Dorchester Terrace (Thomas & Charlotte Pitt #27)

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Dorchester Terrace (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #27)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 762 ratings · 171 reviews

Thomas Pitt, once a lowly policeman, is now the powerful head of Britain’s Special Branch, and some people fear that he may have been promoted beyond his abilities. He, too, feels painful moments of self-doubt, especially as rumors reach him of a plot to blow up connections on the Dover-London rail line—on which Austrian duke Alois Habsburg is soon to travel to visit his r...more

Hardcover, Ballantine, 333 pages

Published 2012 by Random House (first published September 1st 2011)

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Jun 08, 2012 Dorothy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-mysteries

I have been reading Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries for so long that there is little mystery left to her stories for me. In this latest Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery, I had surmised by about a hundred pages in who the villain(s) of the piece were going to be. I read the rest of the book in light of my theory, which did, in fact, turn out to be right.

Figuring out the puzzle early on did not necessarily lessen the pleasure of the read. Actually, there is a certain satisfaction in feeling sma...more I have been reading Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries for so long that there is little mystery left to her stories for me. In this latest Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery, I had surmised by about a hundred pages in who the villain(s) of the piece were going to be. I read the rest of the book in light of my theory, which did, in fact, turn out to be right.

Figuring out the puzzle early on did not necessarily lessen the pleasure of the read. Actually, there is a certain satisfaction in feeling smarter than the "detectives" and I probably smirked all the way through the last third of the book as Pitt finally caught up to me and began to figure things out.

This book features most of the characters readers have come to know so well in the previous 26 books in the series. We have the elegant Aunt Vespasia whose society connections always play a role in the solution of the Pitt mysteries. We have the sister Emily and her husband Jack Radley, now a minor official in the Foreign Office. And we have Victor Narraway, former head of the Special Branch which Pitt now heads. Narraway is an ally and former mentor of Pitt and an admirer of Pitt's wife Charlotte.

The story, briefly, is this. Pitt receives information that anarchists may be planning to assassinate an Austrian duke who is soon to travel to England. He must evaluate the information and formulate plans to ensure that the assassination does not take place. Inexplicably, his superior, Lord Tregarron, does not seem to take the threat to the duke seriously, and Pitt finds he must go around Tregarron and find other resources in the effort to protect the duke. Fortunately, he has Narraway and Vespasia. And Charlotte, of course.

Meanwhile, an old woman lies dying in her house at Dorchester Terrace. Serafina Montserrat was once a formidable force in the revolutions of 1848. She had cast her lot with the Croatians who were attempting to extricate themselves from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her lover, a leader of that struggle, was betrayed by someone close to him and was executed after being tortured by government forces. His execution was witnessed by his eight-year-old daughter Adriana who was subsequently rescued by Serafina and handed over safely to the care of her grandparents. Now, as she is dying, Serafina is terrified that, as her mind wanders, she may reveal secrets which could prove detrimental to relations between England and the Balkan states.

Serafina dies, but her former colleague Vespasia suspects it is not a natural death. An autopsy reveals her suspicions are accurate. The old woman was murdered with an overdose of laudanum. Then a second woman,
that same Adriana, now wife of a Foreign Office official and a Croatian immigrant, also dies of a laudanum overdose. Suicide or murder? And do the two deaths have any connection to the supposed plot against the duke? William Pitt must sort it all out and save the day - with a little help from his friends.

I don't really read Perry for plot or for mystery any more. I read her mostly because of long-time familiarity with and affection for her characters and for her descriptions. Her descriptions of the fashionable dress of the day, the interior decorations of the period, and the social mores of the time are worth the price of the books to me. Her books are always well-researched and do an excellent job of making one feel that one is "there," observing the action.

In this entry, one of the characters goes on a long rant about the importance of Austria and the Balkans as the linchpin that holds Europe together. He speaks with remarkable prescience about what will happen if governments fall and Germany and Russia are pulled into the vortex of the resulting conflicts. Of course, Perry is writing these "prescient" words with a hundred years' hindsight of a century of war. It doesn't make them any less chilling or less interesting. (less)

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Apr 26, 2013 P.d.r. Lindsay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mysteries

Now this was a good read. I have read three or four of the early novels in this historical mystery series starring Thomas Pitt and his eventual wife, Charlotte, and always enjoyed the excellent writing, strong plot, and the way the characters changed and grew.

