Appearance
The Face of a Stranger
This book was very well written. Detective Monk awakes in a hospital after an accident with amnesia. He quickly realizes that in order to keep his job he must solve the case without letting his boss know that he has no memory of life before the accident. The author does a very good job of keeping your interest with a great cast of characters. I am very excited to read the next book in the series.
The Face of a Stranger
The idea of the book being William Monk awakens in hospitial without a memory. The book is as much a search for his identity as it is solving the crime. I enjoyed the overall idea for the book, even if it is a tad unrealistic. But I am willing to cut the author a little slack. William Monk is a likable hero even though he often seems a little weak. His sidekick was also interesting but not fully defined. This may have changed in later books. The only problems i really had with the book is her use of Victorian slang, she does not always let us know what the slang means. The book ends very abruptly without finding out what happened to the arrested party. The book is a much better read in Victorian England. I am not sure that it would have held my interest had it been modern. Although not on a level with Sherlock Holmes novels, this book was still interesting and enjoyable. If you like Victorian mystery then give this book a read.
The Face of a Stranger
Interesting twist to the normal murder mystery plot. Nice character development made all the richer by the setting in Victorian England. I couldn't put it down! Can't wait to read more Ann Perry Novels and learn more about William Monk!!
The Face of a Stranger
This is the second Anne Perry novel I've read, and unfortunately it's likely to be the last. Her plotting is strong, but she clearly wants to focus on character development. That would be fine if her writing skills were stronger. I found the first sixty pages of this book so repetitive that I nearly didn't bother to finish it. The premise -- that Monk has lost his memory and must relearn who he is -- is quite interesting, but Perry tries to develop Monk's character through the constant and highly repetitive (read: increasingly tedious) exposition of his thoughts in the form of questions. How many times does the reader need to know explicitly that Monk is asking himself what sort of man has few friends and no loves, or inspires trepidation in his coworkers? If Perry were a more skilled writer she could convey "character" less directly and more effectively. Was her editor asleep on the job?
The Face of a Stranger
Overall, I liked this book, but didn't love it. I have only read one other Anne Perry, The Cater Street Hangman, which I didn't like at all. So, this was a vast improvement. That said, parts of it were very slow and repetitious which detracted from an otherwise good story. I really wanted to like these books as they came so highly recommended by friends with whom I share a lot of common interests and a love of historical fiction. This just isn't my cup of tea.
The Face of a Stranger
I enjoyed this, but man... it took me a long time. Two weeks! Part of that was the fault of my schedule, but it was also a slow-moving story. When you first meet Monk, he doesn't know who he is. I think this lends an extra bit of flair to this book -- you don't have any background about your main character. As he relearns about himself, you're learning about him too. And since he doesn't particularly like what he's learned about himself, you get to see him grow. He really doesn't have a choice but to become an entirely new person.The mystery here is interesting, but it's the main reason that the plot is slow-going. Things didn't become really interesting until Monk started putting the pieces together and remembering things, and that's more than 3/4 of the way through the book. My only other experience with Anne Perry is her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels, and I didn't think this was quite as good. I'll read more in the series because I really like a good historical mystery, but I'm going to have to work my way into the next one.