Bluegate Fields: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel

I love the Pitt series which I got back into after reading Monk. Anne Perry's portrayal of Victorian England is utterly marvelous not to forget that each book has an intriguing story line and outstanding character development. "Bluegate Fields" like the other Perry novels causes the reader to get one's head glued to the the ear bugs. You just keep anticipating the next moment in the story.
Many well deserved accolades to Davina Porter. She is my favorite female narrator; I have never heard a woman do a man's voice as well as she does.
This book like all others in the series is a must read.

It's so great to read something that is interesting and holds my attention without a lot of obscene language and sexually explicit scenes. The author is so very talented and I love the characters she has invented. I don't hesitate to recommend her work to anyone.

This was my least favorite of this series so far. There were parts of the story where I felt Perry spent too much time and detail in the telling and then there were other key elements of the story that felt like they were just slipped into the tale.

This novel was more interesting to me for the side issues that it brought up, than for the main plot itself. The mystery of a young boy's death and sexual abuse is at question, and Inspector Pitt meets resistance on all sides in finding the uncomfortable answers. As the author sometimes does, comments on social issues are made including homosexuality and equality in the justice system. It is an important message to remember today, that everyone deserves an unbiased investigation and a fair trial, whatever their social class, employment, or personal habits. The question of homosexuality was more indelicately treated, and it seemed to me that more often than not "homosexuality" was taken as a synonym for "homosexual abuse of children". I believe this was written in the 1970's, so maybe we should forgive the author this clumsy oversight as an artifact of the times; but it stood out to me as a mischaracterization, and ironic in a book whose secondary message was unbiased treatment and fairness. Overall, the plot was good and a little more who-dunnit than some of her other novels ... the evidence and all the characters and motivations are there from early in the story, and it is only for the reader to unravel them. Often Perry's novels rely on last minute plot twists that would be impossible for the reader to have known or understood, making it impossible to guess the outcome of the mystery before the crucial information comes to light. The narration was, as always, excellent. Davina Porter is a master, and brings a very human touch to all of the characters.

Yes, I would recommend this audiobook. The characters, the plot and the narrator kept me thoroughly entertained.

A memorable moment happened when Pitt’s police chief loses patience and control.

I have listened to Davina Porter’s narration before. Each character she takes on, whether male or female, high or low class, is so well performed that I forget that she is the sole narrator. Her dramatization of the numerous personaities in Bluegate Fields is especially excellent.

When a working class cop and a society dame join forces, criminals beware. (That would be a better tag line if the scene took place in the 1930’s rather than the 1890’s. But, you get the idea.)

The storyline involved child abuse and homosexuality, with the latter a crime at the time. I thought the author handled the subject well. Nineteenth century society is in agreement that same sex relationships are abhorrent, but the author allows some individuals to speculate beyond the sexual act. Though they do not condone it, some compassion is expressed for those who have homosexual desires and have no legal way to express them.

My only criticism is that the final scene felt a bit rushed. Pitt guesses at the reaction and future of the prisoner, rather than letting us be there when the prisoner actually learns his fate. I wondered how this knowledge would change his outlook on life.