What do you think?
Rate this book
Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #27
Dorchester Terrace
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 royal English kin. Why would anyone destroy an entire train to kill one obscure Austrian royal, or are the rumors designed to distract Pitt from an even more devastating plot?
Meanwhile, on Dorchester Terrace, an old Italian woman, at the end of a romantic career as a revolutionary spy, is terrified that as she sinks into dementia, she may divulge secrets that can kill. And a beautiful young Croatian woman, married to a British power broker, hoards her own mysteries. Wife Charlotte and Great Aunt Vespasia are invaluable to Pitt's investigations.
Meanwhile, on Dorchester Terrace, an old Italian woman, at the end of a romantic career as a revolutionary spy, is terrified that as she sinks into dementia, she may divulge secrets that can kill. And a beautiful young Croatian woman, married to a British power broker, hoards her own mysteries. Wife Charlotte and Great Aunt Vespasia are invaluable to Pitt's investigations.
333 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2011
431 people are currently reading
1498 people want to read
About the author
Anne Perry
364 books3,386 followersAnne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life after serving five years in prison for murder (in New Zealand). A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".
Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.
Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 378 reviews
January 5, 2014
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.
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.
April 12, 2012
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 beginning because she wasn't planned to be a recurring character, so without any apology, Anne Perry has brazenly allowed her to chop some 15 or even 20 years off, and even more in this book where I'm sure she is younger than when we first met her many years ago!
I also enjoyed the issue of filling a position for which one is not really prepared, the issue of loneliness when a very late and impossible love finally touches the life of one who has never known it, the issues of betrayal of several different kinds, and the issue of disguise and deception at a number of levels--the most harmless turning out to be Minnie Maude hiding a puppy in the cellar. But what a name she gave it! Yikes!
I always like Anne Perry's writing. It is literate and considerably skilled. This is no exception. I am also happy that there were NO apparent typos, which are a huge problem in publishing these days, in my opinion. I really enjoyed this book.
It does always make me laugh that Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould was created too old in the series near its beginning because she wasn't planned to be a recurring character, so without any apology, Anne Perry has brazenly allowed her to chop some 15 or even 20 years off, and even more in this book where I'm sure she is younger than when we first met her many years ago!
I also enjoyed the issue of filling a position for which one is not really prepared, the issue of loneliness when a very late and impossible love finally touches the life of one who has never known it, the issues of betrayal of several different kinds, and the issue of disguise and deception at a number of levels--the most harmless turning out to be Minnie Maude hiding a puppy in the cellar. But what a name she gave it! Yikes!
I always like Anne Perry's writing. It is literate and considerably skilled. This is no exception. I am also happy that there were NO apparent typos, which are a huge problem in publishing these days, in my opinion. I really enjoyed this book.
June 7, 2012
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 understand the complexity, both socially and with regard to experience, of the new position Pitt now holds. Victor Narrraway has been moved out of Special Branch into the House of Lords yet misses his old role. Great-Aunt Vespasa, one of my favorite characters, providing insight and wisdom, is Ms. Perry’s vehicle for ruminations on the mental and physical pain of being elderly. Charlotte, Thomas’ wife, is ever loyal and supportive. Stoker, a fairly new character and Pitt’s second, is someone about whom we know little except for a delightful revelation toward the book’s end.
Ms. Perry’s attention to period detail is astonishing. Additionally, the book is an amazing history lesson on Austro-Hungary and the tensions which led up to WWI. Make no mistake; however, this is not your old, dry, boring history course. Far from it. It is fascinating and well incorporated into the plot.
“Dorchester Terrace” contains good tension and suspense with a very good twist which catches both the reader, and the protagonist, unawares. Well done, Ms. Perry.
