It’s been quite a while since I’ve read an Anne Perry novel and I won’t wait so long next time! I truly enjoyed reading this book. Before I review I want to say that I was attracted to the book by both the description of content and the cover. Then I found out it is the 3rd is a series for these main characters, and while it was definitely a good read as a stand-alone, I know that I will go back to read the first two. That being said, this genre and time-frame where the story takes place has always been interesting to me. Murky parts of London, people trying to survive in less than good conditions, and descriptions of the characters who make this place their home. This story revolves around a man, Monk, who is the commander of the Thames River Police, and the men who work with and for him in this treacherous job. He is called upon to help a “man of means” whose wife has been kidnapped and a very pricey ransom must be paid for her return,. But the kidnappers have added some very specific directions that will lead Monk and his men into a very dangerous situation, with disastrous results. And then Monk has to determine who he can trust, and who betrayed him. I enjoyed the development of the characters of the story and learning the stories behind the men in his command. This is definitely a book i would recommend to readers. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and publishers in return for an honest review, which this was.

One cold and foggy evening, William Monk’s peaceful evening at home was interrupted by a knock at the door. The caller was Sir Oliver Rathbone, a lawyer and good friend of Monk’s. He came to Monk for help with a kidnapping. His client’s wife, Kate, had been kidnapped and the kidnappers had demanded a ransom be paid in exchange for Helen’s release. Monk was immediately sympathetic with the husband, Harry Exeter, because his own wife, Hester, was kidnapped once. Monk vowed to help Exeter deliver the money and get his wife back. At the drop off location, however, things went terribly wrong.

Let me first say that I haven’t read an Anne Perry book that I haven’t liked. Anne Perry is a master storyteller, and she doesn’t disappoint with this latest installment of the William Monk series.

This book can be read as a standalone novel, but in order to truly appreciate Perry’s character development, you should read these books in order.

Perry has a knack for allowing the reader to see into each character and to empathize with what they are going through. Right away, her superb writing does a prodigious job of expressing the despair that Exeter and Monk are feeling. That despair grows and grows as the novel progresses. In particular, Monk’s agony over the botched drop off, and his doubts about his men, weighs heavily on him and grows as the story unfolds. The reader’s desire to see this weight lifted also grows at the same time. We also learn more about some of the other recurring characters.

Perry’s character evolution does not interfere with the development of the plot. It is riveting, realistic, and keeps the reader guessing. There are sub-plots within the main story that all merge together to form a coherent and complex story which in turn leads to the answers of many questions.

Like many of Perry’s other books, this novel ends shortly after the climax of the story. This is not a negative attribute of her books, but some people are surprised by how abrupt the endings are.


Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #DarkTide Rising

Anne Perry has done it again!! I’ve always enjoyed both her series, but I’m addicted to Monk and Hester. I can’t think of another series that manages to provide spot on portrayals of so many different aspects of Victorian London. From the darkest, wettest slums to the most elegant homes with ordinary life in between, the reader sees it all. This time I especially enjoyed learning more about Monk’s colleague Hooper and seeing even a brief glimpse of an adult Scuff now Will. With all that’s happening in today’s world, being able to travel back in time with fascinating characters helps put everything else in perspective. Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for giving me access to the ARC in return for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2531863214

This was the first time I'd read one of Anne Perry's novels, and I was excited to get the opportunity with an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was a little concerned I might be late to the party, with this being #24 in the series, but the author provided enough background information about the characters and their relationships so I didn't really need to have read the previous books to follow the story.
Her writing is splendid, and she did a good job of evoking Victorian London. I could feel that cold winter wind blowing off the Thames.
The story opens when Monk is called to facilitate a ransom payment for a kidnapping. Wealthy businessman Harry Exeter asks for assistance from the river police to deliver payment in exchange for the release of his wife, Kate. But the mission goes terribly wrong; Exeter and the police are ambushed, the ransom money is collected, and Kate is tragically killed. Exeter appears devastated, and Monk blames himself.
Worse, the only explanation is that one of Monk's men betrayed their position. A good bit of the story is spent agonizing over who might be the traitor, and what dark secrets each man might harbor that would cause him to sell out his colleagues. Some of the agonizing is repetitious, which slows the plot down in places.
Every time they get a lead in the case, someone else gets killed.
There are some good twists toward the end, which picked up the pace and made this a satisfying read.

4 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first Commander William Monk book I've read, and although this is the 24th book in this series, I was able to enjoy the book without having read any of the other books. There was enough information given about the characters to understand what was going on, even if I didn't perhaps know all of the relevant information.

