Funeral in Blue

The twelfth Monk novel takes William and Hester to Victorian Vienna after two women are strangled in an artist's studio, with Hester's trusted colleague Dr. Kristian Beck emerging as the prime suspect. Anne Perry is reliably strong on historical atmosphere and moral seriousness, and the questions of faith, anti-Semitism, and the legal vulnerability of Victorian women give the story real weight beyond the whodunit mechanics. Kirkus noted the crimes are less gruesome than Perry's usual, which is accurate — this is one of the more restrained entries. The caveat is that new readers will feel genuinely lost; this is mid-series work that rewards those who already care about Monk and Hester. Start earlier in the series if you haven't.