Customer Reviews

Half Moon Street

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

His wife Charlotte accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law are vacationing in Paris and his children are at the shore with their nanny. Bow Street police Superintendent Thomas Pitt feels a bit empty and lonely.

That changes when a murdered male corpse is found floating on the Thames. The victim's arms are chained to the boat's sides and he is wearing a dress. The case is difficult because the victim's name remains unknown. Eventually, Pitt learns the deceased is famous photographer Delbert Cathart, an artist known for capturing the essence of his subjects. The placement of the body, a parody of sexual fulfillment, suggests this is a crime of passion, the perpetrator one of the many individuals who have posed for Delbert or have been affected by his work. The diligent Pitt continues his investigation seeking a motive that hopefully will lead him to the perpetrator.

Anne Perry is one of the giantesses of the mystery genre as her works constantly reach readers on different levels, many of which are emotionally charged. Victorian London is vigorously brought to life as a place where men struggle to keep the power that women want for themselves. The who-done-it of HALF MOON STREET is entertaining and puzzling as Ms. Perry continues to be the leading light of the Victorian mystery.

Harriet Klausner

I have enjoyed every one of Anne Perry's mysteries, both the Pitt and Monk series, until this one. I was sorely disappointed with the story line. It was weak and predictable. The women's rights thread was interesting and fitting, but the actual mystery was sparse. Not the usual intricately woven tale I'm accustomed to from Ms. Perry. I almost had the sense that the book was written to meet a publishing schedule rather than the natural continuation of a very interesting and entertaining series. Very often I'll think I know who the guilty party is only to find myself, as a result of a unexpected plot twist, to be mistaken in the end. I was disappointed to find out I was right this time. I would much prefer to have to wait longer for the next book to come out and have it be up to her usual standards than to repeat this experience again.

I usually enjoy the no-brainer historical mystery which Anne Perry is one of the better writers. She has built some believeable characters with plots and twists that are believeable from the Victorian Era in England. In this book though, like many shows such as MASH that have been on TV too long, she is less concern about her characters and her plots then presenting her own philosophy about pornography. Not that I disagree with her, but this book was difficult to read because there were two different storylines, one extremely preachy, and one that was the basis for the mystery, yet was not built up properly. I hate to go back and forth between plots, and though she ties them up at the end, it didn't satisfy me or what I expect of her as a writer. Maybe it is like other people have written about characters or series which have gone on too long, the author is more concerned with meeting a deadline, then developing plot and character. I may go back and read some of her older books that I have not yet read, but I am not sure I will pick up any future ones. It becomes a waste of the reader's time. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, klsst23@pitt.edu

I have read every single one of Anne Perry's books. I love them. This is a good one, and it's different because Charlotte isn't it. She's away on vacation for the duration. If anybody wonders how dirty pictures started, this book will tell you that. It's a good mystery and it really proves that the fall-out from pornography is not limited to our times.

As usual, Perry writes about Victorian England and its culture. A male photographer is found dead, wearing in a velvet dress and chained to a boat. Pitt investigates, but this time without Charlotte. Charlotte is such a part of Pitt that her presence is missed, but it is nice to read about Pitt in action by himself.

Perry uses this book to discuss censorship and pornography. Perry knows she is dealing with explosive issues and handles them with care. She doesn't try to find easy solutions to every topic. She explores the ins and outs of censorship and free speech, and shows how damaging pornography can be. Thoughts to ponder.

Perry has a gift for peering into the human soul and pulling out the the darkest and most secret emotions. She successfully uses them time and again to write compelling stories with sympathetic characters, both victim and murderer, with whom we can all relate. With just a little push, we know we could all become the one on the wrong side of the law.

I also like the book because it developed the characters of Charlotte's grandmother, mother and stepfather more. These compelling characters further the plot instead of staying on the sidelines as usual.

Also, this story has less of the usual too-good-to-be-true coincidences that Perry has used a lot lately.

I do have some gripes with the book though. 1) Perry doesn't seem to have learned that sometimes less is more when it comes to driving a point home. It's not as bad in this book, but it's still irritating. 2) There was a distracting sideline about a 'missing' French diplomat. I guess it was supposed to be a red herring, but it was totally unnecessary and added nothing to the plot.

Half Moon Street was a book I could not put down, but it was disturbing in its look at both sides of the censorship (and art vis-a-vis pornography)issues. Also the issue of women's total subjugation to men and their desire for freedom or at least for equality comes into play. The murder is almost a McGuffin to lead into these matters. Caroline Ellison Fielding, Charlotte Pitt's mother, plays a very prominent role, as does Mariah Ellison, her hateful mother-in-law. Charlotte and Gracie do not appear except in Charlotte's letters to her husband and in Sgt. Tellman's thoughts of Gracie, whom he has come to love. Lady Vespasia makes a brief but welcome appearance. Tellman, Caroline, and even Mariah learn some valuable lessons and continue to grow as human beings. And Cecily Antrim is a fascinating character. All in all, one of Perry's best.

Anne Perry really knows how to tell a Victorian story. I've read all of her books (Pitt and Monk) and never tire of turning back the clock. Half-Moon Street is a wonderful story and a well written mystery. Though some may bemoan the fact that Charlotte was out of the picture (vacationing in Paris), I found that this did not detract from the story in the least (since, I have found that Ms. Perry sometimes contrives plots for Charlotte to "help").

I am always interested in the amount of research that Ms. Perry does and this book was quite well done. The information on photography at the time and how she connected it to the theatre and even a little Shakespeare thrown in was intriguing. The mystery was centered on censorship and pornagraphy and I thought it was interesting that these were problems faced over 100 years ago. I guess there are no 'new' problems, only new ways of looking at them (Pun?). I highly recommend Perry's work. But I think to truly enjoy you need to start at the beginning and read in order. This book in particular delved into old relationships (Mariah Ellison and Caroline Fielding) and someone who did not understand these characters from previous books might be lost.

I have read every one of Anne Perry's books, and this is the best yet. Her thought-provoking subjects, such as censorship and women's rights add to the depth of her plots. In HALF MOON STREET she also delves further into the personalities of her continuing characters, particularly Caroline, Charlotte's mother; and Mariah, Charlotte's grandmother. In my opinion, one of the best things about a continuing series is getting to know the characters in depth, and Ms. Perry continues to deliver in this area.

I usually LOVE Anne Perry Books,especially the Pitt series. However,this book just did not hold my attention for very long at a time. I usually read a Perry book in one night. Not this one though. With every page I turned I kept saying Charlotte,Gracie, children WHERE ARE YOU? Come breathe some life into this book.

Far from her best work.

Anne Perry mixes controversial issues of Victorian Times and today in her novels. The issue this time is censorship and pornography. Inspector Pitt is forced to solve a murder without Charlotte this time, and although she is missed, the novel is as entertaining as ever. We get a closer look at Charlotte's mother Caroline and her husband and their world of theater. All in all I would recommend this one as much as all the others.