Search Results for: anne perry

The queen of the Victorian mystery, New York Times bestseller Anne Perry returns with the 32nd novel in the Inspector Pitt series MURDER ON THE SERPENTINE. Pitt is on a secret mission for the Queen, maybe his last…

London, 1899: Head of Special Branch Commander Thomas Pitt is summoned to Buckingham Palace.

In the twilight of her years, Queen Victoria is all too aware that the Prince of Wales will soon inherit her empire and must be beyond reproach. She tells Pitt she tasked her close friend and confidante, John Halberd, with investigating the Prince’s friends, specifically Alan Kendrick, a wealthy playboy and betting man, but before he could report back, Halberd was found dead in a rowing boat on the Serpentine.

The death has been ruled an unfortunate accident and the investigation closed, but the Queen is not convinced that all is as it seems and tasks Pitt with finding the truth.

Forced to act alone in this most sensitive of investigations, Pitt finds himself embroiled in a plot that threatens not only the reputations of men, but also the safety and reputation of the Empire. . .

A brilliant standalone novel from Anne Perry, the undisputed master of the Victorian mystery.

1273 – the gorgeous, cosmopolitan and enlightened city of Byzantium is in acute danger. Only an alliance with the Church of Rome will stop the crusading fervour of the Italian and French troops on its borders, determined to strike through Byzantium to reach Jerusalem. Faced with the prospect of surrendering its gentile Orthodox theology to Roman Catholicism, the city is in turmoil as opposing factions seek to assert their authority.
For Anna, the brutal conflict only echoes her own life. Recently arrived in Byzantium to find out why her brother has been exiled for a murder she believes he did not commit, Anna is forced to pose as a eunuch so that she can move freely in all levels of society. As she does so she finds herself in the middle of intrigues that may not only free, or condemn, her brother, but will also determime the fate of Byzantium itself.

The queen of the Victorian mystery, New York Times bestseller Anne Perry returns with the 22nd novel in the William Monk series REVENGE IN A COLD RIVER. An adversary Monk cannot remember threatens everything he holds dear – will he survive what is to come?

London, 1869: The body of a middle-aged man is found tangled in a mass of rope and wooden wreckage near the dockside of the River Thames.

Commander William Monk of the River Police is called when initial investigations reveal the man was shot in the back. When he learns that the man was a master forger who had just escaped prison, Monk’s interest is immediately piqued. But as his investigations lead him ever deeper into the murky world of smuggling and forgery, Monk is forced to confront his own forgotten past.

The unsolicited interference of an old foe takes precedence as it becomes clear to Monk that a bitter enemy is back for revenge and has him in his sights. With his life and career in imminent danger, can Monk navigate his way to the truth before it is too late?

Commander William Monk – A man with no past has only his conscience and instinct to guide him.

Thomas Pitt’s daughter Jemima, now a young woman, leads the cast of Anne Perry’s enthralling festive mystery. In New York, at the turn of the century, where new American money and old English aristocracy collide, a young bride’s secret past could destroy her future. Jemima, in America as a chaperone until her friend’s wedding, is instead drawn into the crisis, and must decide whom to trust, and how to thread her way through the dangerous streets of this cold, brash new city.

One night, in a corridor of the Royal Naval Hospital, Greenwich, nurse Hester Monk is approached by a terrified girl. She’s from a hidden ward of children, all subject to frequent blood-letting, and her brother is dying.

While William Monk’s River Police fight to keep London safe from gun-runners, Hester takes on a new role at the hospital, helping to administer a secretive new treatment. But she slowly realises that this experimental cure is putting the lives of the children at risk. Attempting to protect the young victims, she comes under threat from one rich, powerful, and very ill man who is desperate to survive…

Westminster is struck by a deadly killer…

In Anne Perry’s tenth Victorian mystery featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, a murderer strikes at Members of Parliament crossing Westminster Bridge. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘[Anne] Perry once again demonstrates her true and lively passion… Her finely drawn characters couldn’t be more comfortable within the customs and sensibility of their historical period’ – New York Times Book Review

