Amazon.com: The Cater Street Hangman (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Series Book 1) eBook : Perry, Anne: Books

Anne Perry’s The Cater Street Hangman (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Series Book 1) is one of the more uncommon murder mysteries that I’ve ever read. I call it a murder mystery because I’m not sure that I can properly call it a detective novel. The protagonist is a feisty young lady who hardly more than accidentally makes discoveries relevant to the case, and the actual police detective does almost nothing on the stage of the novel except question said young lady, who is not, as it happens, the murderer. The detective does not make use of any forensic evidence, nor is he shown interviewing suspects other than the ones in the protagonist Charlotte’s family. The detective, Inspector Thomas Pitt, is eminently likeable and clearly hardworking, but his work seems irrelevant. In the end, the case isn’t really solved—the murderer merely attacks the wrong person at the wrong time and is finally caught. So in this murder mystery, the plot action is carried along purely by circumstances, not by actual deduction. Despite this, Perry does a fine job of keeping the pace taut, a significant feat for this genre.The one other detrimental factor, an actual flaw in the book as opposed to merely a unique way of handling murder mystery plotting, is that Perry switches perspectives unevenly. In the first few chapters, some are told from a limited-omniscient perspective focused on Charlotte, others are LO focused on her sister Emily, and still others on their mother. Then the rest of the novel, except for sections from the brother-in-law Dominic’s perspective, is Charlotte’s LO point of view. I’m not sure what Perry could have done to fix this problem, but since none of the chapters are in first-person and most of the novel is devoted to Charlotte, the multiple points of view make for choppy and confusing reading until Charlotte’s story finally stays on center stage.Since the novel isn’t actually about detective work, what is it about? As with all good murder mysteries, it is about human nature. This novel is worth reading for its rich insights about human nature, marriage, infidelity, conflict, forgiveness, and sibling rivalry alone, never mind the enjoyable characters and dark suspense. Additionally, the Victorian setting is intriguing, and Perry actually makes use of her setting, rather than making it a mere backdrop. She vividly illustrates some of the nuanced challenges that women faced during this time period.What would Aristotle and John Keats say? In terms of truth and beauty, this novel is elegantly-written and filled with engaging plot and characters. Perry is remarkable in her ability to insightfully communicate truths about human nature. The greatness of content of this work would have to refer to the truths about human nature, not the less-than-complex plot, but I think a case can be made for it. The greatness of execution is well-served by Perry’s literate prose, but poorly served by the uneven point-of-view shifts. As for the strange case of the absent or irrelevant detective in this story, I think that Pitt and Charlotte might prove to be a very formidable detective team in the next novel in the series, actually solving cases rather than merely discussing them, now that their characters have been set up. I have high hopes for this, anyway.

Couple things I wish I had known, going into it:* If you want a "cozy" mystery, as I did, this isn't it. In spite of the 19th century English gentrified setting, it's really quite an edgy book, with nearly constant misery, anxiety and wretchedness going on.*The ending is so VERY abrupt that it was quite jarring. I couldn't believe there wasn't a wrap-up and the usual kind of unpacking things.

I don't know what literary rock I have been hiding under, but Anne Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series has just come on my radar. Ms. Perry is an extremely prolific writer, producing 32 books in this series to date (written from 1979-2016). In addition, she has written another Victorian mystery series featuring William Monk, and numerous other books and short story collections. To make things even more interesting, Ms. Perry was convicted of participating in the murder of her best friend's mother. They were both sentenced to 5 years in prison. She was 15 years old at the time. The two girls had a rather obsessive relationship and killed the mother to prevent the family from moving away. If this sounds vaguely familiar, the movie Heavenly Creatures was based on the friendship and murder. So, fertile ground for a writer of mysteries.The Cater Street Hangman is the first in the series of books featuring Thomas Pitt and Charlotte Ellison. It is set in 1881. Young women, both above and below stairs, are being garroted on Cater Street, a wealthy London neighborhood. Charlotte is the middle daughter in the Ellison family and is the most unconventional. Her older sister Sarah is married and proper. Younger sister Emily is a master at the social arts and aims to marry above her station. Charlotte cannot hold her tongue, hates hypocrisy and social rules, and is interested in unladylike things such as current events. Enter Inspector Pitt, who is barely tolerated by the upper class. Verbal and romantic sparks fly between Thomas and Charlotte, as she finds she has an interest in detective work. And she worries about the safety of her sisters and other young women, as murder gets very close to her home.While I figured out the guilty party about mid-way through the book, I still enjoyed it. It is a good page-turner and is easily read in a sitting or two. The ending was quite abrupt, which I did not like. I thought the chapter ended, but it was actually the end of the book! I would also have liked a more in-depth explanation of the murder's motives and psychological make-up. However, I recognize that is not the point of these books. I really enjoyed the Victorian London atmosphere and all the class and social rules. In addition to the mystery, this book explores the consequences of marrying outside your station (above and below) and the subservient role of women. At least subservient on the surface. Charlotte and Emily certainly know how to use their wit and charm to get what they want.I am not sure that I will read all 32 books in this series, but I did purchase 8 of them for $1.99 each for the Kindle. So, I am off to read book 2--Callander Square.