The Face of a Stranger

A William Monk Novel #1

By: Anne Perry

Narrated by: Davina Porter

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

Slow, Quiet Mystery But Interesting Main Character

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes. I liked the mystery, and I found the world-building and characterization well done.

Would you be willing to try another book from Anne Perry? Why or why not?

Yes. I have already finished the next book in this series and am about to start the third.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes. It was slow, quiet and rather dry.

Any additional comments?

The first half of the book was slow and almost boring. I do not know whether this was due to the text or the narrator. It picked up around chapter 12 where it started getting a bit exciting. I had a lot of difficulty accepting the narration. I was 99.9% convinced I did not want to continue this series in audio, but convenience persuaded me otherwise. The problems I had with the narration included difficulty distinguishing certain characters from another, particularly male characters and especially when there weren't any dialogue tags; young women who sounded old or over delicate; some difficulty determining whether something was being spoken by a character or the narrator; occasionally whistling s's; muffled chatting in the background (which I later discovered was an echo of the narrator's words); and brief pauses from one sentence to another as if switching from one CD to the next. I did like the voice acting and the different accents, and I eventually grew to accept the narrator's voice for Monk.

Nice clean book

narrator did an excellent job. the story had a little too many details I recommend the book. Nice clean story

Tension That is Delicious

This is not only an extremely well written historical mystery novel, but is filled with tension and self discovery that keeps racheting up while keeping the story moving. If you like mysteries at all, pick this one up.

Great story!

What made the experience of listening to The Face of a Stranger the most enjoyable?

We loved how the character discovered himself through the book. As he was searching for clues for the mystery, he was looking for clues to find out who he was, and realizing that he hadn't been the man that he wanted to be. It is a study in character, personality and being true to the real you inside, all set a foggy Dickens' era London. Davina Porter's narration is what brought me to this book, and I loved every minute.

Intriguing Mystery

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I especially like Davina Porter, in fact, she is why I bought this in the first place. But the mystery of the book was really great as well and, although, suspecting 'whodunnit' several times, I was still surprised how it all came together in the end.

My First Anne Perry Book

Any additional comments?

I recently found this book when I was searching for other titles read by Davina Porter, the world’s most wonderful narrator!
I loved this book from the beginning to the very end! The story grabbed me right away, with beautiful writing and excellent character development that was so nice to be a part of as it unfolded. Ms. Porter's narration, as always, was five stars to the 10th power. I have other narrators I really, really like… But I truly don't think anyone has the skill and the mastery that she does. I'm not sure how she would do reading science fiction, but she makes stories like this and the Outlander series so remarkable to listen to.
I usually like to switch up the titles I listen to, but when this one ended I decided to queue up number two in the series! What a great find for someone who loves historical fiction and a good mystery.

Monk finds himself

Following an accident, Monk is left injured and without memory of either the accident or his life. Struggling to find himself, he is thrown in the midst of a murder he is expected to solve in his role as a police detective. As he unwinds the death, he also unwinds the mystery of himself.
I was SO hoping for a new series to sink my teeth/ears into and William Monk will be it! I really like Davina Porter as a narrator and I'd love to learn how she prepares for a reading. Her subtle changes of voice are as good as her reading of mood and action. I am also listening to the Outlander series with Ms. Porter.
But, about this book, the development of a character with memory loss was well accomplished! His anxiety, pride, fear in discovery, complicated by the intriguing death of a charming war veteran set up an entertaining page-turner, so to speak. Plus, the ending! Thank you Ms. Perry, you have a new fan!

Worth it!

Loved it! Excellent series. Thoughtful plot, no need for sex, language, or violence. Just excellent story telling.

Davina porter is the best

Davina porter brings the story alive. she is a master narrator. I love her accent.

Great Beginning to Inspector Monk Series

The murder of a Crimean war hero, who was the apple of his mother's eye, has Inspector Monk and his assistant, Evan racing to solve the mystery, before his boss, Runcorn takes him off the case. Monk, still suffering from amnesia, following a wreck in a hanson cab while racing after a suspect, is going on instinct, which serves him surprisingly well. The atmosphere of Victorian England comes through brilliantly as do the obvious societal and class differences of all those in the story. As Monk butts heads with Hester Latterly, a nurse that served with Florence Nightengale in the Crimea, I am amused at their obvious dislike for the airs that the rich put on, and yet they are still at odds with one another. Little by little as bits and pieces of his memory return, Monk gets closer and closer to discovering the killer. I am amazed at the loyalty of his new assistant, Evan, and hope that he is a part of the next installment of the series. Great story, great resolution and absolutely GREAT beginning to a series that I will be continuing!!! BRAVO!!!