Midnight at Marble Arch

Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #28

by Anne Perry

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In this superbly accomplished new Charlotte and Thomas Pitt adventure, Anne Perry takes us beneath the glittering surface of wealthy Victorian society into a nightmare world of fear and intimidation, where women are too often blamed for the violent attacks against them, and powerful men take what they want, leaving others to pay the price.
 
The horrifying rape and apparent suicide of Catherine Quixwood, wife of a wealthy merchant banker, falls outside the new jurisdiction of Special Branch head Thomas Pitt, but so pervasively offensive are the rumors about the victim that Pitt quietly takes a hand in the investigation.
 
Yet even with the help of his ingenious wife, Charlotte, and his former superior, Victor Narraway, Pitt is stumped. Why did high-minded, cultured Catherine choose not to accompany her husband to a grand party on the night of her demise? Why did she dismiss all her servants for the evening and leave the front door unlocked? What had been her relationship with the young man seen frequently by her side at concerts and art exhibits? And what can be done to avenge another terrible crime: the assault on Angeles Castelbranco, beloved teenage daughter of the Portuguese ambassador?
 
As an ordinary policeman, Pitt had once entered London’s grand houses through the kitchen door. Now, as a guest in those same houses, can he find the steel in his soul to challenge the great men of the world with their crimes? The path to the truth takes him in deeply troubling directions, from the lofty world of international politics and finance to his own happy home, where his own teenage daughter, Jemima, is coming of age in a culture rife with hidden dangers.
 
In this rich, emotionally charged masterpiece, Anne Perry exposes yet another ugly secret of Victoria’s proud empire. And in a courtroom battle of unparalleled brilliance, we thrill at the chance to witness a massive wrong righted.

Praise for Midnight at Marble Arch
 
“[Anne] Perry is a master at illuminating the wrongs of the Victorian age.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“Bestselling author Perry continues her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series with another splendid success. She is so familiar with life at this time that history, attitudes and culture are slipped in seamlessly so the reader sees the world as Victorians did. Not only are Inspector Pitt and his wife fully realized, their circle of friends and acquaintances also feel real and alive. This is a series to read from the beginning.”—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
 
“May be [Perry’s] most intense and thrilling novel to date . . . Midnight at Marble Arch is stunning and insightful from start to finish.”—Bookreporter
 
“This book is packed with intrigue.”—The Huffington Post
 
“The monsters Anne Perry creates are not easy to live with, and their actions linger long after the book is closed.”—New York Journal of Books
 
“Engrossing . . . intriguing . . . Perry does a nice job exploring late Victorian attitudes toward sex crimes.”—Publishers Weekly


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Crime, British Literature

355 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Anne 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

Reviews

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been completely disappointed in an Anne Perry book, but this book had what I consider to be more flaws than any other book of hers that I've read (and I've read everything she's ever published, multiple times). Still, I liked a lot of things about it.

Likes:

Charlotte and Thomas Pitt are comfortable together, but they have realistic disagreements and misunderstandings that can happen to any devoted couple from disparate backgrounds. Particularly amusing was how Thomas reacts to the "news" that their daughter, Jemima, is maturing, and how Charlotte both understands and helps Jemima navigate the emotional minefield that being fourteen is. Particularly poignant are the feelings of both parents when they consider that the terrible rapes of other young women could someday happen to their daughter despite their commitment to doing what is wise to keep her safe.

Victor Narraway navigates the territory of the forcibly "retired" person with a balance of irritation at his position and willingness to use its new advantages to do good and both exercise and develop his powers of detection in a new milieu.

Aunt Vespasia seems more than ever to be Anne Perry's own alter-ego. She is wise, funny, courageous, compassionate, vulnerable, and witty; she is also beautiful in her old age and wears the most marvelous clothes and jewels! She is resourceful and intelligent, understanding and forward-thinking. She is very nearly perfect.

The mystery uses Thomas Pitt's position as head of Special Branch to move the detection forward in a realistic way, and it incorporates the current political events of the run up to the Boer War as important parts of the solution to the crime, a tactic that I think is part of how Anne Perry successfully evokes the era.

The twists and turns of the solution were well done. I wasn't in any doubt as to who was ultimately responsible for the crime after the first few interviews, but the "how" and "why" were satisfyingly devious, and the proof impossible to predict until the climax.

Problems:

The plot seemed like one that Anne Perry might have assigned to her other Victorian series easily. The elements of using an essentially private detective helped by the woman in his life, a little help from an officer whose position he once had, a trial with a brilliant lawyer who can spin out a "nothing" defense for an entire day--surely these are choices that belong to Monk & Hester, with Runcorn and Rathbone to help? But here they are Narraway & Vespasia helped by Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, and a lawyer we've just met who must be looking at the now-late-middle-aged Rathbone somewhere offstage and copying him. It blurs the distinctions between the two series for me, making them somewhat redundant.

The approach to the social ill: Anne Perry has made an entire career out of writing brilliantly about contemporary problems set in the Victorian era, and approached by the Victorian mindset. This does not seem to be completely the case here, but I'm being subjective. Still. Where it jars me is in the scene where Jemima asks at the dinner table what a rape is, and the parents don't seem to get upset the way I'd expect. They even discuss it somewhat, in front of their 11-year-old son who we presume has never even heard the word and may know extremely little about biology at this point. When we have mid-twentieth century parents still uncomfortable with their children's direct questions, I am skeptical about how forward-thinking Thomas and Charlotte are, or did their author just allow them a little too much modernism for the era? I expected them to tell Jemima something like, "That is a subject we should discuss later, not at the table," and then Charlotte takes Jemima aside and Thomas has a little chat with Daniel--maybe the same things are said, but not at the table in mixed company, not in the Victorian era.

