Reviews for Silence in Hanover Close

The average rating for Silence in Hanover Close based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-10-13 00:00:00 Christopher Paisley While I have always been a fan of this series, it's sort of a love hate type thing. I don't like the often abrupt endings without any sort of resolution to it. This book while highly entertaining had me scratching my head numerous times and required great leaps of imagination. On to the story. This time Pitt is asked to look in a cold case, an unsolved murder from three years ago that involves the Foreign Office (spies!) and whether or not the widow of the victim was involved in any way. As always as soon as Charlotte learns of the case she find a way to involve herself in it. This is the first puzzle for me. After nine cases are you telling me that no one attends the same parties? No one knows or recognizes Charlotte at all. They keep saying society is small but apparently not that small after all. She gains the trust of the young widow Veronica but it unable to learn much of anything from her. Then came the part where I thought Anne Perry decided to turn from a mystery author to a comedy author when Emily decides she will go and become a ladies maid to Veronica, after her own maid fell (or was pushed) out of a window (I won't get into that). I was expecting to see Emily be somewhat like Queenie from Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness Series, clumsy, burning holes in clothes, spilling. Somehow Emily who has been waited on all her life is quite capable of doing the work of a lady's maid and even able to fool those around her, but changing her accent. Even though she did concede she was bad at ironing this was all a bit too perfect for me. Frankly I was also a bit disappointed as it's grey and miserable outside and I looked forward to having a good laugh. That's where this otherwise entertaining story lost it's five star lustre. Charlotte is thrown into more turmoil when Pitt is arrested for murdering a prostitute and servants and local merchants refuse to do business with her. The story truly went from being a five star to a four maybe three and a half at best as it went on. There were times when the book got bogged down by details and my eyes wandered off the page, and then there was the ending. My first thought was Perry was channeling Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot, calling all the suspects together in one room to reveal a murderer. It didn't happen quite like that and the ending was rushed again and I just didn't find it believable at all. I would say three stars, but will give three and half, as I said it was mostly entertaining and you can't beat Perry's description and setting the scene, she is always able to make me feel like I am right there with my characters. Too bad I wasn't, I might've smacked some sense into parts of this story.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-12-28 00:00:00 Rupert Ruppert Having pieced together almost all of Anne Perry's series secondhand; this ninth mystery of 1988 brings me in line with her William Monk début. I will shift from the Pitts after their 1991 novel. The sixth and seventh volumes were weaker. The seventh ushered in such a perceptible wind of change, my level of praise is nearly back to five stars again! Thomas increasingly accepts collaboration from Charlotte and Emily and begins to count on them. His chief is swayed by political pressure instead of morality for all as equals. Thomas tolerates it no longer. The questionable sense of duty of London policemen is so flimsy, he might as well take all the investigating help that comes to hand. In "Silence In Hanover Close", Thomas is blamed for the murder of a suspect. Charlotte and Emily must hold the family and his life together! In the last novel or two, I clued in that Anne portrayed them to be a century behind each publishing year. It is easy to picture the time period. Readers with any memory for details should allow this series to build in chronological order. Previously, Emily lost her husband to murder. She cares for someone new but is a titled heiress. The man might not court her, lest he look like a gold-digger. She can not take Charlotte either, to visit Hanover Close as she normally might. She is a Victorian lady in mourning and in 1888, appearances cause enough stress to commit murder. The way Emily helps Charlotte is thrilling and lends empathy to blue collar and tradesman classes. Never have I admired Emily more! Since I find that binging deflates full enjoyment of stories by hurrying through them; I am restraining myself from racing to see what the new family foursome dynamics are like!