Defend and Betray: A William Monk Novel

By Anne Perry

After a brilliant military career, esteemed General Thaddeus Carlyon finally meets his death, not in the frenzy of battle but at an elegant London dinner party. His demise appears to be the result of a freak accident, but the general’s beautiful wife, Alexandra, readily confesses that she killed him–a story she clings to even under the threat of the noose.

Investigator William Monk, nurse Hester Latterly, and brilliant Oliver Rathbone, counsel for the defense, work feverishly to break down the wall of silence raised by the accused and her husband’s proud family. With the trial only days away, these there sleuths inch toward the dark and appalling heart of the mystery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 22, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307767776

Anne Perry

With twenty million books in print, ANNE PERRY's was selected by The Times as one of the twentieth century's '100 Masters of Crime', for more information about Anne and her books, visit: www.anneperry.co.uk

Reviews for Defend and Betray

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the third book of the William Monk series, we find Hester Latterly involved in a bizarre murder. A respected general has been killed, first falling off a balcony, then stabbed with a halberd from the nearby suit of armor. The man's wife confesses to the murder, attributing to her jealousy over the man's affair with another woman. Hester doesn't believe it and has Oliver Rathbone engaged as the woman's attorney. He hires Monk to investigate the crime, especially to find the real murderer and/or motive.This book starts a little slow, partly because Monk doesn't make an appearance in the story for quite some time. Even then, he has more of a subplot to the murder and spends most of his time recovering more of his memory. It's Hester who does most of the legwork in the investigation, and Oliver who brilliantly wraps the case up during the trial. It still makes for a compelling story and mystery.Ms. Perry knows Victorian London and her history well, and the detail she weaves into her descriptions is fascinating. I always learn something from her books. The ending was a whirlwind as the real perpetrators are unmasked and justice is served. Another fine book in this series.

[mommatracey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't understand why the author spends so much time in the first half of the book describing Monk in such a way as to leave no doubt he is a shadow of his former self...just an bumbling fool with his mind gone.

I read that half furious and frustrated and tempted to toss the book down but then the second half of the book nearly reverses direction. Then we see Monk described more dependably, more able, more resolute in his desires to become more than he was. And the plot thickens...there were glimmers earlier but they were just single thoughts until BAM!

And again I'm reading past midnight so I can watch again as Anne Perry wraps up another superb mystery. Now to get her to leave poor Monk alone!

[bonniejune · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book but wish it was edited a bit tighter. I didn't need a transcript of the whole trial. The author gets on her soapbox occasionally. It gets a bit repetitious and obvious. It's the same issues throughout the series so for. I think the need for women's rights shows best through the women's lives. She creates lots of interesting characters.

[zumbanista · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Third of the Monk series, and this author is growing on me more and more. She creates her Victorian crime story with care and much attention to detail, possibly overmuch for some readers. The characters are finely drawn and poor Monk, the amnesiac, is still trying to recover his identity and history. Good detective work ends in a fine courtroom drama that I enjoyed very much.

[pmaurer_11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Third book in the series about a detective, retired from the policeforce, who can't remember his prior life. An accused woman refuses to explain the reason behind her killing her upper class husband, in a very public murder. The detective, his female nurse / friend, and an attorney all work together (somewhat reluctantly) to find out the reason. The surroundings of a very proper English society are presented in a most enjoyable way.

[eilonwy_anne · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book suffered a little from rereading: there were clues in people's behavior on the night of the murder that were inexplicably not followed up for chapters, despite multiple mentions. There were a few leaps of logic, and at least one plot point I would have suggested editing out. I'm no expert on British law of the period, but some of the courtroom rulings seemed a little capricious or unlikely to me. Monk's retracing of his past seemed occasionally irresponsible in the face of his other duties. And let's not get into the 9 instances of the word "aquiline" that I counted.However, it still works both as a mystery/courtroom drama and a rather searing commentary on Victorian society. I enjoy the Monk books partially for their flawed, human main characters and partly for the courtroom aspect. In these, Perry continues the story into the potentially frustrating and unjust world of Victorian law, with satisfying dramatic results. In general, I enjoy Perry's nuanced characterizations -- almost no one is fully innocent in her books, and most guilty parties have reasons, passions, ample humanity mixed with their turpitude. In this one, the drama comes from untenable situations as well as flawed and floundering humans, and I still found these compelling the second time around.

[ssperson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Content warning: Child sexual abuse

Good story. It took a while to build steam, and one wondered how the defense was going to make its case, but once the actual motive was discovered, the pace picked up quite a bit.

Also, I must say that, even though things are not perfect in our judicial system now, they're so much better than what they were in the 1850s.

[kaulsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On the whole, this was quite good, but. It is a series dilemma: how does a writer bring new readers up to the mark without rehashing all that has come before? I found Monk's flashbacks annoying, at least this time around. Used as a device to clue the reader in on his loneliness and need for a mate...well, first off, we got this already! And secondly, they were simply overdone.The main plot of the book was nicely entertaining, if one can say something that banal about murder. Except for the victim's mother, no one seemed too upset over that death. The death itself was interesting...or at least entertaining, in 21st c. terms. The motive was hidden, at least for this reader, who admits veering off on a tangent. Perry, as she should have, developed a more difficult thread.An entertaining series.

[scottkalas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've only read three of the William Monk series but thus far this one is my favorite. Though I was to figure out in part the "why" of the crime the court room work of Rathbone was worth the read alone.

[bonniejune54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book but wish it was edited a bit tighter. I didn't need a transcript of the whole trial. The author gets on her soapbox occasionally. It gets a bit repetitious and obvious. It's the same issues throughout the series so for. I think the need for women's rights shows best through the women's lives. She creates lots of interesting characters.

[wiremonkey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Defend and Betray finds Hester hiring Oliver Rathbone, the lawyer who convicted the murderer in the first book on behalf of her friend's family. Her friend's brother has been murdered and his wife confessed to it. But Hester's friend does not believe she did it though she won't admit it. What could be the reason for her admission of guilt? Who is she protecting? Rathbone hires Monk to work as his detective for the case and Hester helps get the family gossip. Ooh, the one thing that would keep me reading more is the burgeoning love triangle between Hester, Monk and Rathbone. Although at the rate it is going, it might take a few more books for anyone to declare themselves and I am not sure I have the patience.Nothing much to say about these books. It caught my attention and I did wonder who done it, but there are some literary tics that become more annoying as they are read to you. I will probably wait for another audio book sale before buying any more (that is how I bought the first three).