I don't think Victorians used the word "rape" much, but I could be wrong. I read a lot of Victorian lit, and whenever this comes up, the euphemisms are thick. I mean, this is the society that didn't even say the word "leg"; they said "limb" instead and covered up the piano legs as being somehow indecent. I've seen the word "ravished" and the euphemism that Anne Perry does use, that of a "personal attack." The other word I have seen is "rapine," not "rape" despite the title of the Shakespearean poem, "The Rape of Lucrece."

I do not think we have progressed enough as a society to be able to look at the idea of the woman somehow being to blame as being totally wrong. This issue is extremely timely--in 2013 we have teenagers passing out and being raped at parties, and too many online comments blame them. Such attitudes are straight out of the Victorian era, which I think of as an age of extreme sexual repression and a materialistic attitude that overvalued physical chastity almost to the exclusion of mental virtue, where "good" females are physically untouched except by their husbands: therefore, any female who gets raped is not "good." That horrible attitude is present in Perry's book, but not prevalent as I think would have been the case. All of the characters whose points of view we care about have the attitude that I think of as enlightened and modern, that the woman never deserves it, that she is essentially unchanged as far as her intrinsic value is concerned, and that the crime is not about sex but about power. While I hope that there WERE some of the enlightened among those Victorians, I would have found this book more realistic for the era if there had been scenes where an enlightened person had an in-depth philosophical discussion with those who hadn't really thought things through, or with someone wondering what to think about their daughter who suddenly is in the category they had always thought of as being "bad."

Instead, there is a scene designed to show off Charlotte's wit, when she attends a party given by her sister Emily and there scores off a woman with the wrong attitudes. There are other scenes where Pitt, Narraway, and Vespasia present the unified Anne Perry message. Even at the trial, there's an unspoken agreement that Catherine did not deserve the violence she received, and I would have expected in the all-male bastion of the courts of that era, the more chauvinistic attitude would have been present with a wink and a nod. As it stands, the modern message is presented in blanket fashion, and it keeps me from feeling that I'm reading an historical account, something I've not experienced before in an Anne Perry book.

The one attitude toward rape that I thought fit with the time is the one that considered an unmarried woman ruined if she were raped. Certainly that attitude still prevails among some religious communities, but most of the Western world has gotten beyond that now. I still remember when it prevailed, though. "Better dead than defiled" was something I learned with horror from some of my teen friends. I found out later from my own parents that that was completely wrong in their books. In this book, I expected that to be such a strong attitude that neither Alice nor her parents would ever have agreed to pursue justice in the case. Even today that's a hard decision for some women and their families, not always because she feels "spoiled" in some way, but because it's such a complete violation of her intimate, private life that she has to possess a strong character to allow the general public to have those details about her. Elizabeth Smart comes to mind--what a courageous woman she was, and what a great example to many, but bear in mind that she stands out as a guiding example in the 21st century, not the 19th.


***SPOILER ALERT***

I am going to talk about the things that will definitely spoil the mystery, so don't read on unless you don't care or have read it.

Considering further the ways in which this book seemed to be a Monk series book using Pitt series characters, I thought the political hook here was tacked on. Quixwood did not have to use investment in the diamonds and gold of South Africa; had this been written as a Monk book, any other Victorian-era British empire investment would do as well. With the empire stretching around the world and gaining in power especially during the Monk series years, there were surely plenty of opportunities for investment fraud to be perpetrated. The revenge of the villain was key to the plot; he says himself that it was important to ruin his rival, but that if the South African idea didn't work, he'd simply wait and use the next opportunity that came along. It undercut a big portion of the atmosphere--if the whole Jameson raid was irrelevant except in an opportunistic sense, then why include it at all?

Another problem with using this plot in a Pitt book is the way it makes characters blur into each other. The detective work is performed by Narraway, Vespasia, Pitt, and Charlotte. The work that Vespasia does is left very sketchy. We don't know to whom she spoke, what occasions she used, nor what she said. We are simply told that she got the information and that rumor began to spread. When she finds out from Flaxley whether Quixwood is lying about his wife's character, we don't get to see the scene--again, it's reported. Do all detective conversations sound the same or are we simply being cheated out of seeing the differences in detection by different personalities? Any scene in which Charlotte did any detecting could have been done by Vespasia, and vice versa. When did they become interchangeable?

Except for Pitt asking for a stay of execution from the Home Secretary, most of his work could have been done by Narraway himself. But this was a Pitt book. Pitt is supposed to be the main character in a Pitt book, but in this book, he plays second to Narraway. I think it would have been better to give this book to Monk, who has his own series and could easily have played the Narraway role. In a Monk book, Rathbone might have been able to influence someone enough to get the stay of execution, if necessary, although it looked like after they all trapped Quixwood and Forsbrook, they had the necessary evidence to overturn the case against Hythe before the execution anyway.

I would have liked to see Thomas Pitt in a book that centers on the abuse of power, a minor issue in his role in this book. It was a throwaway here--Pitt almost succumbs, but he changes his mind at the last minute. It all takes place within the time of a cab ride.

The one issue that would not have easily transferred to a Monk book was the immediacy of the case to the Pitts, considering their feelings as their daughter and son are maturing. I liked that aspect very much in this book, and maybe that's why Anne Perry decided it had to be a Pitt book after all. But it's a flawed Pitt book in my opinion.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Decent women do not get raped.”

