In the debut of the New York Times–bestselling Victorian crime series, Inspector Thomas Pitt seeks an elusive strangler among upper-class British society.
Panic and fear strike the Ellison household when one of their own falls prey to the Cater Street murderer. While Mrs. Ellison and her three daughters are out, their maid becomes the third victim of a killer who strangles young women with … strangles young women with cheese wire, leaving their swollen-faced bodies on the dark streets of this genteel neighborhood. Inspector Pitt, assigned to the case, must break through the walls of upper-class society to get at the truth. His in-depth investigation gradually peels away the proper veneer of the elite world, exposing secrets and desires until suspicion becomes more frightening than truth. Outspoken Charlotte Ellison, struggling to remain within the confining boundaries of Victorian manners, has no trouble expressing herself to the irritating policeman. As their relationship shifts from antagonistic sparring to a romantic connection, the socially mismatched pair must solve the mystery before the hangman strikes again.
Rich with authentic period details and blending suspenseful mystery with a budding romance between Inspector Pitt and Charlotte Ellison, The Cater Street Hangman launched the long-running series by Edgar Award–winning author Anne Perry, with recent titles including The Angel Court Affair and Treachery at Lancaster Gate. Also the creator of the William Monk Novels, Perry has become one of the great names in detective fiction. As the Philadelphia Inquirer says, “Pitt’s compassion and Charlotte’s cleverness make them compatible sleuths, as well as extremely congenial characters. . . . Perry has the gift of making [the Victorian era] seem immediate and very much alive.”
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Someone is killing young girls in the streets and Inspector Pitt is trying to find the killer when he meets Charlotte. Charlotte is finding secrets in her own family and out of it. Sara, her married sister, is one of the victims and everyone is a suspect. Charlotte begins to find about real life which she had been sheltered from her whole life. This is the fascinating start to an incredible series.
I enjoyed this first novel of the Charlotte and Inspector Pitt series! Perry knows how to write a convincing historical mystery! Loved all the period details.
Anne Perry weaves a story of fear with wonderful characters and a surprise ending. An excellent read!!
An excellent introduction to Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, setting the stage for future reference in subsequent novels, by introducing the main characters, time period, and sites for the future.
The First of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. It looked me into the author’s works. It also gives a taste of what life was like in that era.
Definitely want to read book #2 in the series.
A good read!
Good mystery, well set, on the light but pleasant side.
This book is one of the best mysteries I have ever read. It keeps your attention, and makes you want to go out and buy all of the remaining books in this series. Excellent read!
Tight storyline / interwoven with accurate representation of period mores and history
Loved the characters, Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. Prompted me to start reading other books in the series
The crimes are original, but the historical backgound of the late 1800’s is tragic and is in the background. This is a great series of books and I plan to read all of them.
Drivel
First of a great Victorian mystery series. Great period detail.
Love this book!!!
This is the first book in the Victorian-era Thomas Pitt detective series and it is one of my favorites. When a maid in the Ellison household is strangled, the third in a string of such murders, the family is introduced to Inspector Pitt and the skeletons start falling out of the closets. By the end of the story a romance is blooming between Charlotte Ellison and the inspector. However, this book is about so much more than finding a killer (I hadn’t a clue who it was–such a surprise!) as it also sets the stage for many delicious murder mysteries to come. The characters are wonderfully drawn and the setting is sketched in so deftly, one almost feels as if present. What I love most about Anne Perry’s books is how the murders always tie in with a social issue of the day. Therefore, one learns a bit of history–usually it pertains to an issue not much discussed in history books–in a very natural and pleasant-to-absorb manner. Once you begin this series you will fall into a whole new world of people, culture, mores, tea-taking, and fashion. It’s a delightful ride!
The Cater Street Hangman is an excellent beginning for the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. The characters are fully developed individuals, and Miss Perry’s research gives them the ideas and manners of the period. The plot is original, fast paced,and full of chilling events.
Great characters and plot. Kept me guessing. A real page turner
I liked the characters of Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. Two unlikely, and dissimilar people who get caught up in solving murders, only to find that maybe there is some common bond between the two. I like how the pairing of the two, make them better people.
enjoyed it as i do all of her books i read