It is a given that I am a fan of Anne Perry. That said, suffice it to say, this installment of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series did not disappoint. Pitt has been called in to covertly look into the activities of a very popular political candidate named Charles Voisey who belongs to a secret society called the Inner Circle. This character and the Inner Society make their first appearance in "The Whitechapel Conspiracy". They have designs to overthrow the monarchy. A popular spiritualist is murdered and Voisey's prime opposition is connected with the spiritualist. Pitt has to solve the murder with the aid of inspector Tellman, Emily Radly, his sister-in-law and Great Aunt Vespasia and without Charlotte, who along with their kids are whisked away from London for a vacation and for their protection. Several of my favorite Pitt characters appear in this one. Charlotte takes a back seat to her sister and to her Great Aunt. Because I like these characters a lot, it really didn't bother me that Charlotte isn't in this one much.
If you enjoy murder, mystery and the Victorian era, then Anne Perry is the author for you!!In this outing, the intrepid Inspector Pitt has been re-assigned to Special Branch as retaliation by Sir Charles Voisey, whom Pitt thwarted in an attempt to become so powerful as to make England a Democracy under his own leadership.Pitt is asked to solve a murder with highly political implications, while dealing with the appearance that he has, among other things, caused the suicide death of a much beloved pastor (he didn't, of course but that's how Voisey makes it look).All the usual wonderful supporting characters are here: Charlotte - Pitt's higher-social strata wife, Gracey - the Pitt's spunky maid, Inspector Narraway - Pitt's boss at Special Branch, and of course, the absolutely delightful Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, Charlotte's aunt, and an amateur sleuth who frequently helps Pitt out in solving his cases.Great characters, interesting murder investigations, and the Victorian era styles, politics, and decorum. What more could you want?
What do You think about Southampton Row (2002)?
Disappointing. Charlotte has become an afterthought. I love this series, but after reading the last two, I'm not sure I like the direction it's heading in. Charlotte is not even mentioned on the dust jacket to the next book. I love Thomas, but I also like having different perspective through Charlotte. The Pitt novels started out as a mystery series featuring Thomas and Charlotte. It seems to be turning into spy novels focusing mainly on Thomas. Unfortunately, not looking forward to the next book as much as usual.
—Laura Edwards
I enjoyed this book which is one of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. I started toward the end of this series so this book was going backward for me. Pitt is starting to develop his relationship/friendship with Victor Narraway. The character of Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould is being incorporated into the solving of the crime or political dilemmas. This book dealt with the fascination that people in the Victorian era (and maybe still today) had with the spiritualist/mystics/fortune-tellers. The book also contrasted that interest with the doctrines of religion. Charlotte was not very involved in the book. Her sister Emily was in addition to Cornwallis, Vespasia, Narraway and Tellman. I missed Charlotte but it is good to learn more about other characters.
—Suzanne
This is one of the most dull books I have ever read by Anne Perry. The Monk series are much more interesting. When a medium Maude Lamont is found dead in her home, asphyxiated by cheesecloth and egg white, the last three people that attended the seance the night before are all suspected of murdering her. One of the guests is the wife of a political candidate and the elections are coming up, so there is a potential risk for his position. Unfortunately, there is no supernatural elements at work here, this novel is more of political thriller. The murder is described graphically, and it's about the most suspenseful aspect of the story, in my opinion. The detail is very realistic; the actvities, the fashion, the vocabulary,everything helps put the reader into the time and era. This plot could have been much better, I'll stick to the Monk series.
—Athena
