Bethlehem Road - Anne Perry

   1990; 313 pages.  Book 10 (out of 32) in the “Charlotte and Thomas Pitt” series.  New Author? : No.  Genres : Murder-Mystery; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating : 7*/10.

 

    It was a gruesome murder, right there on Westminster Bridge.  The poor bloke first had his throat slashed, then he was tied up to a lamppost.  It made him look like he was leaning against it.

 

    But the real shocker was the fact that the dead man was a member of Parliament, and had been in a meeting there up until a few minutes ago.  The victim was literally walking home from work, even though it was late at night.

 

    For Inspector Thomas Pitt of the Bow Street Police Force, it means that there is tremendous pressure to solve the case, and fast.  The daily newspapers will be running screaming headlines, which will terrify lords and commoners.  Within 24 hours, everyone will be demanding this case be solved immediately.

 

    Sadly, Pitt’s investigation will find promising leads few and far between.  Can things get any worse?

 

    Well maybe.  Suppose a second M.P. (“Member of Parliament”) were to get killed in exactly the same way, while walking across Westminster Bridge, late at night, on his way home.

 

What’s To Like...

    I loved the historical fiction aspect of Bethlehem Road.  As a tourist, I’ve been to the area London portrayed here, but that was in the daytime and in sunshiny weather.  To be immersed in it in Victorian times, at night, and in pea soup fog, was quite different. 

 

    Politically, the Victorian-era England was at a crucial time.  Ireland was demanding independence. Movements were afoot for prison reform, “poor law” reform, and industrial reform.  Anarchists and socialists were carrying out acts of violence, and ordinary citizens chafed under the rigid social class system.  Perhaps most significant of all, the movement for equal rights for women, including the right to vote, was gathering a large number of grassroots supporters, including Charlotte Pitt.

 

    The action starts right away.  Hetty, a street prostitute, propositions the first victim, only to discover he’s dead as a doornail.  Inspector Thomas Pitt discovers there are all sorts of possible motives this murder, including political, familial, accidental, and psychiatric ones.  His wife, Charlotte, also gets drawn into the investigation without his knowledge, on behalf of a friend of one of the main suspects.

 

    There are a number of red herrings along the way for the reader and Thomas Pitt to come to grips with.  A couple of plot twists finally lead to a tension-filled ending, resolving both who was the so-called “Westminster Cutthroat”, and why they did it.  Overall, I’d call Bethlehem Road more of a police procedural than a whodunit.  More on this in a bit.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Kip (v.) : To take a nap; to sleep.

Others: Tweeny (n.).

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.4*/5, based on 1,636 ratings and 151 reviews.

    Goodreads: 3.97*/5, based on 4,620 ratings and 208 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “Anarchists?” Pitt pressed.

    Deacon shook his head.  “Nah!  This in’t the way their mind goes.  Stick a shiv in some geezer on Westminster Bridge!  Wot good’d that do ‘em?  They’d go for a bomb, summink showy.  Loves bombs, they do.  All talk, they are—never do nuffink so quiet.”

    “Then what is the word down here?”

    “Croaked by someone as ‘ated ‘him, personal like.”  Deacon opened his little eyes wide.  “In’t no flam—I makes me livin’ by blowin’, I’d be a muck sniped in a munf if I done that!  In’t quick enough to thieve no more.  I’d ‘ave ter try a scaldrum dodge, an that in’t no way ter live!”   (loc. 1046)

 

    “Who should she say she was searching for?  It must not be someone in such circulation that Zenobia should have found her for herself.  Ah!  Beatrice Allenby was just the person.  She had married a Belgian cheesemaker and gone to live in Bruges!  No one could be expected to know that as a matter of course.  And Mary Carfax would enjoy relating that: it was a minor scandal, girls of good family might marry German barons or Italian counts, but not Belgians, and certainly not cheesemakers of any sort!  (loc. 2535)

 

Kindle Details…

    Bethlehem Road presently sells for $8.99 at Amazon.  The other e-books in the series go anywhere from $1.99 to $12.99.  That price range also holds true for Anne Perry’s 24-book William Monk detective series, some of which I’ve read and enjoyed in the past.

