52 Books in 52 Weeks - Book 19: Cain His Brother

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Cain His Brother

A Novel by Anne Perry

1996

" We have read each other as Cain his brother"

G.K. Chesterton

"Victoria's London was the queen of the universe, a dazzling city from whose magnificent mansions and discreetly luxurious clubs flowed the strategies that built the greatest empire ever known.  Meanwhile, the city's poor suffered and died in hopeless obscurity.  Inspector William Monk believes he knows his city's best and worst -- until the day Genevieve Stonefield comes to plead with him to find her missing husband.  Angus Stonefield had been gentle and loving in his family life; in his relationship with his twin brother, Caleb, a virtual saint.  Now he is missing -- and it appears more than possible that Caleb has murdered him.  As Monk inches toward the truth, he also  moves unwittingly towards the destruction of his good name and livelihood."

Another in the William Monk series, this has several interesting strands, along with the central story of Angus and Caleb.  My husband did not like the ending at all - thought it was too contrived.  I felt the author may have begun with the ending, or at least the premise of the ending, and then figured out how the plot would work. It's always interesting to peek into the world of Victorian London.  It wouldn't have been such a good time for a woman, even a married woman such as Mrs. Stonefield.  While her husband was merely "missing" she could do nothing with or about his business.  She and her children would have become destitute or had to seek the protection of other family members.  As she explained to William Monk, she needed to know if her husband was dead - or still alive somewhere!

About The Author

Anne Perry's other William Monk novels include The Face of a Stranger, A Dangerous Mourning, Defend and Betray, A Sudden, Fearful Death, and The Sins of the Wolf.  She is also the author of fifteen novels, beginning with The Cater Street Hangman, in another Victorian mystery series featuring Inspector Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte, the most recent of which is Traitor's Gate.