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Weighed in the Balance (William Monk #7)
by
Anne Perry
When Countess Zorah Rostova asks London barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend her against a charge of slander, he is astonished to find himself accepting. For without a shred of evidence, the countess has publicly insisted that the onetime ruler of her small German principality was murdered by his wife, the woman who was responsible for the prince’s exile to Venice twent...more
ebook, 384 pages
Published
September 29th 2010
by Ballantine Books
(first published October 1st 1996)
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In the seventh installment of the William Monk series, Oliver Rathbone is retained to defend Countess Zorah Rostova in a slander case.
The Countess accused Princess Gisela of killing Prince Friedrich, the exiled prince of a German principality. The problem is that the Countess cannot produce a shred of evidence against the princess. Rathbone then asks Monk to investigate this accusation. Monk travels to Vienna and Felzburg (the German principality), but he cannot find anything to support Zorah a...more
The Countess accused Princess Gisela of killing Prince Friedrich, the exiled prince of a German principality. The problem is that the Countess cannot produce a shred of evidence against the princess. Rathbone then asks Monk to investigate this accusation. Monk travels to Vienna and Felzburg (the German principality), but he cannot find anything to support Zorah a...more
This was the first novel I read from Anne Perry and it was "hook, line and sinker". I was amazed at how well the description of the characters and the political surroundings affected the story. What I liked the most was how she went around and described little snippets of Victorian thinking, like the thoughts of society on nurses, to my tastes that made her novel even more "human". The most striking thing about this story is that even when you are reading a crime/mystery novel you do not feel as...more
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Not one of my favorites in this series. An eccentric countess from a fictional German principality is being tried for slander, having publicly accused a princess of murdering the husband who gave up his throne for her, à la the Duke of Windsor. Rathbone frets over the defense while Monk travels to Venice looking for clues.
Meanwhile Hester nurses a young man who has just become a paraplegic. She hooks him up with a disabled young woman (from an earlier book) with conveniently compatible physical...more
Meanwhile Hester nurses a young man who has just become a paraplegic. She hooks him up with a disabled young woman (from an earlier book) with conveniently compatible physical...more
William Monk mystery with Countess Zorah Rostova. Problems: 1)witnesses were allowed to sit in the courtroom during the trial. (This was not allowed even in Victorian times.) 2) murder trial is held in Scotland. In the book the court is dismissed daily at supper time. But in Scotland at this time murder trials were NOT dismissed. All the witnesses, prosecution and defense were done in one sitting no matter how long it took. The reasoning for this was that the trials would not be lengthy and that...more
Although Countess Zorah Rostova would grace any occasion, her charge of murder against the Princess of a deposed principality makes her a less than acceptable guest. In fact, she is brought in to a legal proceeding for slander. Monk gets involved and through him Rathbone, and suddenly Monk is on his way, alone, to Venice where the erstwhile Court in exile is ensconced. And do what he might, there, back home, the trial swings around until it seems that the Countess may be charged with the murder....more
Oct 17, 2011
Parikhit
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-mystery-thriller,
books-i-own
Anne Perry is one of favourite mystery authors and every book of hers captivates me. The element of mystery is neither too obvious nor too difficult to deduce. Reanalysing the facts again and again leads to further investigation in her stories and keeps me hooked till the end. Moreover the manner she adapts to portray the Victorian era and many social evils through her works is marvellous.
‘Weighed In The Balance’ is a William Monk novel. (However I prefer Thomas Pitt, the other detective conjur...more
‘Weighed In The Balance’ is a William Monk novel. (However I prefer Thomas Pitt, the other detective conjur...more
Apr 10, 2012
Beth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thrillers,
around-the-world-group
As always, I really enjoy reading Anne Perry's mysteries. I enjoy the characters: surly amnesiac detective William Monk, Crimean War nurse Hester Latterly, distinguished barrister Oliver Rathbone, whose relationships, while often testy, are also intelligent, passionate and loyal. I also enjoy the plot twists, which always have a foundation laid, but which are nonetheless not given away earlier in the novel, making things interesting to the end. I also like the vision of 19th century European soc...more
I didn't like this as the rest in this series. It dragged quite a bit and nothing much happened in the mystery until the last chapters.
The plot revolves about a case which Oliver Rathbone takes involving slander. A Countess has said that the wife of the exiled heir to the throne of a small Germanic principality has killed him. He have up his throne for his wife and lived in exile in Vienna. Their story was a romance for the ages and no one can believe that his wife would kill him.
What I did find...more
The plot revolves about a case which Oliver Rathbone takes involving slander. A Countess has said that the wife of the exiled heir to the throne of a small Germanic principality has killed him. He have up his throne for his wife and lived in exile in Vienna. Their story was a romance for the ages and no one can believe that his wife would kill him.
What I did find...more
Not my favorite among the Inspector Monk series, but it was okay. One problem I had with it was Monk becoming enamored with a woman married to a baron, spending a lot of time alone with her, and kissing her. It just didn't fit in with my perception of this man who has such a high respect for honor, truth and justice. I could understand him having feelings for her, but kissing another man's wife - just didn't seem realistic. And to not even feel tortured or anything about it. It rang false.