DORCHESTER TERRACE (Hist Mys/Prof Inves-Thomas Pitt-England-1896) – VG
Perry, Anne
Ballantine, ©2012
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 understand the complexity, both socially and with regard to experience, of the new position Pitt now holds. Victor Narrraway has been moved out of Special Branch into the House of Lords yet misses his old role. Great-Aunt Vespasa, one of my favorite characters, providing insight and wisdom, is Ms. Perry’s vehicle for ruminations on the mental and physical pain of being elderly. Charlotte, Thomas’ wife, is ever loyal and supportive. Stoker, a fairly new character and Pitt’s second, is someone about whom we know little except for a delightful revelation toward the book’s end.
Ms. Perry’s attention to period detail is astonishing. Additionally, the book is an amazing history lesson on Austro-Hungary and the tensions which led up to WWI. Make no mistake; however, this is not your old, dry, boring history course. Far from it. It is fascinating and well incorporated into the plot.
“Dorchester Terrace” contains good tension and suspense with a very good twist which catches both the reader, and the protagonist, unawares. Well done, Ms. Perry.
DORCHESTER TERRACE (Hist Mys/Prof Inves-Thomas Pitt-England-1896) – VG
Perry, Anne
Ballantine, ©2012
July 28, 2020
I did it. I read every Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mystery!
And it was so worth it!
And this one was different and intriguing. I do miss the days when he was a policeman and Charlotte and Emily ran around helping him solve murderers. I feel like there's a lot of repetition of "Charlotte feels left out because she can't help in Special Branch cases," which is disappointing, but also it's nice that he's gotten promoted and moved on to a bigger career.
And it was so worth it!
And this one was different and intriguing. I do miss the days when he was a policeman and Charlotte and Emily ran around helping him solve murderers. I feel like there's a lot of repetition of "Charlotte feels left out because she can't help in Special Branch cases," which is disappointing, but also it's nice that he's gotten promoted and moved on to a bigger career.
April 26, 2013
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.
April 16, 2012
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. Pitt is still plagued by many self doubts and he questions his ability to be a good Commander of such a high profile agency as Special Branch is. I think that's what makes Pitt so likeable and realistic a character. He has a vulnerability that makes him seem very human indeed. This book is set in England in February of 1896. Pitt has been forced to determine whether an assasination will be attempted on a visiting Austrian duke, and if it is true, than he must stop it at all costs in order to avoid a real embarassment for England. At this time in history, all of central and southern Europe were under the rule of the Hapsburgs and their hold on this vast region is beginning to tatter and to show signs of implosion. This is the time in the 20 or so years before World War I where this crumbling empire is trying to reassert its dominance on the Europe stage. But with enemies on every side, the Hapsburg empire is doomed to fail. Pitt gets a taste of what is to come when he sets out with his team to avert a political disaster. This is an excellent turn of the century thriller. Bravo Ms. Perry.
December 9, 2024
Both Pitt and Jack Radley have been promoted. Pitt is now officially the head of Special Branch, and has many doubters. Jack, much to Emily's pride, has advanced in the Foreign Office. They come into conflict as Jack's boss refuses to believe in any imminent danger to a minor Austrian duke, which doesn't help the relationship between Charlotte and Emily. Meanwhile an old friend of Aunt Vespasia's fears she will give away secrets from her colorful past, and Vespasia asks Victor Narroway, unwillingly "promoted" into the House of Lords,to investigate. And what is going on with the Pitt's new maid Minnie Maud--what is she hiding in the cellar?
Everything but the Minnie Maud mystery is related of course, and while Pitt triumphs at the end, it is not without realizing part of the price of his new job is making unthinkable decisions. Readers who don't know much about the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the factors leading towards a world war 20 years later will get a few lessons here.
Amusing Attempt To Continue To Gloss Over Vespasia's Age Having A Good 20 Years Shaved Off Of It: Her friend Serafina is said to be "considerably older, and her age set at 75, and Vespasia's own age is said to be one that it isn't polite to discuss!
Everything but the Minnie Maud mystery is related of course, and while Pitt triumphs at the end, it is not without realizing part of the price of his new job is making unthinkable decisions. Readers who don't know much about the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the factors leading towards a world war 20 years later will get a few lessons here.
