Rating: 
Summary: Victorian England Encounters the American Civil War.
Review: Anne Perry is an exqusite writer. Her prose is beautiful and she evokes the era of Victorian England in a wonderful and believable way. In the latest book of this series William Monk and his bride Hester are invited to dinner at the home of Donald Alberton, an arms dealer. An unpleasant scene occurs when Lyman Breeland, a passionate supporter of the Union discovers that Alberton has already promised a shipment of guns to Philo Trace, a southerner. Alberton's daughter, Merrit, is in love with Breeland and she argues with him for her father to support the anti-slavery stand. Alberton claims that he has promised the guns to Trace and cannot back out of the deal, despite his personal feelings about the war in America. Breeland and Merrit flee and one of the main characters is brutally murdered. Breeland's watch is found near the murder scene, which puts the suspicion squarely on him. The rest of the book shifts to American Civil War battlefields and then to a courtroom in England. The identity of the murderer is elusive and is twisted with personal and political motives. As always, Perry provides a very good read.
Rating:
Summary: Victorian England Encounters the American Civil War.
Review: Anne Perry is an exqusite writer. Her prose is beautiful and she evokes the era of Victorian England in a wonderful and believable way. In the latest book of this series William Monk and his bride Hester are invited to dinner at the home of Donald Alberton, an arms dealer. An unpleasant scene occurs when Lyman Breeland, a passionate supporter of the Union discovers that Alberton has already promised a shipment of guns to Philo Trace, a southerner. Alberton's daughter, Merrit, is in love with Breeland and she argues with him for her father to support the anti-slavery stand. Alberton claims that he has promised the guns to Trace and cannot back out of the deal, despite his personal feelings about the war in America. Breeland and Merrit flee and one of the main characters is brutally murdered. Breeland's watch is found near the murder scene, which puts the suspicion squarely on him. The rest of the book shifts to American Civil War battlefields and then to a courtroom in England. The identity of the murderer is elusive and is twisted with personal and political motives. As always, Perry provides a very good read.
Rating: 
Summary: A promising start that goes flat
Review: I have been a fan of Anne Perry's Monk series since the start. During the first half of this novel I was impressed and felt this was the best in the series since the first two or three. Hester and Monk's relationship was better depicted in this book than in the last one, although at times their chemistry still seems a bit arbitrary. The battle scenes are compelling and gripping. I was fascinated by a British viewpoint of our Civil War. However, in too many of her recent works, the villain is predictable and obvious from the moment of introduction, primarily because she keeps using the same tired plot twist. As I read the second half of this novel, the "trial with Oliver taking on yet another impossible defense" half, I kept hoping that Perry would surprise me and I would be wrong about the villain. She didn't and I wasn't. As for the very end, Perry introduced us to the wonderful technology of mid 19th-century underwater diving, only to rush through it way too fast. The concluding paragraph is particularly hasty, as though Perry wrote it on her way to mail the manuscript to her publisher.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I read a lot of historical fiction. This is perhaps the third novel in the last 10 years that I could not finish because it was so slow. I forced myself to 250 or 270 pages but the story drags on.Its simply boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as Gripping as Usual, But Still Worth Reading
Review: I'm used to Anne Perry coming up with a twist in the motive that catches me by surprise even when the killer was spotted much earlier in the book. I wasted my time trying to think of the most lurid possible motive. On the other hand, the Secret of the Incredible Disappearing Barge was one I hadn't seen coming.I give nothing away by stating that Lyman Breeland is a jerk cut from the same cloth as Peter Kreisler from TRAITOR'S GATE. In fact, I could hear Lady Vespasia commenting on their type in my head during one of his early appearances. But does that mean he's guilty? Philo Trace seems to be a really great guy even if he is from the slave-owning South. Is it all just a mask? I'm not going to automatically condemn one side or the other in my country's Civil War. My father's family fought for the South. My mother's family is from the North. I thought Anne Perry did a pretty even-handed job of presenting Breeland and Trace's viewpoints. However, I don't recall any of the English characters comparing or contrasting the American Civil War with England's Civil War. I found that odd. At least having Hester and William at the scene of a bloody battle, besides being the best part of the book, enabled William to understand Hester better. I wonder if Hester is going to exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome in a later book. Speaking of later books, I hope Anne Perry follows up on the tantalizing clue to Monk's past discovered in this one. Could he really have done anything as disgusting as he fears he might have? Have fun speculating on whether Ms.Perry meant anything by giving her characters names such as "Lyman", which sounds like "lie, man"; "Meritt", and "Philo Trace". Don't expect much from the courtroom scenes, although I did like the way Rathbone's opponent gave Breeland a well-deserved setdown.
Rating:
Summary: Join the Obsession
Review: In Slaves of Obsession, Anne Perry has expanded Hester and Monk's world to include a trip to America at the start of the Civil War. Monk finds war horrific. Having always considered himself a brave man able to face death he is frightened by his reaction to the destruction. On the other hand Hester rises to the occasion. Her battle experience puts her in the position of strength. This glimpse into his wife's past fills Monk with admiration and a greater understanding of Hester's past. All the characters have a noble obsession, which contributes to their downfall. Whether is it love or glory or freedom it infects their reason bringing death in its wake. The plot is clever and holds the reader's interest. An excellent novel, I highly recommend it
Rating:
Summary: Maybe it was the sea air
Review: Starts off well, interesting characters, but I lost interest about halfway through. Monk and Hester get to experience the Civil War, which gives him some deeper insight into her life experiences. Later Monk is able to pick up another fragment of his past life. There are many good details, but the author's passion and plots seem to be wearing thin by this time. It's about time to bring Monk's story to a close.
Rating:
Summary: This was a good book!
Review: This book brought the Civil War to life for me and showed the darker side of fighting for a nobel cause. This was the first book I have read by Anne Perry and I really enjoyed the simple, yet elegant way that she writes her mystery novels. She does not need to use overly elaborate symbolism or words to make a great novel. Instead it is a beautifully written "who-done-it" that keeps you guessing all the time. This is a good book for anyone who likes mystery novels from Nancy Drew to Agatha Christy.
Rating:
Summary: Is it Lyman Breedlove or Lyman Breeland?
Review: This book was an intricate victorian mystery with historical overtones and I enjoyed it. But I was confused during the whole book, looking for Lyman Breeland to be revealed as some kind of dual personality or undercover spy, because the flyleaf write-up on the hardbound version refers to him as Lyman Breedlove. What gives? I spent the whole book looking to solve this puzzle and by the end it was obviously a (major) publishing faux pas. Anybody else find this?
Rating:
Summary: Is it Lyman Breedlove or Lyman Breeland?
Review: This book was an intricate victorian mystery with historical overtones and I enjoyed it. But I was confused during the whole book, looking for Lyman Breeland to be revealed as some kind of dual personality or undercover spy, because the flyleaf write-up on the hardbound version refers to him as Lyman Breedlove. What gives? I spent the whole book looking to solve this puzzle and by the end it was obviously a (major) publishing faux pas. Anybody else find this?
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