Defend and Betray

A William Monk Novel #3

By: Anne Perry

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Ten people gather together for an elegant London dinner party. By the end of the party, only nine are alive. Sometime after dinner, General Thaddeus Carlyon is brutally murdered in the hallway. Who had the strength - and motive - to murder the distinguished military hero? Nurse Latterly and Inspector Monk find the answers in a nightmarish legacy of evil.

Crack another case with William Monk.

©1992 Anne Perry (P)1996 Recorded Books, LLC

Praise for Defend and Betray.

Can’t get enough… such a great story teller in MS Perry! Well done. Thank you.

Stunningly Well-written and Narrated

The underlying crime addressed in this novel is one of the most heinous and often destroys families generation after generation. Anne Perry’s treatment of this tragic issue is eloquent, compassionate, and savagely unsparing of the evil committed by both perpetrators and their unforgivable enablers.

Each book I read in this series seems better than the previous ones.

I have been in astonishment of the excellent writing of this author from the beginning.

My favorite Monk novel so far.

I found the first two novels slow and redundant, although it's only fair to say that I still couldn't put them down. This novel flows better, is significantly less repetitive and develops the characters of Hester and Oliver even more than that of Monk.

I have really enjoyed Perry's descriptions of the classes and time period, more than any other author who writes about that period - she vividly portrays the constraints placed on women, children and the servant class.

As a woman I feel badly for generally not liking women narrators. I find it easier to hear a man narrating a woman's part than the reverse. That being said, Davina Porter's narrations are so good that suspension of disbelief is nearly total for me.

This is the darkest yet of the three but also the easiest to believe and the most touching. Enjoy!

Good storyline, but not as counterintuitive as the two previous.

Overall a good book, but not an excellent book. I'm not sure I would recommend this to anyone, unless they are bored and have nothing else to read. The storyline was very obvious from the get-go, the characters were not terribly developed, and the outcome was obvious. There was way too much emphasis on the emotional history of the lead detective. His history is interesting, but should not be the focus of the book and in this case, it is. The actual drama seem to take a backstage to his revealing of where he wanted to go in his life. Again, interesting but should not be the focal point. In any case, interesting read, to a degree, but not something I would have read if I had been aware of the focus of the book. I would've simply skip to the next one in the series. In summation, just a little too predictable and A little bit lame.

I will listen to Davina Porter read any day

The story is good, but the narration makes it so much better. I found these books searching for Ms. Porter, and was not disappointed!

Long, Very Long

This was my first and last Monk mystery. This was about 9 hours too long! Slow doesn't do the beginning justice. I was actually thinking of my hard slog through The Name Of The Rose favouribly compared to this! I'll stick to the Pitts from now on.

This was a really good one!

I was on the edge of my seat! this is a great listen! I really enjoyed it.

Tragedy

The thing is Anne Perry’s ability to keep our interest. It is like classic Greek Tragedy. We know where the conclusion lies and are powerless to speed it up or slow it down. We simply witness the inexorable justice that must come.

Great author and outstanding narration.

Anne Perry’s writing is truly amazing, not only in her believable portrayal of Victorian England but in the minutest detail of her characters.