On the surface, MIDNIGHT AT MARBLE ARCH is an exciting story of murder, sexual assault and serial rape in the highest levels of Victorian society. Under normal circumstances, the rape of a wealthy merchant banker would fall outside Thomas Pitt’s jurisdiction as newly appointed head of Special Branch. But Pitt’s involvement becomes inevitable as the investigation leads to what appears to be a serial rapist who has preyed upon the daughters of international diplomats. The solution of the crime becomes more urgent as money, markets, international finance and potential skullduggery in South African investments lead Pitt, his brilliant wife, and his former superior, Victor Narraway down twisted paths. Then there is the looming catastrophe of a potentially wrongfully-convicted man facing imminent execution.

Perry’s atmospheric descriptions of the moneyed levels of Victoria society are evocative and graphic:

“Pitt … looked across the glittering ballroom of the Spanish Embassy in the heart of London. The light from the chandeliers sparkled on necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Between the somber black and white suits of the men, the women’s gowns blossomed in every color of the early summer: delicate pastels for the young, burning pinks and golds for those in the height of their beauty, and wines, mulberries, and lavenders for the more advanced.”

The exquisite sensitivity of the entire list of characters in the novel to their position in England’s 19th century class structure is portrayed to a fault. It was clear that one false move by anyone in society or a presumption to status above one’s place in the recognized and inviolate pecking order would result in censure and scorn. Misogyny was an integral part of societal thinking and, to a great extent, even the most progressive women accepted it as just and normal. It was an unshakable belief that sexual assault or rape happened only to those women who transgressed and had somehow invited the crime by virtue of some inappropriate behaviour. To believe otherwise was to admit to the possibility that it could happen to anyone and that was simply not on!

MIDNIGHT AT MARBLE ARCH is easy to recommend - an enjoyable, gripping historical mystery by an author that most readers would characterize as a master of the genre.

Paul Weiss

[Kara Babcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a few of Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels now, in no particular order. This is one of those mystery series, much like Lindsey Davis’ Falco series, where I’m content to dip in and out of the canon as I may. I’m fascinated by Victorian literature and life in Victorian England, and Perry has impressed me with her Victorian mysteries in the past. Midnight at Marble Arch is no exception. In this instalment of the series, Charlotte and Thomas go up against a serial rapist who uses his influential connections to escape justice. Not only do they have a complicated web of deceit to untangle, but they must confront the prejudices around rape that colour the case—prejudices, sadly, that have not necessarily diminished in 120 years.

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting something quite so dark and intense from this book. The cover copy revealed that the central crime would be a rape/murder; however, as Thomas and Charlotte investigate, they uncover more rape. Charlotte and then Thomas are incredulous; they had no idea rape was so common a phenomenon. Perry does an excellent job portraying the various attitudes towards rape and the victim-blaming that would be prevalent in a time when the idea of a young, unmarried woman being left alone with a young man would be most improper.

My favourite scene is probably when Charlotte visits a luncheon at someone else’s house. She is with a few other women, and they discuss current affairs, as acquaintances might do. The failed Jameson Raid of 1895 is on everyone’s minds; Jameson himself stands trial, and the women’s husbands have various business interests in South Africa that are threatened by the botched raid. Their discussion takes the form of veiled debate with layers of enforced politeness, and I love how Perry captures the colonial attitudes that everyone carried to some degree. It’s fun watching Charlotte advance a relatively enlightened position while the others take issue with her refusal to unwaveringly support British interests. The the subject once again turns to the rape of Catherine Quixwood and the death of young Angeles Castelbranco, who was also raped, and we see how even the women engage in victim blaming. Perry pulls no punches as she shows the social stigma surrounding rape.

So I found myself getting viscerally upset and angry at this book. It’s not anything Perry does. It’s more because all of these attitudes are ones that still exist to some degree, and, amazingly, still have cachet in mainstream society. We have definitely gotten better and investigating and prosecuting rape, but we are nowhere near good enough. Too many rapes still go unreported, and rape culture still remains a disturbing norm. It really puts things into perspective when I hear people spouting arguments that sound more appropriate coming from someone at the end of the nineteenth century, not the beginning of the twenty-first.

As far as the mystery goes, Midnight at Marble Arch is more of a Victor Narraway than a Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery. Narraway, at the widower Quixwood’s request, looks into the case further, bringing Thomas in when he needs some additional assistance. The case is connected to Pitt’s official duties in the Special Branch in the slimmest of manners.

I need my mystery novels to have a certain elegance of structure to them, which this one lacks. The protagonists spend too much time dithering and discussing theories without much gathering of fact. They reiterate and retread the same scenarios, same discussions about rape, several times. When Pitt finally went out to Bryanston Mews to do some digging of his own, I was overjoyed. When Narraway interviewed other characters, I was intrigued.

I suppose the courtroom scenes towards the end were supposed to be dramatic, but I found them a little melodramatic and contrived. Similarly, the resolution of the mystery was extremely rushed—and then the book just ends. No wrap-up, no explanation. We learn who did it, and Pitt and Narraway confronts the perpetrator, and that’s it.

Midnight at Marble Arch is a sadly uneven novel. Perry has a lot of high concepts that she expresses well. However, the crucial component is the mystery, which does not fare as well. I find myself liking the book for reasons that have nothing to do with it being a mystery—and that’s OK. But I suspect that for longtime fans and for people who approach this wanting another strong mystery, Midnight at Marble Arch will be more disappointing than delightful.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight at Marble Arch is book twenty-eight in the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series. Commander Pitt offers to help the local law enforcement agency to look into the death of Catherine Quixwood. At first glance, everyone believed that Catherine Quixwood committed suicide after been raped. However, that was not the case, and more Commander Pitt investigates the more evolved it becomes. The readers of Midnight At Marble Arch will follow Commander Pitt investigation into the death of Catherine Quixwood and with the help of his wife Charlotte and Victor Narraway his former boss to see if they found answers to this battling case.

