A bit slower than her later writing style, But still quite enjoyable. Monk is a secondary character who comes in-and-out of the narrative. Very nice exposition of how complicated the political situation he in central Europe was at the time.

A somewhat slower paced novel in the Monk series. Still a good read but I seemed to have to force myself onward, instead of the faster paced earlier books in the series which keep you reading. Still a must-read if you are a lover of Anne Perry. Her description of 1850's London, and in this novel also Venice, is so realistic you feel yourself in the midst of the horses and buggies and standing on a platform watching steam trains pull in...

Rathbone, having just earned a title from the Queen, could lose everything by taking on a case he shouldn't. Monk and Hester help pull him out of the hole he's gotten himself into. While sometimes Hester is slipped into a nursing position to help solve a case, here she has gotten a position on her own, which turns out to be related to Rathbone's case. As usual, there is a moral to the story. A neatly done story, with the typical spats among Rathbone, Monk, and Hester.

Perry's writing is generally great, but this book seems to lack conhesion in places. Still, a good, tense plot, and interesting story.