When Commander William Monk finally arrests Jericho Philips, he expects the trial to be a mere formality. He can’t wait to see this child pornographer and murderer dancing at the end of a rope and the barge brothel of little boys put out of business for good. However, when his friend Oliver Rathbone shows up as the lawyer defending Philips, Monk is shocked and suspicious. Who recruited Rathbone? Why is he doing this? Are there those in London's high places who have an interest in seeing Phillips set free? The issues addressed in Execution Dock, Anne Perry’s latest in the series of William Monk novels, make the book seem surprisingly current despite the fact that it’s set in 1864 London, England.
Perry tells the story through various characters – Commander Monk, head of the River Police, his wife Hester who runs a dockside clinic for down-and-outs, Rathbone, a boy named Scuff, and others. This variety of viewpoints gives a rich repository of insights and memories.
One of the plot strategies Perry uses is to have Monk and Hester travel about London gathering evidence for their case. Though the resultant tramping around streets, alleys and pubs, and the second-hand retelling of bits of the story by the witnesses they track down does sometimes get tedious, Perry’s overall sense of timing and skillful storytelling make for a gripping tale.
Perry has created characters who are complex, interesting and whose lives often intertwine. For example the lawyer Rathbone, now a friend of Monk’s, was once in love with Hester. Rathbone’s shrewd questioning of her during the trial makes for compelling human drama. Durban, a man full of mystery and seeming contradictions, is a character who dominates the story even though he never appears in the flesh — because he’s dead. Perry’s ability to write in cockney dialect brings her many colorful minor characters to life as wise and humorous straight-talkers.
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