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Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #6
Bluegate Fields
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt must discover the truth of a young gentleman’s sordid murder—or an innocent man will hang
The naked body of an aristocratic youth turns up in the sewers beneath Bluegate Fields, one of London’s most notorious slums. But Arthur Waybourne had been drowned in his bath, not in the Thames. More shocking still was that the boy had been sexually violated and infected with syphilis before he was murdered. Despite Inspector Thomas Pitt’s efforts to fully investigate the crime, the family closes ranks, stonewalling Pitt, leaving him to wonder what they are hiding. All evidence points to Arthur’s tutor, Jerome, as the murderer. The courts agree and Jerome is sentenced to hang. Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, don’t believe the answer is so simple. But if not Jerome, then who molested and infected the boy?
To learn the truth, Charlotte uses her familiarity with the upper classes to draw aside the curtain of lies, while Pitt defies his superior and the boy’s family to follow a trail that leads him into the foulest streets of London through a web of deceit involving male prostitution and pedophilia. In a race against time, Thomas and Charlotte must find the real killer to save Jerome from the hangman’s noose.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1984
822 people are currently reading
1384 people want to read
About the author
Anne Perry
363 books3,379 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 319 reviews
June 30, 2024
The sixth book in this series and I still have 26 more to look forward to! Amazing.
In Bluegate Fields Inspector Pitt is investigating the death of a young boy, not an unusual event at the time. What is unusual is that the boy is obviously from an upper class family and not a street urchin. Inspector Pitt will need all the help he can get from Charlotte to solve this one as the families involved close ranks in order to keep their secrets.
I enjoyed the police work but felt that Pitt was a little naive and took too much at face value. Fortunately Charlotte is like a dog with a bone when she starts investigating and she soon exposed the cover up for what it was. This was a short but very well written story and I am looking forward to book 7.
In Bluegate Fields Inspector Pitt is investigating the death of a young boy, not an unusual event at the time. What is unusual is that the boy is obviously from an upper class family and not a street urchin. Inspector Pitt will need all the help he can get from Charlotte to solve this one as the families involved close ranks in order to keep their secrets.
I enjoyed the police work but felt that Pitt was a little naive and took too much at face value. Fortunately Charlotte is like a dog with a bone when she starts investigating and she soon exposed the cover up for what it was. This was a short but very well written story and I am looking forward to book 7.
October 19, 2022
A decade ago, I spotted Anne Perry paperbacks at a discount and gathered the series. Eventually, I started the first in July 2014. People remember where they were during something major. I was savouring “The Cater Street Hangman” because most of our kitties were snuggled with me. One got ill, so I let them all out to take air. Love, only age 4 and never sick, died of heart failure! Suddenly, this novel sat here but not a Son I loved so much.
After two days, I forced myself to finish. It was timely. Charlotte Pitt spoke of how they felt to lose a Sister and it helped! I wanted no negative association, so I read the second novel within a year. By the third, I could enjoy this series as a fan. Love’s Brother, Conan, went missing in 2017. Different from death being terribly final, my hope keeps alive that his tattoo or continuous search alerts will lead him home someday.
In “Bluegate Fields”, Thomas Pitt’s superior wants to hurriedly close a murder, with the attitude that they can’t prioritize common crimes. Thomas insists every life is important. We might applaud Anne for broaching the gay subject in 1984. A wealthy victim had involvements in the slums and near home. Besides resonating with cats, that every life matters; my favourite aspect is Charlotte, Emily, Aunt Vespasia, and Somerset Carlisle educating society ladies. They learn what needs to change and that they can effect it.
The poor who prostitute are not disdained but recognized as the consequence of impoverishment. Anne is good at keeping the focus of mystery information jogging along but gave her subject a poignant observation. Thomas looks at the river, whence ships come from all over the world. He mentions Canada, part of Britain’s “colonies” in those 1860s. He said: “we own all of this but can’t solve poverty, in this home city to them all”. I enjoy her novels, as excellent mysteries and portraits of her chosen period.
After two days, I forced myself to finish. It was timely. Charlotte Pitt spoke of how they felt to lose a Sister and it helped! I wanted no negative association, so I read the second novel within a year. By the third, I could enjoy this series as a fan. Love’s Brother, Conan, went missing in 2017. Different from death being terribly final, my hope keeps alive that his tattoo or continuous search alerts will lead him home someday.
