Anne Perry: Execution Dock (UK 2010)

From the Publisher:
Once again, Inspector William Monk, now of the Thames River Police, must face a dangerous foe.
It's 1864, and after a game of cat and mouse, Monk has captured Jericho Phillips, the man he suspects of brutally killing a young mudlark and running an evil child prostitution ring. In bringing Phillips to justice, Monk hopes to close down the ring and avenge the memory of Durban, his old commander, who was determined to capture Philips. However at trial justice does not prevail. Oliver Rathbone, Monk's friend, is hired anonymously to represent the accused and when he proves that vital evidence is missing, Phillips is freed. As Monk begins the investigation again, venturing deeper into London's murky underworld, he realises that Durban may have had his own reasons for pursuing Phillips, and shockingly, that secret support for Phillips may reach further into civilised society than anyone could ever have imagined...

Anne Perry: Execution Dock. A William Monk Novel. Headline, ISBN: 9780755320639 (April, 2010), 432 p., £7.99.

Anne Perry: Execution Dock (USA 2010)

From the Publisher:
On the bustling docks along the River Thames, Great Britain's merchant ships unload the treasures of the world. And here, in dank and sinister alleys, sex merchants ply their lucrative trade. The dreaded kingpin of this dark realm is Jericho Phillips, who seems far beyond the reach of the law. But when thirteen-year-old Fig is found with his throat cut, Commander William Monk of the River Police swears that Phillips will hang for this abomination. Monk's wife, Hester, draws a highly unusual guerrilla force to her husband's cause -- a canny ratcatcher, a retired brothel keeper, a fearless street urchin, and a rebellious society lady. To one as criminally minded as Phillips, these folks are mere mosquitoes, to be sure. But as he will soon discover, some mosquitoes can have a deadly sting.

Anne Perry: Execution Dock. A William Monk Novel. Ballantine Books, ISBN: 9780345469342 (February, 2010), 320 p., $15.00.

Anne Perry: Execution Dock (UK 2009)

From the Publisher:
Once again, Inspector William Monk, now of the Thames River Police, must face a dangerous foe. It's 1864, and after a game of cat and mouse, Monk has finally captured Jericho Phillips, the man he suspects of brutally killing a young mudlark and running an evil child prostitution ring. In bringing Phillips to justice, Monk hopes to close down the ring and to avenge the memory of Durban, his old commander, who was determined to capture Philipps. However at trial justice does not prevail. Oliver Rathbone, Monk's friend, is hired anonymously to represent the accused and when he proves that vital evidence missing, Phillips is freed. Monk, determined to prove Phillips' guilt, begins the investigation again. But as he ventures deeper into London's murky underworld, he realises that Durban may have had his own reasons for pursuing Phillips, and shockingly, that secret support for Phillips may reach further into civilised society than anyone could ever have imagined!

Anne Perry: Execution Dock. A Novel. Headline, ISBN: 9780755320622 (April, 2009), 345 p., £19.99.

Anne Perry: Execution Dock (USA 2009)

From the Publisher:
Readers of Anne Perry's bestselling William Monk novels feel as if they've experienced the many shades of Victorian London, from Belgravia to Limehouse, from drawing room to brothel. In Execution Dock, Perry's first Monk novel in three years, we find ourselves on the bustling docks along the River Thames. Here the empire's great merchant ships unload the treasures of the world. And here, in dank and sinister alleys, sex merchants ply their lucrative trade.

The dreaded kingpin of this dark realm is Jericho Phillips. On his floating brothel, sex slaves are forced to endure unspeakable acts. Now one such soul, thirteen-year-old Fig, is found with his throat cut, his tortured body tossed into the river.

Commander William Monk of the River Police swears that Phillips will hang for this abomination. But the miscreant is as wily as he is monstrous, and his wealthy clients seem far beyond the reach of the law. Monk's attempt to bring about justice becomes the first electrifying episode in a nightmare that will test his courage and integrity.

However, reinforcements are on the way. Monk's wife, Hester, who runs a free clinic for abused women, draws a highly unusual guerrilla force to her husband's cause -- a canny ratcatcher, a retired brothel keeper, a fearless street urchin, and a rebellious society lady. To one as criminally minded as Phillips, these folks are mere mosquitoes, to be sure. But as he will soon discover, some mosquitoes can have a deadly sting.

This gripping, terrifying story hurtles toward to a denouement that will leave the reader breathless but cheering. Execution Dock is Anne Perry at her incomparable, magnificent best.

Anne Perry: Execution Dock. A Novel. Ballantine Books, ISBN: 9780345469335 (March, 2009), 306 p., $26.00