In the first novel readers meet Charlotte and finally see her escape her stifling, over protective father and shock the whole family, sisters, dreadful grandmother and browbeaten mother, by insisting on marrying a policeman. Thomas Pitt i...more
Now this was a good read. I have read three or four of the early novels in this historical mystery series starring Thomas Pitt and his eventual wife, Charlotte, and always enjoyed the excellent writing, strong plot, and the way the characters changed and grew.

In the first novel readers meet Charlotte and finally see her escape her stifling, over protective father and shock the whole family, sisters, dreadful grandmother and browbeaten mother, by insisting on marrying a policeman. Thomas Pitt is a good detective, but a gamekeeper’s son. Charlotte’s family are very upper middle class. The marriage gives Charlotte an outlet for her energies and an escape from morning calls, but a loss of wealth, social standing, and those art and cultural occasions she did enjoy. For Pitt his marriage is a spur, he becomes more determined to succeed for Charlotte’s sake.

Each new novel showed a further development in the marriage, with Charlotte often helping her husband with his cases. In ‘Dorchester Terrace’ Thomas has been promoted yet again. The year is 1896 and Pitt is Head of Special Branch, forced into the position because of his last case which involved the Royal family and brought a peerage as reward to the previous Head of Special Branch. Now he cannot talk about his work to Charlotte, nor can he use her family’s social contacts to acquire knowledge. His work is top secret and he has to cope with the patronising upper levels of society on equal terms. This is something he is not sure he can do, and, even worse, his colleagues and the government officials around him show they have doubts too, because he isn’t ‘one of them’.

His first task is a shocking one. He quickly discovers there is a spy, a traitor, actually working in his department. He knows the target is to be an Austrian visitor, Duke Alois, but why and more importantly how, he does not know. Protecting the Duke is vital, but so is hunting out the traitor.

Meanwhile the ex-Head of Special Branch, now Lord Narraway, is bored and depressed so he leaps at the opportunity to help Charlotte’s Great-Aunt Vespasa, who is concerned for her old friend, Serafina Monserrat, and wants an investigation into her death. It soon becomes obvious that Serafina has been full of dangerous knowledge, political secrets, which she may have revealed to the wrong people, and Narraway has to contact Pitt and make his task even more complicated.

There is a dramatic struggle to save the Duke, but the shocking discovery of who the traitor is, and that he is also the murderer, presents Pitt with a terrible dilemma. Who will believe Thomas Pitt’s word against this man’s? And can he stop the traitor before his actions cause a world war? Thomas has to face his own doubts and prove to himself and his political masters that he is the right choice for Head of Special Branch.

Anne Perry deserves full marks for her meticulous research, her Victorian historical details and her sympathy towards her characters. Serafina isn’t just an old lady with dementia, but someone who reveals to us the pain and anguish of growing old and losing control. Victor Narrawy faces all the problems retirement brings. Thomas Pitt has to navigate the dangerous shoals of snobbery, society mores and international politics, in particular the problems of the Austrian Empire, and the Austro-Hungary situation. Information about which gives the reader a detailed, thorough and lively history lesson on the problems which led up to WWI. ‘Dorchester Terrace’ is a painless way to learn history. Thank you, Anne Perry.

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Jun 07, 2012 LJ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1800s, england, female_author, mystery, police_procedural, victorian_1837-1901

First Sentence: It was mid-February and growing dark outside.
Just as the series has continued, so have the lives of the characters. That is only one reason those of us who love this series are loyal to it; these are characters in whom we have become invested.

