Rutland Place

By: Anne Perry

Narrated by: Davina Porter

When Charlotte Pitt, well-born wife of Thomas Pitt, the police investigator, learned of her mother's distress in losing a locket with a compromising picture, she did not know it was the beginning of several bizarre events that would end in sudden death. For hidden behind the sumptuous elegance of Ruthland Place were terrible secrets. Secrets so horrifying that only murder could conceal them. And only the dogged persistence of Charlotte and Thomas could reveal them.Don't miss the other Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries.©1983 Anne Perry (P)2004 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"When Anne Perry puts Thomas and Charlotte Pitt on the case, we are in exemplary Victorian company." (The New York Times)

Great narration

Davina Porter does a great job narrating these stories. I only wish she was also narrating the Daniel Pitt series also.

Abrupt ending

This was not my favorite of the series. It took a long time to figure out what was happening, and the ending was quite abrupt.

Rutland Place

Mixed emotions about this troubled story The author brings forth serious truths that are terrible in life

Charlotte as usual is compassionate and wise.

Lots of swallowing in the narration. Yuck.

The story is great. Engaging with interesting characters. But the constant swallowing noises of the narrator make it very difficult to listen.

Anne Perry NOT at her best

I am a great fan of this author which surprised me, because I generally am not drawn to anything Victorian. I have really enjoyed her books and their descriptions of life in England at this time -- for each of the social classes.

She also has great character development, and different characters or pairs of characters star in different books, making for a nice way to see all sides while still watching somewhat familiar people become even more accessible.

That said, this is not one of her better efforts. The plot really drags and there are no real clues for the reader, so we become aware of the answer at the same time as our "heroes".So, I'd recommend skipping this one entirely and read all her others.

Weak

This is the weakest of the Pitt series. Davina Porter's narration was excellent as usual.

Anne Perry

I have been a fan of Anne Perry for many years. I never grow tired of her novels.

Strong Storyline, Pleasant Plot Twists

Rutland Place is one of the stronger books in the early part of this series. The characters are sympathetic and believable, but also compelling without being over-the-top or just plain dastardly. It's not as action packed and some of the other novels about Inspector and Mrs. Pitt, but I was never bored. The plot centers on Charlotte Pitt's mother and deals with the general theme of woman's dependence on the men in her life, including marital dissatisfaction, a widow who doesn't wish to remarry, and the intricacies of a sibling relationship. As usual, the mystery is solved by an 11th-hour revelation; so if you enjoy sleuthing and sifting through various clues doled out by the author, this mayb not exactly be the book for you. But if you like character-heavy detection and being carried along the current of the story to see where it leads you, then you will enjoy Anne Perry's style. As always, Davina Porter does a masterful job narrating.

Decent but not her best

As a rule, I adore Anne Perry books, especially the Charlotte Pitt series. This is good but could
have been better:some of the story seemed forced and the ending was abrupt...

Davina Porter!

I wonder if I would love these books so much if they were narrated by someone else. In any case, if there’s a better narrator, I haven’t found one!