THE LAST PLEASURE GARDEN

TITLE: THE LAST PLEASURE GARDEN
AUTHOR: LEE JACKSON
Pages: 315
Date: 12/07/2007
Grade: 4.5
Details: #3 Inspector Decimus Webb, Victorian Mystery
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Cremorne Gardens is the last pleasure garden on the banks of the Thames in London's Chelsea area. People flock here for fun and entertainment in the evenings. Now, however, somebody is targeting young women, using sharp scissors to take a lock of their hair.
Insp. Webb is convinced he's dealing with a harmless lunatic, but then someone is murdered. And although Webb is not convinced that the murderer and "the Cutter" are the same person, he is suddenly under huge pressure to come up with answers.
Meanwhile, 18 year old Rose Perfitt seems to be at the heart of events but how and why is unclear. Unless Webb comes up with a solution quickly, her life could be ruined, if not lost.
This was once again a good mystery, bringing Victorian London to life in full colour. The author takes a situation from the Victorian area to place his mystery in, but that place is familiar enough to draw the reader in completely.
Webb and his sergeant, Bartleby, make a nice crime fighting team, but it somewhat traditional with Webb being the cynic with all the answers and insights and Bartleby his dogsbody, blundering mostly in the dark.