After the events of the previous book, “Treason at Lisson Grove”, we find Thomas Pitt now as head of Special Branch. Unfortunately, neither Pitt nor others are certain he’s capable of handling his new role. Ms. Perry wonderfully helps us und...more

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May 31, 2012 Marilyn Fontane rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Perry fans, mystery and spy thriller fans, historical novel fans

Shelves: anneperry

Thomas Pitt is now the head of Britain's powerful Special Branch, no longer a lonely policeman. As such his duties are far more secretive and consequently his fascinating wife Charlotte no longer has as much of a role in solving his crimes. It is a notable omission, but the more intricate plot helps to make up for it. Now that Thomas has such a weightly position, he moves in very different social circles, and while others, who know his origins, would like to condescend to him, they can't openly...more

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May 18, 2012 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-mystery

The fact that this book is #27 in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series has as much to do with the character development of the Pitts as to any particular mystery that gets solved, but here that mystery is at a level not found in any previous books. Pitt, who started as a police officer investigating murders is not the head of Special Branch - a special intelligence unit within the police force. Pitt must overcome his own feelings of being in over his head (as well as filling a job normally held...more

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May 01, 2012 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Perry always has a good tale to tell of Victorian crime and law inforcement with the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series; this novels continues that saga, but now the Pitts are financially comfortable and even have a telephone. In 1896 as Thomas Pitt begins his new job as head of England's Special Branch, he proves himself to be decisive and fully capable in this novel, but Lady Vespasia is still a major source of information. The plot revolves around two murders committed to hide long-standing pol...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery-thriller

I've been reading this series since the first book came out in 1979. So I feel like Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are old friends. I read each new book not so much for the mystery(thought it is always good) but to catch up on how they are doing.
The year is 1896, Thomas has recently been made Head of the Special Branch due to the events of the previous book (Betrayal at Lisson Grove) and he is facing his first real crisis--rumors of an assassination attempt on a minor royal visitor. As with all of Pe...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Larraine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Despite being the 27th novel in this series, Anne Perry doesn't disappoint. What I like about her two major series that I've read - the Pitt series (of which this is one) and the Monk series - is that there is very little sentimentality about the eras, romance, while there, does not overtake the plot and characters are never one dimensional.

I don't read every single new book, so I missed the last one which links to this one. However, it wasn't necessary to know what happened in the previous boo...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Marci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am very happy with the direction Anne Perry is taking her Pitt series characters. While several elements of this mystery seemed obvious at an early stage, the final solution included several devious bits that I defy anybody to have guessed completely, and it provided the perfect setup to discuss a number of interesting issues, among which I found the problem of aging to be most touching.

It does always make me laugh that Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould was created too old in the series near its be...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Beth Mills rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's hard to believe how long this series has been running, but Perry has kept it fresh and now takes it in an interesting direction with Pitt as the new head of Special Branch after his boss has been forced to resign. Lacking the social standing of most department heads, Pitt wonders: will he be able to do his job or will prejudice get in the way? There's little time to worry, however, for a rumor that a minor foreign royal will be assassinated on an upcoming trip to Britain must be investigate...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Hillari Delgado rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Dorchester Terrace' marks a point of departure for Thomas Pitt, protagonist of Perry's popular Victorian series, and a restructuring of the series itself. It remains to be seen if fans embrace this new, darker Pitt. If they do, it may be reluctantly, in exchange for the broad new range of plots and character conflict made possible by the genre shift from period mystery to international espionage.

Perry's skill, as well as her burden, has been inventing new plots over nearly thirty novels. By the...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Brenda Morris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Once again Anne Perry brings the upper echelons of Victorian London to life with her descriptions of the soirees, dress codes, and societal mannerisms of the era.

In this addition to the series, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are settling in to the societal requirements of his new position. Thomas has just settled in to the position and while questioning his own abilities to handle the responsibilities, he is also faced with prejudice and doubt of his abilities from other officials he must interact wi...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Shirley Schwartz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-5-star-reads

I have long been a fan of Anne Perry and her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. I have found that the books keep getting better and better in this series. Ms. Perry's plots are always tight and her characterizations realistic. These remain strong, but I find that the suspense build-up in each book seems to get better and better. This book is a page-turner and one that I couldn't put down. Pitt is now the Commander of Sepcial Branch, when, after the last book where Pitt's boss was forced to resign...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Anne Perry crafts amazing historical mysteries. I've thoroughly enjoyed this entire series as well as her Monk series and WWI series, and this latest installment was no exception. Her characters are incredibly compelling, her plots incredibly complex, and her pacing superb. I particularly love the way she writes with a clear vision of the good and beautiful aspects of the little things of daily life, setting the depths of evil and depravity in their proper perspective (as opposed to authors like...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the 27th book in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. While there is a mystery involved--why would anyone want to kill an obscure member of the Austrian royal family or is the threat a red herring--the heart of this book is an examination of the class system in Victorian England and how difficult it was to overcome class prejudices. Thomas Pitt, the son of a gameskeeper, was successful as a poice detective and in excelled in solving cases in the Special Branch. Now, however, he has been...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Alice rated it 5 of 5 stars

•Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Dorchester Terrace?
"Anne Perry m'a fait briser ma première résolution de l'année: "ne plus acheter de livres tant que ma PAL n'a pas baissé!" Tant pis, je ne peux pas résister!"

•Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Thomas Pitt est désormais le Capitaine Pitt, directeur de la Special Branch. Plus que jamais il doit faire ses preuves face à des politiciens sceptiques et à de sérieuses menaces d'attentats sur le sol britannique....more •Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Dorchester Terrace?
"Anne Perry m'a fait briser ma première résolution de l'année: "ne plus acheter de livres tant que ma PAL n'a pas baissé!" Tant pis, je ne peux pas résister!"

•Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Thomas Pitt est désormais le Capitaine Pitt, directeur de la Special Branch. Plus que jamais il doit faire ses preuves face à des politiciens sceptiques et à de sérieuses menaces d'attentats sur le sol britannique."

•Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous?
"Enfin je retrouve la plume d'Anne Perry qui m'avait fait me jeter sur ses livres il y a deux ans! Non seulement Pitt récolte enfin le fruit de ses efforts, parce que je commençais à être vraiment fatiguée que se ne soit pas le cas, mais en plus nous avons droit, en plus de l'enquête de la Special Branch, à un meurtre dans la haute société. Et disons le clairement, cela nous avait bien manqué! Tout est donc parfait, même si Gracie et Tellman manquent à l'appel! Il y a même une dimension supplémentaire dans cet opus avec les responsabilités qui incombent désormais à Thomas et qui le poussent à se poser des question sur lui-même. Le seul défaut de cet ouvrage est que parfois on tourne un peu en rond, on se répète. Certains personnages savent des choses qu'on ne leur a pas dit et d'autres en oublient qu'ils savent déjà! Ce n'est pas très gênant mais quand même, je veux bien pardonner à l'auteur, du à son grand âge sans vouloir l'offenser, mais n'y a-til personne pour la relire??

Enfin, une fois de plus j'ai un énorme coup de gueule à passer contre 10-18. Alors je veux bien admettre que vous ayez envie de neuf et de nouvelles couvertures mais changer le graphisme d'une série au 27ème opus, c'est juste dégueulasse!"

•Et comment cela s'est-il fini?
"Le roman finit sur un coup d'éclat poignant qui place réellement ce livre dans une dimension différente. Je suis soulagée d'avoir enfin retrouvée la Anne Perry que j'aime et bien sûr, vivement le prochain!"(less)

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Jul 16, 2012 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thomas Pitt has risen through the ranks to head of Special Branch, which takes care of threats such as planned asassinations of public figures or terrorist attacks. I find the political intrigue less interesting than good old police detective work, which Perry had him doing in the old days of these characters. This one is sort of a foreshadowing of what we know leads to WWI - the asassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. In this story a minor Duke of Austria is coming to visit London and it...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Beverly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thomas Pitt has been promoted to the head of Special Branch. Victor Narraway is now at loose ends and wonders what he will do now. Pitt is not sure he is ready for his new post. A rumor reaches him that there is a plot to assassinate the Austrian duke Alois Habsburg when he travels to England. Pitt tries to alert the Foreign Office and when that doesn't help he goes higher. Meanwhile, an old acquaintance ofLady Vespasia Cumming-Gould is dying and she is terrified that as she sinks into dementia...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Shari rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anne Perry never disappoints. Her Victorian mysteries are full of excellent characterizations and her historical research for her subjects in each book is faultless. She raises awareness of so many different things. I especially like the way she brings the quotidienne into every story. Daily life in the home, particularly, is very well drawn, and the daily chores of the average housewife or the house servants is told in edifying detail. For instance, I was mightily impressed by laundry day. The...more

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May 06, 2012 Jenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-victorian-and-edwardian