In “Bluegate Fields”, Thomas Pitt’s superior wants to hurriedly close a murder, with the attitude that they can’t prioritize common crimes. Thomas insists every life is important. We might applaud Anne for broaching the gay subject in 1984. A wealthy victim had involvements in the slums and near home. Besides resonating with cats, that every life matters; my favourite aspect is Charlotte, Emily, Aunt Vespasia, and Somerset Carlisle educating society ladies. They learn what needs to change and that they can effect it.
The poor who prostitute are not disdained but recognized as the consequence of impoverishment. Anne is good at keeping the focus of mystery information jogging along but gave her subject a poignant observation. Thomas looks at the river, whence ships come from all over the world. He mentions Canada, part of Britain’s “colonies” in those 1860s. He said: “we own all of this but can’t solve poverty, in this home city to them all”. I enjoy her novels, as excellent mysteries and portraits of her chosen period.
August 15, 2021
Sickening!
I guess I shouldn’t be so sensitive to the historical treatment of children. After all, child abuse has been around my entire life.
An upper class boy is molested and infected with syphilis, then tossed aside like garbage.
When his naked and dead body is found down in the sewers, Charlotte and Thomas Pitt join rank to solve the brutal crime.
I guess I shouldn’t be so sensitive to the historical treatment of children. After all, child abuse has been around my entire life.
An upper class boy is molested and infected with syphilis, then tossed aside like garbage.
When his naked and dead body is found down in the sewers, Charlotte and Thomas Pitt join rank to solve the brutal crime.
February 12, 2010
Sixth in this series.
It was just a matter of time: Inspector Thomas Pitt, using his street savvy and superior skills of discernment, and his talented wife Charlotte, using her connections to the gentry and superior skills of discernment, have in earlier volumes solved cases of serial killings, murder of female prostitutes, and pornography rings in Victorian London. In this contribution to the well crafted and eloquently written series, author Anne Perry turns to a taboo topic for that time and place: the interconnections between homosexuality in the upper and middle classes, the lives and fates of working class boy prostitutes, the spread of syphillis and how it was acknowledged in that time and place, and the capacity for different types of people to commit murder or forego justice for convenience's sake.
That's a combination of subjects some might find sordid, but it makes for compelling reading. One gets some insights into how Victorian culture dealt with gender roles, social boundaries, and the acknowledgement of the reality of homosexuality. One also can get a glimmer, on an allegorical level, of how Perry's audience in the later 1980s, just a few years after this book came out, must have reflected on what for them would be contemporary connections to the AIDS crisis, its toll on the gay community, and the impulse of many conservatives in the society to avoid mention or discussion of the topic, choosing to simply see it as an unpleasant situation in which a repugnant deviant group was getting what they deserve. Trust Thomas and Charlotte, however, to fight for human dignity and social justice, despite very strong and traditional approaches to the contrary.
It was just a matter of time: Inspector Thomas Pitt, using his street savvy and superior skills of discernment, and his talented wife Charlotte, using her connections to the gentry and superior skills of discernment, have in earlier volumes solved cases of serial killings, murder of female prostitutes, and pornography rings in Victorian London. In this contribution to the well crafted and eloquently written series, author Anne Perry turns to a taboo topic for that time and place: the interconnections between homosexuality in the upper and middle classes, the lives and fates of working class boy prostitutes, the spread of syphillis and how it was acknowledged in that time and place, and the capacity for different types of people to commit murder or forego justice for convenience's sake.
That's a combination of subjects some might find sordid, but it makes for compelling reading. One gets some insights into how Victorian culture dealt with gender roles, social boundaries, and the acknowledgement of the reality of homosexuality. One also can get a glimmer, on an allegorical level, of how Perry's audience in the later 1980s, just a few years after this book came out, must have reflected on what for them would be contemporary connections to the AIDS crisis, its toll on the gay community, and the impulse of many conservatives in the society to avoid mention or discussion of the topic, choosing to simply see it as an unpleasant situation in which a repugnant deviant group was getting what they deserve. Trust Thomas and Charlotte, however, to fight for human dignity and social justice, despite very strong and traditional approaches to the contrary.
