Execution Dock (William Monk)
From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Set in 1864, bestseller Perrys outstanding 16th novel to feature William Monk (after
Dark Assassin) finds Monk suffering from a series of hard knocks, including memory loss. Now superintendent of the Thames River Police Force, Monk is on the verge of closing the books on Jericho Phillips, a particularly nasty villain who specializes in child pornography. Monk and his team catch Phillips, but what appears to be an airtight murder case springs leaks and ends with the accuseds acquittal. Many in authority view the judgment as a rebuke to the river police, whose existence as a separate force is threatened. Convinced that he got the right man, despite the jurys verdict, Monk devotes himself to setting the record straight. Monks wife, Hester, who works with Londons downtrodden, provides support. Rich in plot development, believable characters and period detail, this entry will only add to the already sizable ranks of Perrys admirers.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
ReviewSet in 1864, bestseller Perrys outstanding 16th novel to feature William Monk (after
Dark Assassin) finds Monk suffering from a series of hard knocks, including memory loss. Now superintendent of the Thames River Police Force, Monk is on the verge of closing the books on Jericho Phillips, a particularly nasty villain who specializes in child pornography. Monk and his team catch Phillips, but what appears to be an airtight murder case springs leaks and ends with the accuseds acquittal. Many in authority view the judgment as a rebuke to the river police, whose existence as a separate force is threatened. Convinced that he got the right man, despite the jurys verdict, Monk devotes himself to setting the record straight. Monks wife, Hester, who works with Londons downtrodden, provides support. Rich in plot development, believable characters and period detail, this entry will only add to the already sizable ranks of Perrys admirers.—
Publishers Weekly
Praise for Anne Perry and her William Monk novels
Dark Assassin“Brilliant . . . a page-turning thriller . . . blending compelling plotting with superbly realized human emotion and exquisite period detail.” —Jeffery Deaver, author of
The Broken Window
The Shifting Tide“An engrossing story that leaves the reader waiting for Monk’s next adventure . . . The mysterious and dangerous waterfront world of London’s ‘longest street,’ the Thames, comes to life.”—
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Death of a Stranger“[A] tantalizing puzzle . . . At last, in Death of a Stranger, the secrets of Monk’s past are dramatically revealed.”—
New York Times Book Review
Funeral in Blue“No one writes more elegantly than Perry, nor better conjures up the rich and colorful tapestry of London in the Victorian era. But… –This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
Why Buy A Execution Dock (William Monk)?
Listeners of Anne Perry’s bestselling William Monk novels feel as if they’ve experienced the many shades of Victorian London, from Belgravia to Limehouse, from drawing room to brothel. In Execution Dock, Perry’s first Monk novel in three years, we find ourselves on the bustling docks along the River Thames. Here the empire’s great merchant ships unload the treasures of the world. And here, in dank and sinister alleys, sex merchants ply their lucrative trade.
The dreaded kingpin of this dark realm is Jericho Phillips. On his floating brothel, sex slaves are forced to endure unspeakable acts. Now one such soul, thirteen-year-old Fig, is found with his throat cut, his tortured body tossed into the river.
Commander William Monk of the River Police swears that Phillips will hang for this abomination. But the miscreant is as wily as he is monstrous, and his wealthy clients seem far beyond the reach of the law. Monk’s attempt to bring about justice becomes the first electrifying episode in a nightmare that will test his courage and integrity.
However, reinforcements are on the way. Monk’s wife, Hester, who runs a free clinic for abused women, draws a highly unusual guerrilla force to her husband’s cause – a canny ratcatcher, a retired brothel keeper, a fearless street urchin, and a rebellious society lady. To one as criminally minded as Phillips, these folks are mere mosquitoes, to be sure. But as he will soon discover, some mosquitoes can have a deadly sting.
This gripping, terrifying story hurtles toward a denouement that will leave the reader breathless but cheering. Execution Dock is Anne Perry at her incomparable, magnificent best.
Customer Reviews & Opinions
Among the best of the Monk series
Anne Perry is an elegant writer - even when she is exposing (pardon the expression) the prevalent pornography exploitation in Victorian England.
This book takes place just after Prince Albert’s death, and Queen Victoria has started her mourning - which will last decades -
Monk and his river police try to put away Phillips, a man who owns a river boat where patrons can come and use children for their sexual needs, or buy pornagraphic photographs, or watch the action as it happens. It is a disgusting thing that truly was the ‘rage’ in this era, and unfortunately pornography has no era constraint.
Phillips is tried (his counsel is the Monk’s longtime friend Sir Oliver Rathbone) and found not-guilty for the murder of a boy who had started puberty and no longer useful to his porno industry.
Monk, and his wife Hester start an investigation to catch Phillips in something that will bring him to justice.
