Funeral in Blue

A William Monk Novel #12

By: Anne Perry

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

The headlines were gruesome: two beautiful women found strangled in the studio of a well-known London artist. To investigator William Monk and his wife Hester, the murders are a nightmare. One of the victims is an obscure artist's model. The other is the wife of Hester's cherished colleague, distinguished surgeon Dr. Kristian Beck, a Viennese emigre who swiftly becomes the principal suspect.

With an intensity born of desperation, Hester, Monk, and their dear friend Lady Callandra Daviot, who cannot hide her deep love for the accused, seek evidence that will save Kristian from the hangman - hoping to penetrate not only the mystery of Elissa Beck's death...but the riddle of her life.

Crack another case with William Monk.

©2004 Anne Perry (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Disappointing

Anne Perry takes us to Vienna in this novel and the plot revolves around the revolutions of 1848 in continental Europe. This is not a successful theme for Perry. She is far more effective and convincing when writing about Victorian Britain and its politics. This novel contains more speeches than other William Monk novels and less interesting plotting and characterization. I did not find the conclusion convincing and the plot dragged in many places.

Good story, terrible narrator

What didn’t you like about David Colacci’s performance?

What caused audible to select an American narrator to narrate a book on Victorian England I will never know. The narration is an atrocity with little to no attention to the British accent and diction. What caused me to buy this book without reading the sample I will never know. I guess I was too enamored of the masterful narration of other Anne Perry books by Davina Porter to even imagine that someone could so completely bungle this one up. The American accent of the author is quite clear and impossible to ignore and the reading is too rapid, almost as if someone was timing the narrator with a stop watch. This book will be returned post-haste.

I was well on my way through the entire William Monk series which will now come to a screeching halt simply due to the choice of the narrator.

Series Interruptus...

I'm torn on the rating for this book. I started out thinking it was mildly ok but not great, and ended up thinking it was terrific...so the story gets a 4 star. What's worthy of note is that the first 5 books of this series are really terrific. The narrator is the incomparable Davina Porter. The two primary characters are engaging in the beginnings of a romantic relationship with all the banter, questioning, back/forth that goes with that relationship. Ms. Perry writes all of this with wonderful prose and humor.

Now skip forward: Audible does not have the rights to release books 6 through 11 ... so we now move from book 5 to book 12. Not only is the narrator different but the plot has moved forward as you would expect. The primary characters (Hester and Wm Monk) are now married and their courtship banter is gone (and is missed because it was truly engaging). Ms Porter's wonderful lilt is gone from the narration and therefore most everything seems darker and more ponderous for the first half of the book. However Anne Perry's wonderful use of language and turns of sentences does come to the fore. Colacci, in the end, proves himself to be a wonderful narrator. And overall I remembered why I love this series.

All readers should be aware though, this skip in the series makes it hard to keep going in the middle of this book. In the end I'm very glad that I didn't give up, and I'm hoping that none of you do either.

Anne Perry is always a great read.

Where does Funeral in Blue rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This story is what I have come to expect from the books by Anne Perry. She is my favorite author and is always one of my go to authors for a great read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really love Hester and her part in all the Monk series.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to pick just one.

Go to Vienna

What made the experience of listening to Funeral in Blue the most enjoyable?

As always Anne Perry again studies motivations of characters more than she does foreign lands or sceneries abroad - even when her story takes readers to Vienna. Alas, the coffee gets more description in Vienna than any scenic spot or building or cultural attraction. Perry sticks to the micro, not the macro when it comes to places beyond London.
A suprise personality trait is the jelly filling of this mystery. One of her mid-level success stories, high tension, virtually no class warfare, and at least two kinds of total suprises. Fans of Hester and Monk will enjoy it!
sadly the narration take a full chapter to really hit its stride.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Couldnt establish a solid English accent - instead the American accent kept coming through.

Fascinating!

What I really love abt Anne Perry is how she works the subjects that are so personal and profound to her. As someone who committed murder as a teen, she explores in this book identity, memory, social condemnation, love, and betrayal among other subjects. I think Monk is her, and he has lost his memory, so watching him work to solve mysteries while the biggest mystery of his/her life (why she got involved in that) remains an enigma.

Great evolution of characters

The series just keeps getting better! I'm looking forward to Book 13 to find out what happens next.

Best so far

I've read every title of this series that is available through Audible in order of appearance. This was the best one so far. I have to pace myself in order to enjoy each new volume and I look forward to continuing the series. Just wish that all of them were available.

Colacci on an off day?

This was the usual Perry/Monk type of light mystery/social history tale, but I found Colacci's attempt at British English often annoying and at times inconsistent. Even if he had used his own accent as narrator as he does with Donna Leon's novels, it would have been a better listen.

I usually enjoy both Perry's novels and Colacci's narration, but I wish I had passed on this Monk installment. Play the entire sample before you decide to download.

Meh

Kind of disappointed. At this point this is my least favorite book in the series. It lacked the excitement and suspenseful tension found in the previous books.

And I’m feeling some kind of way by the shift in relationships.

I don’t like when reviews incorporate plot spoilers so read/listen to it and form your own conclusion. I’m moving on to the next in the series.