Amusing Attempt To Continue To Gloss Over Vespasia's Age Having A Good 20 Years Shaved Off Of It: Her friend Serafina is said to be "considerably older, and her age set at 75, and Vespasia's own age is said to be one that it isn't polite to discuss!
August 30, 2021
Una novela más de la serie de Thomas Pitt... y una de las más aburridas, aunque me ha durado 3 días. Pero más por ganas de terminar y pasar a otra historia que por interés en el desenlace (el "malo" me resultó tan obvio desde el principio, que me pasé media novela recordándole a Pitt detalles que pasaba por alto y que ya habían sido revelados previamente jajaja)
En fin, para quienes seguimos la saga (y de alguna manera tenemos un crush con Thomas Pitt) es otra oportunidad para saber cómo le va la vida, a qué situaciones debe enfrentarse, cómo se lleva con Charlotte (¿tendrán alguna crisis alguna vez? ¡que llevan 15 años casados!). Pero una novela de una saga de misterios en la era victoriana quizá debería centrarse más en los misterios.
En cualquier caso, sí admito que una circunstancia del final me sorprendió (e, incluso, divirtió) y que, por supuesto, seguiré leyendo los libros que me quedan de la saga
Como anécdotas de la lectura: cada vez que leo algo sobre la Brigada Especial, no puedo evitar acordarme de la Brigada brutal de La princesa prometida jejeje; y estoy pensando volver a leer el primer libro de la saga (Los crímenes de Cater Street) para comparar -después de 30 años- cómo, realmente, han evolucionado los personajes.
En fin, para quienes seguimos la saga (y de alguna manera tenemos un crush con Thomas Pitt) es otra oportunidad para saber cómo le va la vida, a qué situaciones debe enfrentarse, cómo se lleva con Charlotte (¿tendrán alguna crisis alguna vez? ¡que llevan 15 años casados!). Pero una novela de una saga de misterios en la era victoriana quizá debería centrarse más en los misterios.
En cualquier caso, sí admito que una circunstancia del final me sorprendió (e, incluso, divirtió) y que, por supuesto, seguiré leyendo los libros que me quedan de la saga
Como anécdotas de la lectura: cada vez que leo algo sobre la Brigada Especial, no puedo evitar acordarme de la Brigada brutal de La princesa prometida jejeje; y estoy pensando volver a leer el primer libro de la saga (Los crímenes de Cater Street) para comparar -después de 30 años- cómo, realmente, han evolucionado los personajes.
January 9, 2019
Thomas & Charlotte face 2 murders & past & present international intrigue which involves Narraway & Aunt Vespasia as well. Likable characters & a good plot. I have enjoyed each book I've read from this series.
April 16, 2012
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 Perry's books the plot is twisty and clues to the solution come from everywhere. And the finale is a corker, a good conclusion after several jaw-dropping revelations.
I find the politics of the era fascinating; other readers may be bored to tears. And, be warned, politics dominates this story. The physical action doesn't ramp up until the final part of the book.
I hope to have more opportunities to catch up with Thomas, Charlotte and their circle of family and friends.
ps. Am I the only one who feels that Aunt Vespasia hasn't aged, while Thomas and Charlotte are 14-15 years older than when the series started??
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 Perry's books the plot is twisty and clues to the solution come from everywhere. And the finale is a corker, a good conclusion after several jaw-dropping revelations.
I find the politics of the era fascinating; other readers may be bored to tears. And, be warned, politics dominates this story. The physical action doesn't ramp up until the final part of the book.
I hope to have more opportunities to catch up with Thomas, Charlotte and their circle of family and friends.
ps. Am I the only one who feels that Aunt Vespasia hasn't aged, while Thomas and Charlotte are 14-15 years older than when the series started??
June 3, 2012
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 promoted to the head of the Special Branch, a position to has always been held by a "gentleman", and many people blieve that he is incapable of performing the job. Thomas, himself, worries about his ability to be successful, in large part, because of the way in which he is marginalized and dismissed by many high-ranking officials in Her Majesty's government. An interesting departure for this series.
