Ana's Best Books of 2012

I haven't read as much HF as I thought this year and looking back at my reads there's only one book I gave 5* to - Kate Lord Brown's The Perfume Garden that made me research about the Spanish Civil War and haunted me for weeks afterwards. This was the book I mentioned last year in my "eagerly anticipating" post so we can say my expectations were fulfilled.

But there are a few more books that also deserve a mention because I found them very enjoyable:

Oleanna by Julie K. Rose

Hungry Hill by Daphne du Maurier

Defend and Betray by Anne Perry

A Christmas Odyssey by Anne Perry

A festive story of hope and redemption emerging from the depths of Victorian society. 1864, and on a bitter December night in Victorian London, one man longs for a Christmas miracle. The city is preparing for the holidays yet James Wentworth is unable to focus on anything other than the disappearance of his wayward son, Lucien. In desperation, he turns to his old friend Sir Henry Rathbone for help. Rathbone finds assistance in the shape of reformed criminal Squeaky Robinson and the enigmatic Doctor Crow and as the group's investigations take them deeper into the seedy underbelly of the capital they uncover a squalid world of illicit pleasures and a trail that leads them closer to the man they seek. But as they get nearer to their quarry, tales also begin emerge of Lucien's violent tendencies, his consuming obsession with a dangerous young woman and the disturbing Shadow Man. Can they bring Lucien home alive and if so, will it be a grave mistake for all concerned?

I love Anne Perry's Christmas stories. She is a wonderful writer and her characters always come alive. Besides she masters the Victorian setting like no one and it is not difficult to imagine in our heads the places that she describes. I found this one a bit different from her usual stories because it deals mostly with London's underworld and I wasn't familiar with most of the characters. In these stories she usually uses secondary characters from her other series, in this case the Monk series.

"Squeaky" Robinson, "Dr" Crow and the young Bessie are an odd set of characters that join Sir Henry Rathbone in trying to find his friend's son Lucien in time for him to spend Christmas with his family. Lucien has fallen prey of the worst vices and has disappeared in the city's shadiest neighbourhoods.

While they look for him we are treated to a tour of the London tunnels where every vice and perversion can easily be bought, where addicts beg for opium or cocaine and are kept under their dealers’ command. Perry's brilliant writing means that we can really imagine what it must have been to visit those places and meet such characters. Their search quickly turns into a murder mystery that they must solve before finding Lucien. And nothing guarantees that he will want, or that he will be allowed to, return home.

Although Perry's books are never light reads I found this one a bit darker than usual. I also missed not having a strong female character in the lead and I think that may have contributed to make it an even darker read. There's also the fact that here we are really shown the contrast between those living miserably on the streets and the affluent world of Sir Henry Rathbone. As with most of these Christmas stories it deals with guilt and an eventual redemption.

Although the story ends with a positive note there is no doubt that this is not your usual light and cosy Christmas read. It is, however, an interesting read and I did enjoy reading it.

Grade: 4/5

Previously posted at Aneca's World

No Graves As Yet by Anne Perry

On a sunny afternoon in late June, Cambridge professor Joseph Reavley is summoned from a student cricket match to learn that his parents have died in an automobile crash. Joseph’s brother, Matthew, as officer in the Intelligence Service, reveals that their father had been en route to London to turn over to him a mysterious secret document—allegedly with the power to disgrace England forever and destroy the civilized world. A paper so damning that Joseph and Matthew dared mention it only to their restless younger sister. Now it has vanished.
What has happened to this explosive document, if indeed it ever existed? How had it fallen into the hands of their father, a quiet countryman? Not even Matthew, with his Intelligence connections, can answer these questions. And Joseph is soon burdened with a second tragedy: the shocking murder of his most gifted student, beautiful Sebastian Allard, loved and admired by everyone. Or so it appeared.
Meanwhile, England’s seamless peace is cracking—as the distance between the murder of an Austrian archduke by a Serbian anarchist and the death of a brilliant university student by a bullet to the head of grows shorter by the day.

I have been a big fan of Anne Perry's historical mysteries since I first discovered her books but so far my reads have been limited to her two 19th century London series and those titles Christmas spinoffs. She has however, written in different periods and settings and I am glad that this HT event has given me the opportunity to start her WWI series that starts with this title. The series is comprised of 5 books each of which set in one of the war years from 1914 to 1918.

As mentioned in the synopsis the story starts with Reverend Joseph Reavley, and his siblings Mathew, Judith and Hannah,  dealing with the sudden death of his parents. That they have met with an accident right after his father has talked with Mathew about a mysterious document that may change England's role in an upcoming conflict seemms like a weird and unfortunate coincidence till the two brothers discover evidence of foul play in their parents death...