In this book, Commander Monk is asked to assist a distraught husband whose wife has been kidnapped and ransomed. Monk agrees to help the husband drop the money off to the kidnappers and retrieve the wife. When the hand-off goes horribly wrong and the wife is murdered and the money stolen, Monk fears that one of his own men betrayed their plans and caused the wife's death.

As Monk tries to find the traitor in his ranks, and solve the murder of the wife, he discovers a twist that implicates the wife's husband in the plot. The danger increases as murders pile up and Monk anxiously tries to unravel the mystery before more people die.

This was an entertaining historical fiction mystery. I liked the characters, the setting and will definitely read more books in this series.

Murder Most Foul

Character matters, and the strength of ties of trust is tested fully in this latest William Monk novel. I've not read the whole series but find myself wanting to as they are all so wonderfully wrought and, although any relevant information from previous tales is properly glossed, it cannot contain the richness of detail from the full story. Although a secondary character, Monk's wife Hester is a very strong woman who served with "Miss Nightingale" in the Crimea. Like the American Civil War, huge advances in medical practice were made among the bloodshed, disease, and appalling conditions of the battlefields, and the men and especially the women, many of whom were gently reared, all came home with horrific memories and varying levels of PTSD. They were also left to cope with it pretty much on their own because one simply did not discuss such topics. This book, as do the others, reflects the depth and breadth of research on any number of topics from river geography and slum conditions to police and court procedures. And against this background our current story is set in all its intricacy of plot and character development. Although you may think you've figured out "whodunnit," the final twists will keep you guessing until the end. Another better-than-five-star achievement!

This was my first book in the series and as I was unfamiliar with the characters it was a bit confusing. The storyline and plot could have contained a bit more mystery. Just not my cup of tea I guess. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First Sentence: Monk sat beside the fire and felt the heat seep through him.

Kate, the wife of property developer Henry Exeter, is kidnapped during an outing with her cousin, Celia. Exeter is told his wife will be killed if he doesn't deliver a large ransom to Jacob's Island, one of the worst slums in London. William Monk, Head of the Thames River Police, and three of his best men go along to deliver the ransom. When Monk and his men are attacked, it's clear they were expected. Not only do the kidnappers escape, but Kate is found brutally slaughtered. How well does Monk really know his men? Did one of Monk's men betray their plans to the kidnapper?

Perry creates a palpable sense of urgency. She overlays that by establishing the dangers involved and providing a strong suspicion to taunt the reader with the question as to who can be trusted. One can almost sense Perry smiling as she takes readers along with her.

There is wisdom in Perry's writing which can see as being appropriate to today—"The raving madman is perfectly easy to recognize. It's the one who believes he's good, that all he does is justified, who is hard to see. The one who is in the center of his own universe is the real danger."

Perry doesn't simply introduce one to the characters. She enables one to see inside them, helps one understand and often like them, as with Hooper and Celia. Those who follow the series will appreciate seeing how Will, aka Scruff, has developed. The relationship Monk has with others; his wife Hester, his men, and particularly with his former boss Rathbone, says so much about the character. Because of that, one can sense his pain at thinking one of his men may have betrayed him and the other men.

Redemption, in ways both large and small, is an important theme in Perry's writing. Her thoughts on grief are something with which many can identify and empathize, as are Monk's self-doubts. It is things such as this which make the characters both interesting and real. She brings characters in from earlier books, but always in such a way that new readers are not confused.

It is lovely, and a nice distraction, watching as a relationship develops. The conversations between the two characters are delightfully done.

Perry's descriptions create wonderful visual images—"He thought about broad estuary skies and birds on the wild winds, white gulls, skeins of geese with their wings creaking. There was no other sound like it." She is a lyrical writer—"I love numbers, Mr. Monk." She was looking at him again. "That may seem to be a strange thing in a woman, but they have a beauty, when you understand them. They are utterly without emotion, yet they have music in them, and reason, and occasionally humor."

"Dark Tide Rising" is not a light, comfortable read, but it is a very good one. There is violence, danger, anger, and an increasing body count. Perry even captivates readers with an excellent Victorian version of "Law and Order" as truth will out and justice have her day.

DARK TIDE RISING (HistMys-William Monk-England-Victorian) - VG
Perry, Anne
Ballentine Books - Sept 2018

Set in 1871, William Monk, Commander of the Thames River Police is called upon by his friend, the prominent lawyer, Sir Oliver Rathbone to assist a client whose wife has been kidnapped. If you haven’t met them before you will be introduced to his squad of River Police as well as his wife, Hester and a few other notables in Monk’s life. Mystery, murder, betrayal, love and despair find their way into this story.

