Another excellent story by Anne Perry in the Monk series. There are a few mysteries about Monk's past that are not explained in this book—the reader is expected to understand those parts of the character already, and as this is the first of the series I've read, it did leave me hanging a bit, but didn't spoil the progression of the story in any way.

Anne Perry does a great job taking the reader into the atmosphere of Victorian England on the banks and in the water of the dirty and dangerous Thames. Monk is the commander of a river police force that is enlisted to escort a wealthy businessman to pay the ransom for his kidnapped wife, but the plan is betrayed and no one is above suspicion as the betrayer.

This one kept me guessing until the very end, and has made me an Anne Perry reader! Must have more Monk!

This was not a favorite of mine. I seemed have gotten bogged down with much of the storyline and characters.

My thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine Books for this advanced readers copy.

Set in Victorian England, Anne Perry has a gift for bringing the sights, sounds, and brutality of that era to her readers. I have always liked Jack the Ripper type books complete with the mystery of who he actually was and whether he has been identified. The William Monk series is well-written and has a plot complicated enough to hold my attention and always has a twist at the end. This one is no exception, it was engrossing from beginning to the end. Each of her books may be read as a stand-alone, but I would start at the beginning of this series and read them all!

Anne Perry has delivered yet another well-plotted mystery featuring Inspector Monk and his band of Thames River Police. If you are a fan of the Monk series, this will not disappoint. If you haven’t read Monk, the nice thing about Perry’s series is that you can pick it up in the middle and stillunderstand what’s happening. Then, you will go back and read them all. Recommended.

William Monk, the head of the River Police, was asked to accompany Harry Exeter, a wealthy man, when Exeter paid a ransom for his wife Kate. Kate and her cousin, Celia, had been out on one of their frequent walks when a well dressed man approached Kate and began to chat with her. Celia gave them some privacy and was soon separated from her cousin by a group of walkers. When the group moved on, Kate was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually the ransom note was delivered to Harry. The kidnappers told him that he could have one person accompanying him to the treacherous Jacob’s Island where he would exchange the money for Kate. Monk had experienced the kidnapping of his wife months before. So he agreed to a company Exeter. When the two men got to the agreed spot, they were attacked. Exeter was able to give the kidnappers the bag with the ransom money only to find his wife slashed and dying.

Monk was convinced that the kidnappers had insider knowledge of the rescue attempt. The only people who knew how Monk and his small group had planned the exchange were the members of that group and Exeter. Monk was convinced that one of the policeman in the group had betrayed them. So he put all his energy into finding the traitor as well as Kate’s murderer.

This is one of 24 books in a popular series about the Victorian policeman who worked on the River Police on the Thames River. The author’s description of the river and the surrounding area very colorful. The reader feels like he is right next to the characters. She also creates characters who are complex and who have had profound experiences which impact their actions in every story.

Anne Perry's latest William Monk book, Dark Tide Rising, is a tautly paced murder mystery that does not disappoint the reader. Set in 1870's London, it shows both the genteel lives of some characters, and the devastatingly poor and desperate lives led by many in the lower classes, though all classes of people have their good and bad, even evil, members, which this book portrays so vividly. Monk, who lost his memory so many years ago, is put to the test when a kidnapped woman is brutally murdered, and when the husband is arrested, does his best to prove the man's innocence. Of course, no Perry book ends that smoothly and quickly, and l literally could not put this ARC down till the very end. Another winner from Perry!

An Anne Perry mystery is always worth reading, even if it isn't her best. I think this one falls into that category. The story starts out well A rich businessman's wife has been kidnapped and Monk has been asked to help get the money delivered and the woman safely returned. Unfortunately, things go badly wrong and Monk has to find the culprits, as well as who of his men might have been involved. Perry's secondary characters are well-rounded and have depth, so the reader is also vested in finding out who did what. Unfortunately, the book bogged down in the middle, with a lot of discussions about suspects that didn't seem to lead to much action. One would have expected more in-depth investigation than seemed to be going on. Things did pick up towards the end and there were some twists that gave the reader the edge-of-your-seat suspense Perry's readers have come to expect. I also figured out who the culprit was immediately and found Monk's complete lack of suspicion somewhat hard to believe. I give this one 4 stars because I can't give it 3 1/2, which is really what it deserves.

