Customer Reviews

The Cater Street Hangman

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was aware of Anne Perry's historical mysteries and assumed I would not be interested in them since in general I prefer more contemporary mysteries. Then I saw A&E's production of The Cater Street Hangman and was captivated by it. I immediately bought the book and found it to be even better than the TV version - the characters have more depth and the plot is tighter and more credible. Anne Perry has a wonderful knack for creating characters. I feel as though I know (and like) Charlotte Ellison and Thomas Pitt. Charlotte is a wonderful creation: she speaks her mind, almost unheard of in the Victorian well-to-do world she inhabits. Thomas Pitt is an equally interesting creation and seeing the two of them pass beyond instant dislike to attraction and admiration for each other is very entertaining. We SO want them to get together. This is edge-of-the seat stuff which, together with all the wonderful details of life in Victorian London and an intelligent love affair, makes for a thundering good read!

What plot! What a setting! What characters! Anne Perry started a revolution with this book, the first in her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series (Charlotte is not "Pitt" yet in this book). When murder disturbs the elite and proper world of the Ellison family, the cracks begin to show in the family's heretofore placid exterior. Family members start to look at each other with fear and doubt, and suspicion is as frightening as truth.

Perry's depiction of Victorian England is detailed and fascinating--she is as knowledgeable of upper-class life as she is of the working-class. Her characters are realistic and sympathetic, and the kicker of an ending in this book is the sort that has become her trademark.

You cannot call yourself a fan of the historical mystery without reading this book.

This is the first Anne Perry mystery I have read and I wanted to begin with the first Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel so that I could read them in order if I chose to continue with the series. I just loved it! It was a book that was almost impossible for me to put down. That phrase is used so often in reviews that I hesitate to use it but nothing else comes close to describing how truly absorbed I became in this story.

Other reviewers have covered the plot so I will only say that I found everything I am looking for in a period mystery in this novel. I had no idea who the killer was up until the reveal and then could only marvel at how ingenious this author is in her thinking. I had suspected someone else of the crimes but was wholly satisfied with Perry's results. That says a lot coming from a longtime mystery reader.

If there was a tiny niggle, it would be that Charlotte did not get quite enough time to realize that her feelings for Pitt were changing. But in the end, who cares? All's well that ends up with them becoming a team. I can't wait to dig into Callander Square, I just have to find a good clear space of time to be totally uninterrupted.

This novel is the first featuring Thomas Pitt and Charlotte (Ellison) Pitt, and set in Victorian London. In some ways, the novel is a standard mystery, with the victims, suspects, police and other interested parties all involved, sometimes to the detriment of the investigation! What makes this novel stand above other contemporary novels set in the Victorian era is the author's obvious knowledge of that era and her attention to detail which makes the reader feel as if s/he has truly glimpsed what it must have been like to live at that time. I also thought that it was critical to spend a significant portion of the novel on the class system in Britain (London society in particular) during the late 1800s. This is more than mere background--it is crucial because the class system determines how the characters act and react to the murders around them, to the investigation, and to eachother.

I also liked the romance which developed between Charlotte Ellison and Thomas Pitt, and found it entirely believable. Anne Perry pulls it off, despite Charlotte and Thomas being from different classes, because she had the foresight to make Charlotte something of a social misfit. She was honest. She said precisely what was on her mind without considering what the listener wanted to hear. She did not accept the double standard of behavior that her family, friends, and neighbors subscribed to (one set of rules for men, another more strigent set of rules for women). She read the newspapers and "unfeminine" books on topics such as military history to the shock and horror of her family and friends. All of these things made her, as her mother put it, "a liability on the marriage market". She would not attract a suitor of her own class (nor of the aristocracy nor gentry). The only option (not spoken of in the novel) is for her to marry down socially, but she also gains far more emotionally from her relationship with Thomas. She has found someone she can love and respect, and who loves and respects her in return. Thomas is also something of a social misfit as well. Anne Perry accomplishes this by making him a member of the servant class by birth, but because he was educated side by side with the Lord of the manor's son, he, too, does not quite "fit" neatly into one class or another. A good example of Thomas being not quite in the class that people expect is how his voice and appearance are described. In the Victorian era, as well as now, voice (and diction) are a good indication of class. Thomas, because of his education, did not sound like a servant or a tradesman (which is how policemen were ranked socially). The development of their relationship was also well done. There is no rush to sexual relations. The dislike that Charlotte and Thomas initially feel for eachother changes to respect, admiration, and finally each acknowledges their love for eachother. It was nice to see how Charlotte came to change her feelings about Thomas. The main characters actually get to know eachother beforehand!

