Death In The Devil's Acre (1987) - Plot & Excerpts
Death in the Devil’s Acre is the seventh book in Anne Perry’s Thomas and Charlotte Pitt historical mystery series is an intoxicating thriller from start to finish with mesmerizing characters.A doctor of good standing and impeccable character is found slashed to death in the Devil’s Acre, one of Victorian London’s slums near the docks. Then another body is found with the same calling card. And another.Pitt is called on to investigate. Recurring characters figure prominently in this mystery, especially Charlotte, helping Pitt with his investigation, but the crimes are not solved until the final pages after a particularly exciting chase involving some of Perry’s most riveting characters. Another unputdownable Perry mystery, one that satisfies the lover of historical mysteries with period detail and, in particular, facts about the poverty and suffering of children in this rigid and hypocritical society.I admit to the book’s being one of my favorites in the Pitt series, and, I believe, with it, Ms. Perry’s mastery of the genre comes into its own. What sets it above the earlier novels, I think, is the fascinating character development of the antagonist and other minor villains.However, since a review is supposed to focus objectively on what historical readers would like—given character development, intricacy of plot, accuracy of historic detail, and the requisite number of suspects, clues, and red herrings, its solution logically formed without an undue stretch of circumstance—I need to give it a four-star rating. It is a novel I re-read from time to time, and also listen to Davina Porter’s wonderful unabridged reading of the story. It would be 4.5, if we were allowed half sizes.
6/1/15tDeath in Devil's Acre, Anne Perry, 1985This book in the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mystery series was so laughably improbable that it was actually fun to read. In brief summary, Pit is rousted out of his bed by a sargent in the police to investigate a murder in the notorious London slum of Devil's Acre. The victim has been stabbed in the back, but then his genitals have been cut off.Of course the tabloid newspapers go wild, and in the subsequent days, several other people are murdered in a similar manner. Pitt, normally, quite intelligent, seems positively flummoxed. His wife Charlotte, always ready to "help" tries to question him but if met with an uncharacteristic attitude from her husband o "Mind your own business and take care of the house."This would be like waving a red flag in front of Charlotte who immediately (and clandestinely) enlists the help of her sister Emily and gets on the case. There is a lot of clap-trap about bored society women becoming prostitutes and the usual sermonizing about the evils of those who feed off the poor, all leading up to a most ludicrous finale where Charlotte solves the case moments before Pitt bursts through the door.I ask myself, why do I keep on reading these books, and all I can come up with is that they are my particular guilty pleasure
What do You think about Death In The Devil's Acre (1987)?
Oh my. This one shows you can't ever really hide or hide from the past.I never put spoilers in my reviews.Anne Perry is a master of the written word. Every word, phrase, paragraph is placed for maximum effect. There is no filler or waste. She has obviously researched the era exhaustively. Her insight into the human condition is uncanny.There are always many layers to her tales. The main storyline is Pitt and Charlotte, his police work and the mystery of the case he's working on in the particular book in this series, set in Victorian London. Then there is the social commentary almost as background. Ms. Perry shines a spotlight on the disparity between the classes, much of which is relatable to the disparity in income and the economic situation in the U.S. at this time. There is no preaching, it's presented simply as the setting of the scene. Her description of the physical aspect of the city and it environs paints as clear a picture as a movie.You will come away from every book in this series changed a little bit. Entertained, enlightened, with a much clearer picture of Victorian London at that time frame. Be prepared, it's almost impossible to put down any of her books mid-read.You will find yourself thinking of them long after you've come to the final word of her glorious works
—Katy M
There a maniac killer in Devil's Acre and it is killing MEN and imitating Jack the Ripper in it's own way. Thomas Pitt is really having a hard time finding this killer. The killer has already done in two people and there is more to come. Will Pitt be one of the victims? In this mystery Charlotte and Emily once again meet General Balantyne and his family in order to find out who the killer is and why are they doing this. Charlotte gets more than she bargained for in this mystery and Pitt has every right to loose his temper.
—Sandi Willis
This is perhaps my favorite of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries so far. It was hard to put down, as I always wanted to see what happened next. In this particular story, the reader is reintroduced to some favorite characters from Callander Square, the Balantynes. While Inspector Pitt investigates a series of grisly murders that seem to be unrelated and yet committed by the same killer, Charlotte enlists the help of her sister Emily to try and find answers to the murders from a different angle, nosing around the elite classes. What they find shocks them. Anne Perry again broaches the subject of prostitution in this book, both of adults and children, painting an ugly side of high society and the hobbies some take up to overcome their boredom.
—Wendy
