Cardington Crescent is the 8th book in Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Thomas Pitt is a police inspector in Victorian London and his wife Charlotte often involves herself in the murder mysteries Pitt is investigating. I don’t want to say to much about Cardington Crescent because there is something that happened that took me completely by surprise and I loved that experience. If you also love something happening that you did not see coming at all I would suggest not reading any descriptions of the book anywhere.

Charlotte’s sister Emily, and her husband, George, are spending the month with relatives of George. The book includes 3 murders, a look into the lives of upper class, family secrets, scandal, expectations and at times reminded me of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

There were a few plot details that I did not understand, that seemed a bit unrealistic and had me questioning why these characters were making these decisions. Also, I was left wondering why some things weren’t in the story that I felt should have been. Though these things left me a bit confused they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. I felt the time period was very well described, its very easy to picture everything and to feel apart of that time. The characters were engaging and I found myself really feeling for them, and their grief, and their frustrations and fears. The ending was gripping though left in such a way that you know who committed the murders but not entirely sure why. There are a couple of reasons why, but Perry does not tidy it all up for you. I was left thinking about the novel and trying to figure out why I thought the murders happened. This is a book I will probably reread to see if I can find any clues and I also think it would be a very fun book to buddy read or read in a book club just to debate the ending.

4,5⭐ Mi favorito hasta la fecha de los 8 leídos!

Her mysteries go by fast, especially if you are listening on audio. This was a good one. I went back and forth on who I thought did it. Interesting, some I did figure out. Hopefully I will find the next one on audio too.

Satisfying mystery with Pitt and Charlotte

Charlottee gets caught up in one of Pitt's
Mysterys. This one involves her sister This family's ugliness just intensifies until the family is completely torn apart

Lots going on in this book and very enjoyable. Nicely narrated, however there were times when I didn’t know exactly who was talking. And I’m really getting annoyed at Thomas and the way he doesn’t respect Charlotte’s sleuthing abilities. All that said, really good mysteries in this book.

This is one of the books where Perry constantly reminds us of Aunt Vespasia's age and frailty. Amusingly, at some point in the series she apparently drinks from a youth potion and becomes much younger!

Oh, well. She, Emily and George are visiting Vespasia's son-in-law and his family, along with the dashing Jack Radley, who will feature in future books. But a murder brings Charlotte and Pitt to the house, and dark family secrets will be revealed....

I did enjoy this book... right up to almost the end. Maybe a lack of sleep or Covid anxiety has made me a little slow but the ending was a little vague or too subtle. There were a few inconsistencies in the writing but all in all an enjoyable read. I have read the previous books in this series and found this one particularly compelling.

Spoiler Alert!

Motivation for the murderer leaves me confused. If Eustace was so concerned with having an heir, and William could not provide one, well Eustace could have remarried!
Eustace was a wealthy widower. He did not need his only son to be his heir, he could have another. Eustace was not aristocratic and not confined by their inheritance laws. He was just an ignorant bully.

I enjoyed reading this book. I finished it, but I don't know how it ended. I mean I know who did it, but I don't really know exactly why. This series has no wrap up. The books just end when we find out who did it. Usually that's fine, but in this one I feel there was too much left unsaid. Maybe the author was leaving us to decide why. I don't know, but I'm not exactly a fan of that method. Maybe some people like that. I won't stop reading the series and I hope that the others leave less to the imagination.

Normally I give Anne Perry at least 4 stars, but this one just didn’t get there. I felt there was too much of the time spent on Emily. I also felt that the ending was a big let down. Not my favorite, but it won’t keep me from reading another.

My first Anne Perry mystery; I enjoyed her world-building skills, the rich details of the Victorian era that set the mood perfectly. This was a classic "English country house" mystery, with limited suspects and a single investigator (Pitt) with sidekick, but the true sleuth is Pitt's wife Charlotte. Some excellent suspense moments, my only complaint is that the conclusion, where the murderer is revealed, felt flat and too speedy. There was no real explanation of motive, everything was simply alluded to vaguely. Otherwise, a strong book, I will read more from this series. Next: Seven Dials.

I really liked this one even though the ending was a) lame b) vague and c) not what I might call plausible. I liked it because of the series, this was the first to have a plot that included real stakes for both the Pitts and for Emily, especially for Emily.

Another thing - there is no way, I mean I really cannot believe, that a person could be tied by the hair to a bedpost and thus strangled. I don't even know why someone would think that was a good idea, and by "someone" I mean the character who allegedly did it in the book, and also Anne Perry herself.