Customer Reviews

Silence in Hanover Close

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this volume of the Pitt series of mysteries set in late 19th-century London, Charlotte Pitt's sister Emily Ashworth relieves the boredom of mourning following her husband's death (see Cardington Crescent) by going undercover as a lady's maid to help Charlotte and Thomas Pitt uncover a murderer in the exclusive Hanover Close. When Thomas Pitt is asked by his superiors to open a three-year old unsolved mystery, he has no idea that he will put his family--and himself--in so much danger. It is Emily and her great-aunt Vespasia who finally save the day (and Thomas!).

Silence in Hanover Close is one of the best books in the series because here we get to see Emily FINALLY get a clue as to how hard life is for the rest of London. I took a great deal of satisfaction in Emily's new recognition of how hard it was to iron perfect ruffles, and learned how to cut and butter paper thin slices of bread for tea (try the method in the book--it really works, and then you can have your friends over for a book discussion complete with English cucumber sandwiches). Thomas' own danger adds a higher level of drama to the conclusion of the case.

. . .and we do mean that literally. Thomas and Charlotte helped clear her name when her first husband was poisoned. . .now it's her turn to try and do the same for one of them. This is one of the best in the series--and at the same time one of the hardest to read. If you read these books in order of publication, by now you should have come to really care about these characters and what happens to them. Here one of them suffers--and may hang--unjustly. Thank Heaven for Emily and wonderful folks like Great-Aunt Vespasia, who get out of their comfort zones here so that the one whodunnit gets what he--or she--deserves. Brava, Anne Perry!

I have read most of the books in this series, so it's plain that I generally enjoy them. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, along with the others who regularly appear in these stories, are well-developed and plausible characters. By this time, they have become much like old friends and this familiarity adds to their appeal. Perry also does a good job of engaging the interest of the reader by providing mysteries that are intriguing from the start. Also, though I'm not an expert on Victorian London, she seems to do a good job of re-creating that milieu.

On the other hand, Perry sometimes makes it plain who the murderer is in her stories by giving you one clearly dysfunctional character. Sometimes, too, her stories virtually turn into morality plays. She will take up some social evil of the period, make it part of her plot, and dwell on it. Finally, Perry has a tendency to end her stories very abruptly, leaving loose ends dangling and making you feeling like you've just stepped off a cliff.

This particular installment has all the usual strengths. Charlotte and Emily work to solve the case and save Thomas from a dire fate. The unsolved death of Robert York three years earlier gets Pitt started. The case is re-opened because York's widow is soon to marry a Foreign Office official. York was also with the Foreign Office at the time of his death and some secret papers disappeared at that time, so any possibility of scandal or espionage must be put to rest. During the course of the story, the reader gets a close look at the evils of nineteenth century English prisons, but not more so than fits the story. The mystery deepens as more deaths compicate matters. Perry keeps the reader guessing right up to the end in this one. While the end comes rather abruptly, there aren't too many loose ends in this one, so the reader isn't left hanging so much as in some of Perry's other stories.

As a mystery writer, Perry is a step below Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie. Her stories are enjoyable, especially if you've read enough of them to be familiar with the main characters, but the plots aren't usually as difficult to solve. This particular episode, however, is one of her best. A first-rate whodunit that will keep you guessing to the very end. Give it a try.

Perry never fails to weave interesting characters into a complex and compelling story that combines psychological study with a historical overview of the fascinating Victorian milieu. In this novel, however, she has outdone herself. Emily truly comes alive in a clever and dangerous masquerade. The theme of masquerade carries over to the mysterious figure of "Cerise," the glamorous and possibly treacherous woman for whom Pitt relentless searches before murder can strike again. The end is a complete surprise, both delightful and sad.Perhaps my favorite of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt stories.

Not only are the supporting characters fascinating, but Perry truly plunges into and explores personal turning points for Pitt, Charlotte, and Emily. Some twists are a little too convenient, but one of the most important novels in the series. (I'd suggest reading them chronologically, however.) The ending makes it.

I like Anne Perry in general. Don't read too many in a row because they are all essentially the same... not entirely great mysteries surrounded by extensive social commentary. Excellent social commentary, very interesting, insightful, etc... but it slows down the plot to a snail's pace. Reading one once in a while is nice... but don't indulge in many at a time or you'll be disappointed in the plot and pace and rather bored with the social commentary. (at least, I was... and it was one of the selling points early on in the series...)

Perhaps I have read and heard too many Perry books. This one finally came out in audiobook. Not to be passed up. However, fairly early in the book I knew what the big surprise would be. Knowing Perry's writing goals, it was obvious, despite the major plot distraction. I knew none of the three "detectives", and friends, would stumble to it until the end of the book. (More than half the book passes while they wonder and wonder, not exercising their usually efficient brain power.) But they never did. I can't even belatedly feel pleased about someone's cleverness. So it's really a disappointing effort.

I have only read 2 books by Anne - "Farrier's Lane" and Bluegate Fields". Anne Perry has shown us a great mystery within a victorian era. My goal is to read all Anne Perry's books. This book is probably the best I have read out of the three. You won't be disappointed whe reading an Anne Perry novel.

Having been a big fan of Agatha Christie all my life, I found Anne Perry to be comparable and just as original. Especially in this book. From the first word to the last, she had me hooked and I read this book in record time.

Sadly, against the advice of others, I read this book first instead of starting the series with "Cater Street Hangman." I was just so eager because I heard this was the best of the series. While that might be true, I also found that because I read this book first, I kind of ruined it for myself with the previous books becuase I knew how things would turn out. So my advice is read this, but start with "Cater Street Hangman" if you are new to the Pitt series. (And believe me, after reading this one, you'll WANT to read the others.)

Ninth in the Thomas Pitt series by Anne Perry, Charlotte, Thomas Pitt's wife, and her sister, Emily, play major roles in helping Pitt with his investigation of an unsolved murder in the upperclass neighborhood of Hanover Close. In this book, Silence in Hanover Close, the author, I believe for the first time, toys with treason and its cover up as a possible motive for murder. It turns out not to be the case but, as with all Anne Perry's Pitt mysteries, the motive and the murderer are revealed in the final pages.

I loved the intricate plotting, the main characters, the minor characters, the portrayal of the mysterious figure, the woman in cerise. Perry evokes the Victorian age with a deft hand, and paints a picture in this book of the rigors of a life in service as well as the state of prisons in Victorian England.