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Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #24
Long Spoon Lane
Early one morning, Thomas Pitt, dauntless mainstay of the Special Branch, is summoned to Long Spoon Lane, where anarchists are plotting an attack. Bombs explode, destroying the homes of many poor people. After a chase, two of the culprits are captured and the leader is shot . . . but by whom?
As Pitt delves into the case, he finds that there is more to the terrorism than the destructive gestures of misguided idealists. The police are running a lucrative protection racket, and clues suggest that Inspector Wetron of Bow Street is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to whip up fears of more attacks–and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. This would make him the most powerful man in the country.
To defeat Wetron, Pitt finds that he must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey, and the unlikely allies are joined by Pitt’s clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. Can they prevail? As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance.
As Pitt delves into the case, he finds that there is more to the terrorism than the destructive gestures of misguided idealists. The police are running a lucrative protection racket, and clues suggest that Inspector Wetron of Bow Street is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to whip up fears of more attacks–and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. This would make him the most powerful man in the country.
To defeat Wetron, Pitt finds that he must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey, and the unlikely allies are joined by Pitt’s clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. Can they prevail? As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
351 people are currently reading
1292 people want to read
About the author
Anne Perry
363 books3,379 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
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
September 22, 2011
And then I found my new least favorite Thomas Pitt book. Coming directly after Seven Dials in the sequence, I shouldn't be surprised to find all my objections about the previous one are still valid. And to that, I must add that this seemed a very untidy book. The murderer (because there actually was a murder in this book, though it was easy to forget, so often was it just a side show) was pegged with no more evidence than "if not him, then who?" until the last couple pages where he kindly admits they are right. Seemingly important assumptions characters made in one chapter would be suddenly forgotten in later chapters for the sake of the plot. Pitt would sometimes just forget information for no reason, leaving me to scratch my head and wonder if I'd just imagined the scene where he learned it in the first place. There was a lot of drama but little mystery as our heroes took on the Inner Circle again, reminding me that the worst thing that can happen to a series is that it gets too self important. Yes, authors, it is possible for a character to reach a dead end in their promotional ladder and still remain interesting to the reader. Growth does not always have to be as obvious as job title and responsibility. I miss the old murder mysteries when Pitt was just an inspector. It's time to start choosing books from this series more carefully.
June 26, 2017
4.25 stars.
I like the traditional way of Thomas solving the mystery with asked lots of questions.
But I do find myself fallen to sleep sometimes though, while reading this series! Lol.
And that's not happening anymore since Thomas join Special Branch.
In here, the first time he was using the gun, chased and shot the baddies.
Also fight on the boat in the sea, more dirty politicians who wanted to cling to their powers, and bombs.
Woot! Everything in here and I like this series more!:)
I like the traditional way of Thomas solving the mystery with asked lots of questions.
But I do find myself fallen to sleep sometimes though, while reading this series! Lol.
And that's not happening anymore since Thomas join Special Branch.
In here, the first time he was using the gun, chased and shot the baddies.
Also fight on the boat in the sea, more dirty politicians who wanted to cling to their powers, and bombs.
Woot! Everything in here and I like this series more!:)
July 23, 2022
3.5 stars. This was slow for me in the beginning, but picked up somewhere in the middle. It's not one of my favorites from the series, but it was still good, and it wraps things up with the character Charles Voicey. I think at this point I’m just growing a little tired of the series and need to take a break from it for a while.
April 27, 2014
If I’d known going in that this was the twenty-fourth book in this particular series, perhaps I might have expected some problems. But it was a book group read, recommended by one of the members, and it seemed to be right up my alley – a murder mystery set in Victorian times. Well, that sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Something light and entertaining, but with a more interesting background than the usual inner-city fare or the Marple-esque twee rural village beloved of the writers of cosy mysteries.
But all that backstory inevitably cast a pall over proceedings. This is not the sort of series where everything resets at the end of each book. It’s clear that there have been years (perhaps decades) of interaction between most of the principle characters. To say they have history doesn’t begin to cover it. To be fair, the author fills in the details pretty well, and it wasn’t too confusing. The problem was that the earlier events sounded so much more interesting than this book. The lead character’s wife, Charlotte, for instance, and her sister Emily, who are nothing more than domestic goddesses in this book, appear in some earlier existence to have done a great deal of sleuthing on their own account. Now that’s a book I would willingly read.
