Customer Reviews

Execution Dock: A Novel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
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"If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked," -- Deuteronomy 25:1

Execution Dock isn't for those with sensitive reactions to inhumane activities, focusing as it does on Jericho Phillips's illegal activities that exploit children. If this subject matter is upsetting to you, skip this book.

If you can get past that point, the book's opening features an exceptional river chase led by the redoubtable Commander William Monk of the River Police, following up on the case developed by his predecessor, the highly regarded Commander Durban. A legal conflict ensues with some unexpected opposition for Monk and his wife, Hester. With the stakes as high as anyone can imagine, it becomes critical to shut down the unspeakable. All the stops are pulled out as each character displays unusual courage and steadfastness to see that justice is done. Before the story is over you'll get a glimpse of a side of Victorian society that you probably haven't read about before.

After the excitement of the opening chase, the legal conflict that followed seemed slow and frustrating by comparison. Keep going if you have that reaction. The book's second half picks up steam again and is much more satisfying as a detection story than the first half is.

The story places the ongoing characters in the series in new lights and puts new strains on their relationships. If you aren't familiar with the earlier books in the series, you may not enjoy this book as much as I did. It might be more like a 3 or 3 1/2 star novel for you.

The book also describes some moral dilemmas, the sort that will cause you to think about what you would have done in similar circumstances. A book club with members who enjoy this series would do well to use this book for a discussion.

At the end of this book, you'll be asking yourself what justice requires. That's a fine way to end a novel that ostensibly is only about crime and punishment.

Whatever he is reading actor/director David Colacci totally engages himself in the story. He is there, whether it be as a salami vendor in Italy, a New York cop or, this listener is happy to say, the voice of Victorian London. Many will remember his sterling performance of Anne Perry's Dark Assassin - hard as it is to believe he's even better in the latest in the William Monk series, Execution Dock.

With this, her first Monk series in three years, Perry takes us to the docks along the River Thames. Not a berth for a pleasure ship but a dark place where Jericho Phillips, a child pornographer, plies his trade, forcing young boys to commit unspeakable acts for the pleasure of pedophiles.

Perry opens her story with a chase worthy of the big screen as Monk tries to catch Phillips. The veteran detective doesn't shoot because he wants him alive "so he could see him tried and hanged." And so the pursuit continues from police boat to schooner, from barge to barge with Monk closing in until "...Phillips's face was so close, Monk could smell his skin, his hair, the exhale of his breath. His eyes were glittering, and he smiled as he brought the knife up in his hand."

Pure Perry - pure pleasure! Just try to stop listening. Of course, at this point we're only beginning of this compelling, assiduously plotted story. As the tale continues we learn more about Monk's past, witness the growing relationship between Monk and Hester, and are intrigued by the ways of 1864 London.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

It starts with a chase and keeps going. The case is about young boys being used for pornography which is illegal (it seems that young girls would be not illegal at the time).

On the personal side, the friendship between Monk/Hester and Oliver Rathborne is on the line, also we find the people at the clinic who want to help... you see a nice development of the characters introduced in previous books.

Lots of human emotions, the need to be accepted, pride, regret, love ...

I highly recommend it !