Reading order · 24 books · 1990 to 2018 · Set in London
William Monk Books in Order
William Monk is a police detective who wakes after an accident with no memory of who he is. As he pieces his past together, and does not always like what he finds, he works with Hester Latterly, a forthright nurse back from the Crimean War, and the barrister Oliver Rathbone. Later he leads the Thames River Police.
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Series facts
- Books
- 24
- Published
- 1990 to 2018
- First book
- The Face of a Stranger
- Latest
- Dark Tide Rising (2018)
- Setting
- Set in London
The reading order
Every William Monk book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
24 books · Set in London
- 1The Face of a Stranger1990With William MonkDetective William Monk wakes in hospital after a carriage accident with no memory of his life.Buy on Amazon
- 2A Dangerous Mourning1991With William MonkOctavia Haslett, daughter of a distinguished family, is found stabbed in her bed in the family home.Buy on Amazon
- 3Defend and Betray1992With William MonkGeneral Thaddeus Carlyon, a hero of the Empire, dies after an apparent fall onto a halberd at a dinner party, and his wife confesses to killing him.Buy on Amazon
- 4A Sudden, Fearful Death1993With William MonkPrudence Barrymore, a nurse who served with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea, is found strangled in a London hospital where Hester Latterly also works.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Sins of the Wolf1994With William MonkHester Latterly is engaged to accompany an elderly Scottish lady on the train to London to look after her health.Buy on Amazon
- 6Cain His Brother1995With William MonkA woman asks Monk to find her husband, a respectable businessman who has disappeared.Buy on Amazon
- 7Weighed in the Balance1996With William MonkA European countess is sued for slander after accusing a princess of murdering her husband, the prince who gave up his throne for her.Buy on Amazon
- 8The Silent Cry1997With William MonkA gentleman is found beaten to death in the slums of St Giles, and his son lies badly injured beside him, unable to speak.Buy on Amazon
- 9A Breach of Promise1998With William MonkA gifted young architect is sued for breach of promise after refusing to marry the daughter of the man he works for.Buy on Amazon
- 10The Twisted Root1999With William MonkLucius Stourbridge asks Monk to find his fiancée, who ran away from an engagement party.Buy on Amazon
- 11Slaves of Obsession2000With William MonkAn arms dealer is murdered and his daughter elopes with an American who wanted to buy guns for the Union.Buy on Amazon
- 12Funeral in Blue2001With William MonkThe wife of Dr Kristian Beck, Hester Latterly’s colleague, is found strangled in an artist’s studio with a model, and Beck is charged with her murder.Buy on Amazon
- 13Death of a Stranger2002With William MonkA railway magnate is found dead in a brothel, and Monk’s investigation into the case stirs memories of his own lost past, and of a railway fraud he may have played a part in.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Shifting Tide2004With William MonkA shipping magnate hires Monk to recover stolen ivory, but the magnate’s secrets soon draw Monk and Hester into deadly danger.Buy on Amazon
- 15Dark Assassin2006With William MonkMonk, now with the Thames River Police, sees a young couple fall to their deaths from Waterloo Bridge.Buy on Amazon
- 16Execution Dock2009With William MonkMonk arrests Jericho Phillips, a vicious man who exploits boys on the river, for the murder of a child.Buy on Amazon
- 17Acceptable Loss2011With William MonkA small-time crook is found strangled with an expensive silk cravat, and the case leads Monk to a floating brothel on the Thames and a clash with his friend Oliver Rathbone in court.Buy on Amazon
- 18A Sunless Sea2012With William MonkThe body of a woman is found on Limehouse Pier, savagely mutilated.Buy on Amazon
- 19Blind Justice2013With William MonkJudge Oliver Rathbone presides over the fraud trial of a popular minister, and makes a fateful decision about a key piece of evidence.Buy on Amazon
- 20Blood on the Water2014With William MonkA pleasure boat is blown up on the Thames, killing almost everyone aboard.Buy on Amazon
- 21Corridors of the Night2015With William MonkHester, nursing at a naval hospital in Greenwich, discovers a secret ward of sick children and an experimental treatment that puts them in danger.Buy on Amazon
- 22Revenge in a Cold River2016With William MonkA recently freed forger is found shot in the Thames, and Monk uncovers a world of smuggling and forgery while an old enemy seeks revenge.Buy on Amazon
- 23An Echo of Murder2017With William MonkA series of ritual killings among London’s Hungarian immigrants sends Monk and Hester racing to find the killer.Buy on Amazon
- 24Dark Tide Rising2018With William MonkA wealthy man’s wife is kidnapped, and when Monk and his men are ambushed at the ransom handover, he must find out which of his colleagues betrayed him.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the Monk books in order, starting with The Face of a Stranger. The mystery of Monk’s past and his relationship with Hester develop slowly across the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | William Monk | Hester Latterly | Oliver Rathbone | Callandra Daviot | Scuff | John Runcorn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Face of a Stranger | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 2 A Dangerous Mourning | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 3 Defend and Betray | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 4 A Sudden, Fearful Death | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 5 The Sins of the Wolf | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 6 Cain His Brother | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 7 Weighed in the Balance | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 8 The Silent Cry | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 9 A Breach of Promise | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 10 The Twisted Root | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 11 Slaves of Obsession | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 12 Funeral in Blue | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 13 Death of a Stranger | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 14 The Shifting Tide | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 15 Dark Assassin | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 16 Execution Dock | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 17 Acceptable Loss | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 18 A Sunless Sea | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 19 Blind Justice | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 20 Blood on the Water | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 21 Corridors of the Night | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 22 Revenge in a Cold River | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 23 An Echo of Murder | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 24 Dark Tide Rising | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
Characters in the William Monk books
6 characters from Anne Perry’s chart, with the number of William Monk books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| William MonkDetective who has lost his memory, later of the Thames River Police | 24 | The Face of a Stranger 1990 |
| Hester LatterlyCrimean War nurse who marries Monk | 24 | The Face of a Stranger 1990 |
| Oliver RathboneBarrister | 24 | The Face of a Stranger 1990 |
| Callandra DaviotHester’s friend and patron | 11 | The Face of a Stranger 1990 |
| ScuffStreet boy taken in by Monk and Hester | 9 | Execution Dock 2009 |
| John RuncornMonk’s former superior | 6 | The Face of a Stranger 1990 |