After quickly reading all of Victoria Thompson's gaslight series I was looking for a similar author. Anne Perry was suggested and I started with her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. I was finding the characters a bit predictable and flat. So I decided to try her Monk series. I am so glad I did! Great cast of characters and the mysteries are very smart. I really enjoyed the second one and look forward to the next one. Learning a bit about the Crimean war along the way.