I do love reading books in this series and Midnight at Marble Arch did not disappoint. I love Anne Perry portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other throughout Midnight at Marble Arch. I like Anne Perry writing style and the way she describes her settings.

The readers of Midnight At Marble Arch will learn about living in London in the early 19th century. Also, the readers of Midnight At Marble Arch will learn about policy and procedures of law enforcement and the legal profession during the early 19th century in London.

I recommend this book.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave the book an extra star only because Perry chooses to address an important topic, rape, treating it as the crime of violence it is and not as an act of passion. As usual, the story is well-written (if redundant), however, two particular points ruined the book for me.

SPOILER ALERT

1. Victor Narraway. I've read that Pitt was put into Special Branch because Perry had run out of ideas of crimes for him to solve as a regular detective. But in the last couple of books she has Narraway taking his place in such cases. On every book cover the words "A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel" are written. Unfortunately, the last couple of books have felt like "Victor Narraway Novels" and I don't wish to read a book about his character. With glazed eyes, I struggle through the sections concerning his character. I dare not skip over any parts, lest I miss a crucial piece of evidence. I wish Perry would write separate Narraway novels and let the reader choose if they wish to follow his journey or not.

2. The reverse aging of Vespasia. Don't get me wrong, I love her character. In fact, Perry fudges the ages of Charlotte and Emily by a couple of years at times. But the discrepancy is forgivable. Reducing Vespasia's age by twenty to twenty-five years, however, is a move which insults the intelligence of the reader. A great deal was made in previous books about Vespasia being eighty. Now, in the last couple of books, she appears to be in her sixties. She should bottle the magic potion she drank and sell it! She'd be even richer than she is now. Plenty of people of advanced years lead active and productive lives and I am disappointed in so blatant a change to a character I love. I certainly have not forgotten her previous plotlines (she was supposed to be alive during Waterloo) and am disappointed to be asked to dismiss the past.

I guess I have more than two issues with the book. The ending is absolutely ridiculous. And what happened to the man they were trying to save from hanging? They killed the witnesses needed, so did an innocent man hang? I also miss Gracie and Emily, who have now become peripheral characters. Bring back the Pitts! Please!

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Sentence: Pitt stood at the top of the stairs and looked across the glittering ballroom of the Spanish Embassy in the heart of London.

Charlotte and Thomas Pitt are attending a glittering society ball. Charlotte notices a young woman who seems to be afraid of a young man who refuses to leave her alone. The young woman runs away and through a glass window to her death. A wealthy banker, also at the ball, returns home to find his wife brutally assaulted and dead. Although Thomas Pitt, now head of Special Branch, can’t openly investigate, he asks for the help of his former boss, Victor Narraway.

From the very beginning, Ms. Perry’s descriptions place you within the scene and make you feel part of the story. You also become completely involved with the characters, as she also describes emotions very well.

The characters are wonderful. They become people you care about and want to follow. I’ll admit I did try to figure out Great Aunt Vaspasia’s age. As Charlotte is now 40, I would guess Vaspasia to be in her late 70s/early 80s. She’s a wonderful character, no matter her age. One thing I did particularly like about this book is that it is an ensemble cast relying still on Charlotte and Thomas, but more on Victor Narraway, as well as Aunt Vaspasia and solicitor Peter Symington. Another thing I truly appreciate is that the characters grow and develop with each book, including seeing more of the Pitt’s daily life and their children.

Perry has also taken historical figures and either used, or referred to them, in their appropriate roles--Rudyard Kipling, Randolph Churchill, Dr. Jameson and Cecil Rhodes—as well as incorporating important events of the time, such as the search for gold and Boer War. This adds life and veracity to the story.

With each book Ms. Perry focuses on a social issue critical to the period as well as in today’s headlines. While some may find her focus on this issue to be heavy-handed, I felt it well-done and as critical a focus for the story as it is necessary to address today. The subject is well handled with the level of outrage and import it deserves. Beyond that, it is a very good mystery. You think you know who’s guilty, but are you right? Or is there a surprise waiting for you? Sorry, you’ll have to read the book to find out.

“Midnight at Marble Arch” held to the high standard of Ms. Perry’s writing and confirms her place among the very best mystery writers. Highly recommended.

MIDNIGHT AT MARBLE ARCH (Hist Mys-Pitt series–England–1896/Victorian) – VG+
Perry, Anne – 28th in series
Ballentine Books, 2012

[Chequers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non ho ancora capito perche' mi ostino a leggere la Perry: va bene che mi piacciono molto le ambientazioni vittoriane, ma ormai siamo arrivati al masochismo libresco!
Piatto e anche abbastanza noioso, salvo solo l'ambientazione.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have appreciated a little more wind up at the end, this book definitely ended too abruptly for my taste. The sudden ending cost it a star from my rating.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 28th episode in Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series deals with the topic of rape, a crime that was rarely talked about in Victorian times.Thomas is now Head of Special Branch and as such is required to attend diplomatic events where Charlotte can once again mix with society. They are attending such a function when they hear the news that an investor's wife, Catherine Quixwood has been assaulted and found dead in her home of a suspected overdose. At the same party they witness Angeles Castelbranco, the young daughter of the Portuguese ambassador shrink away in fear from a young man who is taunting her. Some time later at another event she runs from this young man and falls through a plate glass window to her death.

Both women have been raped and as neither is alive can't name the men who assaulted them. In Victorian times a young girl's family would not accuse a man of rape, particularly if he was from a 'good family' in order to protect her reputation and not spoil her chances of marriage. When the man who raped Angeles strikes again the victim's family keep quiet and refuse to involve police.However, the Pitts daughter, Jemima is only 2 years younger than Angeles and both Thomas and Catherine feel the injustice of the rapist getting away with his crimes. At the same time, a young financier who had secret meetings with Catherine in order to give her financial advice has been charged with her rape and murder and looks set to hang unless Thomas and Victor Narraway, the former Head of the secret service can find evidence of who really murdered Catherine.

