I love mysteries and historical fiction so The Face of a Stranger, the first William Monk novel by Anne Perry, was an excellent read for me. Monk is a police detective in Victorian London who suffers a severe case of amnesia after an accident. He goes back to work, pretending to be fine, and attempts to solve the murder mystery while trying to remember his past. As he discovers more about himself, he realizes that his life and personality left a lot to be desired including compassion and love.
I find Monk to be a fascinating character and enjoy the references to the medical care of the time particularly with mental illness. I also love Hester’s character: her intelligence, wit, interest in medicine and the way she stands up for herself and what she believes. The mystery was interesting and the descriptions of the lifestyle, settings and characters were vivid. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!