Unable to discover the document Joseph returns to Cambridge where he is a professor only to be met with the murder of one of his students. In such a closed environment everyone suspects everyone and it seems Sebastien Allard wasn't such an upstanding young man as Joseph thought which might have led to his murder. Shocked and feeling a bit betrayed by his inability to see the victim clearly Joseph investigates what really happened and why.

I did enjoy the idea behind this series very much. I think Perry does a good job of telling the events that precede the War. The Irish problems and the Boer war are mentioned several times and the events in continental Europe described as they were happening. I think, however, that how she chose to tell her story made for a very slow paced action that might not appeal to everyone and that made it easy for me to leave the book aside for periods of time and pick others in between. 

I found that when Joseph focused in Sebastien's murder we almost lost sight of what had happened to his parents. However that should have been our primary concern as it seemed more relevant to the political situation. One could imagine that both cases were related but while I didn't find the conclusion as obvious as all that it also wasn't the big closure I was expecting. I did like that sense of security that is fast coming to an end that she manages to convey and the discussions on pacifism and idealism that the characters engage in. Perry leaves a big cliffhanger at the end but instead of annoying me it also made me want to pick up the next book and see how things develop. I hope it is as interesting, albeit more engaging, than this one...

You can find the other titles in the series here

Grade: 4/5

Defend and Betray by Anne Perry

Although esteemed General Thaddeus Carlyon meets his death in a freak accident at home, his beautiful wife, Alexandra, confesses that she killed him. Monk, with the help of Hester and the brilliant counsel for the defence, Oliver Rathbone, work feverishly to break down the wall of silence raised by the accused and her husband’s proud family, culminating in a dramatic court room scene....

I've really enjoyed the books I read by Anne Perry and I can't wait to continue reading this series. The fact that there are so many books out only makes me more enthusiastic.

Although the summary above mentions Monk as the main detective in this case the truth is that Hester Latterly does most of the investigation. She has been employed to nurse a military man who has broken his leg and, when she story opens, she is waiting to meet her friend Edith Sobell. Edith is General Carlyon's sister and she asks Hester's hell in finding a good lawyer for her sister-in-law Alexandra after she confesses to killing her husband. Hester finds Rathbone who, in turn, hires Monk to find out what really happened.

Although at first the characters entertain the idea that Alexandra may have confessed to protect the real killer, it is soon apparent that she is the only one with opportunity to do it. So the investigation ends up not being about whom but about the why as no one believes the reason Alexandra gives.

While Monk is the one hired to discover the truth he keeps getting distracted with memories from his past. Visiting Alexandra Carlyon in prison makes him remember another woman in the same circumstances. A woman he can't remember the name but that he knows he cared about deeply. So the main investigation gets a bit side tracked while he goes off to discover who the woman is. I can't help but enjoying the way Perry makes Monk discover his past, he keeps discovering he may not have been a very good person and feels ashamed and embarrassed by it. We are yet to find out what turned him into someone different.

So, it is Hester, due to her ties with the Carlyons who ends up discovering the secrets that are the key to Alexandra's behaviour. I really enjoyed the whole investigative details, how we are given clues throughout the book that make sense in the end, but I especially liked the scenes in the courtroom. Rathbone is a very good lawyer and Perry is excellent at describing these scenes, it felt we were with Hester and Monk sitting right there and watching the jury reach their conclusions.

As usual I think she does a really good job with the atmosphere of the period and inserting details of social, military and economic history. She really brings the period to life. She teases us a bit with a romance between Rathbone and Hester but then, right at the end, it seems it is Monk that is looking at Hester with new eyes. Looking forward to see that development.

Grade: 4.5/5

A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry

With Christmas approaching, Emily Radley, Charlotte’s sister is suddenly called from London to be with her dying aunt.  Alone, she makes the journey to Connemara, on the west coast of Ireland.  A tragic legacy haunts this close-knit community and a lone shipwreck survivor threatens to unlock old wounds, but also to offer a solution to an old crime and bring peace and resolution to the community.

For a couple of years now that Anne Perry's Christmas books have been a favourite read of mine during the Holiday Season. They are historical mysteries, usually featuring characters of her most famous series, and they deal with themes like redemption, forgiveness, love, family bonds... all those feelings usually related to the festive period.

In A Christmas Grace the main character is Emily Radley, Charlotte Pitt's sister (from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series). Despite looking forward to the Christmas season in London, she finds herself travelling to Connemara in Ireland at the request of  an estranged Aunt who is gravelly ill.