 

 

“Those who hold power have never in all history been inclined to relinquish it willingly.”  (loc. 2957)

    There is only a negligible amount of cussing in Bethlehem Road.  I noted just five instances, all of them four-lettered words of the “mild” eschatological variety.

 

    There was one missing comma in the e-book format: “sorry constable”, and one spelling mangling: “Ametiryst/Amethyst”, but I have a feeling that second one was a scanning boo-boo.

 

    My biggest quibble with Bethlehem Road was the murder-mystery plotline.  For most of the book it felt like none of the suspects and leads were plausible.  The end of the book was looming, and magically, out of left field, comes a whole new, promising angle.  True, Thomas and the reader both have to pick up on this, but it was way too much of a convenient coincidence.  Curse those dei ex machina!

 

    So read this book for its excellent historical fiction insights and accept the fact that you and the Bow Street Police Department are not going to solve this mystery until the deus ex machina pops out of nowhere.

 

    Which is how police procedurals are usually structured.

 

    7 Stars.  One last bit of wit.  At one point Thomas Pitt requests some records from one of the suspects.  The man complies and will have copies made on something he calls “an awful contraption” and which “sounds like a hundred urchins in hobnail boots”.  What on earth is he talking about?

 

    A recently invented thing called a “typewriter.”

Seven Dials - Anne Perry

   2003; 330 pages.  Book #23 (out of 34) in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series.  New Author? : No.  Murder-Mystery, Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8½*/10.

    It was a simple case to investigate, really.  A minor British diplomat was shot, at 3:00 AM, in a backyard at Eden Lodge.  The gun of the woman living there was found beside the body.  She fully admits it belongs to her.  Someone phoned for the constables, and upon investigating, they found that someone had placed the corpse in a wheelbarrow.

   The constables caught the woman and an associate in the act of trying to move the wheelbarrow from the backyard to nearby Hyde Park.  Both freely admit they were endeavoring to dispose of the body.  The associate freely admits he’s a lover of the woman.  But he’s also an important cabinet minister, who’s involvement in the crime could become a major scandal for the beleaguered government.

    Pitt’s instructions are not to determine who killed the poor diplomat.  That seems obvious enough.  Instead, his orders are to try to find a way to keep the cabinet minister from becoming a national embarrassment.  That’s going to be quite the challenge for Pitt, since the minister fully admits his help in attempting to dispose of the body.  In fact, he’s willing to go to the gallows with his mistress.

    There’s just one hitch.  The woman isn’t talking, and the minister insists, despite what all the evidence indicates, that neither he nor the woman did the shooting.  If that’s true, then who did?  And who phoned the constables?

What’s To Like...

    Seven Dials is from Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, so while her husband is trying to keep his job and the government afloat, Charlotte becomes involved in a more mundane mystery – the brother of a friend of the Pitts’ maid Gracie has disappeared without a trace, and Charlotte takes it upon herself to find out why.  The book switches back and forth between the two storylines, which I didn't find confusing in the least.

    The books in this series are also Historical Fiction, set in Victorian London in the 1880-1890’s.  Anne Perry always does a great job of making the settings feel “real”, and here she broadens her scope to include Alexandria, Egypt back then, which was a huge treat.  I especially liked that Egypt was portrayed in a realistic, positive light – not the stereotypical “heathen Arabs” viewpoint.  The book’s title refers to a rough part of London where some of the events take place.  Seven Dials is not a section of town you want to find yourself in if you have any choice.

    The action starts right away; Pitt is summoned to the police station in the middle of the night and assigned the case.  There are a slew of characters to meet and greet, and that’s okay since a sufficient number of suspects are needed to make both Thomas’s and Charlotte’s investigations interesting.  I liked Pitts’ boss – Inspector Victor Narraway – for his “grayness” of character.  And dear old Aunt Vespasia was as incisive as ever.

