Anne Perry: A Breach of Promise (USA 2011)

From the Publisher:
In a sensational breach-of-promise suit, two wealthy social climbers are suing on behalf of their beautiful daughter, Zillah. The defendant is Zillah's alleged fiancé, brilliant young architect Killian Melville, who adamantly declares that he will not, cannot, marry her. Utterly baffled by his client's refusal, Melville's counsel, Sir Oliver Rathbone, turns to his old comrades in crime -- William Monk and nurse Hester Latterly. But even as they scout London for clues, the case suddenly and tragically ends, in an outcome that no one -- except a ruthless murderer -- could have foreseen.

Anne Perry: A Breach of Promise. A William Monk Novel. Ballantine, ISBN: 9780345523747 (October, 2011), 384 p., $15.00.

Anne Perry: A Breach of Promise (USA 1999)

From the Publisher:
In a sensational breach-of-promise suit, two wealthy social climbers are suing on behalf of their beautiful daughter, Zillah. The defendant is Zillah's alleged fiancé, brilliant young architect Killian Melville, who adamantly declares that he will not, cannot, marry her. Utterly baffled by his client's refusal, Melville's counsel, Sir Oliver Rathbone, turns to his old comrades in crime -- William Monk and nurse Hester Latterly. But even as they scout London for clues, the case suddenly and tragically ends, in an outcome that no one -- except a ruthless murderer -- could have foreseen.

Anne Perry: A Breach of Promise. A William Monk Novel. Ivy Books, ISBN: 0804118558 (September 1999), 373 p., $6.99.

Anne Perry: Whited Sepulchres (UK 1998)

From the Publisher:
Killian Melville is probably the most brilliant architect of the age. Young, fresh-faced, highly intelligent and passionate about his art, he is liked by everyone and, despite his talent, he maintains a straightforward honesty which endears him to society. So when he visits Sir Oliver Rathbone, in need of the best lawyer there is to represent him over his alleged 'breach of promise' to marry the daughter of his patron, Rathbone agrees in spite of his misgivings.

The case is not an easy one, for Melville has nothing concrete to offer in his defence. Zillah is beautiful and even-tempered, heiress to a fortune and a good friend. What more could any man want? And why would Melville risk not only losing a huge amount of money but also the professional reputation he has worked all his life to build?

Assuring the court that Zillah is without blemish he still claims he cannot marry her. Frustrated by Melville's refusal to divulge any further information and convinced that his client is keeping something from him, Rathbone decides to ask his close friend Hester Latterly for an objective opinion about the case. She, meanwhile, has contacted William Monk on behalf of a friend to investigate a mysterious family matter from twenty years ago. Little do they realise that the three of them are about to tackle the most baffling and complex case they have ever been faced with...

Anne Perry: Whited Sepulchres. Headline, ISBN: 0747252548 (November, 1998), 409 p., £6.99.

Anne Perry: A Breach of Promise (USA 1998)

From the Publisher:
When Anne Perry sets her magic pen to paper, Victorian England awakens from her long sleep to vibrant, teeming life. Firelight flickers in luxurious withdrawing rooms. Ambitious ladies gossip and scheme. Horse-drawn carriages clatter over cobblestones while cries of flower sellers and newsboys ring out in crowded streets. In this magnificent new novel featuring investigator William Monk, however, it is the breathless hush of a London courtroom that first holds readers enthralled.

The plaintiffs in a sensational breach of promise suit are wealthy social climbers Barton and Delphine Lambert, suing on behalf of their beautiful daughter, Zillah. The defendant is Zillah's alleged fiancé, brilliant young architect Killian Melville, who adamantly declares that he will not, cannot, marry her. Not even to his baffled counsel, distinguished barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone, will Killian explain his rejection of rich and charming Zillah.

Utterly baffled, Rathbone turns for help to his old comrades in crime--Monk, the private investigator who knows his city like the back of his hand, and fearless nurse Hester Latterly. But even as they scout London for clues, from Mayfair to sordid Devil's Acre, the case suddenly and tragically ends. An outcome that no one--except a ruthless murderer--could have foreseen.

Stripping away the pretty masks that conceal society's darkest transgressions, Anne Perry unflinchingly exposes the human heart's deepest hiding places--and creates the most mesmerizing courtroom drama of her distinguished career.

Anne Perry: A Breach of Promise. A Novel. Fawcett Columbine, ISBN: 0449908496 (September, 1998), 374 p., $25.00.