Aunt Susannah leaves in a coastal village and soon Emily gets to meet its few inhabitants. There's a general sense of fear over a coming storm and Emily can't help but wonder why they are so worried. When the storm finally comes there is a shipwreck and only one man is saved. The villagers reaction leaves Emily puzzled until she finds out that 7 years before another ship was wrecked and another man was saved... one that was later murdered by someone from the village... Susannah's request is that Emily discovers who did murder that man 7 years ago so that peace can come to te village once more.

Emily, who had been missing the mysteries she was involved in with her sister in the past, starts her own investigation of who the victim was and what might have lead to his murder. She gets to know the people and their secrets and eventually follows a trail left by Susannah's late husband to know more about what really happened.

Although this was an easy and fast read I have to say that I found it less moving and interesting than previous stories in this same series. The mystery was a bit thin, we don't get to know the victim very well, there was little suspense involved and in the end it felt a bit unresolved. Perry's description of the scenery was ver interesting but the characters never really came alive. I think there should have been more about Aunt Susannah, her past with her husband and something about the celebration of Christmas.

Grade: 3/5

Bluegate Fields by Anne Perry

Inspector Pitt was shocked. The body was found in the filthy sewers of Bluegate Fields, one of London's most dangerous slums, but the dead boy was clearly from high society. And he had been violated before he was murdered. So vile a case was hardly a proper topic for drawing room conversation. But when the Waybournes, the boy's family, refused to answer the police's questions, Inspector Pitt began to wonder what secrets they were trying to hide. His wife and co-sleuth, Charlotte, was determined to find out--even if it meant tearing, down the facades of an oh-so-proper family....

Bluegate Fields go a bit deeper in the Victorian underworld than most of Charlotte and Pitt's stories. Unlike the previous story where Charlotte and her family took center stage, in this one it is Pitt, his boss and his young colleague who are the primary investigators. Charlotte is still a much needed figure though as she is the only one who can find the answers needed in society's salons.

The story opens with a body being found in the sewers. Called to the occurrence Pitt eventually concludes that the naked body is of a young gentleman, a teenager really, and the police doctor tells him that there is evidence of homosexual activity. And so starts an investigation that first is about who is the dead boy, and secondly what happened to him and who killed him.

There were several things that I really enjoyed about this book. There were the class distinctions that are present in every story, but here more so because we are dealing with those with the lowest status in Victorian society - the ones who sell their bodies for a few pennies. Who live in misery, either because they are born to it or because fate brought them there. After the first body is found with signs of what was then a hanging offence it was immediately obvious that almost everyone was happy to let the matter rest. How in society's eyes it was preferable to find an easy scapegoat that would allow closing the subject with relative discretion, instead of looking for the real culprit.

Pitt refuses to stop investigating, despite his superior's orders, and with Charlotte's help he eventually finds the murderer. I was disappointed in that we never have a clear idea of the victim. If he had indeed been a victim of abuse or a willing participant. And in that we never have a final confrontation with the killer. As it had happened previously I ended up asking myself if that was another cover up or indeed the real thing.

Grade: 4/5

Rutland Place by Anne Perry

London's most unusual sleuthing team, Inspector Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, could not stay away from trouble.

When Charlotte learned of her mother's distress in losing a locket with a compromising picture, she did not know it was the beginning of several bizarre events that would end in sudden death.

For hidden behind the sumptuous elegance of Rutland Place were terrible secrets. Secrets so horrifying that only murder could conceal them.

But the dangerous persistence of Charlotte and the quiet patience of Inspector Pitt made it possible to unwind this most macabre and chilling mystery....

It never ceases to amaze me how well Perry conveys my idea of Victorian society - or maybe I should say how well she convinced me with her portrayal. Small worlds where everyone knows everyone else and their worth. Where everyone believes they know each other's secrets but where most manage to conceal strong passions, hidden desires and, sometimes, hideous crimes.

In this fifth installment of the Pitt series, Charlotte and Thomas have moved to a new house with their daughter Jemima. Charlotte is pregnant again, and more worried about the house chores than going about in society, when a letter from her mother requests her presence and her help.

Caroline has misplaced a jewel with a compromising picture and, unsure of what to do but feeling threatened by an invisible presence asks Charlotte to give her some assistance. While on society calls it is apparent that more trinkets have been stolen from the neighbouring houses and the visits give Charlotte the opportunity to get to know her mother's friends and acquaintances. When one of them is found dead they can't help but wonder whether her death is connected to the thefts and whether Caroline could be in danger of a blackmailer or a murderer.

