“A Dangerous Mourning” - Anne Perry


(William Monk book 2)


🎩 The title is apt for this one! ADM is my favorite kind of whodunit: the killer is among the household. In ADM, the household is aristocratic, and class divisions play a central theme. Who among the household is the killer? There are numerous upstairs personalities, and a whole slew among the downstairs staff as well.


🎩 Monk’s amnesia plays a less central role here. Indeed, Miss Latterly finds herself pressed into service doing a great deal of the sleuthing herself. I had some qualms about this, as Lady Daviot and Monk know firsthand that Hester is courageous and smart, but tactful she is not. I suppose they were desperate enough for any information to risk her firing off at a member of the household.


🎩 Book 2 in the series introduces us to the savvy yet upright criminal defense attorney Rathbone. ADM is heavy on courtroom drama which I relished. I’m curious if Rathbone will be a presence in the next books? Perhaps a competitor for Miss Latterly’s affections? Not that Monk would mind, he abhors (or admires?) her.


🎩 One aspect that was a bit wearisome was that Monk and Evans repeatedly run into impenetrable walls of silence while questioning the family. You get a sense of their frustration and powerlessness, but I felt the point was made … repeatedly. 


🎩 I enjoyed this second book even more than the first. Now that I know the characters, it is fun to dive deeper into their motivations and backgrounds. I’ve got book three queued up!

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