Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating, well-plotted mystery.
Review: Anne Perry has done well on the bestseller lists every time her books have come out. After reading this book, I can see why. This is an incredible, breathtaking book. Hester Latterly has been accused of killing an elderly woman in her charge on a train from Edinburgh to London. Things get progressively worse for her when a private detective who is a close collegue of hers comes up with very little to prove her innocence, but a light at the end of the tunnel does eventually appear. Anne Perry brilliantly describes England and Scotland with vivid detail. She even brings the village she lives in in Scotland, Portmahomack, into it. There is a great deal of psychological detail, but keep reading. The end left me with my mouth hanging open. One of the very best historical mysteries I have read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Books, Good Writers and Matters Otherwise Irrelevant
Review: Anne Perry is a talented historical murder mystery writer. She shows her skills here as she has in her previous and subsequent works. I just wish her personal history had remained unknown as the circumstances of her own offence bear absolutely no resemblance to the wonderful characters and well researched historical locations she creates. One thing Perry has in common with her characters is courage. Courage to write and continue writing after her "past" was made known. To see such matters raised in reviews by the likes of booklist makes me wonder whether the reviewer was trying to draw some sick comparison or use the fact to assist in the marketing of the book to those whose only real interest is personal morbidity. Booklist even got the facts wrong, including the wrong country of occurrance and imprisonment. A good book, as this is, deserves to be reviewed on its merits not the childhood history of the writer however shocking that might be.
Rating:
Summary: Good Books, Good Writers and Matters Otherwise Irrelevant
Review: Anne Perry is a talented historical murder mystery writer. She shows her skills here as she has in her previous and subsequent works. I just wish her personal history had remained unknown as the circumstances of her own offence bear absolutely no resemblance to the wonderful characters and well researched historical locations she creates. One thing Perry has in common with her characters is courage. Courage to write and continue writing after her "past" was made known. To see such matters raised in reviews by the likes of booklist makes me wonder whether the reviewer was trying to draw some sick comparison or use the fact to assist in the marketing of the book to those whose only real interest is personal morbidity. Booklist even got the facts wrong, including the wrong country of occurrance and imprisonment. A good book, as this is, deserves to be reviewed on its merits not the childhood history of the writer however shocking that might be.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not very believable
Review: First, I must admit I did enjoy the book, and read it non-stop till two o'clock in the morning. You find yourself really caring for what happens to the characters. The bad point, though, is that they seem to be the only thing carrying the story forward. The author has us, delve alongside Monk, into the secrets of the Farraline family, and, frankly, there are so many of them it's ludicrous. I won't give away the plot, but you have to know that so many things end up being unearthed-it's practically one shameful secret per character-that it makes you wonder, a bit sarcastically, why they all happen in the same family, and how Monk comes to discover all of them practically within the space of a week. This is stretching belief a bit thin. On the plus side, though, it's a compelling story-but definitely not very realistic.
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Summary: THis is a great book by a wonderful author.
Review: I Have read most of Anne Perry's novels and I am a great fan. All of her books are set in England of another era. Anne Perry has two different settings and main protaganists. The first series and most popular is The Pitts(husband and wife) a detecting team in early Victorian England. Her more recent series features Inspector Monk in the late 1800's. "The Sin of the Wolf" features Inpsector Monk and with this book, Inpector Monk has finally reached a point where he is a likable character, in prior novels Monk is portrayed as a good person but not one who you could warm up to. With this novel, Miss Perry makes you like him. There is one more very fascinating aspect to Miss Perry's novels and that is the research she has put into them. When I read anyone if her books I feel like I am getting a very accurate description of not only the times and the people but the way they acted towards one another. England was a very class oriented society and these novels force you to recognize how man has treated man over the centuries. I should explain, I read mysteries constantly, 2-4 a week, I have read most popular and unpopular authors out there. What keeps me coming back to a certain author is the characters, if I like them, then I want to read all their adventures, so if you are like me, then Anne Perry is a great find
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Monk
Review: I picked this book up when an office was clearing out more because it was free than out of interest. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it through and through. Murder mysteries are not my usual forte but Perry has a knack for developing characters I came to care about. I've come to understand that this is actually a series and the main character is a recurring one but it still stands on its own very well. It isn't often a female gets the lead in a murder/mystery and I'm glad that she's feminine, smart, and capable.
I was pleased with the historical setting (Victorian England) and found it pleasantly accessible and written in a concise contemporary style.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: I picked this book up when an office was clearing out more because it was free than out of interest. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it through and through. Murder mysteries are not my usual forte but Perry has a knack for developing characters I came to care about. I've come to understand that this is actually a series and the main character is a recurring one but it still stands on its own very well. It isn't often a female gets the lead in a murder/mystery and I'm glad that she's feminine, smart, and capable.
I was pleased with the historical setting (Victorian England) and found it pleasantly accessible and written in a concise contemporary style.
Rating:
Summary: The secret life of a honorable family
Review: Nurse Hester Latterly is engaged to escort Mrs. Farraline, an elder lady from Edinburg to London. But the journey takes a lethal course: Next morning the lady is dead, an extra portion of her medicine (digitalis) missing, and an expensive brooch is found in Hester's bag. She was obviously framed up by a member of Mrs. Farraline's family - heirs to her estate. Ex-inspector William Monk and star-attorney Oliver Rathbone rush to Hester's defense. But the Farralines, an old-established family, are such a model of honorableness...Sins of the wolf (depravity, deception, treachery) is first-rate reading and there is a surprise ending: you will be amused to learn the origin of the Farradine's wealth - but I won't reveal more. Anne Perry's victorian thrillers are excellent, not one is weak. Gripping, profound and atmospheric!
