Amazon.com: Resurrection Row (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Series Book 4) eBook : Perry, Anne: Books

I am reading all the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries written by Anne Perry in order. It has been quite a while since I read book number three in the series. The books don't have to be read in order to enjoy them but there does seem to be a progression in the growth and depth of the two main characters which is best noted if you start at the beginning and read them cronologically. If nothing else, try to read the first book(The Cater Street Hangman) before venturing off into others of the series. Book number one sets up the relationship between Charlotte and Thomas and gives you the social background so very necessary to understand their characters.This was my least favorite of the four books I've read. Anne Perry makes a point of presenting her stories by crossing over into all levels of Victorian London. This one concentrates on the inequities between those of the upper class and those who are the very poorest of the poor. We are given a thorough understanding of the sweatshops and workhouses which existed and how they impacted the lives of those who were forced to live in them. This book is 216 pages long. The discovering of the murder took place on page 141. That was much too long for me. I became disenchanted with the whole thing long before that. In this book, for me, the mystery took a back seat to the discussion of social conditions for the poor in Victorian London. I expect some social commentary from Anne Perry, that is one of the things I like so much about her books. This time, that is what took center stage.When the book first began I had nothing but admiration for this authors creativity in having the "death" of the driver of the hansom cab turn into a riddle with no apparent solution. But one body led to another, one grave led to another, and I actually lost track of how many bodies and how many graves. To me, this book was a study of many characters, not a mystery at all. And the solution? I could not help but be disappointed. Not with who had committed the murder but with how the author had explained it all and honestly probably expected me to be satisfied.I'm glad I read it. I don't agree with some reviewers though, I do think Charlotte had much more of a part in this story and that part seemed to come about in a much more natural manner. It happened because she was Pitts wife and he would have naturally talked to her about the case and she would have naturally asked him questions. I do wonder about the authors use of Charlotte's brother-in-law (since he had not remarried since the death of Charlotte's sister Sarah he was, technically, still a part of Charlotte's family) as a possible suspect and for him to be infatuated with Lord Fitzroy-Hammond's young widow. Maybe she used him to show that Charlotte has truly let go of that first, young love and now belongs completely to Pitt. I found it a stretch of coincidence that was a little hard to swallow.

This is an interesting novel that reveals all of the horrors of poverty in England in the 1880s. The reader is introduced to roadhouses and other unfortunate circumstances in which the majority of the people of London must survive. The story is quite innovative dealing with several dead bodies that seem to pop up in unexpected places. These are not newly dead bodies but have come from graves that were robbed. As usual there is a wicked person who is the murderer and is revealed in the end, but also as often happens in Anne Perry novels, some of the crimes are not punished. There is more development of some of the standard characters such as Pitt, Charlotte, and Aunt Vespasia. There is good action, good plot, and this is a very interesting read.

This one was fun to visualise - I would love to see it as a TV program.People keep discovering dead bodies. Not just any dead bodies though. These have been exhumed, are at least a couple of weeks dead, covered in soil and sitting in places like the driver's seat of a horse drawn cab or on top of a grave stone complete with a jaunty hat. Inspector Thomas Pitt does excellent work to discover the people responsible for this weird situation and the reason why it has occurred.Meanwhile Charlotte is mostly at home looking after baby Jemima but she still uses her connections to find useful information for Thomas. She is also very smart and occasionally steers her husband in the right direction to progress his case.I really enjoyed this one. It was short and snappy and the resurrected bodies were entertaining! Perhaps I have a strange sense of humour. I hope book five is as good.

In this fourth novel in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series of Victorian era cozy mysteries, Charlotte and Thomas are drawn into a series of macabre crimes. Someone has been digging up recently buried corpses, dressing them up and placing them in bizarre locations. The first victim happens to be a neighbor of Aunt Vespasia, a relative of Charlotte's brother in law, and who figured prominently in the previous novel. Once again Charlotte manages to assist Thomas break through the class barriers of the time and solving the crimes.This is an excellent series, but it does have a very strong overall story arc. In order to follow all the characters fully begin at the beginning (Cater Street Hangman) and proceed in order. Characters from earlier stories do return, sometimes two or three novels later and with only minimal background information provided in the current novel to explain their significance. The novels are well worth the effort needed to read them in order and keep track of the ever expanding cast of characters. The mysteries are rather clever but the true attraction is the glimpses into various parts of Victorian society and the on going story of Charlotte and Thomas.