    The ending of Seven Dials is superb.  As usual, everything comes to a head at a court trial for the two accused murderers.  Twists and revelations abound in the court proceedings, and the ending is both surprising and logical, and didn’t feel a bit “forced” to me.

    Seven Dials is a standalone novel, as well as part of a series.  I’m not reading these books in order, nor those of Anne Perry’s other murder-mystery series, featuring William Monk, and I don’t feel like I’m missing much by not doing so.

Kewlest New Word. . .

Bubble and squeak (phrase, Britishism) : cooked cabbage with cooked potatoes and often meat.

Others : Winkle (n.); Circumlocutory (adj., and a great word); Dissimulation (n.); Mews (n., Britishism);  Impecunious (adj).

Excerpts...

    “If you wish for my assistance you had better tell me what it is you require to know.  I am not acquainted with the unfortunate young Egyptian woman who appears to have shot Lieutenant Lovat.  It seems an uncivilized and inefficient way to discard an unwanted lover.  A firm rebuff is usually adequate, but if not, there are still less hysterical ways of achieving the same end.  A clever woman can organize her lovers to dispose of each other, without breaking the law.”  (pg. 44)

    “Ferdinand Garrick is what some people refer to as a ‘muscular Christian,’ my dear,” she continued.  “He eats healthily, exercises too much, enjoys being too cold, and makes everyone else in his establishment equally uncomfortable.  He denies himself and everybody else, imagines himself closer to God for it.  Like castor oil, he may on some occasion be right, but he is extremely difficult to like.”  (pg. 169)

No one wishes for impecunious relatives, however distant, still less for ones with distressing taste in clothes.  (pg. 166 )

    The quibbles are minor.  Most of the servants in the book speak in Cockney, which I don't doubt is historically accurate.  It was fun to "hear" the accent at first, but after a while it got tedious for me, especially since it seemed like the conversations were worded to emphasize the differences.

    The storyline also dragged a bit in the first half, as Charlotte and Thomas both seemed to be making little progress beyond meeting lots of new suspects.  But things pick up nicely in mid-book, and let’s face it, lots of investigations in real life experience phases of small progress despite great effort.

    Finally, the two seemingly disparate storylines eventually cross paths,.  The odds of this happening in real life are of course slim, but here it makes for a better, more coherent tale, so we’ll look the other way.

    8½ Stars.  Don’t be dissuaded by my quibbling.  I thoroughly enjoyed Seven Dials, both as a murder-mystery and a piece of historical fiction.  Amazon quite often discounts Anne Perry books, and my local Goodwill stores seem to always have a couple at next to nothing in cost.  So do yourself a literary favor, and go pick up one of her books today.

Execution Dock - Anne Perry

   2009; 311 pages. New Author? : No.  Genre : Historical Crime  Fiction.  Overall Rating :8*/10.

    Justice.  It can be a little “gray” at times.  For instance, everyone agrees that Jericho Phillips is a monster of a human being, catering to the pedophilic and pornographic tastes of some powerful clients.  So when Commander of the River Police William Monk finally catches him and runs him in for the murder of young boy, does he deserve a fair trial, or should he just be strung up peremptorily?

    Surprisingly, Monk and the topnotch lawyer Sir Oliver Rathbone have differing views on this.  But when Rathbone is hired to defend Jericho, Monk isn’t worried.  Surely there are no holes in his investigation, are there?  And even if there are holes, surely the jury won’t find Jericho innocent and send him back on the streets to molest more boys, would they?

What’s To Like...

     Execution Dock has an unusual structure for Anne Perry, who swaps in her usual whodunit format for a probing look at what constitutes justice in 1864 London.  She also examines hero-worship, in this case, Monk’s obsession with clearing his (recently deceased) predecessor’s only open case – the murder of the boy Fig, by (presumably) Jericho Phillips.  But the late Commander Durban had secrets of his own, which might come to light if Monk insists on continuing the investigation.

