that never pays off. In addition, patches of overwriting will flag the villain to astute readers. 10-city author tour. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the perfect edition. Read more