Not bad at all. An intriguing concept--the main character is a detective who has lost his memory--is given a workman-like treatment. Perry's work will please most mystery fans, especially those who like period pieces, as this is set in the 19th century, which Perry captures well. None of those glaring errors of speech will be seen here. ( )

The first Anne Perry book I read was _Seven Dials_, which, at least at the time, was the latest one to be published. And this is the first. It was an interesting juxtaposition.

Perry developed the tension nicely, making nearly every "named" male in the plot a likely suspect. I won't tell you who my favorite one was, or whether I was correct or not....

A fun, quick read.

A great start to a great series. I've read several in this series and always wondered how a respectable Victorian lady ended up marrying an impoverished policeman outside her class. Not only does this first book in Anne Perry's Inspector Pitt series fill in this gap but also evokes the Victorian era so well and leads us to a surprise ending to a series of murders of young women. ( )

The Ellison family is just like most of the other upper class families in Victorian London, the men busy about their business or spending time at their "clubs" while the women busy themselves with social calls, genteel pursuits and household management. The garroting murder of the first young lady in Cater street barely made a ripple in the parlors of the neighborhood because she was, after all, only a maid and very likely was socializing with dubious characters from the slums. But the second victim was a young woman of genteel birth, a member of their own social circle, and her brutal death couldn't be ignored. When the third victim was the Ellison's own maid, the horror barged into the drawing room and demanded their full attention, crumbling the delicate facade and exposing facts that none of those genteel ladies had ever dreamed possible. And the persistent questioning of the awkward police detective, Inspector Pitt, brings him into closer and closer contact with the middle daughter of the Ellison family until Charlotte has to admit to herself that he cannot be ignored any longer, either.

This was a smashing beginning to what promises to be a very entertaining and thought provoking series. The mismatched leading characters are intriguing and the author writes with just enough suspense to keep me guessing almost to the very end. Good book! ( )

Sort of Pride and Prejudice with murders. The police inspector investigating the murders of four women and becomes sweet on one of the sisters of a wealthy family whose maid was killed. Anyway, he keeps finding reasons to call back to the house, they find it intrusive and rude because he's not of their class. ( )