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Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #3
Le Crime de Paragon Walk
Londres, 1884. La luxueuse avenue de Paragon Walk s'éveille en plein drame : une innocente jeune fille de dix-sept ans, Fanny Nash, y a trouvé la mort, violée et étranglée. L'inspecteur Pitt est chargé de l'affaire. Sa tâche s'avère encore plus délicate que d'habitude. Une nouvelle fois confronté à l'aristocratie, il va aussi devoir enquêter chez Lady Emily Ashworth, la soeur de sa chère épouse Charlotte ! Fanny a été agressée alors qu'elle revenait de chez Emily et George, son mari, reste très évasif sur son emploi du temps au moment du crime. Cacherait-il quelque chose ? L'enquête piétine. Bien décidée à percer le mystère, Emily entraîne Charlotte dans les réceptions mondaines. À la quête des petits secrets qui cachent les grandes dépravations, elles démasqueront un coupable complètement inattendu.
Brillante critique sociale de l'aristocratie anglaise de la fin du XIXe siècle, cette troisième enquête de l'inspecteur Pitt, secondé par Charlotte et Emily, conjugue ambiance pesante et coups de théâtre qui raviront le lecteur. --Sophie Colpaert
328 pages, Pocket Book
First published January 1, 1981
989 people are currently reading
1961 people want to read
About the author
Anne Perry
363 books3,382 followersAnne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life after serving five years in prison for murder (in New Zealand). A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 467 reviews
July 9, 2018
There has been a rape and murder in Inspector Thomas Pitt’s area; incongruously occurring in the upper-class area of Paragon Walk. It also happens to be the area where Charlotte’s sister, Emily, lives with her titled husband and Emily is terrified that the investigation will uncover unsavoury deeds involving George.
Inspector Pitt’s investigations always do expose sordid personal details along with more benign secrets and no-one who moves in these circles is keen on having that happen. As a result, his investigation is prolonged and feels to him like he is continuously going over the same ground with no results.
Emily, partly out of fear, and Charlotte, out of the desire to help ease her sister’s mind, find themselves going to as many of the parties and soirees in Paragon Walk as they can. It is the Season in London, so there are many of them.
Then someone disappears, someone is murdered, and the danger of looking too closely at anything in this neighbourhood heightens.
Once again we are given a glimpse of the neuroses, entitlements, and polished prevarications that some segments of society seemed to learn in the nursery. When something tragic happens, the fingers point first to the staff and servants. In the long run, however, people are people – and as clever as they may think they are at hiding the unspeakable, eventually truth catches up to them in the form of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt.
I thoroughly enjoyed this second book of a series that first captivated me in the early 2000’s. Although I still have a few ‘gaps’ to fill in the series, I am happy that there are also more books in the series that continue on from where I initially left off.
Anne Perry’s writing keeps the plot and action flowing at a good pace. At the end, I did find myself wondering about a couple of the characters and their involvements in certain incidents. The ending was definitely a surprise but I also would have liked more of a sense of what happens with some of the other characters. That is the only reason this received 4 Stars rather than 5. On the other hand, since Emily actually lives there, these characters may come up again at some point in the future. I hope so!
Inspector Pitt’s investigations always do expose sordid personal details along with more benign secrets and no-one who moves in these circles is keen on having that happen. As a result, his investigation is prolonged and feels to him like he is continuously going over the same ground with no results.
Emily, partly out of fear, and Charlotte, out of the desire to help ease her sister’s mind, find themselves going to as many of the parties and soirees in Paragon Walk as they can. It is the Season in London, so there are many of them.
Then someone disappears, someone is murdered, and the danger of looking too closely at anything in this neighbourhood heightens.
Once again we are given a glimpse of the neuroses, entitlements, and polished prevarications that some segments of society seemed to learn in the nursery. When something tragic happens, the fingers point first to the staff and servants. In the long run, however, people are people – and as clever as they may think they are at hiding the unspeakable, eventually truth catches up to them in the form of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt.
I thoroughly enjoyed this second book of a series that first captivated me in the early 2000’s. Although I still have a few ‘gaps’ to fill in the series, I am happy that there are also more books in the series that continue on from where I initially left off.
Anne Perry’s writing keeps the plot and action flowing at a good pace. At the end, I did find myself wondering about a couple of the characters and their involvements in certain incidents. The ending was definitely a surprise but I also would have liked more of a sense of what happens with some of the other characters. That is the only reason this received 4 Stars rather than 5. On the other hand, since Emily actually lives there, these characters may come up again at some point in the future. I hope so!
November 20, 2019
Third in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series in which Thomas does lots of police work and gets nowhere. Meanwhile Charlotte succeeds in solving the case although maybe not in the way she intended.
I did not enjoy this one as much as the earlier two although it was still an entertaining read. I was surprised by the identity of the murderer but there were so many people it could have been! The ending was a little disappointing. Charlotte is a smart woman and I felt that she acted very out of character in order to set up the denouement.
Still a pleasant read and I will continue with the series.
I did not enjoy this one as much as the earlier two although it was still an entertaining read. I was surprised by the identity of the murderer but there were so many people it could have been! The ending was a little disappointing. Charlotte is a smart woman and I felt that she acted very out of character in order to set up the denouement.
Still a pleasant read and I will continue with the series.
January 6, 2024
He “always was a bit too clever. Trouble is, he wasn’t clever enough to pretend to be a little less clever.”
If a member of the Victorian gentry, the upper levels of the moneyed class, were alive today to read Anne Perry’s PARAGON WALK, I wonder if they would appreciate the extent to which they were parodied, satirized, critiqued, and downright vilified. The levels of class snobbery, self-righteousness, self-entitlement, misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism were, to put it mildly, off the charts. Oh, to be sure, there actually was a murder (a few actually … in fact there was even a rather vicious rape of a young woman) and a mystery for Charlotte and Thomas Pitt to chew on and solve but I think those minor details took distant second place to Ms Perry’s brilliant characterization of life with hereditary money in Victorian England.