With Thomas being called upon to investigate the murder, and Charlotte working within society to discover the secrets that might have been hidden from a common policeman, it is no wonder that soon some of the secrets start to be revealed.

I particularly liked the ladies detecting skills and how everything seems to fall into place with each new secret uncovered. I also enjoyed the subplot about Caroline's feelings and how it made Charlotte examine her own feelings and look at her mother as a woman. I thought that the explanation for the first missing girl was rather funny - as was Charlotte's discovery of her fate - and it certainly contributed to lighten the mood of an, otherwise, dark and gloomy novel. Some books you close thinking that all will be well afterwards but that is not the case here, there's more pain and despair than actual justice in the end and Charlotte, who uncovers the whole truth, decides to let it rest.

Although I can't disagree with the ending I also can't help but feel that this was the easy way out in terms of a solution. I think that Pitt, unlike Charlotte, wouldn't have let it lie.

Grade: 4/5

A Christmas Guest by Anne Perry

In A Christmas Guest, Mariah Ellison, better known as the vinegar-tongued Grandmama from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, makes a stunning appearance in a bracing story full of devious delight . . . and certain death.


For Grandmama Ellison, Christmas is no reason to celebrate. And when her daughter and son-in-law plan a Christmas vacation to Paris sans hers truly, the cantankerous Grandmama is forced to stay elsewhere–and travels to the chilly, windswept Romney Marshes to spend the holiday with Charlotte Pitt’s parents, Caroline and Joshua Fielding.

Grandmama is immediately miserable. For starters, Christmas with the Fieldings is nothing like the cultured life to which she’s accustomed, and the Romney Marshes are unbearably provincial. When Joshua’s cousin Maude Barrington arrives, Grandmama is at her wit’s end. Although Maude is well traveled and friendly, Grandmama thinks she’s improper and strange. But when Maude is found lifeless in bed, Grandmama senses foul play and takes it upon herself to assume the role of amateur detective–uncovering not only the truth about Maude Barrington but some startling truths about herself as well.

I do hope Anne Perry continues to write theses because they really are a treat during the holiday season. The only drawback is that most of the main characters in these stories are secondary characters from her two series - the Inspector Monk and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. So it happens that from time to time I find out something that is going to happen in books of those series that I haven't read yet. For instance in this story the main character is Charlotte Pitt's grandmother and I ended finding some things about her that I didn't know yet since I only read a few books in that series.

Mariah Ellison, the mentioned grandmother, is very unhappy because she will have to spend the holiday season with her former daughter-in-law who is now married to a younger actor, Joshua. Mariah is very bitter and finds fault with almost everything. Things only get worse when it is announced that one of Joshua's relatives will come to spend the holiday season with them because her family already has guests. The relative, Maude, reveals herself as an original woman, a traveler who has spent most of her time abroad and has really enjoyed the different cultures she has known.

While Mariah doesn't exactly feels any empathy with Maude the truth is that when she is found dead in her bed the next morning she suspects murder was done. She even discovers how it could have happened. And she starts feeling that she may have some things in common with Maude and she was in fact a woman to be admired. So she decides to go and meet Maude's family, tell them what happened and possibly discover who the killer is.

In the process Mariah Ellison discovers a few truths about her, a lot of secrets in Maude's family and that joy and good will, not to mention good people, actually exist. She finds the spirit of Christmas! Just lovely!

Grade: 4.5/5

A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry

No breath of scandal has ever touched the aristocratic Moidore family--until Sir Basil's beautiful widowed daughter is stabbed to death in her own bed, a shocking, incomprehensible tragedy. Inspector William Monk is ordered to find her killer without delay--and in a manner that will give the least possible pain to the influential family. But Monk, brilliant and ambitious, is handicapped, both by lingering traces of amnesia and by the craven ineptitude of his supervisor, who would like nothing better than to see Monk fail. With the intelligent help of Hester Latterly, a progressive young woman who served with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea, Monk gropes warily through the silence and shadows that obscure the case, knowing that with each step he comes closer to the appalling truth....

There is something to be said about a character that starts a story not remembering who he is and without and family and close friends to help him. That is exactly what Anne Perry did in the first book of this series and that is what really attracted my attention to the books. In this second book the Inspector Monk is still unable to remember his past but has he moves through London he finds glimpses of familiar things and an image of him that seems very different from who he is now. (Would a kind soul me know if he ever remember and in which book?)