May 28, 2017
4.25 stars.
I still like this series, the best so far, I said so far because the latest one is book #32 and this one is only book #6. Oh no more multiple POV, only Mr and Mrs Pitt!:)
It wasn't an easy case to solved by Pitt, especially when everyone tried to shut him up.
And he felt impotence with his situation, poor thing!
Lucky for him Charlotte there to give him a hand and chatting up those boring and stiff upper class people.
I still like this series, the best so far, I said so far because the latest one is book #32 and this one is only book #6. Oh no more multiple POV, only Mr and Mrs Pitt!:)
It wasn't an easy case to solved by Pitt, especially when everyone tried to shut him up.
And he felt impotence with his situation, poor thing!
Lucky for him Charlotte there to give him a hand and chatting up those boring and stiff upper class people.
July 10, 2012
Sixth in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt historical mystery series with this story set in the London of 1881 and revolving around Inspector Pitt and his very involved wife, Charlotte.
My Take
I'm going to give Perry a break on the "investigation" Pitt and the police force have done into this murder. Part of me is so irritated that they let so much slide. Another part of me believes that Perry is also using this to provide a subtle history on the development of police work with this particular story presenting a very good perspective on how society interacted: the vices overlooked, the allowances permitted, the judgments made upon people depending upon their class. It's certainly making me appreciate today's more independent police force. Yes, I realize there will always be a certain amount of corruption, of toadying up to celebrities and people with money, but at least it's no longer the "accepted thing" to let slide the deaths of anyone below a certain income bracket.
It's pretty easy to see that from the first, Pitt and Gillivray are going up the garden path with the father leading their sons. Nor does Pitt insist on a blow-by-blow (no pun intended) account from either of the boys. Pitt should have known that the boys wouldn't understand what was being said...thank god for Charlotte!
Catching Up with the "Family"
It's been 5 years since Thomas fell in love with Charlotte and Daniel is a few months old now. Alicia Fitzroy-Hammond has married Virgil Smith ( Resurrection Row ) and Dominic has moved out of the Ellison family home.
Further incidents provide a face and a wake-up call for Great Aunt Vespasia Cummings-Gould, Lady Emily, and Charlotte to team up with Mr. Somerset Carlisle to raise peoples' consciousness about child prostitution. A damned good thing as it causes some reinterpretation of comments made in the past.
Mr. Athelstan, Pitt's "superior", is even more of a jerk than usual---his entire attitude about the murders is just disgusting! He provides the greatest reason for my re-reading these early books. I'm dying to find out when he gets tossed aside and a better man is placed in charge!
In the end, Society will judge.
The Story
A teenager, Arthur Waybourne, is found drowned in the London sewers. An obvious murder considering all the clues. But class rears its ugly head and Mr. Gillivray and Mr. Athelstan, Pitt's technical superior, are insistent that Pitt not bother such illustrious people. Of course, the health of the murdered teen does have a bearing on their concerns as scandal could destroy the family.
Still, scandal is a terrible reason to send someone to the gallows!
The Characters
Inspector Thomas Pitt loves his work. He loves deciphering the clues and helping people. He especially loves his wife Charlotte and the encouraging support she provides as well as the different perspective she takes on his cases. Gracie is their full-time maid---a requirement in this time period, particularly when a second child has arrived. Lady Emily is Charlotte's sister while Lady Vespasia is Emily's husband's great-aunt and a force of her own. (Perry provides further development of Charlotte's relationship with Vespasia and introspection on Charlotte's part as to the interaction between herself and her husband.)
Arthur Waybourne is a teen whose medical condition provides clues as to the motive behind his murder. His father, Sir Anstey, is like any parent. Disbelieving of the reports and then all eagerness to hush it up and find a socially acceptable murderer. Godfrey is Arthur's younger brother and as easily led as Titus Swynford by their fathers. God forbid their mothers should be told anything.
Mr. Jerome is the cold, unlikable tutor upon whom it is too easy to pin the guilt. His wife, amazingly, seems to love him and has complete faith in his innocence. Albie Frobisher is the seventeen-year-old male prostitute while Abigail Winters is another prostitute, both of whom Gillivray found who bear witness at the trial.
