Rating: 
Summary: life and (gruesome) deaths in late Victorian London...
Review: 'The Cater Street Hangman' is my first foray into the world of Anne Perry mysteries. The book generally lived up to my expectations: a well-structured murder mystery which keeps the readers guessing to the last page. Fans of such 'page-turner' reads will love this book.The story is about a series of murders through strangulation (using a piece of wire) on an unassuming street in London. The victims are all women positioned low on the social ladder. One family living on the street has their lives turned upside-down with worry and suspicion. Fortunately one member of that family, a young women named Charlotte, and a talented police inspector (Thomas Pitt) are able to work together to solve the murders. Believable? Not terribly. But a fun, fast read. On the negative side I find Ms. Perry's handling of Victorian era societal issues to be a bit simplistic. Those wanting to know more about late Victorian life should read the works by George Gissing. And those who want to read a great Victorian-era mystery should look to the works of Wilkie Collins, with his 'The Woman in White' being his best. Bottom line: a murder mystery that will keep you guessing. Lightweight, but fun. (PS - I found one strange historical faux pas in this book. Completely unrelated to the story, the author has a Charlotte's mother looking at her wedding photograph taken 30 years early. This would mean wedding photos were taken in 1850. Even if such a thing were possible, which I strongly doubt, it would not have been available to middle-income people.)
Rating:
Summary: life and (gruesome) deaths in late Victorian London...
Review: 'The Cater Street Hangman' is my first foray into the world of Anne Perry mysteries. The book generally lived up to my expectations: a well-structured murder mystery which keeps the readers guessing to the last page. Fans of such 'page-turner' reads will love this book. The story is about a series of murders through strangulation (using a piece of wire) on an unassuming street in London. The victims are all women positioned low on the social ladder. One family living on the street has their lives turned upside-down with worry and suspicion. Fortunately one member of that family, a young women named Charlotte, and a talented police inspector (Thomas Pitt) are able to work together to solve the murders. Believable? Not terribly. But a fun, fast read. On the negative side I find Ms. Perry's handling of Victorian era societal issues to be a bit simplistic. Those wanting to know more about late Victorian life should read the works by George Gissing. And those who want to read a great Victorian-era mystery should look to the works of Wilkie Collins, with his 'The Woman in White' being his best. Bottom line: a murder mystery that will keep you guessing. Lightweight, but fun. (PS - I found one strange historical faux pas in this book. Completely unrelated to the story, the author has a Charlotte's mother looking at her wedding photograph taken 30 years early. This would mean wedding photos were taken in 1850. Even if such a thing were possible, which I strongly doubt, it would not have been available to middle-income people.)
Rating: 
Summary: A good book---but a terrible series
Review: ...That said, The Cater Street Hangman is enjoyable. The mystery is good-it's genuinely unclear who has been killing women in the area around Cater Street. And the characters, at least in this novel, are actually somewhat realistic. Charlotte, her heroine, is a bit tedious in her self-righteousness but Thomas Pitt, the inspector who is investigating the murders in the neighborhood in which Charlotte lives with her parents and sisters, is a good foil. He is straight-forward, unapologetic and seems curiously immune from the usual fallout created by the Victorian class system. I especially liked Emily, Charlotte's younger and highly ambitious sister. The Ellisons, Emily's and Charlotte's family are genteelly middle-class but Emily intends to marry up-and she manages to achieve it-even as the world in which the Ellisons live falls apart when a killer begins stalking the Ellisons and their neighbors....
Rating: 
Summary: Eternal gratitude to A&E for introducing me to Anne Perry
Review: After I saw "The Cater Street Hangman" on A&E, I immediately rushed out to the library and devoured every Perry novel I could get my hands on. This book is enthralling, as much as a study of Victorian society as a murder mystery. Charlotte and Thomas are superbly matched and unusually compelling; Perry spares them the all too common fate of fictional detectives who are reduced to the level of thinking machines. Everything I have read by her is gripping and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful introduction to Charlotte and Thomas Pitt
Review: Being a fan of Elizabeth George, I look forward to more mysteries with the recurring characters of Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. The plot is engaging, the subplots interesting, and the main characters are such that one looks forward to meeting them again in subsequent books in the series. If you like Elizabeth George, you'll love Anne Perry.
Rating:
Summary: A first rate first publication
Review: Cater Street Hangman is the first work published by Anne Perry. It is an excellent blend of social history and gripping whodunit. I first read this book almost 20 years ago and still go back to it for a pleasureable read. It is easy to be transported to the London of the 1880s and the death of Disreali and the Siege of Khartoum were front page reading in the Times. The murders that are taking place around the home of Charlotte Ellison have the Police mystified and everyone in the community, anxious. Charlotte, the middle of daughter of a successful banker, becomes involved with trying to solve the mystery and at the same time, learns more about Victorian Society. As does the reader. Her initial lack of admiration for the inspector of police who is investivating the murders, gradually turns to admiration for the person underneath the official facade. From start to finish we are there with the Ellisons as they are first spectators and then intimate acquaintances of death at the hands of the "hangman". We learn that all the charecters are extremely complex individuals with all too human weaknesses. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this period of time and in detective fiction. Anne Perry has told a wonderful tale and set the stage for many more. AS an aside, while the A&E movie was a good introduction to Anne Perry's work, the books are really much better.
Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to Charlotte and Thomas
Review: Having been introduced to Anne Perry when my brother gave me The Twisted Root, I was eager to read more. Unable to find Face of a Stranger, the first in the Monk's series, I bought The Cater Street Hangman. I loved the way Anne Perry was able to take us inside each character's thoughts. Though, I figured out the ending, like I did in The Twisted Root also, I found her characters well worth the read. I'm eager to read more Perry books.
Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to Charlotte and Thomas
Review: Having been introduced to Anne Perry when my brother gave me The Twisted Root, I was eager to read more. Unable to find Face of a Stranger, the first in the Monk's series, I bought The Cater Street Hangman. I loved the way Anne Perry was able to take us inside each character's thoughts. Though, I figured out the ending, like I did in The Twisted Root also, I found her characters well worth the read. I'm eager to read more Perry books.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the best
Review: I came across a copy of The Cater Street Hangman recently and decided to read it. I'd heard enough about Anne Perry to ignore my recent reads to begin this little novel. The Cater Street Hangman, set in late Victorian England, details the brutal murders of six young women in a middle upper class neighbourhood called Cater Street. Mystery abounds and Inspector Pitt arrives on the scene to find out whodunnit. What unfolds is the question "Who didn't do it?" as Perry throws out every red herring possible since Oprah started gaining weight again. Your pulse will race with the turn of every page - guaranteed! Halfway through this formulaic mystery, I was looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Callander Square. Please don't let the word 'formula' turn you off - this is one author that knows how to stick to the expected without disappointing her audience! Elements of romance and details of the time period are impressively handled. This is a must-read for all fans of the murder mystery! Dena
Rating:
Summary: Hooray for Anne Perry
Review: I discovered Anne Perry by accident through one of the William Monk books. Now I'm hooked on both the Monk series and the Pitt series. These books give wonderful insights into Victorian life and I especially appreciate the insights into the plight of women.
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