Half Moon Street

Rating:
Summary: A quarter moon
Review: I love the Pitt series but this novel is missing something without Charlotte. It really wasn't as enjoyable as the others and it left me craving something more. It would have been better is Charlotte was there helping Thomas.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful novel
Review: I loved the 20th novel in Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. Perry does an outstanding job with character development and weaving in history, social, and political issues. Not to mention the actual "mystery" part of the books. I always feel breathless when I finish one of Perry's books ---they are so dramatic and emotional.

Half Moon Street differs from the other Pitt books in that Charlotte and Emily are not in the book. Thomas and Tellman are investigating the death of a photographer, and in a sub-plot Caroline and her mother-in-law play an important role. I highly recommend the book to fans of mysteries and historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely not her best!
Review: I usually enjoy the no-brainer historical mystery which Anne Perry is one of the better writers. She has built some believeable characters with plots and twists that are believeable from the Victorian Era in England. In this book though, like many shows such as MASH that have been on TV too long, she is less concern about her characters and her plots then presenting her own philosophy about pornography. Not that I disagree with her, but this book was difficult to read because there were two different storylines, one extremely preachy, and one that was the basis for the mystery, yet was not built up properly. I hate to go back and forth between plots, and though she ties them up at the end, it didn't satisfy me or what I expect of her as a writer. Maybe it is like other people have written about characters or series which have gone on too long, the author is more concerned with meeting a deadline, then developing plot and character. I may go back and read some of her older books that I have not yet read, but I am not sure I will pick up any future ones. It becomes a waste of the reader's time. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Charlotte Come Back!
Review: I usually LOVE Anne Perry Books,especially the Pitt series. However,this book just did not hold my attention for very long at a time. I usually read a Perry book in one night. Not this one though. With every page I turned I kept saying Charlotte,Gracie, children WHERE ARE YOU? Come breathe some life into this book.

Far from her best work.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely not one of Anne Perry's best works!
Review: I was really disappointed with this book. Perry seems to have departed from her traditional focus on plot and motive here and chosen to focus on her own agenda of advancing the feminist cause. This is good in small doses, but not to an extent where it diverts from the "detecting" process. I hope that Perry will revert to her previous inclinations when writing the next Thomas/Charlotte Pitt book.

Rating:
Summary: If you're looking for a mystery - don't look here!
Review: If you're looking for a mystery - don't look here! The author began to write a wonderful book then decided to lose the main plot. The character of Mariah is silly and the format by which Caroline "learns" about life is pathetic. The murder becomes the secondary plot. The beginning of the book and the end of the book are overshadowed by the middle (Caroline's life lesson), which has a little to do with the understanding of the murderer's motive but really could have been skipped. The characters are created poorly to tie everything together.

Rating:
Summary: Did Thomas Have A Stroke?
Review: In this book, Thomas is cited as being unfamiliar with photography, other than it's some type of portraiture. Yet in Resurrection Row, he and another detective go chasing after the murderer of a photographer and go through tons of pornograhic/erotic photographs. Either Anne has a continuity problem or Thomas had a stroke!

Otherwise a very good read.

Rating:
Summary: The issues don't change; only the players do
Review: It is particuarly interesting to read this book as the US political conventions get started.First, though, I must admit to being a Perry fan from way back. In Half Moon Street Perry wraps her murder mystery around issues of censorship, women's rights, and what generally are understood as liberal vs. conservative opinions. It is interesting to step back from today and view these issues from a Victorian perspective. While Perry seems to try being evenhanded, I think her stand is clear. One of Perry"s strong suits in all her books is her exposition of contemporary issues from a historical background.Once again she is a master of intriguing plot and well developed characters. A great book to read during a thunderstorm, when political conventions get boring, or both.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but not one of Perry's best.
Review: Perry is an extremely engaging writer who also knows how to plot a mystery. This is true of almost all of her books, and also of this one.

Unfortunately, the ending is not very convincing. It almost feels like a tacked on twist that is there just to surprise you.

All in all, it is still a lot better than many mysteries I've read by other authors who don't know how to engage their readers with interesting characters and compelling stories the way Perry usually does.

Rating:
Summary: moonless
Review: This book was a painful read.Ms Perry's attempt to answer her readers' demand for an in-depth approndissement of character development was less than seamless.It is commendable that her strong sense of plot and logical,if surprising denouements,rivet the reader.However, her development as a mistress of suspense should always be a the forefront of her creations.As a major writer,her intelligence should dominate.