This novel started off with two nasty crimes and ended with a suspenseful courtroom scene but the middle felt somewhat flat. Partly because Charlotte, her sister Emily and Aunt Vespasia did not feature as much as usual in the sleuthing and ferreting out of clues. Aunt Vespasia's dry wit and wry comments alone are worth reading the books for and there were few of those in this novel. The issue of rape and the difficulty of convicting anyone in Victorian times was a major theme and one that was repeatedly discussed more than necessary to get the message through. The ending felt somewhat rushed with all the pieces falling into place very quickly, whereas the plot may have been made more interesting if they had started to be revealed a little earlier in the book.

[Karen A. Wyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading Anne Perry's Victorian detective novels for years, and am always glad to see another come out. This one was somewhat disappointing. There was a great deal of unnecessary repetition, as if the book needed padding to make up for insufficient plot. It was worth reading, just to spend some more time with Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, Victor Narraway, and Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould -- but if I didn't already know and like these characters, I'm not sure this book would have led me to seek them out again.

Perry's Victorian novels are usually educational, shedding light on the culture and history of the times, and I wouldn't call this one an exception -- but I learned less from it than I have from most of the others.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've written in many reviews that I'm a HUGE Anne Perry fan. Yes, I have read everything she has written, but lately I've come to realize that maybe she has exhausted her store of good ideas and plots for the Victorian time period. Perhaps she needs to take a rest from Thomas and Charlotte Pitt (or William and Hester Monk for that matter)' and concentrate on her WWI series. I say this because her last three books, including this one, just don't have the same zest and urgency of plot development as those earlier in her series. It wasn't until half-way through "Midnight at Marble Arch" that the plot started to move forward, and even then the outcome was so predictable. Perry has gotten into a habit of endless stream of consciousness and questioning on the part of her characters. She uses this in place of characters actually speaking to each other. And there is much repetition. This book deals with the subject of rape at the turn of the century - a very bad thing we all know. But does each character have to repeat the idea of a woman's reputation being ruined if they report a rape? And let me say, there were at least 7 characters who went on and on about this social custom of the time. My only hope is that Anne Perry will one day sit at her computer and find that marvelously sharp and intriguing voice she once had in her earlier books. Until then, I will keep reading and hoping.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty-eighth in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mystery series.

I was provided an ARC from the publisher.

My Take
It's been awhile since I've read this series, and I've recently started back up, to catch up with events because I just adore Charlotte and Thomas. Two people who hold to a sense of morality and justice no matter what. It doesn't hurt that I enjoy reading an historical mystery!

This particular story was an odd combination of melodrama, what I consider overly twisted clues---the times when everyone sat down to go over the clues and conjecture was both over the top and lazy *eye rolling moments*, lacking in the warmth I was expecting, and more about Lord Narraway than the Pitts. They had more of a guest appearance in this.

The premise of this story is an exploration of rape, how people treated women who suffered through such a brutal crime. Sad to say, we haven't changed much. The story uses this to leap into a discussion of the duty of people to step forward, to prevent such miscarriages in future. Sadly, we haven't made a lot of progress in this either.

Considering how Angeles kept reacting in public, I don't understand why her mother kept bringing her to events.

I do like how Perry personalizes this subject by bringing in Jemima. Poor thing, she's at that awful stage when she veers from one end of the spectrum to the other:

"Jemima is furious about clothing choices and insists that she wants to be interesting, different, grown up. She doesn't want to look 'nice'! Of course, she's also leery of being too different!

Partly because she's attracted to Robert Durbridge."

Perry uses Thomas' love for his children to bring it home to those involved, to persuade them to step up, and increase the chances for justice.

The way it's written, I can't understand how anyone can possibly think Angeles was at all to blame. Watching that little shit, push her and push her, seeing her terror, how can people not question what's happening?

I don't know if the way in which the beating was investigated is typical for that time period, or if it's simply poorly done, but I could identify a number of lines of inquiry that no one pays any attention to. It's just lom onto the most likely, easiest choice and not be bothered to investigate further.

Ooh, a possible romance for Vespasia…!? I so want her to be happy.

The Story
With Thomas' promotion, the Pitts are required to attend more social events than previously---luckily, the extra money means Charlotte can buy her own dresses now! Unluckily, it finds the two of them present at several social events in which a bullying toad is persecuting a young girl.

The Characters
Charlotte is forty now and Thomas has been promoted to head of Britain's Special Branch---Commander Thomas Pitt. He's taken over from Lord Narraway after the Irish scandal. Charlotte feels a bit frustrated because she can't help him with his cases anymore. Jemima is fourteen and at that age when she either in angst or alt, depending on the minute; Daniel is eleven. Minnie Maude is the maid who took over from Gracie, who has gotten married to Sergeant Tellman. Julia is a young friend of Jemima's.

Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould is Emily's great-aunt by marriage but both girls and Lady Vespasia consider her a relative. Emily, Charlotte's sister, is married to Jack Radley who is now a Member of Parliament.

Victor, Lord Narraway, is bored and frustrated. Booted from Special Branch because he was unable to present a defense when he was betrayed, he's at loose ends. Inspector Knox is in charge of the rape/beating. Dr. Brinsley is their pathologist. Stoker is Pitt's assistant at Special Branch. He has a similar outlook to Pitt's.