Rating:
Summary: excellent mystery
Review: The Sins of the Wolf By Anne Perry This novel takes place during the Victorian era. The main character, Hester Latterly had been in the Crimean War. She had served as a nurse under the supervision of Florence Nightingale. Florence was said to be "second only to the Queen herself in the respect and admiration of the country." During the war the weight of responsibility placed on Hester's shoulders was great, as a senior officer was not always available to make the critical judgement. It was an age of trains and horse-drawn carriages. Mary, the woman Hester was looking after, was born the year after the fall of Bastille. Mary remembers the times when the Emperor had all of Europe under his heel- the emotion, the spirit as they expected an invasion every day. They had lookouts on cliff tops and beacon fires ready to light the moment the first Frenchman set foot on the shore. However England had been secure all of Hester's lifetime. People also used to frighten the young children with stories of Burke and Hare. This is a true story of two Irishmen who started selling corpses to a doctor so he could teach his students anatomy, then progressing to robbing graves, and finally to murder. It all came out in 1829. Burke was hanged, but Hare never was. The story was that he was still alive in the present day of the novel. Mary had a brother killed in Waterloo. Waterloo had been the greatest land battle in Europe, and the end of an empire. Men of all nations had fought to exhaustion till the fields were strewn with the wounded and the dead, the armies of Europe, as Lord Byron had said, "in one red burial blent." As the book continues, part of the plot takes place in the Templelands. This was land that belonged to the Knights of Templar during the Crusades. The dress is broad, sweeping skirts, elaborately decorated sleeves, and bonnets. The trial, which occurs in the novel, takes place in the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh- governed by one queen, one parliament, and fifteen men in the jury. The trial is held in Scotland. Which is of importance as they find the defendant- not proven. This is a verdict, which didn't exist in England or America for that matter. It basically meant that the jury found the defendant guilty, but had no way to prove it. Just the same, she could not be tried again. The historical role the main character, Hester, played was a nurse in the Crimean War. She had an incredible responsibility to do the best that she was capable of, at that time, day after day. However she also realizes that the trust and responsibility, and the power to act for herself were the two aspects of the war that she missed the most profoundly. Now she often found her decisions to seem so trivial. She had seen a great deal of suffering. What she thought to be the worst of all her experiences was not the injuries, but the rats and waking up cold. She longed to know that there was nothing else alive in the room but her. She also realizes the blessing of being filled with not thoughts of herself, but only what she could do for others. As she only thought of her patients, it left no room for her to think of her own sorrow and suffering. Hester Latterly accompanies Mary, an elderly woman, to London by train. She is hired by Mary's family to be her nurse, and simply to keep her company on the trip. They both go to sleep on the train, however in the morning Hester arises to discover Mary is dead. It is discovered that poisoning kills Mary. Hester is found with one of Mary's expensive pins in her bag. She is accused of murder because she had access to Mary's medicine, and seems to have stolen an expensive piece of jewelry. She is tried in Scotland. Meanwhile her friend Monk is practically living with the family of the deceased trying to discover who truly killed Mary. Hester is found "not proven" and is released after an intense court battle. She and Monk then return to the family of Mary to discover the dark secrets of the family and the true killer. This book has several themes. The obvious theme is never to lose hope. There is a point in the novel where it looks as though Hester will be found guilty and hanged for the charge. She all but gives up hope. Her two detective friends and her lawyer work very diligently, and are able to set her free. The title, The Sins of the Wolf, is a biblical reference. Communication through words is what sets us apart from beasts. However once we pollute our language with lies, we can no longer be reached. We have become isolated. There are three great circles of hell- the leopard, the lion, and the wolf. Deceit, corruption, and betrayal are the sins of the wolf - the lowest circle of hell, the deepest pit of all. Hester's theme in the novel is her unknowing longing for true friendship. The actual killers wanted riches, but even their riches were counterfeit. Their lives epitomized the sins of the wolf- corruption, deceit, and betrayal and in the end they ended up with nothing. Conversely, Hester's life was filled with truthfulness, honesty, and loyalty, which led her to a true and complete friendship. This novel educates the reader about the Victorian era by placing a fictionalized mystery in an authentic setting. It gave excellent descriptions of the dress, the court system, the education, and class interactions. One young woman of a high social status was forced to hide the fact that she was helping the poor to read. She was rich and proper, and it was thought that she shouldn't be associated with men of a lower class. The fact that they were poor only heightens the urgency of literacy. In today's society, it shows that the illiterate and poor must be first taught to communicate, for only then can they become anything in life. The poor shouldn't be forced to stay in a lower class because no one will help them when they have the drive to become great. I definitely recommend this book. It is extremely interesting, and kept me guessing about the killer and the motive throughout the entire novel. The level of reading is not too difficult, and it is a quick read. The plot is filled with surprising twists and suspense. Anne Perry has created an intense novel, and a wonderful mystery.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Monk
Review: This is easily the best entry in the Monk series. The mystery was great, and the personal interplay between Hester, Monk and Rathbone was excellent. This was also the book where the emotion between Monk and Hester finally wins out over their reserve with each other, and the results are endearing. A must read for anyone who likes this series and these characters.
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