The William Monk Mysteries: The First Three Novels
by Anne Perry
William Monk (Collections and Selections — 1-3)
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Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML:Anne Perry’s acclaimed William Monk novels have captivated readers with their rich texture and masterly suspense, leading The New York Times Book Review to exclaim, “Give her a good murder and a shameful social evil, and Anne Perry can write a Victorian mystery that would make Dickens’s eyes pop.” Now, the first five books in the spellbinding series are collected in this addictive eBook bundle:FACE OF A STRANGER
His name, they tell show more him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detective. With his memory erased after a terrible accident, Monk intends on hiding his condition and starting a new life by tackling a grisly murder case in which each new revelation leads him to the answers he seeks—but dreads to find.
A DANGEROUS MOURNING
Called upon to investigate the brutal murder of a blue-blooded young widow, Monk is plagued by both his lingering amnesia and an inept supervisor. But when nurse Hester Latterly offers her assistance, together they grope warily through the silence and shadows that obscure the aristocrat’s demise.
DEFEND AND BETRAY
After a brilliant military career, General Thaddeus Carlyon meets his death not on the battlefield but at a London dinner party. Although his wife confesses to the murder, Monk and Hester suspect deceit. With the trial only days away, they feverishly work to unravel the dark heart of the mystery.
Praise for Anne Perry and her William Monk series
“Perry’s Victorian mysteries are marvels.”—The New York Times Book Review
“There’s no one better at using words to paint a scene and then fill it with sounds and smells than Anne Perry.”—The Boston Globe
“[The] reigning monarch of the Victorian mystery.”—People
“Few mystery writers this side of Arthur Conan Doyle can evoke Victorian London with such relish for detail and mood.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“[A] master of crime fiction.”—The Baltimore Sun
“[Among] Perry’s strengths: memorable characters and an ability to evoke the Victorian era with the finely wrought detail of a miniaturist.”—The Wall Street Journal. show less
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Member Reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy of the first three William Monk mysteries by Anne Perry. Each of the three actually was two mysteries:The whodunnit in each case and also the developing revelations of William Monk"s identity and background following an accident in which he sustained a head injury and subsequent amnesia.
Mr. Monk is a police detective in 1850s London. Ms. Perry describes the Dickensian scenes very well, and the reader is drawn into the scenes: the busy street life, the pubs, the overwhelming and frightening ghettoes, as well as the luxuries of the upper classes. The endings were completely surprising, uncomfortably so.
Given to a new friend when we met for coffee.
Mr. Monk is a police detective in 1850s London. Ms. Perry describes the Dickensian scenes very well, and the reader is drawn into the scenes: the busy street life, the pubs, the overwhelming and frightening ghettoes, as well as the luxuries of the upper classes. The endings were completely surprising, uncomfortably so.
Given to a new friend when we met for coffee.
This is the first book in the William Monk series. Monk, a policeman in Victorian London, has been in a terrible accident. which left him severely injured, and without any memory of his past.
As he slowly begins to piece bits of his life and small bits of his memory back together, he is handed a case that requires him to move among the gentry with extreme delicacy.
As the case unfolds, he uncovers some shocking clues to his own past - clues which could well end his future.
I enjoyed this book immensely. Monk seems to me to be one of the most complex sleuths since Sherlock Holmes.
I've read some of Anne Perry's other series, the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels, which I also enjoyed, and I've read several of her Christmas books, which I show more love, but this is the most well-crafted of them all. I'm glad that there are umpteen more books in this series. I intend to eventually read them all. I hope they are all so strong.
*This book is also the first in my William Monk Mysteries: The First Three Novels omnibus edition. I am only reviewing the first right now. show less
As he slowly begins to piece bits of his life and small bits of his memory back together, he is handed a case that requires him to move among the gentry with extreme delicacy.
As the case unfolds, he uncovers some shocking clues to his own past - clues which could well end his future.
I enjoyed this book immensely. Monk seems to me to be one of the most complex sleuths since Sherlock Holmes.
I've read some of Anne Perry's other series, the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels, which I also enjoyed, and I've read several of her Christmas books, which I show more love, but this is the most well-crafted of them all. I'm glad that there are umpteen more books in this series. I intend to eventually read them all. I hope they are all so strong.
*This book is also the first in my William Monk Mysteries: The First Three Novels omnibus edition. I am only reviewing the first right now. show less
Mysteries with a few twists and turns and a few surprises, compelling characters, and rather pointed social commentary. I look forward to more encounters with Monk, Hester, Rathbone, and many of the other secondary characters.
This was a 3 book omnibus. I thought the first book was great, the second book was good and the third book was a bit of a grind to get through. I'm not sure why these are called the William Monk Mysteries, as he's pretty much a minor character after the first book.
At first I wasn't too intrigued by the main character, but there are a whole host of minor characters that are quite interesting, I find.
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198+ Works 54,954 Members
Anne Perry was born Juliet Hume on October 28, 1938 in Blackheath, London. Sent to Christchurch, New Zealand to recover from a childhood case of severe pneumonia, she became very close friends with another girl, Pauline Parker. When Perry's family abandoned her, she had only Parker to turn to, and when the Parkers planned to move from New Zealand, show more Parker asked that Perry be allowed to join them. When Parker's mother disagreed, Perry and Parker bludgeoned her to death. Perry eventually served five and a half years in an adult prison for the crime. Once she was freed, she changed her name and moved to America, where she eventually became a writer. Her first Victorian novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published in 1979. Although the truth of her past came out when the case of Mrs. Parker's murder was made into a movie (Heavenly Creatures), Perry is still a popular author and continues to write. She has written over 50 books and short story collections including the Thomas Pitt series, the William Monk series, and the Daniel Pitt series. Her story, Heroes, won the 2001 Edgar Award for Best Short Story. Her title's Blind Justice and The Angel Court Affair made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The William Monk Mysteries: The First Three Novels
- Alternate titles
- A William Monk Collection
- People/Characters
- William Monk; Hester Latterly
- Important events
- Victorian Era (1837 | 1901)
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Statistics
- Members
- 157
- Popularity
- 207,917
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.79)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 2