Then there was the subject matter of this particular story, which revolves around anarchists, corruption in the police force and a plan to introduce laws to allow the police to be armed and to have greater powers in their investigations. Since it’s well known that the British police are not routinely armed to this day, there’s no dramatic tension in that particular plot line. It seems to be merely a platform for the author to express her own views through the characters, who hold endless worried conversations about how dreadful such a step would be, and blah blah blah. Yes, yes, but it gets old very quickly.
None of this would have mattered if the plot had ripped along or the dialogue sparkled or the characters were lively, but sadly, it was not so. After the initial excitement of bombings and shootings (where our hero Pitt repeatedly displays his over-sensitive horror at such dreadful goings on in England), the plot settles into a rather dull political affair. The writing style is loosely in the manner of Victorian novelists, although with intrusive diversions to explain subtleties of social propriety which the reader is (presumably) too stupid to understand otherwise. None of the characters really came alive for me, but perhaps they were constrained by the formality of the era. There were moments where the author captured the atmosphere of London in a truly evocative way – the scenes beside the river, for instance – but mostly the writing was workmanlike rather than compelling.
I suspect that the earlier books in the series were much more readable. This felt like a tired effort, where the author had run out of ideas and possibly even interest in the series, but was soldiering on in the interests of fan satisfaction. No doubt those who’ve read the preceding 23 books will love this one, but it wasn’t for me. I got to 30% before I gave up on it. One star for a DNF.
But all that backstory inevitably cast a pall over proceedings. This is not the sort of series where everything resets at the end of each book. It’s clear that there have been years (perhaps decades) of interaction between most of the principle characters. To say they have history doesn’t begin to cover it. To be fair, the author fills in the details pretty well, and it wasn’t too confusing. The problem was that the earlier events sounded so much more interesting than this book. The lead character’s wife, Charlotte, for instance, and her sister Emily, who are nothing more than domestic goddesses in this book, appear in some earlier existence to have done a great deal of sleuthing on their own account. Now that’s a book I would willingly read.
Then there was the subject matter of this particular story, which revolves around anarchists, corruption in the police force and a plan to introduce laws to allow the police to be armed and to have greater powers in their investigations. Since it’s well known that the British police are not routinely armed to this day, there’s no dramatic tension in that particular plot line. It seems to be merely a platform for the author to express her own views through the characters, who hold endless worried conversations about how dreadful such a step would be, and blah blah blah. Yes, yes, but it gets old very quickly.
None of this would have mattered if the plot had ripped along or the dialogue sparkled or the characters were lively, but sadly, it was not so. After the initial excitement of bombings and shootings (where our hero Pitt repeatedly displays his over-sensitive horror at such dreadful goings on in England), the plot settles into a rather dull political affair. The writing style is loosely in the manner of Victorian novelists, although with intrusive diversions to explain subtleties of social propriety which the reader is (presumably) too stupid to understand otherwise. None of the characters really came alive for me, but perhaps they were constrained by the formality of the era. There were moments where the author captured the atmosphere of London in a truly evocative way – the scenes beside the river, for instance – but mostly the writing was workmanlike rather than compelling.
I suspect that the earlier books in the series were much more readable. This felt like a tired effort, where the author had run out of ideas and possibly even interest in the series, but was soldiering on in the interests of fan satisfaction. No doubt those who’ve read the preceding 23 books will love this one, but it wasn’t for me. I got to 30% before I gave up on it. One star for a DNF.
November 23, 2024
This is sort of an Anne Perry Stew of a novel, bringing together many of the elements of the earlier books. The aristocracy and anarchists, the Inner Circle and seamy street life, all cross each other in this story. Evil Sir Charles is back, Jack and Emily have their roles to play, and Tellman, Aunt Vespasia and Victor Narroway gather around the kitchen table with Pitt, Charlotte and Gracie to save England once more. The ending is a little too neat, but satisfying.
Aunt Vespasia Watch: Her incredible age is not harped upon here, but Perry herself has a mental slip here--she mentions Vespasia's children (and nowhere in the series do we learn how many she has!) as all being alive. We, the loyal readers know from Cardington Crescent that her daughter Olivia married the horrid Eustace March and died, worn out after presenting him with many daughters and one son!