    The book has a very James Bond-ish start – a mad chase up and down the river and docks of the Thames trying to capture Phillips.  Things settle down after that, but there’s a nice balance of History and Mystery to keep you entertained.  And there’s a nice human interest story as Monk and his wife take in a young waif, Scuff, off the streets.  Methinks there’s an adoption on the horizon.

    The theme of the book – child pornography – will be off-putting to some readers, but Anne Perry handles the subject deftly and with only a minimum of lurid sensationalism.  The book closes with a short, mock interview of Monk by the author, which I found to be amusing.

Excerpts...

    As he left his emotions were tangled.  He walked warily along the narrow street, keeping to the middle, away from the alley entrances and sunken doorways.

    What was the difference between one blackmail and another?  Was it of kind, or only of degree?  Did the purpose justify it?

    He did not even have to think about that.  If he could save any child from Phillips, he would, without a thought for the morality of his actions. But did that make him a good policeman or not?  He felt uncomfortable, unhappy, uncertain in his judgment.  (pg. 177)

    “At dinner we will all sit where we are directed, according to rank, and I have had occasion to sit opposite Mr. Ballinger, and listen to him speak.”

    It was an unknown world to him.  “Listen ter ‘im speak?” he asked.

    “It is not appropriate for ladies to speak too much at the table,” she explained.  “They should listen, respond appropriately, and ask after interests, welfare, and so on.  If a gentleman wishes to talk, and usually they do, you listen as if fascinated, and never ask questions to which you suspect he does not know the answer.  He will almost certainly not listen to you, but he will certainly look at you closely, if you are young and pretty.”  (pg. 283)

 “No man of honor does only what is comfortable  to him.”  (pg.  69)

        The ending, like the beginning, is action-packed, and the investigation builds up logically to it.  It felt a bit “rushed” to me, but it does tie up the main issue – that of Jericho Phillips - satisfactorily.  There are some loose ends left over, but it is my understanding that Execution Dock and the next book in the William Monk series, Acceptable Loss, form a sort of mini-duology within the larger series.  We shall see; the latter is on my TBR shelf.

    I enjoy Anne Perry books as much for historical setting (Victorian London), as for the crime-solving itself.  And when she deals with issues of the day – justice, the poor, pornography, women’s rights -  that’s just an added delight.

    8 Stars.  Another solid effort from Ms. Perry.

Defend and Betray - Anne Perry

    1992; 428 pages.  Book #3 (out of 17) in the "William Monk" series.  New Author? : No.  Genre : Crime Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    Oh my!  Someone has pushed General Thaddeus Carlyon over the banister at the top of the stairs and right down onto a suit of armor (see bookcover).  And with that halberd sticking up in the air.  Fortunately, all that did was daze him.  Until the murderer came downstairs, picked up the halberd, and buried it in his chest.

    Who would do such a dastardly deed?  His wife, that's who. She's confessed to the killing, and said she did it because he was having an affair.

    It's all cut and dried.  Why would anyone think otherwise?  That's what Investigator William Monk wants to find out.

What's To Like...
    There are three "stars" here : Investigator Monk, the barrister Oliver Rathbone, and nurse Hester Latterly.  They all share equal billing, and yet they all have their limitations.  Monk is shrewd, but he's impatient and surly when questioning people - not a good way to get them to talk.  Rathbone seems brilliant - until you meet his father.   And Hester is probably the sharpest of the three, but this is 1857 Victorian England, and women are expected to not be sharp.

    Defend and Betray has a "cozy" start - the murder and confession have already taken place as the book opens.  That's means there's little if any action, and a lot of telling-not-showing as first Rathbone, then Monk, and in some cases also Hester, question each suspect.  You may be tempted to put the book down about halfway through.

    That would be a mistake.  The story builds to the stunning climax, Mrs. Carlyon's trial, and confessed murderess or no, Anne Perry chronicles that whole proceeding with a powerful pen.  It may or may not be realistic (I have no idea what would or would not be allowed in a Victorian courtroom), but the ending will move you.

Kewlest New Word...
Discommoded : inconvenienced; put to trouble.