Rawdon Quixwood is a financial adviser with a merchant bank whose beautiful and intelligent wife, Catherine, is concerned with morality. Mr. Lucket is the butler; Mrs. Millbridge is the housekeeper; and, Flaxley is Catherine's lady's maid. Alban Hythe is an intelligent young man at the Treasury whose company Catherine enjoys. Maris Hythe is his loving wife.

Isaura Castelbranco is the wife of the Portuguese ambassador, Rafael Castelbranco, to Britain. Angeles is their sixteen-year-old daughter. She had been engaged to Tiago de Freitas of Brazil. Frederick Townley's daughter Alice was also raped. Elmo Crask is a private inquiry agent whose name Pitt passes on to Castelbranco.

Neville Forsbrook is the son of Sir Pelham Forsbrook, "one of London's foremost bankers" with a great deal of influence. Eleanor is Pelham's deceased wife, dead in a carriage accident. Dr. Leander Starr Jameson led an ill-conceived raid to take over South Africa. Joe Chamberlain may lose his position as a result of Jameson's actions. Sir Hercules Robinson is the Governor-General of the Cape Colony.

Aubrey Delacourt is a lawyer experienced in rape cases. Peter Symington is the lawyer Narraway talks into defending Hythe. Algernon Bower is the Queen's Counsel for the prosecution.

The Cover
The cover is terrifying in its lighthearted display of manners---an older gentleman is kissing a lady's hand as she negligently sits near a balcony railing. Could it be the same railing Angeles encountered?

I believe the title is a metaphor for Society's head-in-the-sand avoidance of rape. That any woman who is raped must be asking for it. An attitude that truly is Midnight at Marble Arch.

[Larraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Perry has definitely produced a nail biter in this one. She addresses the crime of rape for which women were pretty much ostracized and blamed in this period. (And even today in a lot of a cases!) Catherine, beautiful and intelligent woman, wife of a well known investment expert is found brutally raped and dead in her home. Although the rape did not kill her, she drank a glass of wine laced with a high dose of laudanum It is assumed that she has committed suicide after her ordeal. The beautiful young 16 yr old daughter of the Portugese ambassador is terribly frightened of a young man who tells her how pretty she is. When he comes up to her at another party, she runs away hysterically, crashes through a window and dies. It is assumed that she was pregnant and committed suicide in her shame. As the head of Home Security, Thomas Pitt and his wife are now invited to society gatherings although Charlotte doesn't have the patience for them as she once did. Her natural warmth and curiosity lead her to the conclusion that there is more to the young girl's death then meets the eye. In addition, Victor Narroway, who once held Pitt's job, also has his own doubts about Catherine's death. Perry is very adept at leading her reader down a number of garden paths before revealing the truth. In this case, like so many of her previous novels, the truth is far uglier and harrowing than you could even imagine.

[Cynthia Sillitoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rape is a violent, insidious crime, which brings with it shame, fear, and trauma. If you don't already know it, you will learn it from this book.... Over and over and over. I'm on page 133 and feel like 90 pages of that is the same message. One character tells another--who has never considered this, and then has to ponder it...and tell another character, who is equally surprised and ponders it, and then tells another character. In fact, ponderous is a very good description of this book. Anne Perry has gotten more heavy-handed with each book and I am really close to not finishing this book. I actually think it may be subtracting points from my IQ. I know it's breaking my heart to see Charlotte and Thomas Pitt so...uh...stupid. Yes, I know I sound like Annie Wilkes...,although frankly, killing off major characters might not be a bad idea. At least the characters could have a new conversation.....

I in no way mean to sound heartless or unsympathetic to survivors of rape. I just think a Scotland Yard/Special Branch inspector, who has caught a few dozen crazed murderers and foiled various international plots can't understand that "good" women are raped by "good" men all the time.
It picks up a it, but....still not what I expect from Anne Perry.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kept falling asleep whilst reading this, so spent longer reading this than id have cared too. The first 200 odd pages were so repetitious. The main characters (unrealistically enlightened for the era) views on the horror of rape being the item on repeat. Not a bad message to get across of course but maybe try giving it differently not just one character telling another (again). Also Pitt's daughter is on the verge of womanhood, and he's also concerned about ensuring his son respects women, plus Catherine was a beautiful woman by the way. Who knew? Oh yes the reader did, several times in quick succession.

The last third is quite the page turner though (except the repetitions)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one more than I have the last several. This one reminded me more of the beginning of the series where Pitt was just a regular policeman and not all caught up in Special Branch business. All my favorite characters were there helping to figure out what was going on and catch the bad guys. It also reminded me more of the Monk books as there was quite a bit that took place in a court room.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tough one.

Rape and murder, very brutal. The Victorian urge to sweep anything unpleasant or related to sex under the rug is at war with the need to bring violent criminals to justice. There was a lot of borderline preachy talk from the more forward thinking characters. I agree with the talk: there is discussion of consent, of victim-blaming, I was 100% behind it. But it was also hit on very heavily and not very naturally, certainly not for the time period. It had a sort of "say it louder for those at the back" feel: Victims shouldn't be blamed and shamed! But as one of the people at the front who agrees, I was more concerned with them finding out who did it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Perry has outdone herself in her latest Thomas and Charlotte Pitt murder mystery. I was on the edge of my seat for a good deal of the time. Especially during the trial phase of the story.

The wife of a financier is beaten and raped and then commits suicide. Her husband was not home at the time and it seems she dismissed all the servants and let the man in who did this to her. Was he her lover as everyone seems to think? Meanwhile several other young women are raped, one is murdered, one accidentally falls from a window and dies, trying to get away from the man who raped her, another survives to tell her story. Pitt and his former boss know who raped these young women but can't seem to find a way to prove it. Meanwhile they are also trying to solve the rape and murder of the financier's wife. The question is, are all these crimes connected somehow? It all boils down to a battle of wits to save the life of the young man everyone seems to think raped and beat the financier's wife. The public wants to believe the worst because it is more interesting. The real rapist has money and help from his father who is also a violent man. As Pitt and Narraway zero in on the man who they know did these horrible deeds they come across a few surprises. The ending is fast and furious. You will not be disappointed.