Aunt Vespasia Watch: Her incredible age is not harped upon here, but Perry herself has a mental slip here--she mentions Vespasia's children (and nowhere in the series do we learn how many she has!) as all being alive. We, the loyal readers know from Cardington Crescent that her daughter Olivia married the horrid Eustace March and died, worn out after presenting him with many daughters and one son!
June 7, 2013
Set in England in the late 1800's the story discusses the controversy between protection and expanded power of the government. So very timely with the recent bombing in Boston and other changes that have occurred in recent years including the patriot act. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Amazing how the use of manipulation through fear can be used to sway the minds of the public.
August 17, 2007
LONG SPOON LANE (Police Proc-England–1800s) – Ex
Perry, Anne – 24th in Pitt series
Ballantine Books, 2005- Hardcover
Thomas Pitt is now a member of the Secret Branch having been forced out of Bow Street when Inspector Wetron became the head of the Inner Circle. When anarchists bomb homes, the head of the anarchists is murdered, and members of Parliament are lobbying for a bill to arm the police and allows ad hoc searches and questioning of servants, Pitt is forced to work with his enemy Sr. Charles Voisey to find out who is behind it all.
*** I had actually put off reading this book thinking “Oh no, another Inner Circle story,” but am so glad I finally picked it up and then I didn’t stop until I’d finished it. Perry is a masterful writer and an expert at using an historical incident as the nucleus of a compelling and suspenseful story. It is also timely as it deals with some of the issues of government access and privacy that are in today’s news. The plotting is impeccable; the story has several threads and good red herrings all of which are effectively tied up at the end. The usual wonderful characters with strong interconnected relationships are here, but it is the interaction between Pitt and Voisey that is particularly effective. No one creates sense of time and place in Victorian England better than Ms. Perry. She educates, entertains and makes you think. I would read the series in order but feel this book is one of the best.
Perry, Anne – 24th in Pitt series
Ballantine Books, 2005- Hardcover
Thomas Pitt is now a member of the Secret Branch having been forced out of Bow Street when Inspector Wetron became the head of the Inner Circle. When anarchists bomb homes, the head of the anarchists is murdered, and members of Parliament are lobbying for a bill to arm the police and allows ad hoc searches and questioning of servants, Pitt is forced to work with his enemy Sr. Charles Voisey to find out who is behind it all.
*** I had actually put off reading this book thinking “Oh no, another Inner Circle story,” but am so glad I finally picked it up and then I didn’t stop until I’d finished it. Perry is a masterful writer and an expert at using an historical incident as the nucleus of a compelling and suspenseful story. It is also timely as it deals with some of the issues of government access and privacy that are in today’s news. The plotting is impeccable; the story has several threads and good red herrings all of which are effectively tied up at the end. The usual wonderful characters with strong interconnected relationships are here, but it is the interaction between Pitt and Voisey that is particularly effective. No one creates sense of time and place in Victorian England better than Ms. Perry. She educates, entertains and makes you think. I would read the series in order but feel this book is one of the best.
March 11, 2021
I enjoy Anne Perry’s historical fiction novels and Long Spoon Lane was no exception to her series. Thomas Pitt and his talented wife Charlotte worked their magic in this novel. I enjoyed the London locales and the mystery surrounding anarchists attempts to destroy the British government that seem so eerily prescient to the anarchists currently at work in the United States a century later.
Looking forward to reading more from Anne Perry.
Looking forward to reading more from Anne Perry.
September 30, 2019
OK read. Did not enjoy the ending.
July 4, 2016
It's been a long time since I read an Anne Perry and now I remember why. I really enjoyed the earlier books but after two dozen novels it's obvious she's run out of things for Pitt to do. I stopped reading these because it got insanely political especially with all the Inner Circle crap and remembered that once I started reading. Worse, this wasn't just over the top political, it was boring and slow. It only got interesting in the last seventy odd pages.
Charlotte who was Pitt's partner in crime solving has been reduced to a mere house wife with very little purpose other than to make Pitt feel at home. Her rich Aunt Vespasia is still enabling Pitt's detective work at least and since Pitt is no longer a real police officer (he's special branch, sort of the precursor to mI-5) we have chapters with his former subordinate, Tellman.
It opens with a bang, literally, as anarchists blow up a building on the titular Long Spoon Lane but only after they evacuated the innocents. One of the anarchists is shot and killed, the anarchists blame the cops and the cops blame the anarchists they caught. Worse, the dead man is the son of a wealthy lord Vespasia knows.