Mr. Athelstan is Pitt's superior on the police force and he is much more concerned with status than justice. Mr. Gillivray is Athelstan's toady and willing to do anything to suck his way up the ladder.
The Cover
Not much field to this cover as it's all bricks with a couple pigeons.
The title reflects the London neighborhood in which the first body is found, Bluegate Fields.
My Take
I'm going to give Perry a break on the "investigation" Pitt and the police force have done into this murder. Part of me is so irritated that they let so much slide. Another part of me believes that Perry is also using this to provide a subtle history on the development of police work with this particular story presenting a very good perspective on how society interacted: the vices overlooked, the allowances permitted, the judgments made upon people depending upon their class. It's certainly making me appreciate today's more independent police force. Yes, I realize there will always be a certain amount of corruption, of toadying up to celebrities and people with money, but at least it's no longer the "accepted thing" to let slide the deaths of anyone below a certain income bracket.
It's pretty easy to see that from the first, Pitt and Gillivray are going up the garden path with the father leading their sons. Nor does Pitt insist on a blow-by-blow (no pun intended) account from either of the boys. Pitt should have known that the boys wouldn't understand what was being said...thank god for Charlotte!
Catching Up with the "Family"
It's been 5 years since Thomas fell in love with Charlotte and Daniel is a few months old now. Alicia Fitzroy-Hammond has married Virgil Smith ( Resurrection Row ) and Dominic has moved out of the Ellison family home.
Further incidents provide a face and a wake-up call for Great Aunt Vespasia Cummings-Gould, Lady Emily, and Charlotte to team up with Mr. Somerset Carlisle to raise peoples' consciousness about child prostitution. A damned good thing as it causes some reinterpretation of comments made in the past.
Mr. Athelstan, Pitt's "superior", is even more of a jerk than usual---his entire attitude about the murders is just disgusting! He provides the greatest reason for my re-reading these early books. I'm dying to find out when he gets tossed aside and a better man is placed in charge!
In the end, Society will judge.
The Story
A teenager, Arthur Waybourne, is found drowned in the London sewers. An obvious murder considering all the clues. But class rears its ugly head and Mr. Gillivray and Mr. Athelstan, Pitt's technical superior, are insistent that Pitt not bother such illustrious people. Of course, the health of the murdered teen does have a bearing on their concerns as scandal could destroy the family.
Still, scandal is a terrible reason to send someone to the gallows!
The Characters
Inspector Thomas Pitt loves his work. He loves deciphering the clues and helping people. He especially loves his wife Charlotte and the encouraging support she provides as well as the different perspective she takes on his cases. Gracie is their full-time maid---a requirement in this time period, particularly when a second child has arrived. Lady Emily is Charlotte's sister while Lady Vespasia is Emily's husband's great-aunt and a force of her own. (Perry provides further development of Charlotte's relationship with Vespasia and introspection on Charlotte's part as to the interaction between herself and her husband.)
Arthur Waybourne is a teen whose medical condition provides clues as to the motive behind his murder. His father, Sir Anstey, is like any parent. Disbelieving of the reports and then all eagerness to hush it up and find a socially acceptable murderer. Godfrey is Arthur's younger brother and as easily led as Titus Swynford by their fathers. God forbid their mothers should be told anything.
Mr. Jerome is the cold, unlikable tutor upon whom it is too easy to pin the guilt. His wife, amazingly, seems to love him and has complete faith in his innocence. Albie Frobisher is the seventeen-year-old male prostitute while Abigail Winters is another prostitute, both of whom Gillivray found who bear witness at the trial.
Mr. Athelstan is Pitt's superior on the police force and he is much more concerned with status than justice. Mr. Gillivray is Athelstan's toady and willing to do anything to suck his way up the ladder.
The Cover
Not much field to this cover as it's all bricks with a couple pigeons.
The title reflects the London neighborhood in which the first body is found, Bluegate Fields.
February 6, 2018
It's been a number of years since I read any of Anne Perry's books. I remember liking this series with Inspector Pitt of the London police married to a former society woman who comes from a wealthy family. Charlotte is interested in her husband cases, and become involved in finding the truth, herself, to the chagrin of her husband. I didn't remember Pitt being so gruff and at odds with others in the department, but I do remember that he often goes counter to what his superiors want him to but gets results. This is a good mystery. Perry is an excellent author.
