DEATH IN THE DEVIL'S ACRE

Davina Porter has done most, if not all, of Perry's Victorian-era mysteries, so her superb performance of this one comes as no surprise. She is convincing as male or female of any social stratum--and one's place in society was of utmost importance in those days. Here, Charlotte Pitt, wife of Inspector Thomas Pitt, pushes at the limits of the behavior of a dutiful wife as she helps him solve a series of gruesome murders that happen in a tawdry section of London. Somehow the lurid details don't sound so bad in Porter's crisp diction. Perry empathizes with the situation of Victorian women, both low and high born, so it's no accident that her novels feature gritty ladies of all classes. J.B.G.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]