Anne Perry

Another author I track is Anne Perry. My introduction to Perry happened one day when my husband and I were in the library together. I was looking for an audio tape to listen to while I drove to Colorado to see my daughter and her family. Hubby suggested Perry because he'd heard she was an LDS author who wrote mysteries. (Mysteries are my genre of choice.) I don't remember what that first novel was (I know it was either a William Monk or a Thomas Pitt), but I thought it was the perfect type of book to listen to while driving. Whenever I took a trip I would listen to one of Anne's. Then I forgot about those for a couple of years. Three years ago my daughter was having problems with her pregnancy so I started making frequent trips to Colorado. I again looked for some more Perry books. I developed a real interest in William Monk and the nurse Hester Latterly. After listening to several in a helter-skelter order I decided I wanted to read them in order.

William Monk Series. There are 14 books, but they are quick reading, interesting Victorian mysteries. I usually like to start at the beginning of a series and follow it through. With these I didn't realized it was a series and just read several out of order. It was actually fun to go back and read the first ones already knowing some of the outcomes in relationships. I reccommend this series for traveling or for light(lacks graphic violence or sex), but rewarding mysteries.

Thomas Pitt Series. When I finish reading all of the Monk series, I want to start on the Pitt series. To date I've only read 3-4 of them. Monk and his wife, Charlotte, work together to solve the mysteries.

World War I series. This is my favorite of Perry's series. There are three books so far with a fourth schedule for Sep 2006. The first, No Graves As Yet was awesome. Set in 1914 on Cambridge campus, it's a moving historical whodunit. The 2nd, Shoulder the Sky, continues the story of the 3 young adult siblings started in the first book. Each book has one mystery that is solved, but others present themselves. To borrow a quote from the School Library Journal, "The characters' emotions and thoughts capture the confusion, frustration, and determination of those fighting the war. Without describing too graphically the horrors of the front, the author presents memorable tableaux of a soldier, an ambulance driver, a doctor, a field nurse, and those in positions of leadership and trust. The murder investigation and espionage greatly enhance the action and interest in the complex plot." The 3rd, Angels in the Gloom, I've haven't read yet. The library has had it on order for 6 months now and my name is the first on the hold list. (How can it take 6 months to get a book in?!) The Publisher's Weekly has this to say about Angels, "This powerful and intense third novel in Perry's WWI series continues the Reavley family's anguished search for the "Peacemaker," a shadowy figure responsible for their parents' murders two years earlier, and now intent on Anglo-German world domination as a means toward world peace." The 4th book is At Some Disputed Barricade: 1917.

Note added 5 March 2006: Angels in the Gloom finally came in. I'm reading it now and am very impressed. I forgot there were 4 Reavely children. The first two books focused on only the younger three. The 3rd book focuses on Josheph who is a chaplan sent home wounded to live with his married sister Hannah. It's nice getting to know her better. One of the things that impresses me with Perry's books is her accurate description of the time periods she writes about.