In this story Monk is called to investigate the murder of a young lady, Octavia Haslett, the daughter of Sir Basil Moidore has been stabbed to death in her own bedroom during the night. From the beginning, it is clear that Sir Basil and most of his family is mostly concerned with hushing the scandal and finding a guilty party as soon as possible. Even after it seems it is one of them who must have done it, the family still believing it must be one of the servants.

When Monk finds himself unable to find evidence pointing to someone he asks for the help of Hester Latterly, one of Miss Nightingale's nurses who was also a character in the previous book. I really like Heather! She is dedicated to her job, honest and has a hard time controlling her temper when she perceives an injustice. Despite her efforts while nursing Lady Beatrice, Octavia's mother, Heather is unable to find the culprit and when a bloody knife is found in one of the footmen's room the case seems closed to all but Monk and Heather. Refusing to arrest the footman leads to Monk being fired from the police force but Heather doesn't give up and manages to interest Oliver Rathbone, a lawyer and a very interesting character that I hope to see in future books, in the case.

I just love Perry's view of the Victorian world and there was lots of information about it in the book. In this particular story, I very much enjoyed her portrayal of the higher and lower classes. The differences in behaviours, beliefs and social status. Much of the book is set in the Moidores house and the atmosphere is oppressing, intriguing and full of suspense. I couldn't wait to get to the end of the story and find out who had done it and I must say that the final twist surprised me. I loved how they followed all the clues to reach the right conclusion about what really had happened and who was responsible. And now I can’t wait for the next book.

Grade: 5/5

A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry

Dominic Corde is thrilled to “fill the robe” as substitute vicar in the village of Cottisham, while the Reverend Wynter is away on a three-week Christmas holiday. Glad to escape his dreary London flat and a less-than-satisfying job as church curate, Dominic and his beloved wife, Clarice, set off for what they hope will be a lovely winter getaway.

Upon arrival, in the midst of a frigid, exceptionally snowy season, Dominic and Clarice are welcomed by warm, hospitable neighbors and enchanted by the cozy, inviting vicarage. Everything seems almost too perfect. Dominic's only concern is how he will be received by the congregation, who hold the Reverend Wynter in such high regard. But as Clarice soon discovers, she and Dominic have much more dire matters to worry about. It turns out that the Reverend Wynter isn't on holiday at all - and that something very sinister has transpired.

As a blizzard leaves Cottisham treacherously snowbound and the isolated village swirls with unsavory secrets, Dominic and Clarice suddenly find themselves in deadly danger.

Another really nice Christmas mystery by Anne Perry, this one dedicated to new beginnings.

As in her other books she is very good at delivering period detail and the cosy and not so cosy sense of small villages, in with the cosiness of helping neighbours goes hand in hand with less than welcoming and well meaning characters.

In this story Daniel Corde, a secondary character in the first book of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, arrives at Cottisham to replace the vicar who has left on a Christmas holiday. Unfortunately soon his wife Clarice finds the vicar dead in the cellar and they both decide to find the truth about his death. Vicar Wynter was apparently well loved by all his parishioners and his murder is quite unexplainable.
Corde knows he has to prove himself as worthy of following in Vicar Wynter’s footsteps, even if he has to dig up some unpleasant secrets, and wishes the Bishop would allow to stay in Cottisham indefinitely as this is the perfect opportunity for him and Clarice to start building their lives away from London and their less than fortunate circumstances there.

Perry is also great with the character development and I always finish these stories with a sense of understanding and sympathy towards the main character. Although the mystery might not be very complex it is a wonderful cosy read and a treat for fans of the Pitt series who want to know more about some of the secondary characters. It closes with Corde’s holiday sermon and a message of hope and forgiveness which seemed fitting.

Grade: 4/5

A Christmas Beginning by Anne Perry

Superintendent Runcorn--who Anne Perry fans will remember as William Monk's ex-boss--is feeling rather lonely during his holiday on the remote, snowy island of Anglesey, off the north coast of Wales. However, he is suddenly called into action when the sister of the local vicar is discovered murdered and draped over a gravestone in her brother's churchyard. Investigating this tragic crime with the assistance of the beautiful Melisande gives him just the opportunity he needs to spend time with an upper class woman who normally wouldn't give him the time of day. Interweaving the original Christmas story with her own holiday tale, Perry also explores the meaning of Joseph's secondary role compared to that of Mary and Jesus.

I have realised while I read this book that I’m reading them out of order (this is book fifth in the series and the third I read) hopefully I’m not loosing much because they don’t have the same main characters, the Monk series is also mentioned but with just enough detail for us to understand that Inspector Runcorn (the main character) is a secondary character there.

