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sarahspace's review
1.0
Oh my, this was a painful read. I am not sure how such interesting characters and plots can be so boring. Anne Perry has a talent of making everything she touches boring. I think this will be my last in this series.
we_are_all_mad_here26's review against another edition
3.0
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.
shoelessmama's review against another edition
4.0
Although the subject matter was pretty horrific I think this was one of the better mysteries in the way it played out. Perry kept my attention with this 6th installment of Charlotte & Thomas Pitt which is unusual... there is often a period where the story lulls a little bit for me. It seems like the level of debauchery in these mysteries is progressively growing so I'm interested to see where she goes with the 7th book- there's only so far you can go- and the setting of Victorian England makes it all the more interesting. After reading almost 300 pages of hypocrisy and repression by the upper classes I'm glad to be living in this day and age where women can speak there minds, among other things...
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
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.
bookscatsbikes's review against another edition
4.0
Different from previous installments in the series in that someone is found guilty halfway through the book and the Pitts' concerns keep them searching for answers. A lot more psychology and character intention in Bluegate Fields which I enjoyed.
nuitpieta's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
I was very interested by the social implications in this book. I also enjoyed that the plot line took a different direction. Happy reading!
I was very interested by the social implications in this book. I also enjoyed that the plot line took a different direction. Happy reading!
iphigenie72's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't interested in this one by the synopsis... Child abuse just doesn't interest me in a book and that's how I interpreted that résumé. The murderer in this book is not that difficult to guess, in fact, it could only me him so that's not what made the story very good. What charmed me here was the obstacles Charlotte and Thomas had to conquer to get some justice for the murdered teenager; every twist was exciting so much so I read this in one go. Since it's now way past my bed time (4 am), I have a good idea this wont be my most lyrical review, but I recommend this one warmly though as I always say in a series : start by the beginning!!!
cmbohn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
An Inspector Thomas Pitt book. A tutor arrested for murder. Much darker than my usual reads, not sure that I liked that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Incest
lady_ness's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0