Silence in Hanover Close (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Series Book 9)

Inspector Pitt has to check into a three year old murder case to find if someone is trying to interfere with government treaties. His boss doesn’t want him to find treason in one of the influential families he investigates looking for the killer. While working the case, Inspector Pitt is set up for murder and even put in jail. It is then up to Emily. She pretends to be a chambermaid and her sister, Charlotte, pretends to be a rich lady in from the country so they can figure out if there is treason and who killed the foreign ambassador. This is a great read.

Anne Perry is a multitasker , she presents us with a fine complex crime story but at the same time includes so much social and historical detail that without effort one has learned more than the value of several documentaries on life in late Victorian London.The reader knows as much as the investigators as we are dealing with a period when almost nothing of forensic had been developed and even autopsies do not seem to produce information on times of death , nor are there crime scene investigators noting that bodies have been moved , redressed or cleaned up.

We read about the result of violent crimes in these novels. Someone discovers a gory corpse but we are spared the actual murder taking place. The same with sex. The medical examiner tells the police if rape has occurred for example. The writing style is superb and we learn a lot about life in Victorian England--the difference between the upper and lower classes, attitudes toward women. One gets a real feeling of being there--the glimmer of gas lights, the bustle of public streets, the smell of horse manure and poverty contrasted with the fragrance of flowers in the gardens of the wealthy. Women are encumbered by the voluminous skirts of the fashions of the day. There is an emphasis on relationships and interacting personalities. The stories are complex and the characters well drawn. I like Anne Perry.

After a couple of disappointments, the last two books were really great. I don't like the way the stories end so abruptly. But since this one takes up where the last left off, you will see how Emily gets on. Never fear.And this mystery had me completely turned around. I did not see the end coming. A delicious twist.

I got hooked on these from the first. It describes Victorian England, and social classes so well, it’s an interesting read as well as a good story. *no spoiler* I do hope aunt Vespia does what I hope she will. But who knows. They’re very addicting, so be prepared.

I have read most of the books in this series, so it's plain that I generally enjoy them. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, along with the others who regularly appear in these stories, are well-developed and plausible characters. By this time, they have become much like old friends and this familiarity adds to their appeal. Perry also does a good job of engaging the interest of the reader by providing mysteries that are intriguing from the start. Also, though I'm not an expert on Victorian London, she seems to do a good job of re-creating that milieu.On the other hand, Perry sometimes makes it plain who the murderer is in her stories by giving you one clearly dysfunctional character. Sometimes, too, her stories virtually turn into morality plays. She will take up some social evil of the period, make it part of her plot, and dwell on it. Finally, Perry has a tendency to end her stories very abruptly, leaving loose ends dangling and making you feeling like you've just stepped off a cliff.This particular installment has all the usual strengths. Charlotte and Emily work to solve the case and save Thomas from a dire fate. The unsolved death of Robert York three years earlier gets Pitt started. The case is re-opened because York's widow is soon to marry a Foreign Office official. York was also with the Foreign Office at the time of his death and some secret papers disappeared at that time, so any possibility of scandal or espionage must be put to rest. During the course of the story, the reader gets a close look at the evils of nineteenth century English prisons, but not more so than fits the story. The mystery deepens as more deaths compicate matters. Perry keeps the reader guessing right up to the end in this one. While the end comes rather abruptly, there aren't too many loose ends in this one, so the reader isn't left hanging so much as in some of Perry's other stories.As a mystery writer, Perry is a step below Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie. Her stories are enjoyable, especially if you've read enough of them to be familiar with the main characters, but the plots aren't usually as difficult to solve. This particular episode, however, is one of her best. A first-rate whodunit that will keep you guessing to the very end. Give it a try.

Once again Anne Perry has taken us into the mores and customs of Victorian England, the attitudes of the powerful upper class and the eggshell walk of the "lower" working class of people. With Anne, besides an intriguing mystery, we catch a glimpse into family life, and street life, and the life, work, and politics of the police of that time. I think, too, we can discover some of Anne Perry's own biases toward intelligent and courageous women who manage to struggle with their own sense of self worth and win against all odds. Who killed Robert in his own home? Who is the woman, Cerise? It's a really good story.

A have to read! A page turner! You won't guess until the last page...Anne Perry writes with the understanding of old world London and society, hidden passion and open snobbery.

Very good story line and all characters were well written. I found one (I believe) out of place word *gotten" on page 83 location 1248.Descriptions of both people and their clothes of the time are wonderfully vivid and informative in terms of history.Thanks to Anne Perry for her skill.

Another great Thomas Pitt Mystery . Have our upper and lower class values changed much over the years .?

Excellent read, perfect for relaxing but you might struggle to put it down

Good series, enjoy the setting ... victorian London. Characters interesting and believable.

An excellent read as always.

as you can see I do by a lot of ann perry books as I think she is a brilliant author and will always read and reread her books

really good story as usual twists and turn through out

good

I am a fan of Anne Perry's work. Although some recent books were a disappointment this is a good read.

No problems

Another excellent book in the Thomas Pitt series; easy to read; well researched into the social life of Victorian era.

Very good

This is #9 in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt Victorian Murder/Mystery series. This time Inspector Pitt has been asked to quietly re-visit a cold case that was never solved and to make sure no scandal is uncovered while he does it. However, in his search for the killer and a mysterious woman, he is accused of murdering a woman he has been trying to find! Only Charlotte and his sister-in-law Emily can save him. How they each go about it is rather shocking!The disparity between upstairs/downstairs is clearly shown in this novel. The weather is like a character all to itself. You can just feel the cold creeping into your bones. I am finding these books addictive as you watch the secrets/skeletons among the upper class unravel before you. The nuances of facial features that reveal hidden pain, passion or anger as Thomas, Charlotte or Emily try to understand the characters they are dealing with. Fascinating!

I read this book many many years ago and it was the first of Anne Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt tales. I was instantly hooked and have since read all the others in the series, some more than once, but I never came across this one again until kindle offered it. Anne Perry brings the period to life with all the social restrictions and class injustices. First class.

really great read...good mystery, and absolutely no clue before the very last...period details seemed to be authentic as well...Anne Perry can be depended upon to entertain and keep the reader guessing..a "Try it, you'll like it"