In the few minutes it takes to cross Westminster Bridge, Sir Lockwood Hamilton has his throat slit and is tied to a lamppost with his evening scarf. The killer vanishes without being seen. Inspector Thomas Pitt thinks the motive might have been personal… or political. When a second Member of Parliament is murdered in the same way, politics seems certain to be the reason. Soon the suspect list includes anarchists and suffragettes. Public outrage mounts and fear grips London and Parliament after a third lamppost murder. Deep in his own investigation, Pitt must rely on his wife, Charlotte, and Great-aunt Vespasia to explore the drawing rooms of the upper class for clues to the mystery. With burning social issues swirling around them, the three of them must solve the case before another MP falls victim to the Westminster cutthroat.

What readers are saying about Bethlehem Road:

‘These are a great set of books. Pitt is a really likeable hero‘

‘I could not put it down. One of her best works’

‘Gripping read‘

With only Inspector Pitt believing in the accused’s innocence, can he hope to uncover the truth in time?

In Anne Perry’s eighth Victorian mystery, featuring Inspector Thomas Pitt, Charlotte Pitt’s sister is charged with murder. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘Perry gets the Victorian mood just right… Settle in with this one on a rainy day’ – Booklist

As Inspector Thomas Pitt works to resolve the case of a dismembered woman, his brother-in-law, George March, Lord Ashworth, is poisoned. The police’s main suspect: Charlotte’s sister, Emily. Convinced of her innocence, Charlotte and Pitt take on the March clan with the help of her formidable Great-aunt Vespasia, attempting to break through their wall of deceit and silence. When Emily finds Sybilla March, George’s suspected mistress, strangled by her hair, the case would seem hopeless for anyone but the Pitts. Their pursuit of the truth takes them down a path of corruption, depravity, and murder, from the elegant townhouses lining fashionable Cardington Crescent to the horrifying slums of London.

What readers are saying about Cardington Crescent:

‘This has been the best read of the Thomas Pitt series. Didn’t want to put the book down‘

‘A wonderful read, kept me guessing who the murderer was right up until the end!’

‘A fascinating plot and a good portrayal of the Victorian era’

A tidy solution to a murder makes Inspector Pitt uneasy – is there more to this case than meets the eye?

In the sixth acclaimed mystery from Anne Perry, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt must discover the truth of a young gentleman’s sordid murder – or an innocent man will hang. Perfect for fans of C. J. Samson and Ann Granger.

‘The period detail remains fascinating, and [Perry’s] grasp of Victorian character and conscience still astonishes’ – Cleveland Plain Dealer

The naked body of an aristocratic youth turns up in the sewers beneath Bluegate Fields, one of London’s most notorious slums. But Arthur Waybourne had been drowned in his bath, not in the Thames. More shocking still is the discovery that the boy had been violated and infected with syphilis before his murder. Despite Inspector Thomas Pitt’s efforts to investigate the crime, the family closes ranks, leaving him to wonder what they are hiding.

All evidence points to Arthur’s tutor, Jerome, as the murderer, but Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, don’t believe the answer is so simple. But if not Jerome, then who? To learn the truth, Charlotte uses her familiarity with the upper classes to draw aside the curtain of lies, while Pitt defies his superior and the boy’s family to follow a trail that leads him into the foulest streets of London through a web of deceit. In a race against time, Thomas and Charlotte must find the real killer to save Jerome from the hangman’s noose.

What readers are saying about Bluegate Fields:

‘A thought-provoking whodunit’

‘Yet again Anne Perry keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last. Her knowledge of Victorian London is remarkable‘

‘Another winner for Anne Perry – five stars‘

Are the upper-class residents of Callander Square as innocent as they claim?

In New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry’s second Victorian Inspector Pitt mystery, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt find that everyone in Callander Square has something to hide – but someone will kill to keep a secret. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘Murder fans who prefer their crimes with a touch of class should heat some scones and nestle back for the afternoon’ – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When the bodies of two infants are dug up in the Callander Square gardens, the upper-class residents resent the intrusion of Inspector Thomas Pitt into their well-ordered lives. They dismiss it as the desperate act of some low-born girl, but Pitt is not convinced that the case should be so easily dropped.