I loved Anne Perry's mysteries when I first started reading them, but then somewhere after The Whitechapel Conspiracy I got tired of her books, but rather doggedly kept reading just because I had loved the earlier ones and hoped they would get better. This book was really good and reminded me why I liked Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries in the first place. There was some interesting conflict among the main characters, and although with the political bent the Pitt cases have taken, I find myself...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Roberta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anne Perry's mysteries featuring Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte have been favorites of mine for a long time. Perry combines the history of Victorian England with the novel. I like the combination. This one is filled with rising tension as Thomas takes on a difficult case with many angles and murky details that the author goes over and over, a little tediously for me. The probable attempted murder of an Austrian aristocrat was likely to have disastrous consequences for all of Europe, possibly...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was disappointing because the plot was too obvious. We learn about the old woman who is suffering from dementia but also has moments of lucidity. She was once in the inner circles of a revolution and has seen a lot. She is murdered so what was being covered up? Well, from all viewpoints the author draws a linear story that tells us who might have done it (& why) and then confirms that they did do it (& why). The conversations and interactions of the socially elite in London wer...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, mystery

Dorchester Terrace is the 27th book in Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. Although reading it was like spending time with old friends, the series is definitely ready to wind down. The author spent more time with side characters than she did with the two main characters. The plot did not grab me, and there was more language that felt out of place than usual. (I don't know - is "go rogue" really a phrase that would have been used about people in this time frame?) If you are a fan of th...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 2 of 5 stars

"Dorchester Terrace" (Charlottte and Thomas Pitt) by Anne Perry houses Mrs Serafina Montserrat 75. Formerly promiscuous, fiercely intelligent rider and sword fighter against monarchy especially Austria-Hungary 1848 p27, she fears her deteriorating faculties will lead to murder, as does her long-time friend, elegant, lovely, incisively intelligent Lady Vespasia, great-aunt to Charlotte Pitt (actually younger Emily "sister's great-aunt by marriage to her first husband" p237). Someone overdoses Ser...more "Dorchester Terrace" (Charlottte and Thomas Pitt) by Anne Perry houses Mrs Serafina Montserrat 75. Formerly promiscuous, fiercely intelligent rider and sword fighter against monarchy especially Austria-Hungary 1848 p27, she fears her deteriorating faculties will lead to murder, as does her long-time friend, elegant, lovely, incisively intelligent Lady Vespasia, great-aunt to Charlotte Pitt (actually younger Emily "sister's great-aunt by marriage to her first husband" p237). Someone overdoses Serafina with laudanum and her beloved Ariadne seems to commit suicide in regret. A favorite part is action, when Pitt chases the villains, and decision, he finally confronts how he will mete justice/ punishment.

Serafina rescued frail Ariadne when the 8-year old watched her rebel leader father, Lazar Dragovic, betrayed, tortured (without revealing fellow conspirators), and killed. Thirty years later, the girl is now healthy, strikingly beautiful and brilliant, married to rich ex-diplomat Evan Blantyre ("tall and dark .. remarkable", more than handsome p16) who helps newly-promoted London Head of Special Branch Pitt investigate rumors that minor Austrian Duke Alois Hapsburg will be assassinated (like true WW1 cause) during an upcoming visit to distant relation Queen Victoria.

A possible perpetrator is another frequent visitor, Lord Tregarron. In his professional capacity as Foreign Office Minister, he sends Jack Randal, his new protegé and Pitt's brother-in-law, to dispute and block warnings to Alois or British. On the personal side, Tregarron's late father had an extra-marital affair with Serafina. Either Tregarron or Blantyre is secretly involved with Nerissa Freemarsh, Serafina's plain bland nigh-menopause niece.

Minor red herrings impede. February is rainy, cold; much time spent warming up with tea by fires. Minnie Maude, taller than now-married previous Pitt housemaid, hides a new puppy in the cellar. Pages of political geographical details bore, to impress point that powder-keg Austria could start world war, too easy from author's know-all future perspective. As series swells, so does cast and pages required to include everyone, and references to previous interactions. Narraway, now Lord, informally aids his successor, and his relationship with Vespasia deepens affectionately.

Readers may be impelled on variously: by setting true to history, writing style, in description, conversation, development of character, such that murders have impact. Ariadne's gown was "the color of candlelight through brandy", face "instantly likable" p16. Sharing music and art events, convivial repartée provoke laughter between her and Charlotte.

