The Twisted Root

Anne Perry

William Monk is approached by a young man whose fiancee has disappeared. She had been with them at a croquet party, got a stricken look on her face, and fled. No one in the family had any idea why she should have left. They all loved her and found no fault with her. It didn't matter she was a widow who was a few years older than her fiance.

Monk reluctantly takes on the case. He tells Lucius Stourbridge he would look for the missing woman, Miriam Gardiner. He also informs the gentleman that if he found her and she did not want to return, he would not force her. Stourbridge agrees; he just wants to make sure she was safe.

Hester has been volunteering at a hospital with Lady Callandra Daviot. They have realized that medicine is missing and that one of the nurses is probably responsible. They do not want the doctor in charge of the hospital to know until they have more proof. He is pompous, arrogant, and has no respect for nurses. He cannot believe that nurses can do anything more than be drunk servants bathing and cleaning the patients. Hester learns of the great need for in home nursing for the elderly.

As their pursuits continue, they merge together. There is a connection between the cases. Monk learns where Miriam is. She will not return nor give any reason.

As usual, Anne Perry has blended together two disparate threads of story into one compelling novel. I spent the whole book trying to discern Miriam's secret. I knew the nurse who was stealing the drugs immediately. By the middle of the book I knew why. I knew of the connection of the two cases. Yet I could not put together the clues of the main mystery. There is a twist (pun not intended despite the title) at the end that was unexpected yet not surprising putting together so many of the clues available. Whew!

If you've just been introduced to the Monk series, start with The Face of a Stranger.

The Face of a Stranger
A Dangerous Mourning
Defend and Betray
A Sudden, Fearful Death
The Sins of the Wolf
Cain His Brother
Weighed in the Balance
The Silent Cry
A Breach of Promise
The Twisted Root
Slaves of Obsession
Funeral in Blue
Death of a Stranger
The Shifting Tide
Dark Assassin
Execution Dock
Acceptable Loss

An Instance at the Fingerpost by Iain Pears