Also intrigued by the mystery, and able to move in the places to which Thomas would never gain access, Charlotte probes into the lives and secrets of the residents – secrets that could lead even the most upright aristocrat to kill. But will the Pitts solve the mystery in time to save the innocent residents of Callander Square from the murderer among them?

What readers are saying about Callander Square:

‘Perry blends period detail, detection, and rot-beneath-the-genteel-surface social commentary with great skill‘

‘This is one of those rare books that you have to read in one go‘

‘Loved this story from beginning to end‘

A secret so shocking it will lead to murder including, quite possibly, Pitt’s own…

In Anne Perry’s ninth crime novel featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, an unsolved murder will take the acclaimed Victorian policeman into the gravest danger. Perfect for fans of C. J. Samson and Ann Granger.

‘Descriptions of London’s Upstairs/Downstairs society [are] historically illuminating’ – St. Petersburg Times

When Thomas Pitt is required to reopen a murder case in Hanover Close, he doesn’t know how perilous it will become. Three years earlier Robert York, who worked for the Foreign Office, was murdered. Pitt believes a mysterious woman may hold the key to his death, and his suspicion deepens when one of the York household’s maids dies suddenly – soon after talking to him. Then Pitt himself is arrested for the murder of the woman he’d been seeking. Only Charlotte and her sister Emily can stand between Pitt and the gallows.
Charlotte and Emily find a way to delve deep into the confidences of the York family and their household, but with Pitt in prison and a murderer among the inhabitants of Hanover Close, they are playing a deadly game…

What readers are saying about Silence in Hanover Close:

‘Excellent read… you will struggle to put it down‘

‘Another excellent book in the Thomas Pitt series; easy to read and well researched into the social life of Victorian era’

‘Five stars‘

Pitt’s pursuit of the truth makes him some powerful enemies…

After sending a man to the gallows for the murder of a Whitechapel prostitute two years after the ghastly crimes of Jack the Ripper, Superintendent Thomas Pitt is suddenly confronted with another chillingly similar killing that raises speculation that the wrong man has been convicted… or that the Ripper has returned. The thrilling sixteeth novel in Anne Perry’s Thomas Pitt mystery series would be the perfect read for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sherlock Holmes.

‘Stands as one of her most intricately constructed plots… Perry packs a triple wallop into the final pages, one climax following another’ – Chicago Sun-Times

Inspector Thomas Pitt knows the murder of a prostitute in a bedroom on decrepit Pentecost Alley would normally cause little comment, but under Ada McKinley’s body is a Hellfire Club badge inscribed with the name ‘Finlay Fitzjames’. Finlay’s father – immensely wealthy, powerful, and dangerous – denies the possibility that his son has been in Ada’s bed. The implication is clear: Pitt must arrest someone else. But Thomas Pitt will not be intimidated, and with the help of his quick-witted wife, Charlotte, he stubbornly pursues his investigation, determined to expose the truth.

What readers are saying about Pentecost Alley:

‘[Anne Perry’s] books are always gripping and beautifully written‘

‘Anne Perry writes with amazing clarity of London – a joy to pick up each book‘

‘Five stars‘

A double festive treat for Christmas, bringing together two of Anne Perry’s spellbinding seasonal novellas in one special edition.

A Christmas Journey:

A tranquil weekend party in early December at a magnificent country house is shattered by a suspicious death. Taking a leading role in the ensuing investigation is one of the most beloved characters from Anne Perry’s Thomas Pitt series: Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. When Gwendolen Kilmuir’s body is found in the lake in the gardens of the estate, it appears she jumped from the bridge. The host, Omegus Jones and Vespasia decide to find who or what might have led Gwendolen to resort to such an extreme measure. They vow to make the guilty party seek forgiveness and expiation through the task of taking a sealed letter written by Gwendolen before her death to her mother up in the north of Scotland. The journey will be both physically and emotionally arduous but will bring answers to some unexpected and profound questions.