Excerpts...
    He was normally somewhat nervous of women, having spent most of his life in the company of men and having been taught that the gentle sex was different in every respect, requiring treatment incomprehensible to any but the most sensitive of men.  He was delighted to find Hester intelligent, not given to fainting or taking offense where it was not intended, not seeking compliments at every turn, never giggling, and best of all, quite interested in military tactics, a blessing he could hardly believe.  (pg. 11)

    "I am a servant, Mr. Lovat-Smith," she replied with dignity.  "We have a peculiar position - not quite people, not quite furniture.  We are often party to extraordinary scenes because we are ignored in the house, as if we had not eyes or brains.  People do not mind us knowing things, seeing things they would be mortified to have their friends see." (pg. 398)

"Death is often absurd.  People are absurd.  I am!"  (pg. 27)
    D&B is not really a whodunit; it's more of a whydunit.  And on a deeper level, Anne Perry asks an unsettling question - are there times when embarrassing family secrets should be kept secret?  If someone is willing to sacrifice her life to protect innocent victims from public humiliation, is it better to stand back, remain silent, and let her take the fall?

    The last third of the book more than compensates for the rather pedestrian pace of the first part. You will find Defend and Betray to be a riveting read.  But only if you finish it.  8 Stars.

The Silent Cry - Anne Perry

1997; 356 pages.  Book #8 of the William Monk series.  Genre : Murder-Mystery.  Overall Rating : 7*/10.

    Two bodies are discovered in the dead of night in one of the toughest, seediest slums of London.  They've been savagely beaten; one is dead and the other is just barely clinging to life.  Well, these things happen in St. Giles.

    But there are a couple odd things.  The two men are richly dressed.  What would they be doing in such a neighborhood?  And they turn out to be father and son.  And as the investigation proceeds, it appears they were fighting each other.  Could the son have murdered his father?

What's To Like...
    The Silent Cry is my introduction to William Monk, and I like him.  He's short on charm, yet has a certain persuasiveness about him.  He sometimes reaches wrong conclusions.  He quit the police force in a huff some time back, but due to a bout of amnesia, he doesn't know why.  Best of all, he's not burnt out.

    The setting - London in 1860 - is nicely done.  The historical fiction is convincing, without distracting from the plot itself.  There is a running storyline in this series (now up to 17 books), but this is also a stand-alone book.

    The mystery unfolds nicely.  There are three main good guys - the investigator William Monk, the cop John Evan, and the nurse Hester Latterly.  They all seem to be working on spearate cases, but you know they're going to converge at some point, and Anne Perry carries this out seamlessly.

Kewlest New Word...
Running Patterer : a street peddler, specifically one who tries to sell his wares via long, glib, entertaining spiels on public thoroughfares.

Excerpts...
    She was also to keep his room warm and pleasant for him, and to read to him should he show any desire for it.  The choice of material was to be made with great care.  There must be nothing disturbing, either to the emotions or to the intellect, and nothing which would excite him or keep him from as much rest as he was able to find.  In Hester's view, that excluded almost everything that was worthy of either the time or effort of reading.  If it did not stir the intellect, the emotions or the imagination, what point was there in it?  Should she read him the railway timetable?  (pgs. 38-39)

    "'Ow do I know?  I seen lots o' geezers wot don't belong 'ere, but usual yer knows wot they're 'ere for.  Reg'lar brothels or gamblin', or ter 'ock summink as they daren't 'ock closer ter 'ome."  (pg. 185)

"The wisest thing ... is to accept blindness and not either to blame yourself or to blame others too much."  (pg. 120)
    The Silent Cry is an entertaining read, but problems arise when you begin to analyze the technical aspects of the mystery.  For starters, the victim/suspect's injuries render him unable to speak or write; so he is reduced to nodding his head yes or no.  But couldn't Nurse Hester point to letters or words on a chalkboard to improve his communications abilities?  And if he wasn't inclined to communicate, why give him those injuries in the first place?

    There are at least three other similar inconsistencies, but since they border on being spoilers, I'll list them in the Comments section of this post.