I enjoyed this book a great deal but felt frustrated and angry by the behavior of society and men in general when a woman is raped or attacked, especially a young woman who has not even ventured out into the real world yet. Though there were many people who knew these women did not deserve the treatment they received, the majority put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the abused. They believed for something this bad to happen to a woman she was doing something she shouldn't have been doing....having an affair (the double standard being that it was okay for a man to have a mistress) or she must have done something provocative to lead the man to believe she wanted his attentions and then changed her mind which he would not stand for. Sadly there are still countries that are backward enough to think this way.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

As they age, Charlotte and Thomas, seem savvy, but for me, just less interesting then in their youngest escapades. Possibly because in the earlier novels Charlotte was more a full partner within the case's inputs? Well, she seems to be pivotal in this one, but still- they just seem so staid.

Here, Charlotte's notice is piqued by the reaction of a young lady from Portugal when confronted by a certain gentleman at a social gathering of the top crust. It's abnormal- "out of the box" for the approach and language observed. She's correct, there is great fear.

#28 seemed overlong. But it cores an essentially difficult dichotomy, a tragic blaming of the woman/girl for sexual assaults/ rape or any "reputation" wrecking behavior that might occur and becomes public knowledge. Not only to the young and unmarried girl, but especially then. Culturally and socially, if that occurs? Fall outs seemingly worse for her future than for the perpetrator's.

Not my favorite, but a thorough read beyond just a tied up mystery solve.

I'm sure I am in the smallest minority on this point, but I can't help noting this. Aunt Vespasia is too, too for everything and as a result is progressively more off-putting to me with every novel. That aspect alone may not bring me to many more Pitt series novels.

And they didn't even have decent plastic surgeons in the picture. The older she gets, the more perfect, the bigger the gems and in her style, for my reading enjoyment, the more obnoxious. The Pitt children's characters are getting better developed, on an opposite scale.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitt teams up w/ Victor Narroway, his old boss to try to save a man accused of rape and murder whom they think is not guilty. Eventually everyone is involved in helping to solve the delima, Vespasia, Pitt, his wife, Narroway, and the lawyer he hired to try to force the killers hand in a dangerous ploy. I look forward to more adventures of Pitt and his team in the future.

[Nancy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating audiobook, very well written mystery

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

You always know what you are going to get with one of Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries: an exploration of the dark underbelly of Victorian society, the secrets that are hidden so well by the glitter and glamour and the stiff upper lips of that high society. The story will be told competently and with empathy for the helpless victims, and, somehow, in the end, justice will be served. All of that is true of Midnight at Marble Arch. While it is not her best work, it is a workmanlike effort that held my interest throughout.

In this 28th entry to the Pitt series, Perry takes on the subject of rape, something that she hasn't dealt with much before. She expresses outrage through the voices of her main characters that the women victims of rape are themselves blamed by society for the crime. They are seen as having invited it, of having brought it on themselves. Indeed, it often seems that little has changed in 150 years.

It won't be revealing too much to say that the perpetrator here turns out to be a particularly vicious serial rapist and that the police and Thomas Pitt as head of the Special Branch despair of ever catching him and bringing him to justice because of the shame and humiliation visited on the women victims and their families and of the secrecy which society imposes surrounding the subject of sex and sex crimes.

Nevertheless, Thomas doggedly pursues the rapist. He is haunted by the fact that some of the victims are teenage girls not much older than his beloved daughter Jemima, and one of the victims is a respectable married woman who reminds him of his own wife, Charlotte. If this despicable crime can touch such women, could it not also touch the women in his life? Although he knows pretty certainly early in the investigation who the perpetrator is, that man is protected by wealth and power. How can Thomas break through those protections and prove the man's guilt?

Pitt is usually aided in his cases by the intrepid Charlotte, but not so much in this instance. However, his former superior at Special Branch and now his friend, Victor Narraway, and Charlotte's Aunt Vespasia are on his team, so he is not without resources.

Vespasia has always been an intriguing character and she seems to be playing stronger roles in the latter books of this series, never more so than in this one. One feels that she is Anne Perry's alter ego. She is always described as beautiful and elegantly dressed. She is worldly and has had a fascinating life involved in the politics and history of England and Europe. Moreover, she knows everyone in society who is worth knowing and understands how to manipulate the levers of power. She is still very attractive to men in spite of having reached an advanced age. She is, in short, everything that an older woman would want to be!

Vespasia's relationship with Victor Narraway continues to deepen. He is completely entranced by her and they have a very companionable way of interacting with each other. They are both passionate about justice and willing to do whatever it takes to bring it about. They put their considerable talents into the battle against the serial rapist, and, from that point, one senses that the man is doomed.

