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hobhouchin's review against another edition
2.0
Die ersten 170 Seiten waren eher langatmig, als spannend. Ehe ein wenig mehr Schwung in die ganze Geschichte kam und man das Gefühl hatte, es passiert endlich was, hat es wirklich lange gedauert. Die Sprünge zwischen "Außenhandlung" und der Gedankenwelt des Protagonisten hab ich als recht anstrengend empfunden, weil der Erzählfluss ein wenig drunter gelitten hat. In meinem "Kopfkino" wirkte es dann so, als würde Mr. Monk mitten in einem Verhör oder Gespräch innehalten und nachdenken und während dieser Zeit keine aktive Interaktion mit den anderen Figuren stattfindet. Sehr seltsam. Das letzte Drittel gewann dann endlich an Fahrt und war zwischendurch sogar sehr spannend. Alles in Allem aber nicht wirklich eine Geschichte, die mich vom Hocker gehauen hat.
amibunk's review against another edition
3.0
I am pretty sure that Anne Perry is the high priestess of Victorian mystery fiction. If such an office were to exist. No one describes the squalor, the injustice, the moral decay and the polar extremes of the British Victorian era better. "The Face of a Stranger" is the first in the William Monk series. While not my favorite, it does lay a solid foundation and good starting point for future novels.
rosannelortz's review against another edition
5.0
How many people in the real world actually get amnesia so badly that they can’t remember who they are or recall any of the details of their past life? Definitely not as many people as get amnesia in the literary world. Amnesia in books is used as a deus ex machina, an obvious contrivance on the part of the author to force the story to take a certain turn. But although deus ex machina’s are a complete cop out when used to end a novel, they can rightfully have a place at the beginning of a novel when the author is creating the parameters of the fictional world.
The Face of a Stranger, by Anne Perry, is a Victorian mystery novel that begins with the protagonist waking up in the hospital. He has no idea who he is or how he was injured. Gradually he pieces together some facts. His name is William Monk and he is a police detective. He has been very successful with past cases, but his arrogance and impatience with others have earned him the dislike of his inferiors and the jealousy of Runcorn, his superior officer at the police station.
As soon as Monk is ready to go back on duty, Runcorn saddles him with a difficult, sensitive, and high profile case. Jocelin Grey, a young nobleman with important connections, has been brutally murdered in his apartment. Embarrassed by his amnesia, and fully aware that Runcorn wants him to fail the case, Monk tries to conceal his lack of memory. He fumbles and bluffs his way through every conversation trying to conceal his condition. The only person he admits his weakness to is Hester Latterly, an opinionated and strong-willed nurse who is able to remind him of details of a past case that may connect to this one.
Through a long and painful process of interrogation, the case begins to come together. When Monk finds evidence linking the crime to someone in Grey’s elite family, he runs the risk of jeopardizing his own career. He refuses to give up, however, and the stakes grow higher as the two questions most troubling him converge: “Who killed Jocelin Grey?” and “What led up to his own accident and amnesia?” Are the two events related? Running through many twists and turns, this novel is a masterpiece of suspense and characterization that will keep you guessing till the end.
The Face of a Stranger is the first William Monk novel in a series of a dozen or so mysteries. After finishing it, I immediately ordered the next four novels from the library and have been racing through them during the long, solitary hours when my husband is at school or work. The only reason I’m writing this blog post right now instead of devouring the sixth installment is because it’s still on hold at the library. If you like the Lord Peter Wimsey books, give these novels a try. Anne Perry is a worthy second to Dorothy Sayers.
The Face of a Stranger, by Anne Perry, is a Victorian mystery novel that begins with the protagonist waking up in the hospital. He has no idea who he is or how he was injured. Gradually he pieces together some facts. His name is William Monk and he is a police detective. He has been very successful with past cases, but his arrogance and impatience with others have earned him the dislike of his inferiors and the jealousy of Runcorn, his superior officer at the police station.
As soon as Monk is ready to go back on duty, Runcorn saddles him with a difficult, sensitive, and high profile case. Jocelin Grey, a young nobleman with important connections, has been brutally murdered in his apartment. Embarrassed by his amnesia, and fully aware that Runcorn wants him to fail the case, Monk tries to conceal his lack of memory. He fumbles and bluffs his way through every conversation trying to conceal his condition. The only person he admits his weakness to is Hester Latterly, an opinionated and strong-willed nurse who is able to remind him of details of a past case that may connect to this one.
Through a long and painful process of interrogation, the case begins to come together. When Monk finds evidence linking the crime to someone in Grey’s elite family, he runs the risk of jeopardizing his own career. He refuses to give up, however, and the stakes grow higher as the two questions most troubling him converge: “Who killed Jocelin Grey?” and “What led up to his own accident and amnesia?” Are the two events related? Running through many twists and turns, this novel is a masterpiece of suspense and characterization that will keep you guessing till the end.
The Face of a Stranger is the first William Monk novel in a series of a dozen or so mysteries. After finishing it, I immediately ordered the next four novels from the library and have been racing through them during the long, solitary hours when my husband is at school or work. The only reason I’m writing this blog post right now instead of devouring the sixth installment is because it’s still on hold at the library. If you like the Lord Peter Wimsey books, give these novels a try. Anne Perry is a worthy second to Dorothy Sayers.
bookwormsub's review
2.0
This book was ok. I liked the premise, but parts of it rambled and seemed much longer than necessary. I skimmed a lot of it to finish it.
bronrogers's review
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alliepeduto's review against another edition
3.0
My library is hosting Anne Perry for a book talk next month, so I wanted to get a feel for her writing before attending. The book itself was a well written mystery, but let's be honest here, the real reason I want to attend the author's talk is because of her life story. If you aren't familiar (I definitely wasn't) check out her Wikipedia page below. I have no idea if she'll talk about any of that in regards to her writing (which definitely delves into moral issues of self identity) but it should be interesting at the very least.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Perry
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Perry
madkatrob's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rmichno's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
This started out good and I was interested in the setting and the mysteries - the murder and the mystery of what happened to Monk's memory. But I found it got bogged down in way too many internal dialogues where Monk would overthink everything. It became tedious and slowed down the story.
There was also a jarring change of narrator about 1/2 way through the book, which almost made it feel like two separate stories.
Unfortunately it didn't come together in the end. I found the ending to be abrupt and unsatisfying.
I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series. The writing style was good but the pacing was poor.
This started out good and I was interested in the setting and the mysteries - the murder and the mystery of what happened to Monk's memory. But I found it got bogged down in way too many internal dialogues where Monk would overthink everything. It became tedious and slowed down the story.
There was also a jarring change of narrator about 1/2 way through the book, which almost made it feel like two separate stories.
Unfortunately it didn't come together in the end. I found the ending to be abrupt and unsatisfying.
I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series. The writing style was good but the pacing was poor.
acsmyser's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cathmkay's review against another edition
5.0
I am finally getting around to reading the first book in the William Monk mystery series and I'm hooked! This was a fascinating start to a series because the main character has amnesia after an accident. As the reader is learning about him, he is learning about himself. He must fake his way through a murder investigation without remembering anyone or anything to do with it. He doesn't know who his enemies are and he must use his instincts and his wits to keep his job and find the murderer.
The characters were all finely detailed and multifaceted. There was one particular plot twist I did not see coming. I love it when that happens! I can't wait to continue on with this series.
The characters were all finely detailed and multifaceted. There was one particular plot twist I did not see coming. I love it when that happens! I can't wait to continue on with this series.