On the tightly controlled norms of behaviour, for example:
“Without the discipline of work, they had invented the discipline of etiquette, and it had become just as ruthless a master.”
The undeniable xenophobia:
“The Frenchman … was there, if indeed he were French? Perhaps he came from one of the African colonies? He was far too smooth, too wry and subtle to be from the great wind-and-snow-driven plains of Canada.”
Victims of sexual assault and rape were seen as flirts or, worse yet, sluts and women of loose virtue, who were themselves to blame for the attack by virtue of their flagrantly sexualized behaviour. Men? Well, it was clear that men would be men and would behave no differently than was expected of them!
And a most shocking conversation on the Church of England’s Christian version of anti-Semitism:
“Who is he?” …
“Why – he’s a Jew!” she said
“Yes, so you said.” …
“Do you approve of Jews, Mrs. Pitt?”
“Wasn’t Christ one?”
“Really, Mrs Pitt!” Lady Tamworth shook with outrage.
“I accept that the younger generation has different standards from our own … but I cannot tolerate blasphemy. Really, I can’t!”
“That is not blasphemy, Lady Tamworth … Christ was a Jew.”
“Christ was God, Mrs Pitt,” Lady Tamworth said icily. “And God is most certainly not a Jew!”
Theological considerations aside, I thought that quite a jaw-dropping bit of conversation.
But, but … what about the fact that PARAGON WALK is a historical murder mystery? Well, as I said, the murder was there and it did get solved satisfactorily but that story definitely took second place to the superbly character driven description of Victorian society and morality.
Paul Weiss
If a member of the Victorian gentry, the upper levels of the moneyed class, were alive today to read Anne Perry’s PARAGON WALK, I wonder if they would appreciate the extent to which they were parodied, satirized, critiqued, and downright vilified. The levels of class snobbery, self-righteousness, self-entitlement, misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism were, to put it mildly, off the charts. Oh, to be sure, there actually was a murder (a few actually … in fact there was even a rather vicious rape of a young woman) and a mystery for Charlotte and Thomas Pitt to chew on and solve but I think those minor details took distant second place to Ms Perry’s brilliant characterization of life with hereditary money in Victorian England.
On the tightly controlled norms of behaviour, for example:
“Without the discipline of work, they had invented the discipline of etiquette, and it had become just as ruthless a master.”
The undeniable xenophobia:
“The Frenchman … was there, if indeed he were French? Perhaps he came from one of the African colonies? He was far too smooth, too wry and subtle to be from the great wind-and-snow-driven plains of Canada.”
Victims of sexual assault and rape were seen as flirts or, worse yet, sluts and women of loose virtue, who were themselves to blame for the attack by virtue of their flagrantly sexualized behaviour. Men? Well, it was clear that men would be men and would behave no differently than was expected of them!
And a most shocking conversation on the Church of England’s Christian version of anti-Semitism:
“Who is he?” …
“Why – he’s a Jew!” she said
“Yes, so you said.” …
“Do you approve of Jews, Mrs. Pitt?”
“Wasn’t Christ one?”
“Really, Mrs Pitt!” Lady Tamworth shook with outrage.
“I accept that the younger generation has different standards from our own … but I cannot tolerate blasphemy. Really, I can’t!”
“That is not blasphemy, Lady Tamworth … Christ was a Jew.”
“Christ was God, Mrs Pitt,” Lady Tamworth said icily. “And God is most certainly not a Jew!”
Theological considerations aside, I thought that quite a jaw-dropping bit of conversation.
But, but … what about the fact that PARAGON WALK is a historical murder mystery? Well, as I said, the murder was there and it did get solved satisfactorily but that story definitely took second place to the superbly character driven description of Victorian society and morality.
Paul Weiss
September 19, 2016
"People do such strange things to cover their guilt."
The wealthy upper crust of Paragon Walk squeezed the mind-dulling monotony of friendships and marriage into embarrassments and silence. Trivialities and flaws were hidden behind a polished front. As much as propriety would permit, men were allowed to play their games. That is, until it lead to murder.
A darker conflict drove this story. The he-said, she-said camaraderie that I was hoping to occur between Thomas and his wife, Charlotte, was seriously lacking. Their baby girl, Jemima, was written in as a nonplus. Actually, now that I have the opportunity to think about it, Ms. Perry has the gift of imagination but lacked the ability to include depth into her characters' relationships. The closest this point came into being was between Charlotte and her sister, Emily. But even then, confidences were glossed over.
This was the third story in this series. By now I had expected, at minimum, to attach myself to the main protagonists. I awaited the experience of stepping back in time for clues that make a great historical mystery. It may have just come down to personal taste and the correct frame of mind but I was disappointed with Paragon Walk. Most likely I will read one more book to see if things pick up; if not, I am done.
The wealthy upper crust of Paragon Walk squeezed the mind-dulling monotony of friendships and marriage into embarrassments and silence. Trivialities and flaws were hidden behind a polished front. As much as propriety would permit, men were allowed to play their games. That is, until it lead to murder.
A darker conflict drove this story. The he-said, she-said camaraderie that I was hoping to occur between Thomas and his wife, Charlotte, was seriously lacking. Their baby girl, Jemima, was written in as a nonplus. Actually, now that I have the opportunity to think about it, Ms. Perry has the gift of imagination but lacked the ability to include depth into her characters' relationships. The closest this point came into being was between Charlotte and her sister, Emily. But even then, confidences were glossed over.
This was the third story in this series. By now I had expected, at minimum, to attach myself to the main protagonists. I awaited the experience of stepping back in time for clues that make a great historical mystery. It may have just come down to personal taste and the correct frame of mind but I was disappointed with Paragon Walk. Most likely I will read one more book to see if things pick up; if not, I am done.
