inspector pitt mysteries the cater street hangman

The first book in Perry's bestselling Victorian crime series, bringing together Inspector Thomas Pitt and Charlotte Ellison Panic and fear strike the Ellison household when one of their own falls prey to the Cater Street murderer. I will probably follow the series at least part of its long way, though am in no rush to do so. The eventual unveiling of the murderer in the last few pages was a little sudden and unlikely. I understand about the 'everyone has their place and should know it' Victorian attitude, but I felt it was rammed down my throat ad nauseam, and a bit more plot would have been good in places. One of the daughters Charlotte is our principal character and, while I did warm her to as the novel went on, most of the other characters irritated me to a greater or lesser degree. The whodunnit aspect however takes second place to the interactions between the characters, particularly the household of the upper middle class Ellison family, and they with Inspector Thomas Pitt. This was the first in an eventual series of over 30 books in a whodunnit series set in late Victorian London. … ( more)Ī week or two ago I had barely heard of this author but when she passed away just recently, I realised I already had a couple of her books. Rich with authentic period details, The Cater Street Hangman hooks readers from the moment the sparks first fly between Charlotte and Thomas. As their relationship shifts from antagonistic sparring to a romantic connection, the socially inappropriate pair must solve the mystery before the hangman strikes again. Outspoken Charlotte Ellison, struggling to remain within the confining boundaries of Victorian manners, has no trouble expressing herself to the irritating policeman.

His in-depth investigation gradually peels away the proper veneer of the elite world, exposing secrets and desires until suspicion becomes more frightening than truth. Inspector Pitt, assigned to the case, must break through the walls of upper-class society to get at the truth. Ellison and her three daughters are out, their maid becomes the third victim of a killer who strangles young women with cheese wire, leaving their swollen-faced bodies on the dark streets of this genteel neighborhood.

Inspector pitt mysteries the cater street hangman