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cutenanya's review against another edition
3.0
The case itself is okay though I think it becomes easy to guess who dun it. Most problematic though is the romance part. It's a bit too abrupt.
mirrorofneptune's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
3.75
I really enjoyed this mystery! The setting was engrossing and Charlotte was a delight as a protagonist. She and Pitt complement each other well as a duo, and the author worked in some social commentary as Charlotte learns from him about the less privileged parts of her society. Other characters aside from the main duo, such as Charlotte's family members, get a healthy amount of characterization as well, which was nice to see. I will definitely continue with this series.
le_corbeau_romantique's review against another edition
4.0
Ending abrupt but I think this series is a keeper!
anniemd's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
saldragski's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
castiel67's review against another edition
3.0
Delightfully written, nice quick read. Wish I had heard of Perry before
billymac1962's review against another edition
3.0
I had mixed feelings reading this.
You know the story of Anne Perry, right? World famous writer of mysteries set against the backdrop of Victorian London? Well, back in 1994 mystery readers around the world were knocked off their collective feet from the revelations brought forth from the movie Heavenly Creatures, which revealed that Anne Perry was Juliet Hulme, who at age 15 helped her best friend murder her mother.
Now, London in the late 1880s is one of my favourite settings for story. I mean, come on, Jack the Ripper? Gas Lights? Fog? Talk about atmosphere.
This series had been flitting about my radar for years, and lately I looked a little closer to see that for the most part, it is pretty acclaimed, as is her William Monk series set in an earlier time period.
So it was settled. I decided to check out the first book in this series. At the root of it, I am a selfish reader, and if these are great, I'll deal with my conscience.
I was enjoying it somewhat, the characters were quite well done, the story was very good, and the mystery was fine. Yet, throughout reading this, a bit of guilt was setting in, so I searched out some interviews with Ms Perry and found a couple where she had addressed the murder all those years ago, hoping to find genuine remorse, thus alleviating my conscience over patronizing a convicted murderer.
I found no remorse. In fact, from what I read, she seems to have let the past stay where it belongs and frankly, what happened, happened. My impression, anyway. I don't personally know the lady.
This disappointed me a bit, but I was into the story, and so I finished it.
Now look above where I mention how much I love the setting of 1880s London. Despite everything that was good about this book, story, pretty good characters, the one thing that was sorely lacking was, remarkably, atmosphere.
The attitudes of the time and social mores are conveyed to the reader almost exclusively via dialogue, making this a fast read. But Perry makes very little effort to immerse the reader into this time and place. At least she missed the mark with me. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Sarah Waters (Fingersmith) and Sarah Pinborough (Mayhem and Murder). Both are Sarahs. How about that.
Anyways, those two excellent Sarahs totally immersed me in this rich timescape and Perry? Not so much.
Oh, also there was this:
A sister is brutally murdered and within a day the other two sisters accept marriage proposals. In the words of Ben Rolfe in Burnt Offerings, "Life sure as hell goes on, doesn't it, Marian?"
...which was ridiculous.
Three stars for what it was, and what it wasn't.
And I will not likely continue and will enjoy a clear conscience.
You know the story of Anne Perry, right? World famous writer of mysteries set against the backdrop of Victorian London? Well, back in 1994 mystery readers around the world were knocked off their collective feet from the revelations brought forth from the movie Heavenly Creatures, which revealed that Anne Perry was Juliet Hulme, who at age 15 helped her best friend murder her mother.
Now, London in the late 1880s is one of my favourite settings for story. I mean, come on, Jack the Ripper? Gas Lights? Fog? Talk about atmosphere.
This series had been flitting about my radar for years, and lately I looked a little closer to see that for the most part, it is pretty acclaimed, as is her William Monk series set in an earlier time period.
So it was settled. I decided to check out the first book in this series. At the root of it, I am a selfish reader, and if these are great, I'll deal with my conscience.
I was enjoying it somewhat, the characters were quite well done, the story was very good, and the mystery was fine. Yet, throughout reading this, a bit of guilt was setting in, so I searched out some interviews with Ms Perry and found a couple where she had addressed the murder all those years ago, hoping to find genuine remorse, thus alleviating my conscience over patronizing a convicted murderer.
I found no remorse. In fact, from what I read, she seems to have let the past stay where it belongs and frankly, what happened, happened. My impression, anyway. I don't personally know the lady.
This disappointed me a bit, but I was into the story, and so I finished it.
Now look above where I mention how much I love the setting of 1880s London. Despite everything that was good about this book, story, pretty good characters, the one thing that was sorely lacking was, remarkably, atmosphere.
The attitudes of the time and social mores are conveyed to the reader almost exclusively via dialogue, making this a fast read. But Perry makes very little effort to immerse the reader into this time and place. At least she missed the mark with me. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Sarah Waters (Fingersmith) and Sarah Pinborough (Mayhem and Murder). Both are Sarahs. How about that.
Anyways, those two excellent Sarahs totally immersed me in this rich timescape and Perry? Not so much.
Oh, also there was this:
Spoiler
A sister is brutally murdered and within a day the other two sisters accept marriage proposals. In the words of Ben Rolfe in Burnt Offerings, "Life sure as hell goes on, doesn't it, Marian?"
...which was ridiculous.
Three stars for what it was, and what it wasn't.
And I will not likely continue and will enjoy a clear conscience.
aripepper's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
katelynne's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0