The story starts with Runcorn spending Christmas alone in the Island of Anglesey, he comes across as a sympathetic and vulnerable man who is trying to forget is love for Melisande Ewart. Unfortunately not only Melisande and her brother are also spending the holiday season at Anglesey but he is soon made known by her brother that she is engaged to be married.

While Runcorn is still trying to find a way to deal with his feelings of unexpectedly seeing Melisande again he finds Olivia Costain’s body, the vicar’s sister, who has been murdered. He is asked to help in the investigation and soon finds that Olivia was an attractive young woman with a restless spirit and a fair share of admirers that she kept turning down.

As he tries to dig deeper into who Olivia was and how could she have become a victim of a violent crime of passion Runcorn has to speak with Melisande, her friend, and her brother, one of Olivia´s admirers. He is constantly in a struggle with himself, wanting to ask the right questions but feeling himself not as social adept as to be able to speak without offending or breaking the polite rules of the Victorian world. He also has to face some prejudice against the lower classes he belongs to and the policeman work he does.

All in all it is an interesting story because Runcorn is complex, fragile, unsure of himself, much like all of us are one time or another. It’s his character and his musings that kept me reading, his views on murder and violence, his helpless love for Melisande and I was quite happy that he got the ending he thought was forbidden to him.

A nice read that made me want to continue the Monk series.

Grade: 4/5

A Christmas Visitor - Anne Perry

Another novella about Christmas and in this case about doing the right thing...this is my second novella by Perry and once again it's very good.

Henry Rathbone arrives to spend Christmas at the Dreghorn family manor house near Ullswater. He is greeted by the news that the master of the house, Judah Dreghorn has slipped while crossing a stream in the grounds of the estate in the middle of the night, and drowned. Not only this, but Ashton Gower, recently released from prison, is slandering Judah's name, claiming that his family rightfully owns the estate and that the forged deeds for which he was imprisoned were in fact genuine. To Rathbone and the two remaining Dreghorn brothers, also returning to the Lakes for Christmas, Judah's mysterious death and Gower's outrageous claims seem inextricably linked

From the beginning we know that there is some mystery to uncover. Everyone believes Judah was a good person and there could only be another explanation to his actions than dishonesty. At the same time his death might not be accidental, but is the one responsible the most obvious suspect. To find the answers to these quenstions Henry Rathbone investigates what really happened 11 years before and what knowledge Judah had of it and which course of action was he planning. The part I enjoyed the most was precisely after the truth is found out the dilemma the characters face in to do or not to do the right thing. Especially because it was not their fault that the wrong thing had happened but they will be the one's to suffer the consequences. I really like the psycological "games" Perry makes the characters play and my only regret is that these are not the center of the story.

Grade: A-

A Christmas Journey - Anne Perry

Readers of Anne Perry’s bestselling suspense novels revel in a world that is all their own, sharing the privileged existence of Britain’s wealthy and powerful elite in West End mansions and great country houses. It is also a world in which danger bides in unsuspected places and the line between good and evil can be razor thin. This new novel features Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould–one of the most memorable characters from the Thomas Pitt series–who appears here as a lively young woman, the ultimate aristocrat who can trace her blood to half the royal houses of Europe.

It’s Christmas and the Berkshire countryside lies wrapped in winter chill. But the well-born guests who have gathered at Applecross for a delicious weekend of innocent intrigue and passionate romance are warmed by roaring fires and candlelight, holly and mistletoe, good wine and gorgeously wrapped gifts. It’s scarcely the setting for misfortune, and no one–not even that clever young aristocrat and budding sleuth Vespasia Cumming-Gould–anticipates the tragedy that is to darken this light-hearted holiday house party. But soon one young woman lies dead, a suicide, and another is ostracized, held partly responsible for the shocking turn of events.

To expiate her guilt, Gwendolen Kilmuir sets out for the Scottish Highlands, hoping to explain to the dead girl’s mother the circumstances surrounding the sorrowful act–and to bring her back to England for the funeral. Gwendolen’s sole companion on this nightmarish journey is Vespasia. As Vespasia learns more about the victim and the ugly forces that shaped her desperate deed, she understands the heartbreaking truth of the tragedy.

I found this book a really interesting read.It is set as usual in the Victorian period. Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould attends a house Party with some friends, there is some gossip and some less than friendly emotions going round and when one of the guests - Isobel Alvie - makes a cruel remark to another that will apparently lead to the suicide of the latter.

As Isobel is shunned and condemned by all except Vespasia the owner of the house has the idea of proposing an expiation journey for Isobel - to take the dead woman's last letter to her mother who leaves in the highland of Scotland - and if she is sucessful everyone will abide by a pact of silence of not speaking of it again nor condemning her socially.