January 12, 2013
I hope this series improves soon; so far I don’t like it as well as the author’s William Monk mysteries, which were written later in her career. This book is very weak, and I’m not in the least impressed with Thomas Pitt’s sleuthing skills.
The mystery concerns a young woman who has been raped and murdered. The Victorian social ill in the spotlight is the blame assigned to rape victims; such things do not happen to virtuous women.
There is still very little here about Thomas and Charlotte’s life together. I’m disappointed at the lack of conflict between them, considering their disparate social classes. Now they have acquired one of those sitcom children who is always asleep or with a babysitter.
The mystery concerns a young woman who has been raped and murdered. The Victorian social ill in the spotlight is the blame assigned to rape victims; such things do not happen to virtuous women.
There is still very little here about Thomas and Charlotte’s life together. I’m disappointed at the lack of conflict between them, considering their disparate social classes. Now they have acquired one of those sitcom children who is always asleep or with a babysitter.
November 7, 2014
Perry writes the most amazing conversation among women. It is hard to imagine the stress of having to manage one's words, as these Victorian age characters did in conversations requiring multiple levels of meaning. Successful wives managed their husbands through clever and hidden strategies.
Perry's books show tremendous insensitivity among the classes and even between station levels within classes. There seemed to be far less value in competence than in income regardless of how it was acquired. Rentiers reigned.
In the Paragon Walk, aptly named, the aristocracy must cope with murder within its ranks. To give her readers access across the classes, Perry in her first book, married one sister above her station and one below her station -- to policeman Pitt who came from a servant class and now works with persons in lower classes while providing service to all classes. The result is a very interesting view of society during the late 19th century.
December 16, 2011
Third in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mystery series revolving around Inspector Thomas Pitt and his very curious wife Charlotte.
My Take
While a young girl is murdered, the emphasis is on how it will affect everyone else socially with a number of the neighbors putting all the blame on the girl. Well, obviously she must have had low morals to have invited rape! How do people actually twist their minds to believe something like this? They are like a snarling pack of dogs. Ooh, that's rather mean. To the dogs, anyway.
Of course, the unlucky Frenchman living in the neighborhood is the object of all the ladies' interests but the first one at whom the neighbors point a finger. Everyone kept mentioning the Dilbridges' peculiar social tastes but no one ever comes out and explains what those tastes are. Why would Pitt avoid looking into this?
Perry makes an interesting point that "Without the discipline of work, they had invented the discipline of etiquette". It's true, the upper classes' lives were so boring that they had to create something at which to work. What better than manners so they would have something to occupy their minds as well as a stick to poke at everyone else.
Perry has another passage that I thought was very good on the definition of rape versus love. Charlotte points out that
While Emily is thinking more of the physical act itself. That Selena's rape is more acceptable in Selena's mind because to lie willingly is wrong but to be a victim is an excuse and having the best of both worlds: innocent of the guilt and yet having the pleasure.
I rather like discovering how Charlotte is adapting to her new life: learning to cook, getting on with the neighbors, dealing with her child on her own. She's doing a lovely job of it. Then there's Emily coping with George's infidelity; quite subtle and very effective.
The Story
A young woman, Fanny Nash, comes staggering across the threshold of her brother's home. Raped and stabbed! The weeks go by and the police remain baffled and in the meantime, Charlotte spends more and more of her time attempting to help her sister Emily discover "who dun it" and in the process discovers more than she wanted to know about her husband and the neighbors in Paragon Walk while we can enjoy our distance from their rapier-like tongues.
It's the discovery of another body that sets everything spinning to the ultimate conclusion after a few red herrings. There certainly was a great deal more going on underneath the surface than the Pitts or Lady Emily ever suspected!
The Characters
Inspector Thomas Pitt is as disheveled as ever while Charlotte is still attempting to conquer cooking. Their daughter, Jessamine, is teething. Together they meet George's Great Aunt Vespasia Cummings-Gold for the first time. I do like Aunt Vespasia! Mrs. Smith across the way helps Charlotte by watching Jessamine when Charlotte goes off sleuthing.
A pregnant Lady Emily Ashworth begs Charlotte for help and support as Pitt investigates her own neighbors on Paragon Walk. Lord George Ashworth has his own secrets to keep.
Fanny Nash is the 17-year-old half-sister of Diggory, Afton, and Fulton Nash. She lived with Diggory and his wife Jessamyn and was engaged to Algernon Burnon. The night Fanny was murdered, Lord and Lady Dilbridge were holding a party. Mrs. Selena Montague is a widow and little better than she should be. There are the Misses Horbury: the tolerant Miss Laetitia and the moralistic Miss Lucinda, and their friend, Lady Tamworth. The self-effacing Phoebe Nash is married to the excessively moral Afton. Hallam Cayley is a widower. Paul Alaric is the dashing Frenchman over whom Serena and Jessamyn are fighting.
The Title
The title indicates the location of the tragedies on Paragon Walk, a street where the upper class lives.
My Take
While a young girl is murdered, the emphasis is on how it will affect everyone else socially with a number of the neighbors putting all the blame on the girl. Well, obviously she must have had low morals to have invited rape! How do people actually twist their minds to believe something like this? They are like a snarling pack of dogs. Ooh, that's rather mean. To the dogs, anyway.
Of course, the unlucky Frenchman living in the neighborhood is the object of all the ladies' interests but the first one at whom the neighbors point a finger. Everyone kept mentioning the Dilbridges' peculiar social tastes but no one ever comes out and explains what those tastes are. Why would Pitt avoid looking into this?
Perry makes an interesting point that "Without the discipline of work, they had invented the discipline of etiquette". It's true, the upper classes' lives were so boring that they had to create something at which to work. What better than manners so they would have something to occupy their minds as well as a stick to poke at everyone else.
