Buckingham Palace Gardens - discussion questions

“Buckingham Palace Gardens” by Anne Perry

Perry is a prolific writer of historical and Victorian-era mysteries, most of which feature either Thomas and Charlotte Pitt or William Monk. BUCKINGHAM PALACE GARDENS is her 25th novel with the Pitts.

1.     The plot involves finding the body of a prostitute in the linen closet at Buckingham Palace. Was this a little bit too shocking for you? 

2.     The list of suspects includes four proper couples as well as all of
the household and personal servants. The Queen is traveling abroad,
so the Prince and Princess of Wales are left to entertain four
couples at Buckingham Palace and talk about railroad project in Africa.  After the body was discovered, did you suspect that the murder may perhaps something to do the Africa’s mission?

3.     What do you think about agent Thomas Pitt of the Special Services branch?  Police labor force in Victorian time was drawn primary from the ranks of the semi-skilled and unskilled people. Is Pitt taken seriously by the affluent businessman and the Price of Wales?

4.     The story and investigation take a significant turn when the wife
of one of the gentlemen turns up dead in the same manner as the
butchered prostitute. Clues point to the husband of the victim.  Did you suspect Julius Sorokine to be the murderer?

5.     Which characters did you think committed the crime? Did you believe Cahoon Dunkel to be the killer before the end?

6.     Pitts’ wife, Charlotte (née Ellison), comes from an upper-class family.  She has married beneath her position and can no longer take part in society events.  Emily’s great aunt by marriage Vespasia Cumming-Gould.  Aunt Vespasia is an elderly woman who has aged gracefully and has friends and acquaintances in the upper levels of society and even in the nobility.  Did her connections help Thomas in solving the murder?

7.     What do you think about Gracie, the Pitts’s diminutive maid?  Pitts enlist her help to discover the gossip among the palace servants.  Did she fulfill her role?  Was this task not too dangerous for an ordinary maid?

8.      In many British novels portraying his period, we see very clear cuts between the “Upstairs, Downstairs” class dramas.  Did you like the way Ann Perry depicted both groups?  Which were more interesting, passages involving the “downstairs” group of servants or the passages involving the
“upstairs” suspects?

9.     What did you learn about the Victorian England you didn’t know? How the time period influences the characters’ actions and beliefs?

10.                         Do you agree that uniqueness of this book may be attributed to skilful character development, engaging plot, and details about the residence of the British royal family?

11.                        After reading  “Buckingham Palace Gardens” would you be interested in reading  more books by Ann Perry?