I found the idea of the expiation of a crime very interesting and found myself wanting to know more about it. As Vespasia and Isobel start their journey to find Gwendolen's mother not only is the journey dangerous but is also an emotional dificult one as Isobel will have to tell her part in the tragic events. Vespasia is the character we get to know better, she is a sensible and kind woman (sometimes a bit too kind to be real) of her time who will gain a better knowledge of herself with this journey. And as the journey progresses not only is Isobel's behaviour analysed but they also start suspecting that more things may have been tormenting Guendolen.

If I have a complaint about this story is how short it was, a bigger story would have allowed for more analysis on the character's feelings and the burden of guilt that most of them seem to carry.

Paragon Walk - Anne Perry

This is book 3 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, I'm slowly going through this series and I really enjoyed the first 2 books. I had a bit of problem with this one and for me it didn't work as well as the other.

In the posh London street of Paragon Walk, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered. Once again the incomparable team of sleuths, Inspector Thomas Pitt and his young wife, Charlotte, peer beneath the elegant masks of the well-born suspects and reveal that something ugly lurks behind the handsome facades of Paragon Walk--something that could lead to more scandal, and more murder.

The plot was intriguing enough, I had no clue of what really had happened till the very end although I had some suspicions that the villain might be the person that is ultimately disclosed as the murderer. Everyone seemed to have some unsavory secrets and spend all their time at parties showing their hatred for the others. It was a bit too much of victorian high society. But I think that mostly this book suffered from the fact that we see too much Charlotte and not enough Pitt. I also like Pitt's take on the murders and victorian society and this time it seemed we only saw it through Charlotte and her sister's eyes. It became a bit unbalanced IMO. I like it more when there's team work.




The books in this series in order are:

The Cater Street Hangman
Callander Square
Paragon Walk
Resurrection Row
Rutland Place
Bluegate Fields
Death in the Devil's Acre
Cardingtonn Crescent
Silence in Hanover Square
Bethlehem Road
Highgate Rise
Belgrave Square
Farriers' Lane
The Hyde Park Headsman
Traitor's Gate
Pentecost Alley
Ashworth Hall
Brunswick Gardens
Bedford Square
Half Moon Street
The Whitechapel Conspiracy
Southampton Row
Seven Dials
Long Spoon Lane

Callander Square - Anne Perry

Callander Square is book 2 in Anne Perry's Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series. Once again it brings us to Victorian London, it's rich neighbourhoods full of secrets and where everyone seems to have something to hide.

Murders just didn't take place in fashionable Callander Square, so Inspector Pitt's well-bred wife Charlotte couldn't resist finding out why one had. Suddenly there she was, rattling the closets of the very rich, listening to backstair gossip, and unearthing truths that could push even the most proper aristocrat to murder....

The plot revolves around the discovery of 2 babies buried in the square of a high society neighbourhood. Inspector Pitt is in charge of the case and soon his wife Charlotte decides to do a bit of investigating too. She reveals her plans to her sister who moves freely in high society and they both manage to have the inside facts and gossip of the residents of the square while Pitt has to stick to interrogating servants and ocasionaly the masters.

I really liked this book. It's more about victorian society, how they lived both the servants and the masters, than about solving the mystery. That's part of it yes but we primarily meet the female society with it's social rules of calling and leaving cards, of what's considered important to women and not to men. Actually it's like they have two separate areas of action, the women in the house and the men outside. It's about how men occupied their time and the relationships with the lower classes. The hypocrisy and the double standard that existed. All that is mentioned in the book and sometimes actively explained by the characters. There is a group of very strong female characters who analyse their situations and proceed accordingly - Charlotte, Emily, Lady Augusta and even Adelina Southeron. The men involved seem to be weaker, with the exception of Pitt and Coronel Balantyne, they all seemed to have something to hide. As an exceptional portrait of victorian society I think it's even better than the previous book in this series - the Cater Street Hangman.

Regarding the mystery itself we have little clues to whom might be guilty and in fact had we not been told it wouldn't be easy to guess and especially the reasons for it. After I found out I could only think: How victorian! Charlotte and Pitt are very likeable people and Emily, Charlotte's sister who didn't seem all that nice in the previous books reveals herself a practical and level headed woman in her opinions about society in general.

Highly recommended!