Perry has another passage that I thought was very good on the definition of rape versus love. Charlotte points out that
A strong man, a man who is capable of caring, does not force a woman. He takes love as it is offered, knowing that that which is demanded has no meaning. The essence of strength is not in overpowering others, but in mastering oneself.
While Emily is thinking more of the physical act itself. That Selena's rape is more acceptable in Selena's mind because to lie willingly is wrong but to be a victim is an excuse and having the best of both worlds: innocent of the guilt and yet having the pleasure.
I rather like discovering how Charlotte is adapting to her new life: learning to cook, getting on with the neighbors, dealing with her child on her own. She's doing a lovely job of it. Then there's Emily coping with George's infidelity; quite subtle and very effective.
The Story
A young woman, Fanny Nash, comes staggering across the threshold of her brother's home. Raped and stabbed! The weeks go by and the police remain baffled and in the meantime, Charlotte spends more and more of her time attempting to help her sister Emily discover "who dun it" and in the process discovers more than she wanted to know about her husband and the neighbors in Paragon Walk while we can enjoy our distance from their rapier-like tongues.
It's the discovery of another body that sets everything spinning to the ultimate conclusion after a few red herrings. There certainly was a great deal more going on underneath the surface than the Pitts or Lady Emily ever suspected!
The Characters
Inspector Thomas Pitt is as disheveled as ever while Charlotte is still attempting to conquer cooking. Their daughter, Jessamine, is teething. Together they meet George's Great Aunt Vespasia Cummings-Gold for the first time. I do like Aunt Vespasia! Mrs. Smith across the way helps Charlotte by watching Jessamine when Charlotte goes off sleuthing.
A pregnant Lady Emily Ashworth begs Charlotte for help and support as Pitt investigates her own neighbors on Paragon Walk. Lord George Ashworth has his own secrets to keep.
Fanny Nash is the 17-year-old half-sister of Diggory, Afton, and Fulton Nash. She lived with Diggory and his wife Jessamyn and was engaged to Algernon Burnon. The night Fanny was murdered, Lord and Lady Dilbridge were holding a party. Mrs. Selena Montague is a widow and little better than she should be. There are the Misses Horbury: the tolerant Miss Laetitia and the moralistic Miss Lucinda, and their friend, Lady Tamworth. The self-effacing Phoebe Nash is married to the excessively moral Afton. Hallam Cayley is a widower. Paul Alaric is the dashing Frenchman over whom Serena and Jessamyn are fighting.
The Title
The title indicates the location of the tragedies on Paragon Walk, a street where the upper class lives.
April 23, 2017
This was another good historical mystery from Anne Perry. There was plenty of dirt to uncover in the lives of all the characters, and it kept me guessing all the way through. I was convinced I had it right up until the very end, and I didn't! But everything fit once I knew all the pieces. The ending was just a little abrupt - I could have done with even just a paragraph or two more to wind it down.
November 3, 2015
"We are conceived in sin, and some of us never rise above it"
I've read some reviews about this book and seen than many people complaint about Pitt not being a very good detective and so on. But don't you realize that, from the very first book, Pitt is not like others, for example, Poirot?... The real investigators in these series are Charlotte and Emily!!
"Always was a bit too clever. Trouble is, he wasn't clever enough to pretend to be a little less clever."
"Success without envy was like snails without sauce - and, as any cultivated woman knew, the sauce is everything."
"The only people who can change things are the people with power and money.": sad but true.
I've read some reviews about this book and seen than many people complaint about Pitt not being a very good detective and so on. But don't you realize that, from the very first book, Pitt is not like others, for example, Poirot?... The real investigators in these series are Charlotte and Emily!!
"Always was a bit too clever. Trouble is, he wasn't clever enough to pretend to be a little less clever."
"Success without envy was like snails without sauce - and, as any cultivated woman knew, the sauce is everything."
"The only people who can change things are the people with power and money.": sad but true.
February 4, 2019
I don’t know what I keep reading these. Maybe because I know they do have some potential in the beginning. But then about a fourth of the way through the plot and characters get so clogged up and it just turns into complete nonsense. And then it’s like she got tired of writing the book and barely manages to finish. You literally find out who the killer is on the last page. No conclusion or wrap up.
June 6, 2023
That was a little more disturbing than I find this series to typically be. I was genuinely surprised by the resolution. I really like Charlotte, a smart woman who speaks her mind in Victorian London. You get a good flavor for what life was like and the social structure of the time, too, from this series.
May 23, 2020
Anne Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series – at least the two books I've read so far – is engaging on several levels: surely as mysteries, but also as explorations of the hypocrisies of gender, class and, to a lesser extent, ethnicity in 19th century London. Some of Perry's characters are caricatures, especially the characters that are likely to appear only in this book, but the central characters are bright, thoughtful, eccentric, and outspoken. Perry allows her characters to be confounded, but also to recognize and articulate the subtle messages unsaid in what they say aloud:
What Emily was really asking was: did Thomas have any knowledge; was it inside or outside the Walk; could they all dismiss it as a tragedy, but something beyond their own affairs, a brief intrusion, now entirely of the past, something that had happened in the Walk, but could as easily have occurred anywhere else in the mad creature’s path? (p. 52)
Although the first 90% of Paragon Walk was thoughtful, deliciously slow-paced, and observant, the ending was more unbelievable. I tend to be unhappy with many endings, especially to mysteries. Charlotte – and this is primarily her book rather than her husband's – is wise and thoughtful beyond her years until the end, when she was rescued by another (male) character. I wanted to pull her aside, shake her, and say, "What were you thinking?" She wasn't.
The Pitt family story builds across the course of the series, but one can pick one book up without having read an earlier one without problem (I've read books #2 and #3, but not #1).