June 15, 2013
In this 27th book in the series, Thomas has to come to grips with the power and authority of running Special Branch, and the political intrigues of those who think he's not up to it, given his working class (as opposed to upper class) birth. We get some historical insights into the problems plaguing Europe, particularly the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in the second half of the 19th century, and premonitions of what might come in the 20th. There is a strong subplot reflecting on the impact of Alzheimer's, and the dangerous situation created if the person afflicted is a former spy with many, many secrets.
Great-aunt Vespasia plays an important role in this installment, which makes for some fun reading, as she integrates style, assertiveness, and wisdom so well. There are hints that a future book could well be set in Vienna. Bring it on! I look forward to Anne Perry's recreation of that nexus of fin-de-siècle intellectualism, art, and diversity.
Great-aunt Vespasia plays an important role in this installment, which makes for some fun reading, as she integrates style, assertiveness, and wisdom so well. There are hints that a future book could well be set in Vienna. Bring it on! I look forward to Anne Perry's recreation of that nexus of fin-de-siècle intellectualism, art, and diversity.
April 18, 2012
This was a definite disappointment and one of the weaker books in the William and Charlotte Pitt series.
June 15, 2012
Very disappointing! Not up to her usual superb status. Plodding, slow, difficult to get through until the final 10 pages or so. Glad I got it from the library. Tempted to stop well before the end.
September 14, 2012
Thomas Pitt is now head of Special Branch but this book really drags a bit.
May 15, 2013
Sadly, I am rapidly losing interest in the Pitts as protagonists. This book was boring.
December 19, 2020
I've always enjoyed this series for the strong writing, good dialogue and clever mysteries, as much as for the contrast of a married couple, he a gamekeepers son who rises in the ranks of the London police force and she, a woman of the upper middle classes who not only gives up living in the manner of which she is born, only occasionally stepping into it to learn something to help her husband.
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt have been great characters to follow and because they are strong, but not perfect, have their own worries and insecurities, readers care what happens to them and the others in their orbit that begins as he is a police inspector investigating murders near the Ellison family home, where he and Charlotte meet. Thomas eventually is promoted to superintendent, where the cases become more political and eventually is removed from his job, only to be shifted to Special Branch, where in this book, he has become commander of the branch.
And the new role makes him feel very much like a fish out of water as he has to go beyond the investigation of a crime that has occurred but search out clues to stop a political crime that could make England look bad and upset the political apple cart in the Austro-Hungary region. Because Thomas is getting bits and pieces that could lead to the assassination of a minor royal during a visit to England. But why? That is the question he needs to learn to put the whole case together — while battling those who would belittle him and his efforts.
Meanwhile, there is an elderly woman, once a strong activist in that region of Europe who is slowly dying. She has become aware that her mind is beginning to wander, and she is beginning to voice secrets that she shouldn't. Things that could get her killed.
Put all that together and you get a multilayered, thought provoking and challenging mystery as the reader struggles to put together the same clues that Thomas is putting together before a royal visit can become deadly. Once again, Anne Perry has created a very interesting mystery and one that keeps the action going from start to finish.
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt have been great characters to follow and because they are strong, but not perfect, have their own worries and insecurities, readers care what happens to them and the others in their orbit that begins as he is a police inspector investigating murders near the Ellison family home, where he and Charlotte meet. Thomas eventually is promoted to superintendent, where the cases become more political and eventually is removed from his job, only to be shifted to Special Branch, where in this book, he has become commander of the branch.
And the new role makes him feel very much like a fish out of water as he has to go beyond the investigation of a crime that has occurred but search out clues to stop a political crime that could make England look bad and upset the political apple cart in the Austro-Hungary region. Because Thomas is getting bits and pieces that could lead to the assassination of a minor royal during a visit to England. But why? That is the question he needs to learn to put the whole case together — while battling those who would belittle him and his efforts.
