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9th out of 89 books
—
35 voters
Half Moon Street (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #20)
by
Anne Perry
For superintendent Thomas Pitt, the sight of the dead man riding the morning tide of the Thames is unforgettable. He lies in a battered punt drifting through the morning mist, his arms and legs chained to the boat's sides. He is clad in a torn green gown and flowers bestrew his battered body.
Pitt's determined search for answers to the victim's identity leads him deep into...more
Pitt's determined search for answers to the victim's identity leads him deep into...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
January 2nd 2001
by Ballantine Books
(first published March 1st 1998)
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Twentieth installment in the series--and this one raises interesting philosophical questions. Charlotte is off enjoying Paris, while Gracie has the children on a holiday at the seaside, so Thomas is left at home (with the two cats) to deal with this onewith the help of his assistant Tellman and Charlotte's mother, Caroline.
We get some fascinating background story and character development for crotchety old Mrs. Elison, Caroline's mother-in-law from hell. There is also a mysterious relative arriv...more
We get some fascinating background story and character development for crotchety old Mrs. Elison, Caroline's mother-in-law from hell. There is also a mysterious relative arriv...more
I am a pretty hard book critic. I give very few 5 star ratings and only a few 4's. Most of mine are in the 3 star category and this is one included in that rating. Most people who have read it gave it a 4. I won't go into detail because there are twists and turns in this story that would be spoilers if I told them. Anne Perry is a good writer. This is the first of her books that I have read. I must admit that I am a prude and in some ways this book shocked me. It wasn't crude for crude's sake, b...more
This author was highlighted at the library, and I picked this one up, thinking to find a light fun mystery set in Victorian England, maybe reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes. And it was a good mystery, but it contained a large part of the book that was deeper, looking into censorship, pushing boundaries, and in the harm that can be done when rebelling against traditional views is done without thought of consequences or repercussions. A pleasant surprise. I might read more from this author.
I wa sreally suprised by this book because what seemed to be an ordinary criminal history set in the 19th century turned out to be an overwhelmingly written story about Victorian moral ideas and how they change and influence people.
The underlying story about pornography, murder and photography accompanied it very well, but really this book is not worth reading for the mystery but for its really fine descriptions of the tension that moral ideas and their real "counterparts" create in all of us.
The underlying story about pornography, murder and photography accompanied it very well, but really this book is not worth reading for the mystery but for its really fine descriptions of the tension that moral ideas and their real "counterparts" create in all of us.
This was a very different Anne Perry novel. It was written very well, delving into the characters' minds and into the ways of thinking during the Victorian era. It focuses heavily on the issues of censorship and what was considered vulgar and about how new thoughts and beliefs are created, especially through photography and theater. Pitt does not seem to be the focus of the story, but rather the characters of Grandmama and her daughter-in-law Carolyn and how they dealt with these issues as women...more
Another typical Perry book. This one was different in that it was Pitt and his Mother in law working together as opposed to the usual Pitt and his wife (who was out of town). The theme was the tragedy of making a personal crusade without stopping to consider all possible effects. The ending was a bit overly melodramatic, even for Perry.
I have always enjoyed Perry's Victorian period mysteries and they usually get a 3 or 4 rating. This one gets an extra rating for all the subplots going on as the mystery unfolds. Early photography as an artistic endeavor then as a way to sell pornography, theatre to show the new ideas developing about women and their position in society and in their own families, censorship versus the sharing of forbiddentopics to the harm that can come from unrestricted expression. A wonderful way to get into t...more
Book #20 in the series: Pitt investigates the murder of a man who is posed in a strange fashion and left to float down the Thames in a boat. In an interesting twist, Perry creates an interesting backstory to explain why Mrs. Ellison is always so disagreeable.
Read if you like mystery and/or historical fiction.
Read if you like mystery and/or historical fiction.
The death of a photographer leads Superintendent Thomas Pitt to some of the sexual secrets concealed behind the public mask of Victorian morality. At the same time, his mother-in-law learns about some shameful family secrets. I missed Pitt's wife Charlotte, who was vacationing in Paris.
It was a pretty good whodunit. I felt the emotional struggle and detail regarding the nature of peoples private lives was over explored for this genre. True detective fiction really has nothing to do with all of that. I was very disppointed to encounter so much politics in this.
Another in the Thomas Pitt series. A master of mysteries set in Victorian London, this is another of Anne Perry's good reads. It is historically fascinating and descriptive of life in Victorian era. Touches on distorted passions that lead to the same crimes experienced today.