Dark Ride Rising
by: Anne Perry
William Monk, commander of the Thames River Police, is called in to assist in the shocking kidnapping of a prominent businessman's wife. An enormous sum is demanded for the woman's safe return. Frantic to implement the terms demanded, the distraught husband strikes a chord in Monk's emotions as Monk relives his own wife's kidnapping in the past. The victim's husband has a short time to raise the ransom money, and an even shorter window to make the exchange. The kidnappers chose a dangerous section of London slum called Jacob's Island where rotting buildings and high tides prove precarious for saving the woman's life.
Three people are murdered by the kidnappers who fear the authorities are getting too close to their identity before Monk is able to solve the complicated case.
Ms. Perry does not disappoint in Dark Tide Rising. The plot takes many twists and turns, but is believable. A riveting court scene where justice is finally served ties up all loose ends...

I haven't read a book like this since my teens. It was straight who dunnit and lots of historical atmosphere and attitude. Recommend.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

It is Victorian England and Commander William Monk of the Thames River Police has received a visit from Attorney Oliver Rathbone. Harry Exeter’s wife Kate has been kidnapped and a request for ransom has been received. She was with her cousin Celia Darwin when it happened. Celia is very distraught. The ransom is quite a bit of money, but Mr. Exeter can raise the funds. He wants someone to go with him for he does not know the area of Jacob’s Island. Monk feels for Exeter as his own wife Hester was kidnapped not long ago. He chooses his second-in-command Hooper and four other trusted men to go with him.

Jacob’s Island is a swampy area of London, universally hated – and perhaps feared – by the police. But when they arrive at the exchange place, the plan goes wrong. The men are attacked and violence ensues. Monk had picked out his best and most promising officers for the meet. Kate Exeter is killed. What had gone wrong? Did someone tip off the kidnappers to their plans?

The kidnappers seem to know who Exeter was. They knew he could raise the money. Did they also know Kate? The police chased the kidnappers after they killed Kate. One man in particular named Lister was captured, but got away during another altercation that took place.

Monk and Hooper spot Lister in a pub. They take up a position to watch but are surprise attacked again. The men get away. While searching for the men, they find Lister. He is dead with his throat cut. Lister couldn’t have been the mastermind of the kidnapping plan. He was too unstable and impulsive. Hooper takes Celia to view Lister’s body to ascertain if he was the one who kidnapped Kate. She identifies him as the man who took Kate. Dare I say that Hooper has become rather smitten with Celia?

The bookkeeper at the bank where Mrs. Exeter had her trust comes in to Monk and shows him evidence that someone has been fiddling the books. The only people with access to the account were the bank manager Roger Doyle and attorney Maurice Latham. When Harry Exeter is arrested for the murders, it is clear that someone has framed him.

In a surprise twist, the reader learns the identity of the murders of three people.

This is a very well written and plotted novel, as are all of Anne Perry’s books. It is filled with descriptions of the life and times of Victorian England. One can smell the river, see the people and follow the police as they track the killer of Kate Exeter and the others. We can hear the attorneys arguing at the bar as to determine whether Harry Exeter is guilty or not. I truly enjoy Ms. Perry’s books. They have transported me on many a day to other places, and sometimes, to other times. I await the next in the series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballantine/Ballantine Books for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

This book feels a bit tired when compared to some in the earlier part of the Monk series. The relaying of thoughts and motivations for each character became quite repetitive, and the characters felt a bit stale. The story moved at a sluggish pace. I'm thinking it's time for the author to focus on the next generation of this family.

Anne Perry's William Monk novels are the perfect escape to Victorian England. She always writes intriguing mysteries to devour. One of our most popular mystery writers at our library.

Anne Perry scores again with her latest entry in the William Monk series. The story is interesting but Perry manages to keep us guessing, primarily about motive. Despite Perry's attempts to keep the reader from deducing who the actual culprit is, which isn't difficult, she manages to cast some doubt until she unravels the motive for us. What raises Perry's books above the norm is her ability both to bring the Thames and those who work on it to life and to plumb her characters, bringing them to life. Everyone has a secret or two, and as some of the secrets are revealed, we learn to like or dislike each character to a greater degree. So,while this ultimately is a standard mystery story, it is an outstanding novel with a mystery.