What Emily was really asking was: did Thomas have any knowledge; was it inside or outside the Walk; could they all dismiss it as a tragedy, but something beyond their own affairs, a brief intrusion, now entirely of the past, something that had happened in the Walk, but could as easily have occurred anywhere else in the mad creature’s path? (p. 52)
Although the first 90% of Paragon Walk was thoughtful, deliciously slow-paced, and observant, the ending was more unbelievable. I tend to be unhappy with many endings, especially to mysteries. Charlotte – and this is primarily her book rather than her husband's – is wise and thoughtful beyond her years until the end, when she was rescued by another (male) character. I wanted to pull her aside, shake her, and say, "What were you thinking?" She wasn't.
The Pitt family story builds across the course of the series, but one can pick one book up without having read an earlier one without problem (I've read books #2 and #3, but not #1).
February 3, 2023
I enjoyed that. It seems like it's getting harder to find something to listen to that I can just sink into and simply enjoy, and it's nice to know that Anne Perry's books are still in that category. (These early ones, at least - I believe the later ones become less so.) The writing is mostly transparent (meaning I don't have to pay attention to it - it's grammatically correct and (as far as I can tell) period correct - correct enough to make me really, truly appreciate the 21st century on a regular basis), and nicely done - some of the side characters are wonderful, and I like Charlotte and Thomas more than I remembered. And Davina Porter is one of my top twenty or so narrators. She's marvelous. I'll take more chances on other authors and other narrators later; for now, I just want to stick to this team, in the knowledge I can relax comfortably. It's been a long time since I read any of these, so even if, like this one, they come back to me at all, it will be only vaguely; it's long enough ago that it might as well be my first read.
April 30, 2012
This book was a really good mystery, but I found myself a little confused by everything going on in it and all of the possible suspects. I think there were probably 20 or more characters in the book, by my count, most of whom were possible suspects. I just had trouble keeping track of them all, let alone trying to suss out who the murderer was! Moreover, though Pitt is the lead investigator, the whole novel focused more on Charlotte and Emily, which I found kind of irritating. I think I'd like more of a balance. Also, I found 85% of the characters to be totally worthless or worse than that. I guess I prefer there to be more redeeming characteristics, even among a list of possible suspects. They were all so dreadful! The only tolerable characters were Charlotte, Thomas, possibly Emily (although she irritates me), Vespasia, and Lettitia. I just found myself irritated by some of the high society conversations and by Thomas being such a minor character in the book. I didn't know who the murderer was, at all! It was a total surprise to me!
March 27, 2011
I do like these light historical mysteries, but I tend to figure them out easily. Will read more...
April 7, 2019
Paragon Walk is book three in the Thomas Pitt Mystery series by Anne Perry. Inspector Thomas Pitt caught a case of the raped and death of a young woman in Paragon Walk. Inspector Thomas Pitt was not getting anywhere with the residence of Paragon Walk that his wife Charlotte decided with the help of her sister to investigate. However, the case deepens when another person dies. The readers of Paragon Walk will continue to follow Charlotte and Thomas Pitt to find out who the murder of Fanny Nash.
I love reading books in this series, and the way Anne Perry is developing the two main characters. I enjoyed reading Paragon Walk. The way Anne Perry portrays her characters and their interaction with each other throughout Paragon Walk ensure that I engage with them and the plot of this book. The descriptions of Paragon Walk was also done well by Anne Perry. Paragon Walk was well written and researched by Anne Perry.
The readers of Paragon Walk will learn about the treatment of law enforcement officers by English high society. Also, the readers of Paragon Walk will learn the problems that women have when they marry outside their social class during the Victorian era.
I recommend this book.
I love reading books in this series, and the way Anne Perry is developing the two main characters. I enjoyed reading Paragon Walk. The way Anne Perry portrays her characters and their interaction with each other throughout Paragon Walk ensure that I engage with them and the plot of this book. The descriptions of Paragon Walk was also done well by Anne Perry. Paragon Walk was well written and researched by Anne Perry.
The readers of Paragon Walk will learn about the treatment of law enforcement officers by English high society. Also, the readers of Paragon Walk will learn the problems that women have when they marry outside their social class during the Victorian era.
I recommend this book.
January 19, 2023
2.5 estrellas.
Este es el que, por el momento, menos me ha gustado de esta serie.
Creo que mi problema con esta escritora van a ser los finales, entre otras cosas. Habiendo leído cuatro libros suyos puedo decir, casi con seguridad, que se precipita a la hora de atar cabos y que es dada al melodrama en sus desenlaces. También me resultó algo repetitiva en sus formas y temas. Al personaje de Pitt parece que en cada libro lo maneja uno de los personajes femeninos, a veces esos mismos personajes son sospechosos en el caso que investiga. En esta historia, de hecho, me llegó a sacar bastante de los nervios lo . Perry sigue poniendo demasiado énfasis en el aspecto físico de sus personajes femeninos. Pero bueno, no todo podía ser perfecto.
Como puntos fuertes, sigue dejando en evidencia la hipocresía de la alta sociedad de la época, el sexismo, clasismo, etc.
Aparte de eso, el punto fuerte de esta serie sigue siendo Charlotte. No entiendo porqué la serie se llama Charlotte y Thomas Pitt, por lo menos hasta donde he leído, Pitt poco tiene que ver con la resolución de los casos 😅
He seguido con la lectura de esta serie.
Este es el que, por el momento, menos me ha gustado de esta serie.
Creo que mi problema con esta escritora van a ser los finales, entre otras cosas. Habiendo leído cuatro libros suyos puedo decir, casi con seguridad, que se precipita a la hora de atar cabos y que es dada al melodrama en sus desenlaces. También me resultó algo repetitiva en sus formas y temas. Al personaje de Pitt parece que en cada libro lo maneja uno de los personajes femeninos, a veces esos mismos personajes son sospechosos en el caso que investiga. En esta historia, de hecho, me llegó a sacar bastante de los nervios lo . Perry sigue poniendo demasiado énfasis en el aspecto físico de sus personajes femeninos. Pero bueno, no todo podía ser perfecto.