June 9, 2022
Something about Anne Perry's writing - or at least, the writing that I've read, which includes book 1-6 of this series plus about a billion of the William Monk series - appeals to me very much. I complain about it a lot in my head, mostly due to certain details or situations or descriptions that get repetitive (and somewhat annoying) when you're reading the entirety of a series, back to back to back. But she sets a scene so well that I would feel perfectly at home in any Victorian drawing room, should I stumble across one somewhere in the metaverse. When Charlotte Pitt is freezing after a long hansom ride and asks Gracie to build up the fire and bring some tea, I feel vicariously cozy. All this to say, I am still enjoying this series.
Of course there is a but. I find there generally is. In this case, the but is - Thomas Pitt is a terrible, horrible, very, very bad detective. Take this example. He has just interviewed the murdered boy's tutor, trying to gather as much information about the victim as he can. Immediately after, the boy's bereaved father asks him (regarding the tutor), "Good God! You don't really suspect him of--of--"
Spoiler alert: Pitt did not suspect the tutor of anything at all, at least, not at that time. And he says so. "Is there any reason why I should?" he asks.
"Of course not!" says the father, and now I am really paraphrasing. "Of course he had but the greatest references and etc etc but hmmm, I guess maybe I should give it some thought."
Minutes, literally minutes later, Pitt gets home and tells Charlotte, "It appears as if it was the tutor. It's all very sad and grubby..."
It is maddening. The man could wear a suit made of clues and still not find the guilty party. I hate him. I will continue reading about him with pleasure.
Of course there is a but. I find there generally is. In this case, the but is - Thomas Pitt is a terrible, horrible, very, very bad detective. Take this example. He has just interviewed the murdered boy's tutor, trying to gather as much information about the victim as he can. Immediately after, the boy's bereaved father asks him (regarding the tutor), "Good God! You don't really suspect him of--of--"
Spoiler alert: Pitt did not suspect the tutor of anything at all, at least, not at that time. And he says so. "Is there any reason why I should?" he asks.
"Of course not!" says the father, and now I am really paraphrasing. "Of course he had but the greatest references and etc etc but hmmm, I guess maybe I should give it some thought."
Minutes, literally minutes later, Pitt gets home and tells Charlotte, "It appears as if it was the tutor. It's all very sad and grubby..."
It is maddening. The man could wear a suit made of clues and still not find the guilty party. I hate him. I will continue reading about him with pleasure.
May 30, 2023
2.5 estrellas
Estos últimos libros de los Pitt no me están gustando demasiado. El esquema que siguen y el que los temas que tratan sean parecidos me cansa. Y, por cierto, algunas veces no entiendo el personaje de Pitt, como si algo no cuadrase.
En fin, son lectura conjunta así que seguiré con ellos. he leído por ahí que la serie mejora con el tiempo, mucho.
Estos últimos libros de los Pitt no me están gustando demasiado. El esquema que siguen y el que los temas que tratan sean parecidos me cansa. Y, por cierto, algunas veces no entiendo el personaje de Pitt, como si algo no cuadrase.
En fin, son lectura conjunta así que seguiré con ellos. he leído por ahí que la serie mejora con el tiempo, mucho.
August 6, 2021
The body of a sixteen-year-old boy is found drowned and naked in sewers near the out-take to the Thames. But he wasn't drowned in sewer or river water and his body shows him to be from the upper-classes. Since the lungs are full of bath water, it becomes apparent that this is a case of murder. Inspector Pitt traces the body to the Georgian home of Sir Antsey and Lady Wraybourne. It is that of their eldest son, Arthur. They are, of course, shocked that their son has been murdered. But there is worse to come--his body shows signs of sexual abuse and the beginnings of syphilis.