The books in this series in order are:

The Cater Street Hangman
Callander Square
Paragon Walk
Resurrection Row
Rutland Place
Bluegate Fields
Death in the Devil's Acre
Cardingtonn Crescent
Silence in Hanover Square
Bethlehem Road
Highgate Rise
Belgrave Square
Farriers' Lane
The Hyde Park Headsman
Traitor's Gate
Pentecost Alley
Ashworth Hall
Brunswick Gardens
Bedford Square
Half Moon Street
The Whitechapel Conspiracy
Southampton Row
Seven Dials
Long Spoon Lane

The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry

After enjoying The Face of a Stranger so much I was anxious to try Anne Perry’s other Victorian series about Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. I was not disappointed.

While the Ellison girls were out paying calls and drinking tea like proper Victorian ladies, a maid in their household was strangled to death. The quiet and young Inspector Pitt investigates the scene and finds no one above suspicion. As his intense questioning causes many a composed facade to crumble, Pitt finds himself curiously drawn to pretty Charlotte Ellison. Yet, a romance between a society girl and so unsuitable a suitor was impossible in the midst of a murder....

Once again one of the wonderful things in Perry’s books is characterization and how she brings to life the Victorian world. The Ellison’s are a well off family, even if not noble and it’s members behave as true people of their time. I really liked Charlotte. She seemed so real, a woman of her time but constantly struggling with the injustices of the double standard of behaviour between man and woman and the moral standards of the time.

I also liked Inspector Pitt although we seem to know him a lot less. He keeps coming to the Ellison’s for more answers on the murder and at time possibly to see Charlotte. His appearance and questions force them to questions some of their acts and behaviour and makes Charlotte more and more aware of him. They come from 2 different worlds and I thought it was also interesting how we had some glimpses of those differences. It made me look forward to the next books to see how they deal with it.

The mystery was also interesting and unusual. There are several clues during the story but I never made sense of them till the murderer is discovered.

In a way I didn’t enjoy it as much as Face of a Stranger, possibly because there’s less introspection and I particularly liked that aspect of the book. But it was a wonderful Victorian mystery and I highly recommend it.


The books in this series in order are:

The Cater Street Hangman
Callander Square
Paragon Walk
Resurrection Row
Rutland Place
Bluegate Fields
Death in the Devil's Acre
Cardingtonn Crescent
Silence in Hanover Square
Bethlehem Road
Highgate Rise
Belgrave Square
Farriers' Lane
The Hyde Park Headsman
Traitor's Gate
Pentecost Alley
Ashworth Hall
Brunswick Gardens
Bedford Square
Half Moon Street
The Whitechapel Conspiracy
Southampton Row
Seven Dials
Long Spoon Lane

The Face of a Stranger - Anne Perry

This was my first read by Anne Perry. I had heard of her before but I only got really curious after Rosario started posting about her books and making them sound so interesting.

His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detective. His mirror reflects a face that women would like, but from the way people respond to him when he returns to the force, he senses that he has been more feared than loved.

The case Monk is given is particularly sensational one: the brutal murder of Major the Honourable Joscelin Grey, Crimean war hero and a popular man about town, in his rooms in fashionable Mecklenburg Square. It’s an assignment to make or break an investigator, for the exalted status of the victim puts any representative of the police in the precarious position of having to pry into a noble family’s secrets – and one made all the more difficult by the fact that Monk’s lost all his professional skills along with everything else. Suspecting that his superior, the wily Runcorn, hopes he will fail, he returns to a world where he cannot distinguish friend from foe, where he must grasp desperately for any clue to his own past and to the identity of the killer.

Slowly the darkness begins to lighten, as he recognizes traces of his forgotten life. The gentle beauty of a woman who seems to know him. The dangerous informers he tracks down in the city’s unsavory rookeries. The growing hostility from the dead man’s aristocratic family. The revulsion he feels when he enters the dead man’s rooms. And each new revelation lead’s Monk step by terrifying step to the answers he seeks but dreads to find.

The premise seemed a really interesting one, a man with amnesia tries to reconstruct his life and what he was without admitting to coworkers and family that he has lost his memory. Added to that is the fact that he is a police officer and is put in charge of a murder investigation as soon as he goes back to work.

It is as interesting to see Monk's investigation and it's development as it is to get to know him and his doubts about who he was before the accident. So there's quite a bit of introspection and self analisys in this book that I found very appealing as he tries to found out who he was by other people reactions.

The mystery is very well plotted and written. I would never have guessed what was behind it nor the murderer's motives. Rather than a general reason the murder is very much connected to the period of the time and Perry really brings to life that reality. It's fascinating to follow Monk through his investigation and uncover the clues that keep him, and us, guessing at the murder.

Another thing I greatly enjoyed was the set of secondary characters, especially Hester and Evans. I'm looking forward to start the next book in the series to see what awaits them in the future.