Bethlehem Road

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.

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.

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 red 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 next book in the series, since Bethlehem Road sets up so many interesting new possibilities.

Is it political intrigue or domestic intrigue? take a guess! Perry and her characters show us all of the victims of disenfranchisement in Victorian England. A bit hard to believe how much power men had over women, how they exercised it in the absolute certitude of their rightness, and how little others questioned. But then, the imbalance of power, in whatever setting, inevitably leads to abuse and there are bullies everywhere, refined and not, Victorian era, or Clinton era. This mystery keeps one going most of the way through, and has some suprises. Perry's endings are always tight and abrupt, but she usually ties up all the loose ends, so one adjusts to the sudden end. However, this time either I missed it, or there was no explanation for the policeman who was knocked out and left in the Park (almost dead). Who did that, and why? Did I miss it, or did Ms Perry?

I reserve 9's and 10's for more substantive works than mysteries - but this is about as good as mysteries get. I have had the misfortune to read attempts to combine a mystery story with feminist preaching by, among others, Dorothy Simpson and Nancy Pickard. All were lame, transparent attempts to cloak a political harangue with a poorly constructed story. Anne Perry shows us how it really should be done. This is an excellent story, as are all of Perry's Inspector Pitt books. The underlying theme is the shockingly discriminatory treatment of women by the legal and political system of Victorian England. But that theme is never allowed to interfere with the logical unfolding of the mystery. Therefore, Perry succeeds on both the philosophical and entertainment levels, where other authors have failed. Good work, Ms. Perry