Synopses & Reviews
When the body of a small-time crook named Mickey Parfitt washes up on the tide, no one grieves; far from it. But William Monk, commander of the River Police, is puzzled by the expensive silk cravat used to strangle Parfitt. How did this elegant scarf ? whose original owner was obviously a man of substance ? end up imbedded in the neck of a wharf rat who richly deserved his sordid end?Dockside informers lead Monk to what may be a partial answer ? a floating palace of corruption on the Thames managed by Parfitt, where a captive band of half-starved boys is forced to perform vile acts for men willing to pay a high price for midnight pleasures. Although Monk and his fearless wife, Hester, would prefer to pin a medal on Parfitt's killer, duty leads them in another direction ? to an unresolved crime from the past, to blackmail and more murder, and to a deadly confrontation with some of the empire's most respected men.To a superlative degree, Acceptable Loss provides colorful characters, a memorable portrait of waterfront life, and a story that achieves its most thrilling moments in a transfixed London courtroom, where Monk faces his old friend Oliver Rathbone in a trial of nearly unbearable tension ? in sum, every delectable drop of the rich pleasure that readers expect from an Anne Perry novel.
Synopsis
On a London riverbank, when the body of small-time crook Mickey Parfitt washes up with the tide, no one grieves. But William Monk, commander of the River Police, is puzzled by the murder weapon: an elegant scarf whose original owner was obviously a man of substance. Dockside informers lead Monk to a floating palace of corruption on the Thames managed by Parfitt, where a band of half-starved boys is held captive for men willing to pay a high price for midnight pleasures. Though Monk and his fearless wife, Hester, would gladly reward Parfitt s killer, duty leads them in another direction to an unresolved crime, to a deadly confrontation with some of the empire s most respected men, and ultimately to a courtroom showdown with Monk s old friend, Oliver Rathbone, in a trial of nearly unbearable tension and suspense.
"
Synopsis
Anne Perry's seventeenth William Monk novel is a mesmerizing masterpiece of innocence and evil on London's docks, a welcome addition to this successful and beloved series.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
On a London riverbank, when the body of small-time crook Mickey Parfitt washes up with the tide, no one grieves. But William Monk, commander of the River Police, is puzzled by the murder weapon: an elegant scarf whose original owner was obviously a man of substance. Dockside informers lead Monk to a floating palace of corruption on the Thames managed by Parfitt, where a band of half-starved boys is held captive for men willing to pay a high price for midnight pleasures. Though Monk and his fearless wife, Hester, would gladly reward Parfitt's killer, duty leads them in another direction--to an unresolved crime, to a deadly confrontation with some of the empire's most respected men, and ultimately to a courtroom showdown with Monk's old friend, Oliver Rathbone, in a trial of nearly unbearable tension and suspense.
"Masterful storytelling . . . the] best in the series to date."--The Star-Ledger