It looks like this case will be used to push through an unpopular bill that could arm the police and allow them to question servants without their masters being there, you know, like real people instead of tools. Pitt and company don't want that to happen so much so that he allies with Voisey who wants revenge on him. In fact he's warned against Voisey who is likely to betray him so many times I couldn't tell if I wanted him to not betray Pitt or just hurry up and be predictable.
This was a slog. The whole two thirds is just going around and around about that bill, interviewing the anarchists who kept saying the same thing and the Voisey drama again and again. This could have been half as long because it really went nowhere. I have a few other newer Anne Perry's lying around but I'm not motivated to read them after this.
Charlotte who was Pitt's partner in crime solving has been reduced to a mere house wife with very little purpose other than to make Pitt feel at home. Her rich Aunt Vespasia is still enabling Pitt's detective work at least and since Pitt is no longer a real police officer (he's special branch, sort of the precursor to mI-5) we have chapters with his former subordinate, Tellman.
It opens with a bang, literally, as anarchists blow up a building on the titular Long Spoon Lane but only after they evacuated the innocents. One of the anarchists is shot and killed, the anarchists blame the cops and the cops blame the anarchists they caught. Worse, the dead man is the son of a wealthy lord Vespasia knows.
It looks like this case will be used to push through an unpopular bill that could arm the police and allow them to question servants without their masters being there, you know, like real people instead of tools. Pitt and company don't want that to happen so much so that he allies with Voisey who wants revenge on him. In fact he's warned against Voisey who is likely to betray him so many times I couldn't tell if I wanted him to not betray Pitt or just hurry up and be predictable.
This was a slog. The whole two thirds is just going around and around about that bill, interviewing the anarchists who kept saying the same thing and the Voisey drama again and again. This could have been half as long because it really went nowhere. I have a few other newer Anne Perry's lying around but I'm not motivated to read them after this.
December 26, 2018
It's surprising that #24 in a series could still be so intriguing. Twists and turns and could it really be the end of the dreaded Inner Circle?
"After bombs explode during an anarchist attack in Long Spoon Lane, two of the culprits are captured and the leader is shot . . . but by whom? As Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch delves into the case, he finds that there’s more to the terrorism than the brutality of misguided idealists. Clues suggest that Inspector Wetron is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to stir up fears of more attacks and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. To defeat Wetron, Pitt must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey. The unlikely allies are joined by Pitt’s clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance."
"After bombs explode during an anarchist attack in Long Spoon Lane, two of the culprits are captured and the leader is shot . . . but by whom? As Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch delves into the case, he finds that there’s more to the terrorism than the brutality of misguided idealists. Clues suggest that Inspector Wetron is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to stir up fears of more attacks and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. To defeat Wetron, Pitt must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey. The unlikely allies are joined by Pitt’s clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance."
November 11, 2023
This book should be read in sequence. Which I haven't. The characters were already developed. Most of the story was about characters and their actions from previous books. This takes place in 1893 London. A time when there are questions about allowing police more guns and freedoms to search and question. Sound familiar to today's issues? A time of corruption in the police and higher places.
June 26, 2022
This book was ok, but plodding. I suppose the author painted a decent view of the period (Edwardian, Victorian. not sure.)
I can't tell if the anarchist issues center to the book's plot are accurate. Maybe they are. If that's the case, then maybe I learned something from the narrative.
Granted. I listened to this novel instead of reading it, so I didn't pay as much attention as I might have if I had read it.
I don't think the female author does a very good job of writing for the male voice. His character really reads as a she-male. Meaning he has a feminine internal dialog. Ok. Maybe I'm showing my bias. He does a lot a pearl clutching and second guessing layered with thoughts of inadequacy. I just don't really need those divergences from the story. I think -- as an author -- these worries could be addressed obliquely instead of via long passages cognating on the character.
E.g., "Thomas (Pitt) stumbled on the rail caught in a moment of vertigo." Rather than pages about how as a child while hunting he saw his dad fall off a cliff, and now he worried about leaving his own children fatherless. Etc. Bleh. Catch the criminal already.
I didn't find the "upstairs-downstairs" elements of the story interesting either. There's lots of time spent on the various classes in the society, with allusions to some secret society that is seeking control of the government. These devices could interest me, but the author bluntly addresses these groups instead of leaving clues that would have me eager to turn the page (so to speak).