A Christmas Visitor:

Henry Rathbone, one of the engaging characters from Anne Perry’s William Monk series, arrives to spend Christmas at a family manor house near Ullswater, but his host, Judah Dreghorn, has slipped while crossing a stream in the grounds of the estate and drowned. Not only this, but Ashton Gower, recently released from prison, is slandering Judah’s name, claiming that his family rightfully owns the estate and that the forged deeds for which he was jailed were in fact genuine. Rathbone and the two remaining Dreghorn brothers, also returning to the Lakes for Christmas, must discover the truth behind Judah’s death and Gower’s outrageous claims.

1857. After the fire of mutiny has swept through British India, young Lieutenant Victor Narraway arrives at a battered military base at Cawnpore. It is just two weeks before Christmas, but no one is able to celebrate: they have been betrayed. A soldier under arrest for dereliction of duty has killed a guard and escaped to join the rebels, taking crucial information that led to the massacre of nine men on patrol. Someone must have helped him, and medical orderly John Tallis is the only man unaccounted for at the time. He is now on trial for his life, and Narraway is commanded to defend him.

Narraway knows that his is an impossible task. The British Army needs justice to be carried out in full, and there seems no doubt of Tallis’s guilt. But Narraway cannot see any motive for his actions. Will an innocent man hang before Christmas?

Inspector William Monk: In search of justice, he will not stop until he has found the truth.

1864: When the body of a brutally mutilated body of a woman is found on Limehouse Pier, Monk’s enquiries into her death unearth a suspicious connection between the victim and Dr Lambourn, a recently deceased scientist and staunch supporter for a new pharmaceutical bill aimed to regulate the sale of opium.

Investigating further, Monk learns that Lambourn’s widow refuses to believe that her husband’s death was suicide; she is convinced that he was murdered by government officials intent on keeping the lucrative trade of opium flowing.

With pressure mounting for the police to find the Limehouse killer, Monk is propelled headlong into an investigation that will delve the darkest depths of the opium trade and threatens to expose corruption in the very highest echelons of society…

A festive story of hope and redemption emerging from the depths of Victorian society.

1864, and on a bitter December night in Victorian London, one man longs for a Christmas miracle. The city is preparing for the holidays yet James Wentworth is unable to focus on anything other than the disappearance of his wayward son, Lucien. In desperation, he turns to his old friend Sir Henry Rathbone for help.
Rathbone finds assistance in the shape of reformed criminal Squeaky Robinson and the enigmatic Doctor Crow and as the group’s investigations take them deeper into the seedy underbelly of the capital they uncover a squalid world of illicit pleasures and a trail that leads them closer to the man they seek.
But as they get nearer to their quarry, tales also begin emerge of Lucien’s violent tendencies, his consuming obsession with a dangerous young woman and the disturbing Shadow Man. Can they bring Lucien home alive and if so, will it be a grave mistake for all concerned?

Another fantastic Pitt novel from the master storyteller of the Victorian mystery.
1895 and an increasingly violent tide of political unrest is rising fast all over Europe. Special Branch’s Inspector Thomas Pitt knows that they must find those responsible before England is overrun by reformists intent on overthrowing the government. When he finds himself in pursuit of a suspected terrorist, Pitt has no hesitation in following the chase all the way to France.
But events take a sinister turn when Narraway, Pitt’s superior, is accused of involvement in the death of an Irish informant and abruptly removed from office. Aware that her husband’s own career is also in jeopardy if he is not reinstated, Pitt’s wife Charlotte determines to help Narraway clear his name.
As Charlotte and Narraway depart for Ireland and Pitt is drawn deeper into the investigation in France, it becomes clear that outside forces have conspired to separate them at a crucial time in the country’s history. With no one else to trust can they make it back to England and stop the revolt before it’s too late?

Once again, Inspector William Monk, now of the Thames River Police, must face a dangerous foe.

