Where to start? Countess Zorah Rostova hires Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend her against a charge of slander - and he agrees. Zorah has accused Princess Gisela of murdering her husband Prince Frederich. (Both living in exile because he married her and his parents, the King and Queen of a small German principality called Felzburg, exiled them both.) It seems there is no evidence to support the murder claim and yet Zorah will not back down no matter what it might cost her. Monk investigates in Venice, Felzburg and England. Hester is nursing a young man in London, bedridden from a fever and his parents are also from Felzburg. Interesting twists. Historical info about the unification of Germany and the politics of Europe in that time period. ( )

I read this novel in two parts because over the Christmas period I prefer to be reading something more festive.

I was not hooked until the last twenty percent of the story when the court case began. I am aware that time must be taken to set the scene and develop the plot but this process has been more enjoyable in previous novels in the series. I did enjoy the international element of the plot though.

Regarding the slowly developing relationship between the central characters, it seemed things were almost at a standstill if not taking a step backwards. Monk seems to be going through a very long phase of battling between the depth of character in Hester and superficial charms of other women. It seems strange to me that it can take him so many months/years to work this out as it has been going on for a few books now. I am aware that Monk lost his memory of the person he was before his accident, but the person he saw himself as afterwards seems remarkable indecisive in these matters which is a stark contrast to how he thinks about the cases he works.

I am hoping the next novel has a more significant development in these central characters relationships.
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El príncipe Friedrich, que vive exiliado en Londres desde que contrajo matrimonio con Gisela, muere por accidente, pero la condesa Zorah Rostova defiende que en realidad ha sido envenenado por su esposa. Gisela se querella contra Rostova, y ésta acude entonces a un reputado abogado, Oliver Rathbone, que encarga la investigación del caso al detective Monk. Una enfermera perspicaz, Hester, colaborará en la búsqueda de pruebas.

When Sir Oliver Rathbone chooses to defend Countess Zorah Rostova in a slander case, he finds he has picked a difficult cause. Zorah has accused Princess Gisela of murdering her husband, a Prince who gave up his throne for her love. Rathbone hires Monk to discover what he can about the case and Hester becomes involved in nursing a young man whose family is associated with the case.
One of the reasons I enjoy this series so much is the social and historical aspects that Ms. Perry emphasizes. The political situation in Europe at this time is reflected in her story which adds the reader's involvement in the background to the slander/murder part of the story.
Monk didn't accomplish much in this book except on a personal level, and I was glad to see him acknowledge respect and admiration for Hester. The subplot with Hester's nursing patient was also interesting.
Another great book in this series. ( )

Another enjoyable read by Anne Perry. I enjoyed the side story with Hester's latest assignment. The end was somewhat surprising. ( )