I found the mystery interesting enough, if a bit slow moving. The world Anne Perry paints fascinates the Victorian fetishist (no pun intended) in me, particularly the parts where the art of photography and transgressive theatre are explored. However, the moralizing tone the author uses when discussing issues like censorship was difficult to ignore. Had there been less pontificating, the final reveal wouldn’t have felt forced and uncomfortably pointed. The red herring is also kind of pointless–I...more
It was a book that made me thing about the unfairness of the class system England had. It also had some surprising stuff in it about dealing with abuse and thinking mentally healthy. Kinda different stuff from what I'd expect in a mystery book.
I love Anne Perry's Victorian mystery series, as well as her newer WWI series. Great period detail and wonderful characters. I am currently working my way through the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series for the second time.
This is my first Anne Perry novel and I did enjoy it. I really like the Victorian era point of view learning their values and way of life. This story had a strong them about the values and women and their rights, standing up for themselves. It is really something it has taken so long for women to get the respect they deserve and we are still working on that, in some respects, today. It was written with two stories going on at the same time to eventually blend with the mystery being very interest...more
I love following along the lives of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and see how the cases that Thomas takes get solved. Charlotte from Paris helped with some information unwittingly in this book.
I love Anne Perry's novels, all of them, for the vitality and complexity of her characters and her keen depiction of 19th century England. If only there were more than the great stack I've read.
This was an interesting book in the series because it's very different from the others. There's interesting backstory about Pitt's mother-in-law, Caroline, and her mother-in-law. Also, because Charlotte was out of town, she wasn't involved in solving the case. Overall, it was a nice change of pace in the series.
While his wife, Charlotte, is in Paris, Thomas must deal with the death of a photographer, pornography, women's rights, etc. Good character study of Thomas's mother-in-law Caroline.
I like mystery novels. I am picky about the subject matter.
One of the reasons I like Anne Perry's novels is because they qualify as "safe" reading for me. There is little, if any rough language or graphic anything in them. Don't take that to mean they're boring or uneventful. Anne Perry writes page turners. I never seem to be able to quite pin down who done it before I get to the end of her stories. I like the on-going characters that appear and reappear in these stories. This one involves the m...more
One of the reasons I like Anne Perry's novels is because they qualify as "safe" reading for me. There is little, if any rough language or graphic anything in them. Don't take that to mean they're boring or uneventful. Anne Perry writes page turners. I never seem to be able to quite pin down who done it before I get to the end of her stories. I like the on-going characters that appear and reappear in these stories. This one involves the m...more
I was so excited. This was an old Anne Perry book I had not read. It really made you think of the limitations for women in Victorian times.
This was not a great book. Anne Perry reaches to the dark side of human behavior to see the evil that leads to murder. This story fell flat. It did not have the shock value it was meant to have but it certainly would have at the turn of the century.
One of her favorite themes ... breaking someone's ideals leaves them broken somehow inside.
This is the first Anne Perry book that I didn't really enjoy. I didn't like the subject matter.
I loved this one. It went more into depth about Caroline and Joshua and old Mrs. Ellison.
One of the best books I have read this year by far. Very cleverly constructed and more than exceeded my expectations for "pop" fiction.
This is my kind of book. 19th century London and a good ripping mystery. No pun intended.
stupid, boring, long-winded book!! So little about the murder it was annoying
Not to be confused with ANN Perry of Detective Monk fame!!
Victorian murder mystery with all the fog and gas light to really set the mood.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Anne Perry (born Juliet Hulme) is a British historical novelist.
Juliet took the name "Anne Perry", the latter being her stepfather's surname. Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published under this name in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several cate...more
More about Anne Perry...
Anne Perry (born Juliet Hulme) is a British historical novelist.
Juliet took the name "Anne Perry", the latter being her stepfather's surname. Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published under this name in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several cate...more
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“He was perfectly capable of looking after himself, although after his marriage he had lost the knack for it. He missed the comfort of all the small things Charlotte did for him,but these were nothing compared to the loneliness. There was no one to talk to, with whom to share his feelings, to laugh, or to simply speak of the day.
And he missed the sound of the children's voices, giggling, their running footsteps, their incessant questions and demands for his attention or approval. No one interrupted to say "Look at me, Papa" or "What is this for?" or "What does this mean?" or the favorite "Why?" Peace was not peace anymore, it was simply silence.”
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And he missed the sound of the children's voices, giggling, their running footsteps, their incessant questions and demands for his attention or approval. No one interrupted to say "Look at me, Papa" or "What is this for?" or "What does this mean?" or the favorite "Why?" Peace was not peace anymore, it was simply silence.”
Nov 08, 2011 02:01pm