Library Journal Review
Perry's Victorian mysteries are equally enthralling for their sophisticated plots, substantial characters, attention to the details of daily life, and criticism of the hypocrisies of the upper classes. While Resurrection Row, an earlier Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery, looked at the indifference to poverty, Bluegate Fields focuses on the problem of prostitution, specifically the abuse of young boys by so-called gentlemen. When a 16-year-old from a prominent family is murdered, his stiff, humorless tutor is blamed, and a teenaged male prostitute testifies to having a long-running relationship with the man. Inspector Pitt and his spunky wife realize the tutor is being framed and set out to clear him and find the real killer. As always, the characters, especially Charlotte, are well drawn, and the portrait of the smug, insulated society infuriating, but here the identity of the murderer is a bit obvious. Davina Porter does her usual splendid job. Recommended for popular collections.-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.