Seemingly obvious connections take a long time before officially stated and acted upon, even inconsequentialities: "not making the children eat their crutsts" p228, pages until final revelation of puppy. After bereavement, Nerissa wears increasing quantities of "very fine jet beads .. excellent quality" p255, hints at guilt, no? (view spoiler)

After dvd "Heavenly Creatures" http://aneyespy.blogspot.ca/2012/06/h...
distracting viewpoint that author with girl-friend, as teenagers fearing separation, 47x smashed brick onto parent's bloody head unto death. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker%E...

Adult seems totally divorced from previous actions. "Justice can mean many different things to different people" Pitt p275. Pitt equivocates tediously, until the final moment of decision when the villain boasts "you don't have the nerve" to kill me p332. Perry protagonists are such honorable upholders of the law - repentance, redemption?(less)

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Jun 14, 2012 Deb Novack rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bcc-100bks-in-yr, book-chick-city-mys-susp-challenge, net-galley, wad2012ebkchallenge

I love all things of Victorian England and mysteries. As the new head of Scotland Yards Special Branch Thomas Pitt is not sure if he is capable of doing this job but he has the support of Charlotte his wife,Great-Aunt Vespasa and his second Stoker. Ms. Perry has done a marvelous job of staying true to the times. The characters are well written with more than one lead character. The storyline relates to events that happened in Treason at Lisson Grove, so I have put it on my TBR list. For all of y...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Janellyn51 rated it 4 of 5 stars

`I really enjoyed this episode of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt's adventures. I'm always happy to catch up with them every year or so. The kids are growing up, they aren't broke anymore, but then there is always the at any moment the rug could get pulled out from under thier feet...a feeling I know only too well. Well, Thomas aced this one...I missed having Gracie be a part of it, as happy as I am for her that she's now a married lady with a house of her own! Vespasia as ever too fabulous...Victor N...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a real Anne Perry fan, and one would think that after 27 novels, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt would become a bit of a bore. Not so in this her latest in the series. Thomas in now head of Special Branch and the crimes he now solves are more political in nature, but the suspense is there, especially as the plot draws to a close. The story line of this novel was a bit slow getting started. Lots of background to put forth. But when it started to cook it held your interest. I just wish that Charlott...more

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Jul 25, 2012 M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction-mystery

This series has had its ups and downs but this one was riding the top of a crest. Thomas has paid his dues over and above the norm and is finally head of Special Branch. All my favorite characters make an appearance and contribute to the story, Charlotte, Emily, Jack, Lady Vespasia and Narroway. Now Thomas must prove himself, not only to those that would question his abilities to hold this position but to himself as well. Intrigue. Betrayal. Murder. Treason. All of these and more are the backdro...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Carolyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

Because this was first exposure to this author and this is book 25 in a series, the book had a slow start for me. Having read the cover jacket I knew what the murder plot was to be, but felt like it took a lot of time to get to it. I enjoyed the character and the development of the plot. Solving the mystery was doled out at a nice pace and enjoyed the book to the end. A good mystery set in 1896 England so also go enjoy the society, costumes, and customs of that age - slightly pre Douton Abby tim...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Guna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, mysteries

Thomas Pitt has now been promoted to the Head of the British Special Branch. As he is not a gentleman's son, but the son of a gameskeeper, he feels at quite a disadvantage in this new position. The previous head has been relieved of his position, and must also adjust to his new role in life. Pitt's brother-in-law has also received a promotion in the Foreign Office, and needs to adjust there. The mystery revolves around the rumored attack on a minor member of European royalty as he is visiting En...more

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About Anne Perry

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Anne Perry (born Juliet Hulme) is a British historical novelist.

Juliet took the name "Anne Perry", the latter being her stepfather's surname. Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published under this name in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several cate...more

More about Anne Perry...

Books by Anne Perry

The Face of a Stranger (William Monk, #1)

Callander Square (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #2)

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avg rating	preview: Dorchester Terrace Goodreads rating: 3.68 (762 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12500173-dorchester-terrace?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320562741l/12500173.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12500173-dorchester-terrace?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry[/url]

Dorchester Terrace (Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #27)

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