I'm not really a mystery reader, but I did enjoy this book. Monk is a great character and I really liked how Perry developed his returning memory of himself. I did feel like it moved really slowly for the first 200 pages or so. Monk kept thinking the same things (about who he was) over and over that I found myself skipping paragraphs at a time in order to get to the action. Other than that, I liked it and have started the second in the series. ( )

A rather unusual mystery -- Anne Perry at her best. Without giving any more than the first few pages away: Inspector William Monk wakes in a London hospital in 1856, with no memory. Faced with dismissal if he makes his problem known, he instead labors to learn his own identity, conceal his memory loss, and solve a high-profile murder case all at once.

The book isn't flawless -- there are habits of phrase ("color burned up his cheeks", for example) and occasional overflorid emotions that recur across the Perry ouevre. At some points the reader may see connections between clues while Monk remains stunningly oblivious.

However, it's a very enjoyable story. It's rich in period detail that adds to the narrative rather than cluttering it; the mystery itself is most satisfying; the prickly, flawed characters are pleasingly human. The paper-thin barrier between the Victorian worlds of opulent comfort and penury is not only depicted; it's part of of the narrative tension, in Monk's awareness of the consequences of joblessness in the uncaring city. Imaginative and engaging.

Note on audiobook: Davina Porter is my favorite narrator. She has range, elegance, nuance, and amazingly precise diction. ( )

Very interesting beginning with Monk waking up in a hospital not knowing who he is. He goes back to work and has to hide his loss of memory from everyone while solving a case he was working before the accident. He meets Hester Latterly (his future wife) during the investigation. It was kind of slow and repetitious. ( )

The first William Monk, and the story of how he lost his memory. It's a credit to Anne Perry that I read others without knowing the backstory, and they didn't suffer for it.The mystery itself was a sidelight - not enough attention paid to it for me to care much. But it would have been difficult for there to be a mystery that was not overshadowed by the story of Monk discovering himself. ( )

Habe nur Die Russische Gräfin gelesen und war nicht sonderlich begeistert, da reichte eins aus dem Doppelband. Zuviel Zufall und Beschreibungen ( )