I could easily see another series with Victor and Vespasia as the main characters - private detectives righting wrongs when the police are stymied. But Perry already has at least three separate series going. Maybe she doesn't have time to add another. Too bad really. These two deserve top billing in a series of their own.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 26!! book in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, and this book shows that Ms. Perry has retained all of her writing skills (in fact they appear to increase each time I read another book). I have read each and every book in this series and her equally as good William Monk series and after over 50 books in total, I still rank Ms. Perry as my absolute favourite author! This book is extremely well-written. It is exciting from the first page to the very end. I love the characters in these books, and I feel that I have gotten to know them all very much after so many years. I love the setting-Victorian England, and I love the messages that Ms. Perry sends with each book as to what the culture, social and justice systems were like in those days. And I love Thomas Pitt! He's a wonderful character-a family man who loves his wife and family. Pitt's background (son of a gamekeeper) aids him in his career as the head of Britain's Special Branch. His sense of right and wrong and his fairness learned as a servant in a great house also aid him in his decision-making. He has intelligence and compassion and these have stood him in good stead as he carries out the duties of his new prestigious position. This particular book is a very strong entry in this long-running series. Ms. Perry is very clearly at the top of her game because each new book is just as wonderful and exciting as the last one. In this book, Pitt and his old boss Victor Narraway are each pursuing a violent rapist, and of course this means uncovering some long-buried secrets. They each are concerned with what appears to be different instances, but as they continue to look, they discover there are things that may connect the two apparently unrelated cases. The action continues throughout the entire book until the final pages. I couldn't put the book down, but that is the way it always is for me when reading an Anne Perry novel.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

in this 28th book in the Thomas and Chrlotte Pitt series, life in Victorian England is again examined and, this time, in a very unflattering light. Catherine Quixwood, the wife of a wealthy and influential London banker, is found brutally raped and beaten and the apparent victim of suicide in her home after she declined to accompany her husband to a society party. As events unfold, it becomes obvious that a vicious rapist is praying on society women and their daughters, and yet, because of the mores of society, it is the women who are often blamed if news of a rape becomes public. In addition, it is nearly impossible to get a conviction in a court of rape and the female victims of rape are shunned by society. Thomas Pitt, the head of the Special Branch is warned away from Catherine's case and those of other rape victims by his superiors in the government, but with the help of his wife, Charlotte, and Victor Narraway, the former head of the Special Branch, justice is finally administered.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to Victorian murder mysteries and crime novels, Anne Perry never disappoints me. In this new novel, she tackles the subject of rape as well as murder. Then as now, it is a crime seldom reported, tainted with shame for the victim, difficult to prove. The case does not fall under the jurisdiction of Thomas Pitt, now head of Special Branch, but he and his wife Charlotte and his former boss, Victor Narraway, are all drawn into two similar cases in an attempt to save an innocent man and bring the guilty to justice.
Perry's ever insightful depiction of the period and the class distinctions which drive society are personified in the character of Pitt, who as an investigating policeman had to enter many a house through the servant's entrance and who now finds himself elevated into the world of status and power. Always riveting courtroom conclusions can be counted on.

[Sandra Jackson - Alawine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with a young girl becoming hysterical at a party when Neville Forsbrook approaches her. She is the daughter of the Portuguese Ambassador, which gives Pitt an opening to investigate her death after she throws herself out a window at another party rather than be taunted by Neville. Pitt is convinced that Neville raped her, but Quixwood insist that Neville was with him at the time of the rape and couldn't have done it.

Meanwhile Narraway is investigating the rape and murder/suicide of Catherine Quixwood at the request of her husband who is a slight acquaintance. When the police arrest a young man, Hythe, that Catherine Quixwood was acquainted with for the crime Narraway doesn't buy it. In fact he believes Hythe's story that he was looking into financial transactions for Catherine Quixwood and that they never meet in private. His belief in Hythe is so strong he hires Symington to defend him.

Another young lady is raped and found dead leaving Pitt more determined than ever to capture the rapist. When another you lady is raped she names Neville as her rapist, but her Father refuses to press charges in order to safe guard his daughters reputation. Slowly Narraway and Pitt begin to suspect that Neville also raped Catherine Quixwood, but with a death sentence hanging over Hythe's head they are desperate to find proof that Quixwood himself was behind his wife's rape and murder.

And even finding the proof may not be enough as the quick thinking Quixwood intends to kill Neville in the act of raping Vespasia, who unfortunately won't live to tell the world that Quixwood was involved. Now Thomas and Victor must risk everything to save her.

Love the fact that Victor Narraway and Vespasia are getting closer.

[Christine Dosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Anne Perry book. I love reading about the Victorian era perspective on things—the corseted attitudes, tight lipped, polite rumoring. I had very ambivalent reactions to this book. At the beginning I was happy to read what seemed to be a good plot shaping up, but the middle was so redundant. How many times did the attitudes of the period, about the central theme of rape, have to be repeated? Too many times for me. I am glad I read other reviews that said this was a weak effort. I liked the characters of Pitt and Charlotte, Narraway and particularly Vespasia. I’m glad there are better books to find them in.

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otra entrega de las aventuras de los Pitt, con la estructura y amenidad narrativa a la que la autora nos tiene acostumbrados con esta serie, pero con el extra de una temática que aborda la cuestión de la violación y sus implicaciones para la víctima en una sociedad patriarcal como lo era la Inglaterra Victoriana.

Protagonismo de Narraway y Vespasia, lo que siempre es un extra, y una trama bien hilada, más compleja de lo que a simple vista parece. Me alegra ver que la serie no ha perdido fuelle, después de algunas lecturas previas un poquito más insulsas.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10
First, two quibbles—I can find no connection between the title and anything that happens in the book., and Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould has gotten about 20 years younger since she was first introduced in the series! (I need to learn that trick!)
Beyond that, a good mystery, with a complex plot of revenge and fear and a heavy dose of social commentary on rape. Sad to say, many attitudes have not changed all that much since 1896.

[Jennifer Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s the scoop. I really really like Anne Perry. This was a super good book. The only thing I have a hard time with is that none of these have falling action. It ends when someone is standing there with a gun and there’s a page and a half left. I enjoyed the whole thing though but man, at least sit down for some tea and crumpets for a minute! 😂