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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9780449211687
ISBN number: 0449211681
Label: Fawcett
Manufacturer: Fawcett
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: August 12, 1986
Publishing house: Fawcett
Release Date: August 12, 1986
Sale Popularity Level: 232636
Studio: Fawcett
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'Perry has the great gift of making it all seem immediate and very much alive.'
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
In the posh London street of Paragon Walk, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered. Once again the incomparable team of sleuths, Inspector Thomas Pitt and his young wife, Charlotte, peer beneath the elegant masks of the well-born suspects and reveal that something ugly lurks behind the handsome facades of Paragon Walk--something that could lead to more scandal, and more murder....
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Rated by buyers 
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This is the third book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels by Anne Perry and I am very glad to be able to give an enthusiastic five stars as my opinion of this offering.
As a fan of these Victorian era mysteries I had wondered how Ms Perry was going to proceed with the investigative directions of Charlotte and Thomas. Now, after reading three, I feel that I have a better handle on which role will be played by each character and were they fit into the overall scheme of the books. The actual plot of the book has been very well described in other reviews. I enjoyed this title because it gave almost equal roles to Thomas, Charlotte and Emily. The residents of Paragon Walk were so fully developed and wonderfully rounded out that I began to think of them as real people. Perhaps there was a degree of closeness there which began to feel slightly artificial but it was a necessary part of the whole in order to make the ending believable. Neighbors in an upper class London street would probably not have been quite so much in each others pockets, but these were and the conclusion showed why that was so. I was able to see through two episodes which took place but never dreamed of the reason behind what the central dark portion of this case was all about.
I found this an absorbing read. It held my interest and kept me wanting to find out what was going on and what was going to happen next. A distraction for me was Charlotte's sudden ability and desire to leave her child in the care of someone while she made many, many, many trips away from home to investigate the case with Emily. Did Pitt not have anything to say about her sudden abandonment of her home and child to investigate? (Now see, I wanted her to be more involved in book two and was slightly dissatisfied when she was not. Now that she is more involved in book three, I'm questioning if this would have been allowed by her husband. How is an author ever supposed to satisfy us all?) Another point, suddenly Aunt Vespasia (don't you just love that name? pure Victorian!) and Emily were manufacturing clothes right and left so that Charlotte could attend funerals and other functions with them. Did Pitt not mind? Did Charlotte not feel some sense of abandoning her decision to give up all that when she married "below her station" because she loved Pitt? I can't have it both ways but there was so much emphasis on clothes this time that it became an irritant to me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the fourth in the series, Resurrection Row. It looks as if the characters will take turns being front and center in the solving of the mysteries. This one was rushed quite a bit at the end and could have done with a lot more explanation of what happened after the solving of the case. Still liked it, though!
Rated by buyers 
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Mysteries that involve historical periods can easily be swallowed up by their period dress, distance from our current lives and uncommon mores. In this third novel in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, Anne Perry seems to find her footing more effectively in Victorian England than in either of the two previous books, The Cater Street Hangman and Callander Square, and surpasses the usual costume mystery.
A 17-year-old woman is raped and murdered . . . dying in the arms of her sister-in-law. Thomas Pitt is assigned to investigate. Matters are complicated by the victim having just returned from visiting Pitts' sister-in-law's house . . . making his brother-in-law a possible suspect.
As in Callander Square, the investigation soon begins to take its toll on the haughty heads of the houses on Paragon Walk.
Once again, Charlotte is able to work on the investigation by insinuating herself into the social lives of the walk's residents through her sister's introductions.
The solution of the mystery is a fair one, built up logically from all of the clues.
The story itself moves along fairly nicely, and the book can be read in one pleasant sitting if you are in a hurry. Or you can spread it out if you prefer.
The book still lacks enough action, and the pace of the plot and character developments will strike most people as slow. As a result, this book will be best liked by those who are drawn to the verbal warfare that's often found in Victorian drawing room novels.
Rated by buyers 
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In "Paragon Walk," Anne Perry once again delivered a penetrating look at Victorian society along with witty, sharp-edged dialogue. But I felt deflated after finishing it. The solution to the mystery included some silly, far-fetched elements, and it did not answer my nagging questions the way I hoped it would.
In its favor, the book had many intriguing characters. I am glad to learn Aunt Vespasia returns in future novels. As for the nastier residents of the Walk, their cutting remarks and veiled references to unsavory subjects made me want to see them stripped bare and to learn all their secrets. Once again, the ending let me down.
I was also disappointed Inspector Pitt did not do much sleuthing this time around. He spent too much time asking the same questions of himself and sending another officer off to question servants. Also, the novel had too many scenes at society parties, where people displayed their dislike of one another. I almost wanted to scream, "Enough! I get it that so-and-so hates this other person. Give it a rest, already!"
Overall, I enjoyed reading "Paragon Walk," but as I worked through the last 30 pages, I didn't know whether to laugh or to fling the book across the room. I hope subsequent time, Pitt gets to do more detecting and that my curiosity about various characters is better satisfied.
Rated by buyers -
This was not her best book, atleast compared to the very first two I read. It was just too watered down with society talk. If you've read the very first two you don't need any more lessons on people of society vs. the working class.
HOWEVER, I did discover the reasoning of why food is served after a funeral, or atleast it made the most sense of anything I've heard so far and just for that reason the book was worth reading. I'm looking forward to her 4th book in this series, I've become quite attached to these characters.
Rated by buyers -
I agree with the other reviewers who were disappointed. I too will continue to read the rest of the series, because I really enjoyed Cater Street Hangman, the very first in this series. I found that this was just hot as interesting as the very first two books in this series. Neither was it as good as the one Monk book that I have read, which introduced me to Anne Perry's writing and made me want to read more.
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