Como puntos fuertes, sigue dejando en evidencia la hipocresía de la alta sociedad de la época, el sexismo, clasismo, etc.
Aparte de eso, el punto fuerte de esta serie sigue siendo Charlotte. No entiendo porqué la serie se llama Charlotte y Thomas Pitt, por lo menos hasta donde he leído, Pitt poco tiene que ver con la resolución de los casos 😅
He seguido con la lectura de esta serie.
October 4, 2024
In which we meet one of the most important characters in this series, Great Aunt Vespasia Cumming-Gould. Two things to note: Vespasia ages steadily for many books, then must drink a youth elixir at some point, becauese towards the end of the series she suddenly seems to be in her 60s!
Also,I will be watching through the next few books to see if Perry's editors bought her a thesaurus so that her characters can give something other than "dazzling" smiles. And Charlotte needs to give Mrs Smith next door more than that for babysitting little Jemima!
Also,I will be watching through the next few books to see if Perry's editors bought her a thesaurus so that her characters can give something other than "dazzling" smiles. And Charlotte needs to give Mrs Smith next door more than that for babysitting little Jemima!
July 23, 2019
De las tres novelas que llevo leídas de la saga del inspector Pitt, ésta es la que menos me ha enganchado. No se si se deberá a que las he leído demasiado seguidas o a que empiezo a anticipar a la señora Perry. En cualquier caso, siguen pareciéndome unas lecturas muy agradables. Creo que haré un descanso y volveré al inspector Pitt y a la incansable Charlotte en invierno, cuando los días son largos y oscuros y apetece regodearse en la niebla de las calles londinenses.
May 3, 2019
Ok, so I have read the first 3 of these Thomas Pitt mysteries and they all follow a strange trend for murder mysteries, they all focus on the social expectations and happenings of the Victorian Era and not at all on clues, just who said what and who did what. This last one Thomas Pitt was not even involved when the mystery was solved and he is supposed to be one of the lead characters. Give me back my Agatha Christie mysteries.
June 11, 2020
So a very early book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. I’ve unfortunately read later so no in order as would be amazing if you can. Women of the high class raped and murdered! Who what why? It will shock you as it did me in the end!
August 5, 2015
Finished reading: June 3rd 2013
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
January 22, 2012
I started reading Anne Perry's mystery novels when I was in college. My older sister discovered them first and had purchased the entire Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series (to date) from Half.com. I stayed with her for a month one summer during break and devoured almost all that she had on her shelves.
I stopped keeping up with the series at one point and have recently picked up where I left off and have also gone back to re-read the early books in the series.
Paragon Walk is the 3rd book in this Victorian Era mystery series. It centers on the rape and murder of a young, privileged girl on a fashionable street in a wealthy district of London. I listened to the audiobook this time around and was struck very much by how easily these high society men and women threw around the word "rape" to each other and to the police. That seems a misstep to me; I would have expected them to insist on using euphemism. I actually think the author could have played more with that and added a note of humor to the book by having the fine ladies and gentleman come up with ever-more-creative ways to allude to the crime.
That quibble aside, I enjoyed the book. There is interesting commentary on the nature of sexual assault and on how both men and women throughout the ages have grossly misunderstood the causes and motivations; yet, the author does not pretend to show a full understanding of the crime nor that all instances stem from the same roots.
The essence of strength is not in overpowering others, but in mastering oneself.
Both this book and Cater Street Hangman deal with the mistaken notion that only loose women get assaulted and that virtuous women have nothing to fear; in both books, this safe haven is clung to so desperately that no woman's character could be unimpeachable enough to ever disprove the theory. The fact of an assault is seen as incontrovertible proof that the woman must have been of low character, regardless of whether or not she was respectable before the assault. In both books, Anne Perry does a good job of showing how ridiculous and illogical this pervasive idea is, while also hinting at how much easier it must have been to believe that the assaulted woman was a "bad woman" (no matter how high above reproach she may have been prior) than to admit to oneself that all people -- even one's self and loved ones -- are vulnerable to the sometimes unspeakable results of the choices and actions of others.
I stopped keeping up with the series at one point and have recently picked up where I left off and have also gone back to re-read the early books in the series.
Paragon Walk is the 3rd book in this Victorian Era mystery series. It centers on the rape and murder of a young, privileged girl on a fashionable street in a wealthy district of London. I listened to the audiobook this time around and was struck very much by how easily these high society men and women threw around the word "rape" to each other and to the police. That seems a misstep to me; I would have expected them to insist on using euphemism. I actually think the author could have played more with that and added a note of humor to the book by having the fine ladies and gentleman come up with ever-more-creative ways to allude to the crime.
That quibble aside, I enjoyed the book. There is interesting commentary on the nature of sexual assault and on how both men and women throughout the ages have grossly misunderstood the causes and motivations; yet, the author does not pretend to show a full understanding of the crime nor that all instances stem from the same roots.
The essence of strength is not in overpowering others, but in mastering oneself.
Both this book and Cater Street Hangman deal with the mistaken notion that only loose women get assaulted and that virtuous women have nothing to fear; in both books, this safe haven is clung to so desperately that no woman's character could be unimpeachable enough to ever disprove the theory. The fact of an assault is seen as incontrovertible proof that the woman must have been of low character, regardless of whether or not she was respectable before the assault. In both books, Anne Perry does a good job of showing how ridiculous and illogical this pervasive idea is, while also hinting at how much easier it must have been to believe that the assaulted woman was a "bad woman" (no matter how high above reproach she may have been prior) than to admit to oneself that all people -- even one's self and loved ones -- are vulnerable to the sometimes unspeakable results of the choices and actions of others.
August 6, 2011
If you like Victorian cozies and lovable characters, this book is for you.
