A review by caterina_1212
A Breach of Promise by Anne Perry

2.0

I picked this book as my introduction to Anne Perry because it was the highest rated Anne Perry book that my library stocked. This backfired on me as it deals primarily with the relationships between the main characters and how they've developed over the past 8 books, and the criminal plot is relegated to a 3rd or 4th level storyline depending on how you group the characters' relationships. Most people seemed to rate the novel based on the Hester love triangle and all its developments (no worries - no spoilers here!), but the handling of the actual court case was painful. It plodded along so slowly I had time to second guess my initial conclusion regarding the defendant several times, just to find out I was right all along. And the shocking conclusion, really it was just odd the way everything worked out with the criminal case, and again the Hester-lawyer-detective relationship took the forefront of the story. I'm sure people invested in the relationships of these characters enjoyed that part of the novel, but based on the throwaway storyline about a broken engagement ("breach of promise" - it's the title, how isn't it the main storyline?) I have serious doubts regarding how her other novels are handled.