I am a novice in the William Monk series, and without any previous background I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Anne Perry is a consummate mystery writer, weaving this story with twists, turns, and subplots. She paints an accurate depiction of London in the latter part of the nineteenth century with a particular eye for the swamp that was the Thames River. I would not hesitate to read other in this series.

Thank you Random House- Ballantine for a copy.

*** 3.5. Stars ***
It's 1871. Sir Oliver Rathbone, a long-standing friend and colleague, appears on Commander Monk's doorstep, past dusk of a cool evening, with a solemn countenance and a proposition. The wife of Rathbone's high-profiled client, Harry Exeter, has been kidnapped and ransom's been set. Exeter will do what he must to procure the means to pay off the ransom and procure his wife's freedom. However, the payoff is to be made on a seedy island in the Thames, unfamiliar to Exeter and so he therefore requests the assistance of the Thames River Police to accompany him and guide him to the correct spot at the appointed hour. With tricky tides, an island with dilapidated housing and vast detritus, what could possibly go wrong?...and when it all does, no stone will be left unturned as The Thames River Police search every angle and smallest clue to right the wrong done to Exeter's wife.

Author Anne Perry is a tremendously talented writer. Her prose is elegant and highly atmospheric as she delivers another good Commander Monk police procedural. My only disappointments were in having guessed the perpetrator early on and finding the ending rather abrupt. I much prefer a gentle easing of the tension following its apex in any story. It just felt as though the author ran out of time on her exam and had to instantly cease writing and close the exam book. Perhaps this sudden ending was eased prior to publication. I leave that to you, dear reader, to decide.

I am grateful to author Anne Perry, publisher Penguin Random House and Netgalley for having provided an uncorrected proof eBook file of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Synopsis (from publisher's website):
When a ransom exchange turns deadly in the latest mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry, Commander William Monk faces an unthinkable possibility: betrayal by his own men.

Local businessman Harry Exeter doesn't want the aid of the Thames River Police in tracking down the men who kidnapped his wife, Kate. He only asks them to help him navigate Jacob's Island, a creepy mass of decrepid buildings where he will hand off a large sum of money in exchange for her life. But when they arrive at the island, Commander Monk and five of his best men are attacked from all sides, and Monk is left wondering who could have given away their plans--and why anyone would want Kate Exeter dead.

As Monk follows leads from Kate's worried cousin and a clerk at the bank where Exeter gathered the money to pay the ransom, it seems more and more likely that one of his own men has betrayed him. Delving into their pasts, he realizes how little he knows about the people he works with every day, including his trusted partner Hooper, the one colleague Monk has always been certain he can count on. Even as they identify one of the kidnappers, the case runs into hurtle after hurtle, causing Monk to choose between his own safety and the chance to solve the case--and figure out where his men's loyalty really lies.

I am blown away by this novel. Phenomenal is not a worthy enough term for this book. This was my first Anne Perry novel and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. What I found was a Victorian mystery that kept me guessing. What I loved the most in this Anne Perry novel was that I never expected the outcome.

I’m fairly new to books by Anne Perry but what I have read so far, I have enjoyed. “Dark Tide Rising” is the first in the William Monk series that I have read.

The plot was interesting as well as the characters. The characters are extremely well-rounded but makes me want to go back and read the earlier books to see where they came from to get to this point.

The plot, while interesting and well-written included a “whodunnit” that I found fairly easy to solve. I read a lot of mysteries, so that may be why it proved to be so. The caliber of the writing and the characters more than made up for my guessing the ending so soon.

In going through the book, I found it easy to follow. While I don’t feel you need to read the whole series and that the book can be read stand-alone, the book contained information that are a tad bit of spoilers for the earlier books. I’ll let a little time go by and hopefully forget some of those clues, then I’ll go back and read the earlier books with a fresh mind.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Anne Perry presents us with a murder before too many pages have elapsed in “Dark Tide Rising”, the 24th William Monk novel. She is rather more stingy in handing out suspects, so the reader-detective has to read carefully to evaluate the truthfulness of the main characters. In this latest entry into the series, Monk seems more tired than usual, and endures his usual unease when confronted with the secrets of his closest colleagues. “Dark Tide” is a very readable entry in this long running series.

Adult reading although nothing too bad for middle school. Exeter comes to Monk for help in ransoming his wife from kidnappers who want to meet in the worst Thames slum. Things go badly and even worse, Monk's team is under suspicion by each other. I figured this one out pretty early, but the writing is so good that I didn't mind following to the end.

I have been a fan of Anne Perry’s excellent Victorian mysteries for many years. She writes intricate plots, gives us characters of emotional depth and complexity, and is a master of detailed description. Dark Tide Rising is the 24th entry in her William Monk mystery series.

