Blood on the Water, by Anne Perry

 The Book

Commander William Monk and Mr. Orme are on routine patrol one evening on the Thames when they see a man leap from a pleasure boat. Moments later, the boat blows up and quickly sink. Despite having experienced the sonic boom, Monk and Orme rescue as many people as they can before returning to the Wapping Station for a brief rest. The next morning Monk hires a diving suit to look at the wreckage to see if he can determine where the explosives were place. Upon surfacing, Monk is relieved of the case by Inspector John Lydiate. 

The newspapers are full of outrage, a minister in the Home Office, Lord Ossett, keep trying to interfere. Lydiate and his men quickly solve the case. But the River Police are restless, knowing Lydiate trusted men who are known liars and opportunists. Nonetheless, the man is found guilty. 

Scuff, who lived on the waterfront most of his life, until he came to live with William and Hester, now about 16, reads it all in the newspapers. He believes his school work can wait, while he works to on the river to prove Monk would have done a better job. 

Sometime after the conviction, Monk finds out one of the witnesses committed perjury. It was an easy out to blame the scapegoat, because it gave him an alibi for the crime he was actually committing. Armed with this knowledge, Monk reports it first to Lydiate and then to Lord Ossett. The case is reopened. 

As Monk follows the few remaining clues, he gets a little too close to the truth. Should he solve it, who will prosecute. And will, the disgraced Oliver Rathbone, whose help is now desperately needed, be able to return in time. Or is already too late? 

My Thoughts

We are finally free of the stupid arc, the one involving Margaret Ballinger, her father Arthur, and all of the nastiness there. Oliver Rathbone's side story fades from being the main story and now returns to the background where these books work the best. 

We are beginning to see a turn in Scuff's character, less of the streetwise boy, and more of the compassionate young man he is becoming. Now that he's got food in his stomach, he finds it difficult to talk to the other mudlarks. To his surprise many of them are no longer there, and the younger ones he both exploits and takes care to get out of harm's way. 

This book does little to advance either the character change in Monk or Hester, as if all of the growing the two of them have done over the past several books is at a rest. We are now entering into the end of this series, with only four books left. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

This book came to me from Winnetka-Northfield Public Library. It entered their system the same month as publication, September of 2014. This 309 page first edition book has been lightly read, with no markings, dog ears, or stains on it. In fact, for a 12 year old book, I feel it's in remarkably good condition. The interior cover says the book was originally priced at $26.00, that is the number I will use. 

Library Books

This Book                                                         $26.00

Library Items Reviewed This Year                 $443.32

Private Books

This Book                                                          $0.00

Total of Private Books                                     $55.75

Total of All Items Reviewed This Year          $523.07

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