The family want nothing more than for the investigation to be over quickly and they want the guilty party to be some degenerate ruffian from the streets. Find someone to blame, get the trial over with a little fuss as possible, and make the man pay for his crime. But evidence shows that it must be someone closer to home. Pitt has been given a new sergeant who has a way of ingratiating himself with his betters and he soon digs up evidence that the guilty man is the boy's tutor, Mr. Jerome. Pitt doesn't like Jerome much, but he isn't wholly convinced of his guilt. He has no alternate suspect to suggest, however, so his superior officer orders him to arrest Jerome and stop investigating (and, of course, stop bothering the gentry). The tutor is found guilty and due to be hanged in three weeks' time...Pitt continues to investigate in his off-hours and, of course, Charlotte and her sister Emily and Aunt Vespasia get involved. They begin to see a pattern of behavior...but will it be in time to save an innocent man from the gallows?
This entry in the series is a mixed bag. I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about the mystery overall (I don't like children in danger) and the background wasn't quite as well-sketched as in previous books. But--it was very nice to see Pitt hard at work investigating (not just endlessly questioning people or disappearing for great portions of the book) and Charlotte's role in finding out the key pieces towards the end worked well without putting her--yet again--into a dangerous situation. ★★★ and 1/2. [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
The family want nothing more than for the investigation to be over quickly and they want the guilty party to be some degenerate ruffian from the streets. Find someone to blame, get the trial over with a little fuss as possible, and make the man pay for his crime. But evidence shows that it must be someone closer to home. Pitt has been given a new sergeant who has a way of ingratiating himself with his betters and he soon digs up evidence that the guilty man is the boy's tutor, Mr. Jerome. Pitt doesn't like Jerome much, but he isn't wholly convinced of his guilt. He has no alternate suspect to suggest, however, so his superior officer orders him to arrest Jerome and stop investigating (and, of course, stop bothering the gentry). The tutor is found guilty and due to be hanged in three weeks' time...Pitt continues to investigate in his off-hours and, of course, Charlotte and her sister Emily and Aunt Vespasia get involved. They begin to see a pattern of behavior...but will it be in time to save an innocent man from the gallows?
This entry in the series is a mixed bag. I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about the mystery overall (I don't like children in danger) and the background wasn't quite as well-sketched as in previous books. But--it was very nice to see Pitt hard at work investigating (not just endlessly questioning people or disappearing for great portions of the book) and Charlotte's role in finding out the key pieces towards the end worked well without putting her--yet again--into a dangerous situation. ★★★ and 1/2. [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
January 31, 2015
I finished this the day after I started it. It was a good little mystery, not too hard to figure out the ending...but a well written quick read. Got it only when I learned who the author is...one of the two girls involved in the sensational(at the time) murder of one's mother portrayed very hauntingly in the movie "Heavenly Creatures." There are many more books written by this author and I may read another one someday...the recurring protagonists in this series are quite likable.
August 28, 2019
So The Who done it actually shocking! Second book I’ve read in this series and I’m on a crusade to read them all now!!! High society meets the under class in murder!!!
March 9, 2025
Disfruto mucho de esta serie, de los seis libros que he leído, este es el que más me ha gustado.
June 18, 2021
Une fin un peu "courte" ou "expédiée" mais une belle enquête quand même
June 23, 2020
I find this a poor procedural. The author is so intent in making points on the treatment of homosexuality at the time it requires everyone to be deliberately stupid in order to force the plot into the shape wanted. The key points of the murder is that it happens in a bath, not commonly available at the time especially in the area the murder as incorrectly assumed to has happened. The body in found without marks in a sewer at the grate emptying it into the Thames. Everyone knows that in a murder if the corpse is not to be left in situ getting rid of it is the main problem as they are heavy and unwieldy, not to mention that people notice if you are carrying or moving one. But that is totally ignored solely for secondary plot reasons. I could say more about the total lack of asking the right or even enough questions of the witnesses both by the police and by the lawyers during the trial. Complete obstinate stupidity by everyone involved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2014
I can only hope this doesn't happen again. This was the most tedious story I have read in a long time. I think I skipped 75% of it. Most of the story seemed a tutorial about the abuse of children, namely boys that had been abused by men. Also, I have been expecting that Thomas and Charlotte would be a partnership by this time. It is the fifth book in a series of 25+ books. Instead, Thomas goes off on his own and Charlotte goes off on her own. At some point in the story they communicate and then go off on their own again. Trust me the mystery is secondary to the history lesson! I am going on to the next book with hopes Ms. Perry will get down to the task of writing a mystery not a history lesson!