In 1871 London, successful developer Harry Exeter’s wife Kate has been kidnapped. Monk is asked to gather a team to back Harry up in the ransom exchange for Kate’s safe return in flooding tunnels under the decaying warehouse slum on Jacob’s Island in the Thames. Everything goes terribly wrong in the vile wet labyrinth – Monk’s team is attacked, Kate is killed, the money is taken, and it seems apparent that one of Monk’s men has betrayed them.

It’s a promising opening for a taught mystery, but for me it loses interest after the ransom failure.
From here on the book seems to be mostly a plodding description of Monk’s feelings of self-doubt, guilt and betrayal, almost to the point of his inability to take action in solving the crime. He is uncomfortable investigating members of his team to uncover the traitor. A lot of time is spent on everyone’s secrets, which of course leads to more suspicion and no solutions.

There are some potentially interesting developments which fail before yielding results. And tense courtroom scenes follow when the wrong man seems to have been arrested by another police team brought in to assist. The actual investigative work is rather limited, and Monk seems lacking in leadership and insight. The eventual unraveling of the true details of the crime has essentially nothing to do with his skills. And disappointingly, we see only gratuitous small appearances by Monk’s wife Hester and their adopted son Scuff, now a young man who goes by the more adult name of Will.

There are a few new flashes of Monk’s missing memory, keeping alive the promise that he may one day be whole again. Personally, I hope Hester, and especially Will, can play a greater role in future books. I’m sure those invested in the Monk series will want to read this one, but for me it's not up to the other offerings in the Monk series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for a Digital ARC of this book, which I received in return for an honest review.

Twenty-four books in this series and still going strong. This is a series set in Victorian London and it has all of the glory and grit of its time. This entry is no exception. Monk is Commander of the Thames River Police and that, alone, is a grim police beat. Edgy and bleak and downright ugly. Because nobody of any proper social standing would ever venture there, when property developer, Harry Exeter, needs to deliver a ransom to recover his kidnapped wife, he turns to Sir Oliver Rathbone. Rathbone, in turn, goes straight to Monk. Jacob's Island cannot be breached alone nor with any usual police presence. Monk hand picks his team and the plan is to save Exeter's wife Kate, not to worry about the ransom nor the kidnappers. Jacob's Island is a rabbit warren of buildings ready to fall over into the river mud, covered in alleys and tunnels, all at the mercy of the relentless tidal Thames. Their window of opportunity to rescue Kate is fraught with danger from both man and river. Sad to say, Kate does not survive and Monk looks at his men, trying to figure out which of these men, who he trusts with his life, would betray the team. Anne Perry is deft at drawing characters and stories that bring into sharp focus the vast chasm between the social classes of the Victorian era. Monk may be a copper but he is the best and, when paired with his wife, Hester and Rathborn, this villain with soon dance at the end of the gallow's rope.
More deaths occur, the puzzle grows more tangled and a man will hang from the gallows if Monk can't find the solution. Time, just like the tides of the Thames, is not on his side. Part police procedural and part court room drama, Anne Perry has crafted another excellent mystery for Monk. I do wish, however, that Hester had been on stage longer. She and William are a wonderful team, both in marriage and in sleuthing.
There is no doubt in my mind that I will want to read the next in the series.

Dark Tide Rising by Anne Perry, I have not read many of this authors books but I can see I need to read more from this series. Really good, interesting characters that make it easy to read and hold my interest, that being said this was a bit slow in some places but all in all a solid read and one I did not regret spending my time on! Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC book and give my honest opinion.

I received an ARC free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of Anne Perry's, I love the Pitt series and the Monk series. This is the 24th in the William Monk series, Dark Tide Rising, and it does not disappoint. The wife of a wealthy man has been kidnapped. He is contacted to bring the ransom to a place on the river that is barely there when the tide is out. He contacts Monk who knows that area. They deliver the money, are attacked, and the wife is killed anyway. So sets up the most twisty mystery yet. Was there a betrayal? If so, who did it? I kept going back and forth trying to figure out the culprit, and was absolutely stunned when it was revealed.
The only problem I had was not enough Hester.
Great exciting read. Looking forward to the next book.

I enjoyed this latest In the Monk series. One of my favorite parts of this series is the character development. It’s a bit like peeling an onion, each book gives us a little more insight into the main and supporting cast. I enjoyed Runcorn’s return.

This is the first Monk story I have read and I found it enjoyable. I particularly liked the aspect of having to investigate your co-workers. I will put the other Monk stories in my TBR pile. I recieved a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.