Including the characters that have endeared themselves to us in this series, Sullivan, the rat catcher, and his wonderful dog, Scuff, the homeless boy that Hester and Monk have semi-taken in, and a cast of others. They persue Phillips, and face dangers.
This book delves into the relationships of the Monks and the Rathbones and the dynamic changes. It is excellently written and is Anne Perry at her best.
Mrs. Perry is now writing one book a year and is alternating between the Monk series and the Pitt series (Victorian England at its latter stages), as well as the Christmas books she writes about a character from her series and their experiences around Christmas. She is a lovely lady - I emailed her and to my surprise received a lovely handwritten card from her and I have kept it in the 1st Christmas book.
Execution Dock is vintage Perry - you will not be disappointed - great read.
AN AWARD WINNING NARRATION
Whatever he is reading actor/director David Colacci totally engages himself in the story. He is there, whether it be as a salami vendor in Italy, a New York cop or, this listener is happy to say, the voice of Victorian London. Many will remember his sterling performance of Anne Perry’s Dark Assassin - hard as it is to believe he’s even better in the latest in the William Monk series, Execution Dock.
With this, her first Monk series in three years, Perry takes us to the docks along the River Thames. Not a berth for a pleasure ship but a dark place where Jericho Phillips, a child pornographer, plies his trade, forcing young boys to commit unspeakable acts for the pleasure of pedophiles.
Perry opens her story with a chase worthy of the big screen as Monk tries to catch Phillips. The veteran detective doesn’t shoot because he wants him alive “so he could see him tried and hanged.” And so the pursuit continues from police boat to schooner, from barge to barge with Monk closing in until “…Phillips’s face was so close, Monk could smell his skin, his hair, the exhale of his breath. His eyes were glittering, and he smiled as he brought the knife up in his hand.”
Pure Perry - pure pleasure! Just try to stop listening. Of course, at this point we’re only beginning of this compelling, assiduously plotted story. As the tale continues we learn more about Monk’s past, witness the growing relationship between Monk and Hester, and are intrigued by the ways of 1864 London.
Highly recommended.
- Gail Cooke
“I’ve never wanted any villain more than I want this one.”
It is 1864 in Anne Perry’s “Execution Dock,” and William Monk is the head of the Thames River Police. His wife, Hester, is a trained nurse who runs a clinic at Portpool Lane, where she and her staff give free medical care to destitute people who are sick or injured. As the story opens, Monk is on the brink of capturing the ruthless Jericho Phillips, a sadist who runs a “floating brothel” on which he uses and abuses young boys and sells their services to gentlemen of means. The police suspect that Phillips tortured and murdered at least one child named Walter Figgis who rebelled against him. Monk is anxious to arrest Phillips and see him tried and hanged. However, even if Monk were to take this fiend into custody, would he somehow find a way to escape punishment? Sir Oliver Rathbone, “arguably the best attorney in London” and a friend of Hester and Monk, also becomes embroiled in the Phillips case with unexpected consequences.
Monk and Hester are anxious to learn the truth behind Phillips’ uncanny success at keeping himself out of prison. Who is protecting him and why? In addition, they are determined to clear the name of Monk’s late mentor, Commander Durban, whose integrity has been called into question. Durban hated Phillips but was never able to prove the charges against him. Monk and Hester risk their lives to bring Phillips to justice, not only for Durban’s sake, but also for the vulnerable boys at risk while this monster is at liberty to ply his loathsome trade. Hester and her associates question anyone who may have relevant information, while Monk studies Durban’s notes and tirelessly follows up every lead.
Readers who have cared about Hester, Monk, and Rathbone over the years will notice that Monk has matured. While he used to be a loner who lashed out at others, he now tries to earn the respect and admiration of his colleagues. Hester is still feisty and independent, giving as good as she gets when anyone tries to bully her. Yet, she is a soft touch when it comes to helping those in need. Meanwhile, Rathbone finds himself in an awkward position when he uncovers scandalous secrets that, if revealed, would cause an uproar in the corridors of power. For years, Perry has written novels that highlight the huge chasm between the rich and poor. She does so again here with vivid descriptions of the busy docks, fetid slums, stately homes, and marketplaces of Victorian London. This is a city of contrasts–home to the satiated and the starving, the compassionate and the selfish, honorable men as well as those without scruples.
Perry delivers a scathing indictment of the hypocrisy among London’s wealthy and influential men who behave respectably in public but commit depraved acts under the cover of darkness. In addition, the author explores the imperfections of a legal system that too often allows the guilty to go free. “Execution Dock” has stirring courtroom scenes, an undercurrent of danger, and a colorful supporting cast of characters, some of whom speak in dialect. The author concludes the proceedings with a series of unpleasant confrontations that catch both the Monks and the Rathbones by surprise. In spite of a finale that is a bit too melodramatic, this is an exciting, suspenseful, thought-provoking, and engrossing work of historical fiction.
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