A Sudden, Fearful Death

By: Anne Perry

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Anne Perry's Victorian murder mysteries have enthralled millions with their evocative atmosphere and finely-crafted suspense. Now, in this mesmerizing best seller, the star of these mysteries, Inspector William Monk, returns to solve the most heartbreaking case of his career.

Prudence Barrymore braved the horrors of war to nurse the wounded on the battlefronts of the Crimea. Shortly after she returned to England, she was strangled to death in a hospital. Inspector Monk is instantly convinced that her death was not a random act of violence, but a deliberately-plotted murder.

Who would murder the courageous young nurse? And why? With the help of Prudence's friend, Nurse Hester Latterly, Inspector Monk works feverishly to find the answers. In an explosive courtroom confrontation, he will expose a cunning murderer, and a horrifying evil that threatens every woman in England.

For all Inspector Monk fans, and for all listeners encountering this extraordinary mystery series for the first time, A Sudden, Fearful Death is an unforgettable listening experience.

©1993 Anne Perry (P)1996 Recorded Books, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Anne Perry's mysteries, set in Victorian England and featuring William Monk and Hester Latterly, are engrossing....Anne Perry and Davina Porter seem made for each other. Porter reads in a manner that enhances the story and completely immerses the listener in the various characters, no matter what their sex or station in life. She captures the essence of each person's voice as the novel moves from an arrest to a trial and a surprising conclusion" (AudioFile)

Love Anne Perry's work - Period!

I enjoy almost everything Ms. Perry produces but the deepening relationship between Hester Latterly (Monk) and William Monk constantly intrigues me. I also appreciate the gentile nature of the period she writes about. This specific story is bested only by her own "Execution Dock". It is also nice to know the verbiage can be trusted.

Charles Dickens Lives Again

What made the experience of listening to A Sudden, Fearful Death the most enjoyable?

No one today writes a better historical mystery than Anne Perry, and no narrator does more justice to the books than Davina Porter.

Who was your favorite character and why?

As I read more of the Monk books, I'm beginning to find Oliver Rathbone a most interesting character. He is everything that Monk is not and yet they work together harmoniously.

What about Davina Porter’s performance did you like?

I love Davina Porter's narration every time I head it. She evokes Dickensian London so perfectly in the Monk books that you think you've just seen a movie,

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Together again - Monk, Hester and Rathbone! Does Hester make her choice yet?

Any additional comments?

I will read anything Anne Perry wants to write,

Well Written Story and Performed by Davina Porter

Where does A Sudden, Fearful Death rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

After listening to all of the Outlander Series I was looking for more of Davina Porter and discovered the Monk Series. I have truly enjoyed this series and of course Davina Porter is by far the best narrator around.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Anne Perry's style of writing is very enjoyable. There are lots of twists and turns in the plots as well as surprise ending. Just when you think you have figured it out, she throws in a little twist in the plot.

Have you listened to any of Davina Porter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Davina Porter is by far the best narrator, performer around. It was because of her I started looking for another series after listening to the fabulous Outlander Series.

Any additional comments?

I am hooked on the Monk Series. Looking forward to more books.

Too political

I like the Inspector Monk series but this full of soapbox grandstanding. I hope the series gets back to being a mystery without all the moralizing.

addictive melodramas

victorian melodramas centered on women's rights. I don't think I would enjoy these in the hands of any one else but writing and narration are so meticulous, so correct.. you enter the period and enjoy the fretting and restatements of issues, moral niceties. I just did two in a row.. had trouble emerging into modern life..

Very good

Her books are all very good. Nice description of the time period and the expected rolls of men and women. Her writing technique is quite different in that once the solution is reached the story suddenly ends. Occasionally I expect just a touch more.

outstanding

very captivating, her best yet.

Stilted

This writer's attempt to be a 19th century Agatha Christie is not successful. The concept is promising, but the language is stilted, the characters less than convincing, the language somewhat stilted and the plot development laborious.

NARRATION, NARRATION, NARRATION! NO MORE...

I will have to read this book in print--the narrator talkes so fast and in a thick enough Bristish accent that finally my mind just revolted and turned the book off. I teach college English and language, and also teach ESL--so I am usually a quick study--but 'this narrator' read as if he was on some type of race to finish the book in 10 hours--a sad waste as the entire book, even if just so-so is al about the narrator. Who chooses these people?

Perry at her worst?

I usually enjoy the Monk novels, as I do Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series; however, I found this one too slow and contrived. The only suspense was waiting for Hester or Monk to wake up and look about them. Not once, but twice, Perry resorts to a woman having with her "a very large reticule" to secret a stack of letters -- and so the novel goes.

I didn't rate this novel poorly because of its stance on abortion, but know that if you are in the "pro life" camp, you may want to pass on this one. I don't think you can frame the contemporary abortion debate in a Victorian setting - that only makes the novel weaker.

Will I download other novels in the series? Yes, especially if Porter narrates. Monk is worth the risk of an occasional boring and anachronistic listen.