Meanwhile, there is an elderly woman, once a strong activist in that region of Europe who is slowly dying. She has become aware that her mind is beginning to wander, and she is beginning to voice secrets that she shouldn't. Things that could get her killed.
Put all that together and you get a multilayered, thought provoking and challenging mystery as the reader struggles to put together the same clues that Thomas is putting together before a royal visit can become deadly. Once again, Anne Perry has created a very interesting mystery and one that keeps the action going from start to finish.
August 24, 2020
Tutto sommato interessante: invece di essere il solito concentrato di claustrofobia anglofila, spazia sui problemi internazionali della Belle Epoque, con l'Austria al centro delle preoccupazioni inglesi.
E perché il buon Pitt, che nell'ultimo letto della serie (non immediatamente precedente a questo, ma li compro in ordine sparso quando ne trovo nei mercatini, e non è poi così facile) avevo lasciato quasi in disgrazia, gode ora di un nuovo lavoro come responsabile dei servizi segreti.
Per lui è complicato e cervellotico: da detective abituato a capire le cose in base agli indizi, deve diventare segugio a caccia di ombre sulla scia di sussurri, segnalazioni anonime, tra doppio e triplogiochisti, e senza poter nulla riferire all'amata consorte (che come sappiamo è la metà di una premiata ditta).
Epperò niente paura, la Charlotte, la non-da-meno-sorella Emily e l'immarcescibile zia Vespasia conducono i giochi come al solito, destreggiandosi tra misteriosi ricordi delle rivoluzioni fallite del '48, fragili mogli croate di diplomatici filoasburgici, ex amanti rivelatori (pure un anziano vescovo), chiacchiere sulla misteriosa fine di Rodolfo a Mayerling, maritini che devono fare bella figura al Foreign Office ma la moglie non sa se lui sarà all'altezza.
Lettura stimolante, insomma.
E perché il buon Pitt, che nell'ultimo letto della serie (non immediatamente precedente a questo, ma li compro in ordine sparso quando ne trovo nei mercatini, e non è poi così facile) avevo lasciato quasi in disgrazia, gode ora di un nuovo lavoro come responsabile dei servizi segreti.
Per lui è complicato e cervellotico: da detective abituato a capire le cose in base agli indizi, deve diventare segugio a caccia di ombre sulla scia di sussurri, segnalazioni anonime, tra doppio e triplogiochisti, e senza poter nulla riferire all'amata consorte (che come sappiamo è la metà di una premiata ditta).
Epperò niente paura, la Charlotte, la non-da-meno-sorella Emily e l'immarcescibile zia Vespasia conducono i giochi come al solito, destreggiandosi tra misteriosi ricordi delle rivoluzioni fallite del '48, fragili mogli croate di diplomatici filoasburgici, ex amanti rivelatori (pure un anziano vescovo), chiacchiere sulla misteriosa fine di Rodolfo a Mayerling, maritini che devono fare bella figura al Foreign Office ma la moglie non sa se lui sarà all'altezza.
Lettura stimolante, insomma.
January 20, 2020
E' il 1896. Siamo arrivati a un punto della storia europea e della carriera di Thomas Pitt, capo della Sicurezza nazionale, per cui le trame da tipicamente "gialle" iniziano a virare sullo spionaggio. Complotti anarchici, duchi asburgici, spie senza pietà.
Lo spionaggio non è fra i miei generi preferiti, ma Pitt è Pitt e anche nella sua nuova veste è inarrestabile e inarrivabile. Un grande.
Lo spionaggio non è fra i miei generi preferiti, ma Pitt è Pitt e anche nella sua nuova veste è inarrestabile e inarrivabile. Un grande.
March 31, 2018
Another good one
Anne Perry and her Thomas Pitt series are both incredible, great suspense, historical facts to learn that are so important to the story that you learn of times before without losing any of the suspense.
Anne Perry and her Thomas Pitt series are both incredible, great suspense, historical facts to learn that are so important to the story that you learn of times before without losing any of the suspense.