The st...more
The st...more
This actually is better than other books that received 2-stars from me, but I'm getting tired of the series. It's about time we find out more about Monk's past, what's going to happen with Hester, Monk, and Rathbone, and the author is using more contrived plot devices that are kind-of insulting.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Perry writes a good, clean mystery novel that really grabs you and makes you want to keep reading to find out how in the world the lead character is going to solve this case. I would recommend it to any of you who just want a "good read" for fun.
A very interesting overlook of the Spring of Revolutions throughout Europe in 1848. I'm going to see if this was followed by Bismark uniting the small German independent states. Otherwise, Ms Perry did a little more social preaching than an educated reader wanted or needed.
I became bore with the series and annoyed with the two main characters' (Monk & Hester) relationship -- didn't even finish reading the book. Kind of felt that after 7 books get to the point and reveal the "mystery" behind Monk's past.
Was Germany a lot of independent states in the past? I did not know about it until I stared reading this book! And this happened in the mid 1800's, so it is something that happened "not long ago" in their own history at least.
And related with Hester-William-Oliver story, here Zorah comes to "balance" the thing into one clear path... I'm glad to see that Hester, as always, is more deep in her "lectures" of Monk feelings; I'm just in chapter 5, so I hope that William start to be more aware of his...more
And related with Hester-William-Oliver story, here Zorah comes to "balance" the thing into one clear path... I'm glad to see that Hester, as always, is more deep in her "lectures" of Monk feelings; I'm just in chapter 5, so I hope that William start to be more aware of his...more
Her books tend to follow the pattern of introduce characters, have nothing get figured out for most of the book, have the crime resolve in the last few pages. That long middle part got pretty tedious in this book.
Anne Perry writes two series I'm mainly interested in. The WIlliam Monk mysteries and the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries. Since I'm a sucker for an English "buddy" mystery, these are right up my alley.
I've read most of Anne Perry's books and didn't think this one measured up to her usual standards. I found it rather boring and had a hard time finishing it. I'm getting a little tired of these characters.
Reread...once started had to reread the whole. I like the Monk series...thought I missed this one.At the end this is about where Monk first implys his interest in Hester.
I have only read one other of Anne Perry's novels and I thought this one was excellent. I usually am pretty good at guessing who done it, but this kept me quessing to the end.
À partir d’une affaire de diffamation Anne Perry brode une intrigue sur fond d’intérêts politiques, d’amours contrariées, de jalousies, et nous balade ici et là d’un bout à l’autre du livre. Tout son art consiste à trimballer le lecteur, à le perdre, à le faire douter, même lorsque celui-ci croit déjà connaître le coupable. Et lorsqu’il a raison, il reste à démêler le
I enjoy this series. I like it better when William and Hester are not constantly snipping at each other, but this was still a good read.
Anne Perry's Monk series never disappoints... a winning combination of authentic Victorian settings and richly developed characterization. Looking forward to the next one.
A very interesting book. I didn't think I would like it because it's set in Victorian England. A "who" done it to the very end.
I've read most of the Monk novels and I enjoy them, partly because Ann Perry does a superb job of tealistic conveying the era in which the novels are set. Monk is a complex character with a mystery in his past. Since I've read the later novels, I know what the mystery is, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment of this book. What did take away from my reading pleasure was the sense that Perry stretches the plot to the inevitable denouement by using some contrived plot devices. Also, I quest...more
This is one of my all time favorite series; thevfirst volume is one of my favorite books of all time.
The usual interesting Victorian murder mystery from Anne Perry. A good read. She always surprises.
This plot was not as strong as some of Perry's others. I just couldn't get into it.
Recommended only for serious series fans who don't want to miss a nugget from Monk's past or the development of his relationship with Hester
While I usually love Anne Perry's books, I did not enjoy this book. It was long and boring. It was hard to develop any feeling or empathy for any of the new characters in this book central to the mystery other than the young man who lost his mobility due to illness.
However if you are a series reader you may want to read it to uncover more glimpses into Monk...more
While I usually love Anne Perry's books, I did not enjoy this book. It was long and boring. It was hard to develop any feeling or empathy for any of the new characters in this book central to the mystery other than the young man who lost his mobility due to illness.
However if you are a series reader you may want to read it to uncover more glimpses into Monk...more
a little more dry than the others but still good.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Anne Perry (born Juliet Hulme) is a British historical novelist.
Juliet took the name "Anne Perry", the latter being her stepfather's surname. Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published under this name in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several cate...more
More about Anne Perry...
Anne Perry (born Juliet Hulme) is a British historical novelist.
Juliet took the name "Anne Perry", the latter being her stepfather's surname. Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published under this name in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several cate...more
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“Love is brave and generous and above all it springs from honor. In order to love someone else, you must first be true to yourself.
Love is not two people wanting or needing what the other can give.
--Hester Latterly”
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Love is not two people wanting or needing what the other can give.
--Hester Latterly”
