The first book in Perry's bestselling Victorian crime series, bringing together Inspector Thomas Pitt and Charlotte Ellison Panic and fear strike the Ellison household when one of their own falls prey to the Cater Street murderer. While Mrs. Ellison and her three daughters are out, their maid becomes the third victim of a killer who strangles young women with cheese wire, leaving their swollen-faced bodies on the dark streets of this genteel neighborhood. Inspector Pitt, assigned to the case, must break through the walls of upper-class society to get at the truth. His in-depth investigation gradually peels away the proper veneer of the elite world, exposing secrets and desires until suspicion becomes more frightening than truth. Outspoken Charlotte Ellison, struggling to remain within the confining boundaries of Victorian manners, has no trouble expressing herself to the irritating policeman. As their relationship shifts from antagonistic sparring to a romantic connection, the socially inappropriate pair must solve the mystery before the hangman strikes again. Rich with authentic period details, The Cater Street Hangman hooks readers from the moment the sparks first fly between Charlotte and Thomas.
"Pitt's compassion and Charlotte's cleverness make them compatible sleuths, as well as extremely congenial characters . . . Perry has the gift of making [the Victorian era] all seem immediate and very much alive."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
"When Anne Perry puts Thomas and Charlotte Pitt on the case, we are in exemplary Victorian company."
The New York Times
"Perry combines murder with a profile of the morals and manners of Victorian society . . . Murder fans who prefer their crimes with a touch of class should heat some scones and nestle back for the afternoon."