November 13, 2017
3.5 stars. Another good Thomas and Charlotte adventure. I like that this one seemed to have regular detecting like back when Thomas was an actual detective instead of Special Branch. This one did keep me guessing as well.
April 7, 2025
7/10
The author has a habit of cramming a lot of events & excitement into the last few chapters of a book, which is not a bad things except if some of the earlier chapters kind of dragged. That was the problem with this book. Still, an absorbing read.
The author has a habit of cramming a lot of events & excitement into the last few chapters of a book, which is not a bad things except if some of the earlier chapters kind of dragged. That was the problem with this book. Still, an absorbing read.
June 27, 2019
A fast-paced, politically intriguing story, not only delving into the fascinating world of politics in the Victorian era, and the intricacies of the European situation, but also an in-depth look at the characters. An excellent read.
November 4, 2012
"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?
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?
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?
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?
July 9, 2016
Picked this up at the library because it was next in the series and I did not have a review in Goodreads. Almost immediately I realized I had read it before. Didn't remember all the details except that it was very good and read it again, very quickly. It is still very good. Realize that this series is not 'action packed'. There is a lot of time spent taking a hansom cab to someone's house and talking over what you now know and what you think. It is a slow way to solve a mystery. This book is concerned with Britain's place in the greater politics of Europe in 1896. The more history you know the more you will like it. The philosophy of anarchists is intriguing as it is so close to that of terrorists today. I wonder who thought up the idea that the best way to fix things is to tear everything up and make as big a mess as possible first?
March 11, 2014
Another incredible Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery by Anne Perry. Pitt is now Head of Special Branch and faces his first real threat to a visiting Hapsburg duke. It's definitely a mystery that keeps one guessing until the very end--to the second-to-the-last page, in fact. I just miss how much Charlotte used to help Thomas solve the various murders he came across, but now with his appointment as Narraway's successor, he cannot share the various threats with her. But Vespasia and Narraway are very much involved behind the scenes in this mystery--which is really two different crimes/potential crimes which link together about 3/4 the way through the book. Another brilliant success for Perry! :)
May 31, 2012
I really enjoy the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. Thomas is now officially head of Special Branch and he is facing a major crisis. Is the assassination of a visiting Austrian duke a real possibility or is it a red herring, leaving open the possibility of an even greater political disaster? What is the secret that Vespasia's old friend is desperate to protect? This is much more of a political intrigue puzzle than a "crime" novel, as befits Pitt's new role. Does he have what it takes? I will admit to being surprised by a plot twist. I did finger the "baddie" pretty early on, but I didn't see one development coming at all.
February 18, 2025
I didn’t have super high hopes for this book when I realized it was the 27th book in a political mystery series I’ve never read, but it was totally fine as a stand alone! I actually rly enjoyed it, especially because of the charming protagonists and supporting characters and the selectively descriptive writing style that brought out the quintessential high society old Victorian England details if you’re picking up what im putting down. I’d probably read other books from the series even if only to learn about Stoker 😗 fav character fr like someone lmk more about why he’s saving up for a cello if that’s the ONLY detail I’m gonna learn about his personal life
Read
November 18, 2016This is my favorite Anne Perry book so far. I found it more suspenseful than most. It takes place in 1896 and gives an English perspective of the crumbling of the Hapsburg Empire which is a topic of particular interest to me personally.
One thing that always bothers me about Anne Perry is that she always ends her books abruptly. Crime solved; The End. There is never a denouement. No final scene where Pitt and Charlotte sit by the fire and enjoy a quiet moment and wrap up the loose threads of the subplots. Perhaps I should write to her and suggest that.
One thing that always bothers me about Anne Perry is that she always ends her books abruptly. Crime solved; The End. There is never a denouement. No final scene where Pitt and Charlotte sit by the fire and enjoy a quiet moment and wrap up the loose threads of the subplots. Perhaps I should write to her and suggest that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 378 reviews