With the third in the Pitt series, the author, Anne Perry hits her stride. The story begins with a body in the morgue. The victim is slight, delicately featured, beautifully dressed, her arms bruised, her face barely touched by life. Fanny Nash is seventeen when she is stabbed and raped in Paragon Walk, a London neighborhood of impeccable pedigree, and the neighborhood, as luck would have it, of Charlotte’s sister, Emily, and her husband, Lord Ashworth.
Pitt is called in to to investigate. In so doing, he scrapes the surface of society—the inhabitants, their servants, their families—revealing their stories, their guilt, their secrets, their relationships with one another, their pompous ill regard for most everyone else. Ms Perry lays bare the hypocrisy at the heart of Victorian society, the theme at the heart of this intricately plotted, beautifully and accurately detailed novel. You won’t want it to end, but end it does, just after the mystery is solved.
Meet the ageless beauty, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould
A recurring character in the Pitt series, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, makes her first appearance in this novel. A favorite character of many readers, this one included, she happens to be staying with Emily and George in their Paragon Walk townhouse. Beautifully attired, outspoken, and witty, she serves, perhaps as the author’s point of view, but certainly as a delightful deus ex machina in this, as well as in subsequent novels in the series. One of her more envious characteristics is that she doesn’t age. She’s about seventy or eighty in Paragon Walk, and she approaches seventy in Treason in Lisson Grove which takes place, almost fifteen years later. You go, girl, Cumming-Gould!
With the third in the Pitt series, the author, Anne Perry hits her stride. The story begins with a body in the morgue. The victim is slight, delicately featured, beautifully dressed, her arms bruised, her face barely touched by life. Fanny Nash is seventeen when she is stabbed and raped in Paragon Walk, a London neighborhood of impeccable pedigree, and the neighborhood, as luck would have it, of Charlotte’s sister, Emily, and her husband, Lord Ashworth.
Pitt is called in to to investigate. In so doing, he scrapes the surface of society—the inhabitants, their servants, their families—revealing their stories, their guilt, their secrets, their relationships with one another, their pompous ill regard for most everyone else. Ms Perry lays bare the hypocrisy at the heart of Victorian society, the theme at the heart of this intricately plotted, beautifully and accurately detailed novel. You won’t want it to end, but end it does, just after the mystery is solved.
Meet the ageless beauty, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould
A recurring character in the Pitt series, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, makes her first appearance in this novel. A favorite character of many readers, this one included, she happens to be staying with Emily and George in their Paragon Walk townhouse. Beautifully attired, outspoken, and witty, she serves, perhaps as the author’s point of view, but certainly as a delightful deus ex machina in this, as well as in subsequent novels in the series. One of her more envious characteristics is that she doesn’t age. She’s about seventy or eighty in Paragon Walk, and she approaches seventy in Treason in Lisson Grove which takes place, almost fifteen years later. You go, girl, Cumming-Gould!
February 7, 2008
This is book 3 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, I'm slowly going through this series and I really enjoyed the first 2 books. I had a bit of problem with this one and for me it didn't work as well as the other.
In the posh London street of Paragon Walk, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered. Once again the incomparable team of sleuths, Inspector Thomas Pitt and his young wife, Charlotte, peer beneath the elegant masks of the well-born suspects and reveal that something ugly lurks behind the handsome facades of Paragon Walk--something that could lead to more scandal, and more murder.
The plot was intriguing enough, I had no clue of what really had happened till the very end although I had some suspicions that the villain might be the person that is ultimately disclosed as the murderer. Everyone seemed to have some unsavory secrets and spend all their time at parties showing their hatred for the others. It was a bit too much of victorian high society. But I think that mostly this book suffered from the fact that we see too much Charlotte and not enough Pitt. I also like Pitt's take on the murders and victorian society and this time it seemed we only saw it through Charlotte and her sister's eyes. It became a bit unbalanced IMO. I like it more when there's team work.
Grade: B-
In the posh London street of Paragon Walk, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered. Once again the incomparable team of sleuths, Inspector Thomas Pitt and his young wife, Charlotte, peer beneath the elegant masks of the well-born suspects and reveal that something ugly lurks behind the handsome facades of Paragon Walk--something that could lead to more scandal, and more murder.
The plot was intriguing enough, I had no clue of what really had happened till the very end although I had some suspicions that the villain might be the person that is ultimately disclosed as the murderer. Everyone seemed to have some unsavory secrets and spend all their time at parties showing their hatred for the others. It was a bit too much of victorian high society. But I think that mostly this book suffered from the fact that we see too much Charlotte and not enough Pitt. I also like Pitt's take on the murders and victorian society and this time it seemed we only saw it through Charlotte and her sister's eyes. It became a bit unbalanced IMO. I like it more when there's team work.
Grade: B-
July 22, 2020
Thomas and Charlotte are great together but in this book, there wasn't much teamwork and Charlotte makes foolish decisions to put herself in danger. In fact, we lost track of Thomas at the end of the book and we were left wondering if he even knew what was going on? Then he is called at the end. I really don't like it when an author has a character compromise their otherwise intelligent manner to promote the storyline. We all have our moments, but sometimes it's like they take a stupid pill and we are suppose to go along with it.
The idleness of the high society was emphasized through most of the book and its roots were the basis for the motive. Instead of a person with a motive, it was more a subject of evil. The ending reminded me of this verse-
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49.
Of the books so far in this series, this is my least favorite because of the way Thomas and Charlotte were depicted. They should always be able to work together.
The idleness of the high society was emphasized through most of the book and its roots were the basis for the motive. Instead of a person with a motive, it was more a subject of evil. The ending reminded me of this verse-
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49.
Of the books so far in this series, this is my least favorite because of the way Thomas and Charlotte were depicted. They should always be able to work together.