It’s 1864, and after a game of cat and mouse, Monk has captured Jericho Phillips, the man he suspects of brutally killing a young mudlark and running an evil child prostitution ring. In bringing Phillips to justice, Monk hopes to close down the ring and avenge the memory of Durban, his old commander, who was determined to capture Philips. However at trial justice does not prevail. Oliver Rathbone, Monk’s friend, is hired anonymously to represent the accused and when he proves that vital evidence is missing, Phillips is freed. As Monk begins the investigation again, venturing deeper into London’s murky underworld, he realises that Durban may have had his own reasons for pursuing Phillips, and shockingly, that secret support for Phillips may reach further into civilised society than anyone could ever have imagined…

In the latest compelling book in Anne Perry’s bestselling Pitt series, Inspector Thomas Pitt must navigate the upper echelons of society if he is to find a murderer bold enough to kill in Buckingham Palace.
Early one morning, Inspector Thomas Pitt is awoken by a message from his boss, Narraway. A maid has been murdered. The maid worked at Buckingham Palace and Narraway needs his must trusted man to deal with the investigation.
The suspects are narrowed down to a group of guests, meeting with the Prince of Wales to discuss the funding for a huge project: the Cape to Cairo railway. If the murderer isn’t found, the Queen will veto royal support for the scheme.
It rests with Pitt to solve the murder – in doing so he must reconcile his own concept of justice with those who feel it is within their right to make their own laws, whatever the consequences.

The fifth, and final, book in Anne Perry’s powerful series of novels set during World War One.
The war is coming to a close. Joseph Reavley’s regiment has suffered huge losses but all live in hope that peace will soon be upon them, when a further, brutal tragedy strikes the Front. Sarah Price, a young nurse, is savagely murdered and Joseph vows to find the person responsible.
Matthew, Joseph’s brother, is already at the Front to meet a prisoner who claims to be able to identify the shadowy Peacemaker, when he becomes implicated in the nurse’s death. If Matthew is to bring the prisoner to the office of the Prime Minister, he must work with Joseph to ensure that Sarah Price’s killer is found. If Matthew is able to put a stop to the Peacemaker’s schemes, there will be a chance for lasting peace; if he fails, then freedom and liberty could be all but a distant memory for future generations…

The two figures had been on the bridge. He had grasped hold of her. To save her, or to push her?

Inspector William Monk is still feeling his way in a new post in the Thames River Police and knows he must solve the mystery to gain the respect of his men. Soon both he and Hester find themselves powerfully involved in the story of the dead woman, Mary Havilland, and her quest to vindicate her father, found dead two months previously. An engineer working for the Argyll Construction Company, James Havilland was convinced a major disaster would happen in the tunnels where London’s desperately needed new sewer system was being built. Maddened by his obsession, he’d apparently shot himself. Mary had never accepted that and now she was dead too. Was it chance or something more sinister?

You need a very long spoon indeed to dine with the devil. Early one morning, two bombs explode in an East London street. Forewarned of the attack, Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch, arrives in time to chase the bombers to a tenement in Long Spoon Lane. There, two men are arrested and one shot dead – but who and where and is the killer?
As Pitt investigates, he uncovers truths more disturbing than the acts of a few misguided idealists. There’s a web of corruption within the police force, and all the clues point to Inspector Wetron of Bow Street as its mastermind. But as head of the sinister Inner Circle, Wetron has powerful allies in every sphere.

In the last idyllic summer of 1914, the battle lines are already drawn. In Cambridge, the golden June days seem timeless. But for Joseph Reavley the summer is shattered by his parents’ deaths in a car accident. Bringing the terrible news, his brother reveals that their father, a retired MP, had been travelling to see him about a sinister plot he had discovered. Matthew’s job in the secret service means that he would understand the mysterious document their father possessed, but now it is nowhere to be found. Returning after the funeral with their two sisters, Joseph and Matthew become convinced that their parents’ house has been searched. As their suspicions grow, they visit the scene of the crash and find subtle evidence that their deaths may not have been accidental after all.