Callander Square (1980)

The second Inspector Pitt Victorian murder mystery. Originally published 2008. Complex, slightly OTT plot about dead babies buried in the Square and murdered woman found in the garden of a house on the Square. Gripping. Read 20/9/2012. ( )

Great mystery with a bit of romance thrown in. ( )

This is the first of Ann Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries, and I have to say I was disappointed. Charlotte's sister seems poised to be a major (if annoying) character at the outset, but once she's served her purpose--getting Charlotte access to the wealthy residents of Callender Square--she drops out of the novel entirely.

There are also some big plot holes: initially, Thomas tries to shield Charlotte from the grisly infant deaths that set things in motion, but later they're talking openly about the case without any explanation. Similarly, Charlotte initially seems to be hiding the fact that she's working as a research assistant for one of the Callender Square gentlemen, but we learn in a passing comment later that Thomas knows what she's doing and is OK with it.

The characterization just seems inconsistent, and the tone uneven. I'll try another in this series, but maybe one of the later books, to see if some of these problems get ironed out eventually. ( )

Another good one. Just like the first in the series, you find out who done it in the last page or two, leaves it right to the end. Wonder if all her books are like this?

Her characters are excellent, even the incidental ones have stories to tell. Very strong. Guess that's why she's been writing and selling these things for 30 years. ( )

The second in Perry's lengthy series featuring Victorian police detective Pitt and his amateur sleuth wife Charlotte, and this is every bit as good as the first book. This case is opened when the bodies of two newborn babies are discovered in the communal gardens of the wealthy neighbourhood of Callander Square. Pitt is called in, and it's not long before Charlotte, and her younger sister Emily, are unofficially helping out. This instalment gives us the opportunity to find out a little more about Thomas Pitt, although the main characters are the potential suspects living in Callendar Square. I was pleased not to have a handle on who the murderer was and was vexed right up to the very end when his/her identity was revealed. Looking forward to getting stuck into the next one. ( )