The Face of a Stranger

A William Monk Novel #1

By: Anne Perry

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

In this exhilarating series debut, police detective William Monk must solve the mystery of his own past.

His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detective. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Crimean War hero and man about town. Which makes Monk’s efforts doubly difficult, since he’s forgotten his professional skills along with everything else.

“Richly textured with the sights and sounds of London and its countryside … Solidly absorbing and Perry’s best to date.”—Kirkus Reviews

Crack another case with William Monk.

©1990 Anne Perry (P)1995 Recorded Books

Excellent!

The narration was exquisite and added to the whole enjoyment of the story. I loved the various characters and how everything came together.

Great narrator, but

There was a low hiss throughout the book. A faint background conversation off & on, as well! Age???
The narrator was excellent, however, as was the story.

A great start to another Perry detective series

Perry, an incredible and prolific author had a dismal beginning in life when she served five years in prison in New Zealand for assisting in the murder of a friend’s mother. When released, she returned to England, her birthplace, and changed her name to put the conviction behind her. She published several novels before her history was made public but it did not tarnish her literary success. By the time of her death in 2023 she had written 74 novels and sold more than ten million copies. She began with the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, which included 38 novels, some of which were written concurrently with the William Monk novels (20 of them) of which this book is the first.
Face of a Stranger features Monk (with some hauntingly familiar similarities to Adrian Monk of the television series Monk, which premiered in 2012. Perry’s Monk first saw light in 1990.)
It introduces the detective following an accident in which he has amnesia and doesn’t even recognize himself in the mirror. However, he is determined to keep the problem from everyone for fear of losing his livelihood.
It is a wonderful, albeit somewhat repetitive theme throughout the book, in which he must discover the murderer of a a lord’s charming younger brother.
Monk’s relationship with an almost-aristocrat woman harkens to a similar association Thomas Pitt has with his wife, Charlotte. The Pitt series had a several-year start on the Monk books. Similarities aside, the series’ solidly stand on their own but both strongly demonstrate the issues of the revolting caste system of Victorian England. Women’s rights is also a prominent issue in both series.
In all, Perry is, IMHO, one of the premiere writers of any genre in our time. Her characters are multifaceted, complex, true-to-life (I’m certain that I personally know many of them) very human. Her historic settings and references are spot on as seems the language to be.
I wholeheartedly recommend The Face as an introduction to the almost-likable Monk. I’m hoping his idiosyncratic character stabilizes in future endeavors.

Beautiful writing

Drew me into the story, hoping Monk was not the killer and the exquisite ending. Putting down the rabid animal!

One of my favorites of all-time

This is a slow starter but then found it virtually impossible to put down. Anne Perry is a wordsmith. So refreshing to find something so well written. Her descriptive imagery brings the reader into the book. Her characterization is excellent. I am looking forward to Book 2.

Mid 19th century

The atmosphere: descriptions of the weather, city & countyside, transportation and psychology of the main character.

Great characters! One thing I'd like...

Wonderful characterizations! Felt like I knew everyone at the end. Monk's haunting memory loss and the method of repeating questions made me think a long time about re-starting relationships using only reactions. Excellent reader, too. The one additional thing I hope for in the remaining books is to share a character's delight in something. All mysteries contain darkness. However, in Agatha Christie and other "cozy mysteries" the cottages, gardens, and seaside are warming. In Patrick O'Brian's rich Aubrey-Maturin series, the music, the sea & nature, etc, engage repeatedly. This Monk novel does include a wonderful estate, and I hope we will roam it much more often in coming books, to smell the roses, tread the leafy paths, perhaps find a ghost in the kitchen. I look forward to the very interesting Monk-Hester relationship.

The Face of a Stranger

I really do like this series. I wish I had listened to this one first. I've read some of the others out of order.

A bit drawn out

I thought it was amazingly narrated because it was Davina Porter but the sorry lacked depth. I kept waiting for something more exciting to happen besides the fact that the detective didn’t remember anything. I think I’m just spoiled by the outlander series.

Amnesia, a thoroughly traumatic happenstance!

The detective is given a very gruesome murder to solve.
His supervisor dislikes him so giving him this very "sticky" case, one which happens to touch on the nobility, gives him hope's
that it will be the com up ence of the detective.
As the detective looks deeper into the case things start to appear not what they seem. He must interfere in the lives of the elite. Yes, there is trouble now. You will be amazed at the final!