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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9780449219140
ISBN number: 0449219143
Label: Fawcett
Manufacturer: Fawcett
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: June 30, 1991
Publishing house: Fawcett
Release Date: June 30, 1991
Sale Popularity Level: 212536
Studio: Fawcett
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He might be elegant, but there's no mistaking it--the gentleman tied to the lamppost on Westminster Bridge is definitely dead. Before Inspector Thomas Pitt can even speculate on why anyone should want to kill the eminent M.P., Sir Lockwood, a colleague of his, meets the same fate at the same spot. The public is outraged, and clever Charlotte Pitt, Thomas's well-born wife, helps her hard-pressed husband by scouting society's drawing rooms for clues to these appalling crimes. Meanwhile, another victim is being stalked....
'Mrs. Perry once again demonstrates her true and lively passion....Her finely drawn characters couldn't be more comfortable within the customs and sensibility of their historical period.'
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
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Rated by buyers 
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This is the tenth in the Victorian murder mystery series about Inspector Thomas Pitt of the London police and his inquisitive wife, Charlotte. The plot involves the murder of a Member of Parliament on Westminster Bridge, the body then being strung up to a lamp post with a scarf. Pitt can't decide if the motive was personal or political -- but then a second, identical murder occurs, the victim (also an M.P.) having very little in common with the first, except that both men opposed female suffrage. But then, so did most politicians in 1888. But that's not the end of the murders either. So far, so good. But when the killer is finally identified in the next-to-last chapter, my reaction was "Wait -- what?" It is considered extremely bad form for a mystery writer to introduce a brand new character at the last minute, and then to identify that person as the villain. Pitt doesn't quite get it, either, and spends a few pages at the end tracking down the story behind the story -- which turns out to be another moral lesson on women's rights. This whole thing could have been handled far more skillfully. Also, I don't know what possesses Perry to give a majority of her characters bizarre names -- at least those in the upper reaches of society. For every James or Helen, there is a plethora of Zenobias, Amethysts, Garnets, Parthenopes, Vyvyans, Africas, Vespasias, and other names unknown before or since. A quick browse through the 1880 edition of _Burke's Peerage and Baronetage_ would show this penchant for uncommon Christian names to be a rather ludicrous invention. This is not one of Perry's better books.
Rated by buyers -
BETHLEHEM ROAD is another installment in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. As such, it has all of the usual features: interesting and, in many cases, familiar characters, an intriguing plot, Victorian London as the backdrop, and a burning social issue of the day that plays a significant role in the story. As occaisionally happens, Ms. Perry lets her soapbox get in the way of her mystery once or twice in this one, but that's only a minor problem.
For most of the story, the plot revolves around a series of murders involving MPs. Each is found tied to the same lamppost with his throat cut. Each was returning home alone and on foot from an evening session of Parliament. This is pretty riveting stuff, and for most of the book there is no obvious suspect. The only suspect on the horizon seems unlikely to be the perpetrator. Both Thomas and Charlotte are baffled. Ultimately, however, the solution to this mystery is only the prelude to the real climax of the story, which is abrupt in true Anne Perry style. For me, the solution to (or, really, the rationale for) the lamppost murders is this book's weakness and it's what keeps this from being a five-star book. The lamppost murders need more of a tie-in. At the risk of giving away too much, it just seemed to me that the lack of intent and motive for these murders left a little to be desired when all was said and done.
BETHLEHEM ROAD is a pretty good mystery with most of the strengths usually found in the Pitt series. While Perry perhaps over-reaches herself a bit here in trying to pull off a plot within a plot, it will keep readers turning the pages from beginning to end. I found it entertaining and recommend it to other mystery readers, particularly fans of the Pitt series.
Rated by buyers -
BETHLEHEM ROAD is another installment in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. As such, it has all of the usual features: interesting characters, many of whom are familiar as series regulars, an intriguing plot, Victorian London as the backdrop, and a burning social issue of the day that plays a significant role in the story. As occaisionally happens, Ms. Perry lets her soapbox get in the way of her mystery once or twice in this one, but that's only a minor problem.
For most of the story, the plot revolves around a series of murders involving MPs. Each is found tied to the same lamppost with his throat cut. Each was returning home alone and on foot from an evening session of Parliament. This is pretty riveting stuff, and for most of the book there is no obvious suspect. The only suspect on the horizon seems unlikely to be the perpetrator. Both Thomas and Charlotte are baffled. Ultimately, however, the solution to these murders is only the prelude to the real climax of the story, which is abrupt in true Anne Perry style. For me, the solution to (or, really, the rationale for) the lamppost murders is this book's weakness; it's what keeps this from being a five-star book. The lamppost murders, with their bizarre circumstances and the misery they provoke in the families of the victims, need a more compelling purpose than what we end up with here. At the risk of giving away too much, it just seemed to me that the lack of intent and motive for the murder of these men left a little to be desired when all was said and done.
BETHLEHEM ROAD is a pretty good mystery with most of the strengths usually found in the Pitt series. While Perry perhaps over-reaches herself a bit here in trying to pull off a plot within a plot, it will keep readers turning the pages from beginning to end. For me it was entertaining, even if ultimately a little frustrating. I recommend it to other mystery readers, particularly fans of the Pitt series.
Rated by buyers 
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The statue of Boadicea driving her war chariot stands in front of the British Parliament building. Members of Parliament (MPs), walking past the statue every day, contended that women did not have the ability to understand issues and vote intelligently. The year is 1888 and women's rights are a contentious issue. When MPs have their throats cut on the way home from evening sessions, suspicion points in many directions. Was it a radical women's rights advocate, a demented anarchist, or perhaps someone benefiting financially?
Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, become involved in the investigation. The entire issue of women's rights unfolds including various repressive laws. There are issues of inheritance, child custody, and a wife's obligations to her husband (religious fundamentalists in the U.S. have been revisiting this issue). This is a real whodunit with a surprising conclusion. The novel provides a good picture of the English social structure of that time period.
Rated by buyers -
Bethlehem Road is the tenth novel in the Pitt series of mysteries by Anne Perry. While I would recommend reading the series in order for maximum enjoyment, the characters are at a turning point in this book and so you could just jump in here if you wish. Charlotte Ellison Pitt is really getting comfortable in her role as a police Inspector's wife; Thomas Pitt, her husband, has a more sympathetic and appreciative new boss; Emily Ellison March (Charlotte's sister) just married for a second time; and Aunt Vespasia is starting to show alarming new signs of frailty and age. Together, Thomas, Charlotte and Vespasia work together to solve the mystery of the "Westminster Cutthroat" who is murdering MPs on Westminster Bridge.
What I most liked about this mystery was the number of blue herrings that were thrown in the way of the conclusion. I found myself unable to figure out who had perpetrated the crimes and went down lots of blind alleys as a result. This added to my enjoyment of the book, although the ending was a bit Christie-like in all honesty. I'm really looking forward to Highgate Rise, the subsequent book in the series, since Bethlehem Road sets up so many interesting new possibilities.
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