August 28, 2020
This book is not only an excellent mystery but a reveals a lot about the low morals of the Victorian era and the great inequity between the poor and the very rich some of whom preyed upon the lower classes. Overall a great book for its mystery, its social/ human history and its characters.
October 17, 2020
Mais um com a competência habitual da Autora.
Sempre a dicotomia entre o mundo dos ricos e o mundo dos pobres e a colaboração entre marido e mulher, Charlotte e Thomas são os detectives.
Sempre a dicotomia entre o mundo dos ricos e o mundo dos pobres e a colaboração entre marido e mulher, Charlotte e Thomas são os detectives.
May 3, 2023
3.5 stars. Sordid topic but handled well. Once again, a bit too long.
December 23, 2025
Première fois qu'on assiste à un procès dans la série, c'était cool !
June 3, 2022
I figured out the identity of the murderer very early. Inspector Pitt seemed incompetent. Even for Victorian England he did not ask questions that seemed obvious to the reader. Charlotte’s involvement for those working for reforms to address poverty and child abuse was a redeeming part of the narrative.
November 28, 2012
Com o Cadáver de Bluegate Fields, Anne Perry consegue definitivamente transportar-nos para a Londres vitoriana, levar-nos pelas suas ruas, introduzir-nos não apenas na alta sociedade da época mas também nos meios mais simples e até no mundo do crime; tudo isto acontece através de uma escrita bastante simples, de diálogos que me pareceram adequados à época e de uma história que pouco tem de enfadonha. Digo pouco porque, em meu entender, há alguns momentos da narrativa nos quais a autora não consegue manter o ritmo, havendo pequenas quebras que muitas vezes parecem fáceis de evitar. Ainda assim, tal é amplamente compensado pelo conhecimento que Anne revela da época vitoriana e pela força de alguns dos personagens.
Confesso que o inspector Pitt, personagem principal da trama, não foi muito do meu agrado. É uma personagem bastante real, cheia de dúvidas e com alguma força mas não me parece que seja aquilo que esperávamos de um detective deste calibre. Já a sua mulher, Charlotte, encheu-me muito mais as medidas, revelando-se uma mulher forte e segura, que casou por vontade própria abaixo da sua condição social mas que não se verga, lutando por aquilo em que acredita.
A trama está bem construída, com vários desvios e introdução de elementos que levam o leitor a seguir diferentes linhas de raciocínio e evitando que este descubra o criminoso quase até à última página embora aquando da revelação final fiquemos com aquela sensação de que a solução sempre esteve ali à nossa frente... A tradução pareceu-me bastante boa ainda que tenha encontrado uma ou outra forma verbal menos correcta e alguns erros de impressão (estes últimos não por conta do tradutor, claro).
Recomendo a quem quiser uma leitura fácil e gostar de policiais e/ou romances de época.
Confesso que o inspector Pitt, personagem principal da trama, não foi muito do meu agrado. É uma personagem bastante real, cheia de dúvidas e com alguma força mas não me parece que seja aquilo que esperávamos de um detective deste calibre. Já a sua mulher, Charlotte, encheu-me muito mais as medidas, revelando-se uma mulher forte e segura, que casou por vontade própria abaixo da sua condição social mas que não se verga, lutando por aquilo em que acredita.
A trama está bem construída, com vários desvios e introdução de elementos que levam o leitor a seguir diferentes linhas de raciocínio e evitando que este descubra o criminoso quase até à última página embora aquando da revelação final fiquemos com aquela sensação de que a solução sempre esteve ali à nossa frente... A tradução pareceu-me bastante boa ainda que tenha encontrado uma ou outra forma verbal menos correcta e alguns erros de impressão (estes últimos não por conta do tradutor, claro).
Recomendo a quem quiser uma leitura fácil e gostar de policiais e/ou romances de época.