March 4, 2015
I felt like I was in a Monty Python skit. I just kept yelling "Get on with it!" Then the end just pops up and I am not even sad that it is so abrupt, I'm just happy to move on to a better book.
I'm taking a break from Anne Perry, I don't think she is what I want her to be. Way too much introspection and who could it be? Give me clues or advance the plot, don't just rehash what you just wrote two pages ago.
I'm taking a break from Anne Perry, I don't think she is what I want her to be. Way too much introspection and who could it be? Give me clues or advance the plot, don't just rehash what you just wrote two pages ago.
November 21, 2012
Estoy conociendo a Anne Perry con su saga del inspector Thomas Pitt y la verdad es que me está encantando. Thomas y Charlotte Pitt son geniales. Está claro que esa genial ambientación me puede. Es una saga que disfruto muy fácilmente.
August 1, 2021
Murder strikes the upper classes again and Inspector Thomas Pitt is assigned to the case. Which, of course, means that his wife Charlotte and her sister Emily (Lady Ashworth) will also be sleuthing among soirees and afternoon teas. This time it's a case of murder and rape when innocent Fanny Nash is killed in Paragon Walk. Described by Emily as "too innocuous to arouse passion," it's hard to believe any man felt strongly enough to attack and kill the young woman. But her death proves otherwise. Every man in the neighborhood is suspect--from footman to Pitt's brother-in-law Lord Ashworth himself--until they can provide verification of their whereabouts at the fatal hour.
Pitt interviews all of the inhabitants of Paragon Walk and finds that nearly all of the servants can provide proof of their activities...but most of their masters can't. They all say where they were, but each has moments that are unsubstantiated and nearly all had a window of opportunity when they could have done the deed. Charlotte and Emily start their amateur investigations in an effort to help clear Emily's husband and soon discover a thread of evil which affects everyone on the Walk. When someone is found hanged with an apparent suicide note confession, you would think that everyone would breathe easier knowing the killer had been revealed. But the tension remains and Charlotte suspects that there is more to the story than they know.
This particular Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel falls a little short of the mark. Our good inspector really doesn't detect much and after about the half-way mark all but disappears--except to re-interview everyone after the second murder is discovered. I would really like to see Perry give him more to do than just interview people and be insulted by the gentry because he's a policeman (and little better than a tradesman).There is also a supposed clue given early on that could have been worked into the solution quite nicely, but it seems that it was just filler or a somewhat pink herring. It can't be called a proper red herring--it's dropped almost casually into the narrative and then forgotten save for a brief musing by Charlotte in a later chapter (but that leads nowhere). Had that clue actually led anywhere important, it could have been quite interesting. The motives given for the rape and the murders really don't convince me and the plot doesn't gel nearly as well as the previous two novels.
What carries the book is the relationship between Charlotte and Emily and the introduction of Ashworth's Aunt Vespasia. She is a delightful character who deserves to appear again and again, though I doubt she will since she's supposedly just visiting. I could see Aunt Vespasia and Charlotte becoming great friends--they are very like-minded and like-natured. ★★★--just.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
Pitt interviews all of the inhabitants of Paragon Walk and finds that nearly all of the servants can provide proof of their activities...but most of their masters can't. They all say where they were, but each has moments that are unsubstantiated and nearly all had a window of opportunity when they could have done the deed. Charlotte and Emily start their amateur investigations in an effort to help clear Emily's husband and soon discover a thread of evil which affects everyone on the Walk. When someone is found hanged with an apparent suicide note confession, you would think that everyone would breathe easier knowing the killer had been revealed. But the tension remains and Charlotte suspects that there is more to the story than they know.
This particular Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel falls a little short of the mark. Our good inspector really doesn't detect much and after about the half-way mark all but disappears--except to re-interview everyone after the second murder is discovered. I would really like to see Perry give him more to do than just interview people and be insulted by the gentry because he's a policeman (and little better than a tradesman).There is also a supposed clue given early on that could have been worked into the solution quite nicely, but it seems that it was just filler or a somewhat pink herring. It can't be called a proper red herring--it's dropped almost casually into the narrative and then forgotten save for a brief musing by Charlotte in a later chapter (but that leads nowhere). Had that clue actually led anywhere important, it could have been quite interesting. The motives given for the rape and the murders really don't convince me and the plot doesn't gel nearly as well as the previous two novels.
What carries the book is the relationship between Charlotte and Emily and the introduction of Ashworth's Aunt Vespasia. She is a delightful character who deserves to appear again and again, though I doubt she will since she's supposedly just visiting. I could see Aunt Vespasia and Charlotte becoming great friends--they are very like-minded and like-natured. ★★★--just.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
November 4, 2021
Anne Perry's Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series is holding my interest so far -- though this rating should really be a 3.5 -- but I'm waiting for her to put all the pieces together.
In "Paragon Walk," she strains too hard to hide the murderer, resulting in an unsatisfying conclusion that really doesn't stand up to close scrutiny, but at the same she continues to develop her main characters. She also continues her critique of the rigid class structure of Victorian England, which is presumably casting the same shade on the Great Britain in 1981, when she wrote this book.
References to "lack of breeding" as a cause of certain actions rings false to our ears, though of course in a different sense it's used by 21st century racists to justify their prejudices.
But this series is primarily supposed to supply fun reads, and so far, so good -- though I just have a feeling Perry can do better.
In "Paragon Walk," she strains too hard to hide the murderer, resulting in an unsatisfying conclusion that really doesn't stand up to close scrutiny, but at the same she continues to develop her main characters. She also continues her critique of the rigid class structure of Victorian England, which is presumably casting the same shade on the Great Britain in 1981, when she wrote this book.
References to "lack of breeding" as a cause of certain actions rings false to our ears, though of course in a different sense it's used by 21st century racists to justify their prejudices.
But this series is primarily supposed to supply fun reads, and so far, so good -- though I just have a feeling Perry can do better.
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