    Also, the ending is a bit weak.  The mystery is solved; the innocent defendant is exonerated.   But the real perps are not apprehended, and therefore we don't get the dramatic (albeit hackneyed) confession from the guilty as to why they did it.
   
    The Silent Cry is not a bad story, but it could've been so much better if the last 50 pages of it had been tightened up.  I blame the editor.  7 Stars.

The Hyde Park Headsman - Anne Perry

1994; 343 pages.  Genre : Murder Mystery.  New Author? : Yes.  Book #14 (out of 27) in the "Charlotte & Thomas Pitt" series.  Overall Rating : 7½*/10.

    With the unsolved Jack-the-Ripper murders still fresh in their minds, Londoners now face a new terror.  Someone keeps dumping decapitated bodies in Hyde Park at night.  The public and the elected officials want newly-promoted Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt to catch the murderer, and pronto.  Pitt has one thing going for him - at least the perpetrator has the decency to deposit the severed heads beside their torsos.

What's To Like...
   The action gets going immediately; by page 2 we have a victim (in two parts), and a hysterical populace.  The backstory was confusing for a while, especially trying to keep the women straight.  There's Charlotte and Caroline, Vespasia and Gracie, Emily and Grandmomma.  But once you get the cast squared away, things chug along nicely.

    The series takes place in Victorian (1890's) London, and I'm partial to murder/mysteries set in historical times.  The setting is for the most part handled well.  There are lots of bodies, lots of heads, lots of suspects, and lots of secrets.  Not all the pleasant characters are innocent, and not all of the unpleasant ones are guilty.  Pitt's assistant, Tellman, is a particularly interesting study - he's initially jealous and surly, but gradually he and Pitt learn to work together.

Kewlest New Word...
Consanguinity : related by blood.  (I guess I cooda figured that one out)

Excerpts...
    "What else do you know about it?" Pitt asked, looking up at Grover and leaning back in his chair...
    "Sir?"  Grover raised his eyebrows.
    "What did the medical officer say?" Pitt prompted.
    "Died of 'avin' 'is 'ead cut orf," Grover replied, lifting his chin a little.  (page 3)

    "Good God, man!  What is the world coming to when such an act can be perpetrated in a public place in London, and men see it and do nothing!  What is happening to us?"  His face was growing darker as the blood suffused his cheeks.  "One expects barbarity in heathen countries, outposts of the Empire, but not here in the heart and soul of a civilized land!"  (pg. 45)

"With a twisted cue and a cloth untrue, and elliptical billiard balls,
My object all sublime, I shall achieve in time..."  (pg. 246)
     The Hyde Park Headsman has the curious distinction at Amazon of having all the reviewers giving it one to three stars.  No 4* and no 5* ratings.  Wow.

    I'll grant this isn't a masterpiece.  Pitt questions lots of people, the bodies pile up, but you don't get the feeling that the story is progressing.  The key break is what I call a "Cold Case Moment" (*).  The ending has a nice twist or two, but still feels arbitrary.  Worst of all, it never is answered why the killer keeps transporting the bodies to Hyde Park; they aren't killed there.

    Still, it was captivating enough to keep me turning the pages.  Thomas Pitt won't supplant Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes as my favorite Victorian sleuth, but who will?  I'll probably buy a couple more of Anne Perry's novels the next time I'm at the used-book store.  7½ Stars.

(*) : Cold Case Moment.  Named because it got to where every Cold Case episode had one.  The detectives would be questioning someone, and it would go like this :
Detective :  "Yadda yadda.  Blah blah.  Hey, why are you wearing that odd pin on your jacket?"
Suspect (staring wistfully at the sky) : "It brings back memories, man."
Detective : "Oh. Yadda yadda.  Blah blah."

    See, the problem is - that would never be part of the dialogue unless it was the key break.  So even though Cold Case could go on another 40 minutes, you always knew they'd get back to this eventually, and use it to solve the murder.  Good murder-mysteries use this device to introduce red herrings.  Not-as-good murder mysteries use it to point straight to the perp.