The ending was also a bit of a surprise--the murderer was not the obvious suspect, and the reason for the murders was unexpected. This novel was enjoyable all around. Highly recommended.

Cater Street Hangman is the first work published by Anne Perry. It is an excellent blend of social history and gripping whodunit. I first read this book almost 20 years ago and still go back to it for a pleasureable read. It is easy to be transported to the London of the 1880s and the death of Disreali and the Siege of Khartoum were front page reading in the Times. The murders that are taking place around the home of Charlotte Ellison have the Police mystified and everyone in the community, anxious. Charlotte, the middle of daughter of a successful banker, becomes involved with trying to solve the mystery and at the same time, learns more about Victorian Society. As does the reader. Her initial lack of admiration for the inspector of police who is investivating the murders, gradually turns to admiration for the person underneath the official facade. From start to finish we are there with the Ellisons as they are first spectators and then intimate acquaintances of death at the hands of the "hangman". We learn that all the charecters are extremely complex individuals with all too human weaknesses. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this period of time and in detective fiction. Anne Perry has told a wonderful tale and set the stage for many more. AS an aside, while the A&E movie was a good introduction to Anne Perry's work, the books are really much better.

After I saw "The Cater Street Hangman" on A&E, I immediately rushed out to the library and devoured every Perry novel I could get my hands on. This book is enthralling, as much as a study of Victorian society as a murder mystery. Charlotte and Thomas are superbly matched and unusually compelling; Perry spares them the all too common fate of fictional detectives who are reduced to the level of thinking machines. Everything I have read by her is gripping and highly recommended.

CAPSULE REVIEW: This is the first book in the CHARLOTTE AND THOMAS PITT series of Victorian murder mysteries. I highly recommend this book and the whole series, although this first volume is not as riveting as some of the later ones. This is an excellent British cozy with the elements mystery fans expect.Among my criticisms are that the emotions of the characters are often glossed over when they should be explored and are examined in minute detail when they are of little interest. Also, I find the romance between the two main characters completely unbelievable, but then I must admit that I am a mystery fan and not not a romance fan, so I may be missing something.

I came across a copy of The Cater Street Hangman recently and decided to read it. I'd heard enough about Anne Perry to ignore my recent reads to begin this little novel.

The Cater Street Hangman, set in late Victorian England, details the brutal murders of six young women in a middle upper class neighbourhood called Cater Street. Mystery abounds and Inspector Pitt arrives on the scene to find out whodunnit. What unfolds is the question "Who didn't do it?" as Perry throws out every red herring possible since Oprah started gaining weight again.

Your pulse will race with the turn of every page - guaranteed! Halfway through this formulaic mystery, I was looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Callander Square.

Please don't let the word 'formula' turn you off - this is one author that knows how to stick to the expected without disappointing her audience!

Elements of romance and details of the time period are impressively handled. This is a must-read for all fans of the murder mystery!

Dena

I thought this book dragged at first, but then it picked up. I think I will enjoy the Charlotte and Pitt mysteries. Pitt reminded me of Columbo and I enjoyed that image in my mind while reading this. There were parts I found unbelievable, but sometimes that just part of a good yarn.
It seemed that Perry gave us a descriptive image of what things were like in that time and place. I'm looking forward to reading her second novel in the Charlotte and Pitt series.

I say that this book is difficult to review primarily because I am looking at it on two levels. One, being the mystery that is sub par and does not engage the reader to any extent. I was left wondering whom it might be that was causing the ruckus on Cater Street till the very end, but it was an ending that was disappointing and I wont give it away here. I would give the mystery just 2 stars.

On the other hand Perry has woven one of the most insightful studies on humanity into a mystery that I have ever encountered. I was struck time and again on how interesting and involved this book becomes with several characters, not just the protagonist. She brings an entire family into focus and rips away shrouds allowing for us to feel that they are all undergoing a transformation while the murders occur. So the plot/character development behind the mystery was 5 stars all the way.

This is the first Perry that I have read, and I am eager to devour the entire Pitt series. I would highly recommend this title and expect that her work will mature as she progresses.