February 23, 2015
The plot of this entry in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries does not come to a satisfactory resolution. Although the perpetrator is to be punished by "society," the person convicted of his crime and sentenced to hang in a few days is, the reader is told, going to be released--but Perry doesn't say or show how. One can infer a possible way that this is going to happen, but since the main point of the book is to get this wrongly convicted person out of being hanged, it seems odd that the resolution of that problem isn't spelled out. Furthermore, Perry needs to come up with another way to solve these mysteries than to have Charlotte borrow a dress from her sister and go calling with her to learn from members of society what they won't tell the police. The aspect of the novel that involves Charlotte's feelings about the convicted man's wife is left hanging. And finally, the outcome of Charlotte and Emily's "crusade" to reform child prostitution isn't resolved, either. These novels are becoming formulaic, and this one leaves too many loose ends.
April 28, 2021
Although the subject matter was a bit rough (high-class but sodomized murder victim found naked and sick with syphilis in a sewer) it was interesting to read about homosexuality in Victorian England. It wasn't all that much different from the 20th century where it was looked down on and gay people had to find solace outside the norms of society. In this segment of the Pitt series, I found myself reading on to not necessarily find the actual murderer but rather to make sure Mr. Jerome didn't hang for something he very obviously didn't do.
Taking the word of children and prostitutes reminded me a bit of the Salem Witch Trials and I found it a little difficult to believe that Pitt would take them at their word so readily. But Charlotte (and ultimately Emily) to the rescue since their hope at reforming child prostitution stroke a chord with the right people .
Father Edward is still alive.
Taking the word of children and prostitutes reminded me a bit of the Salem Witch Trials and I found it a little difficult to believe that Pitt would take them at their word so readily. But Charlotte (and ultimately Emily) to the rescue since their hope at reforming child prostitution stroke a chord with the right people .
Father Edward is still alive.
March 7, 2013
This was the second time I have read this book, one in a series by Anne Perry starring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and set in Victorian England. The series depicts a grim London with a great disparity between the upper and lower classes and separate moral codes for each. The protagonists, Detective Sergeant Pitt and his wife Charlotte get caught up in the mystery of the corpse of a young man of the upper classes, found naked in a sewer, and of the circumstances that lead to his death, most of which have been obscured by relatives of the deceased in order to cover up unsavory fact. There is also pressure to clear the name of a man wrongly accused of the crime before the accused will hang.
I really enjoy this series, as I have the other series by this author, as much for the writing as for the feeling that I have been transported to another time and place.
I really enjoy this series, as I have the other series by this author, as much for the writing as for the feeling that I have been transported to another time and place.
May 18, 2020
I've read several Anne Perry novels in the Pitt series , as well as the Monk series ( my preferred). This was quite disappointing.
For one thing: if you have read any 20 or 21st century mysteries / police procedurals, you would immediately know what types of tests and follow ups would need to be done in this scenario so it is somewhat frustrating as the 19th century investigators waste time and, as always with Anne Perry novels, hesitate to ever dream that a "gentleman" would be guilty of anything. ( that does get tiring).
For another thing: at the end of the novel, everything is wrapped up in one paragraph in an unconvincing and unsatisfactory manner. Totally implausible!
For one thing: if you have read any 20 or 21st century mysteries / police procedurals, you would immediately know what types of tests and follow ups would need to be done in this scenario so it is somewhat frustrating as the 19th century investigators waste time and, as always with Anne Perry novels, hesitate to ever dream that a "gentleman" would be guilty of anything. ( that does get tiring).
For another thing: at the end of the novel, everything is wrapped up in one paragraph in an unconvincing and unsatisfactory manner. Totally implausible!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2017
I think this is my last in this series. The plots are just too formulaic and I never feel any chemistry between Charlotte and Thomas. She is a much better investigator than he is and he's just such a sad sack. Also, while the trial that convicts the wrong man was interesting, the resolution was beyond weak. I have the next two books but I don't see myself reading them.
January 1, 2021
These books are getting darker. Not impressed. About 1/3 of the way through the book, I was confident of the murderer, very disturbed by many of the themes in the book, and bored with reading about Thomas and Charlotte slog through an investigation while learning nothing. I skipped to the end. I was right as to the identity of the murderer and didn't regret a bit skipping most of the book, because the disturbing themes were clearly revisited many times in great and gruesome detail. Not impressed.
December 15, 2017
12/15/17 $1.99 for Kindle.
November 7, 2015
Nueva historia de Charlotte y Thomas Pitt. Me encanta la época, la ambientación... todo. Es una serie de libros que disfruto mucho.
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