Anyway, I don't need to read any more by this author.
I can't tell if the anarchist issues center to the book's plot are accurate. Maybe they are. If that's the case, then maybe I learned something from the narrative.
Granted. I listened to this novel instead of reading it, so I didn't pay as much attention as I might have if I had read it.
I don't think the female author does a very good job of writing for the male voice. His character really reads as a she-male. Meaning he has a feminine internal dialog. Ok. Maybe I'm showing my bias. He does a lot a pearl clutching and second guessing layered with thoughts of inadequacy. I just don't really need those divergences from the story. I think -- as an author -- these worries could be addressed obliquely instead of via long passages cognating on the character.
E.g., "Thomas (Pitt) stumbled on the rail caught in a moment of vertigo." Rather than pages about how as a child while hunting he saw his dad fall off a cliff, and now he worried about leaving his own children fatherless. Etc. Bleh. Catch the criminal already.
I didn't find the "upstairs-downstairs" elements of the story interesting either. There's lots of time spent on the various classes in the society, with allusions to some secret society that is seeking control of the government. These devices could interest me, but the author bluntly addresses these groups instead of leaving clues that would have me eager to turn the page (so to speak).
Anyway, I don't need to read any more by this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2017
Great book. Wraps up a lot of the previous story lines. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Early one morning, Thomas Pitt, dauntless mainstay of the Special Branch, is summoned to Long Spoon Lane, where anarchists are plotting an attack. Bombs explode, destroying the homes of many poor people. After a chase, two of the culprits are captured and the leader is shot . . . but by whom?
As Pitt delves into the case, he finds that there is more to the terrorism than the destructive gestures of misguided idealists. The police are running a lucrative protection racket, and clues suggest that Inspector Wetron of Bow Street is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to whip up fears of more attacks–and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. This would make him the most powerful man in the country.
To defeat Wetron, Pitt finds that he must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey, and the unlikely allies are joined by Pitt’s clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. Can they prevail? As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance.
Early one morning, Thomas Pitt, dauntless mainstay of the Special Branch, is summoned to Long Spoon Lane, where anarchists are plotting an attack. Bombs explode, destroying the homes of many poor people. After a chase, two of the culprits are captured and the leader is shot . . . but by whom?
As Pitt delves into the case, he finds that there is more to the terrorism than the destructive gestures of misguided idealists. The police are running a lucrative protection racket, and clues suggest that Inspector Wetron of Bow Street is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to whip up fears of more attacks–and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. This would make him the most powerful man in the country.
To defeat Wetron, Pitt finds that he must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey, and the unlikely allies are joined by Pitt’s clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. Can they prevail? As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance.
August 15, 2025
This book ends the last of the remaining loose ends from Inspector Pitt's time at Bow Street. Although I have thought the Inner Circle arc asked the reader to be a little too credulous. However, there are legions of secret societies, and there are many instances of criminal organizations corrupting those who would be corrupted. So, I guess it's plausible. I'm not fond of the plot point, and I wasn't happy with it in the Amanda Quick romance novels of the late 1990s/early 2000s. In fact, the plot point was used so much and with frequently less plausible plots that I quit reading Amanda Quick and several other similar books.
Nevertheless, Perry does the plot point incredibly well. The crimes are equally horrifying and plausible. I've read far worse in true crime mafia cases.
This tale weaves it's way through many intricate plot points, without losing steam or stretching too far. It is truly Perry at her very best. I read through the last half of the book in one sitting. If you're only going to read a few Perry's, then read this one.
Nevertheless, Perry does the plot point incredibly well. The crimes are equally horrifying and plausible. I've read far worse in true crime mafia cases.
This tale weaves it's way through many intricate plot points, without losing steam or stretching too far. It is truly Perry at her very best. I read through the last half of the book in one sitting. If you're only going to read a few Perry's, then read this one.
August 23, 2024
Pitt is now working in Special Branch. He gets called to Long Spoon Lane where anarchists are starting to attack. Bombs explode and people are pouring from their houses. Someone is also shooting out of windows, and a policeman goes down. Pit manages to pull him away and fortunately it wasn't a bad wound. Pitt goes into the building and goes through apartments. Near the top he finds a group of anarchists in the room, and one of them has been shot. The dead man is the only son of Charlotte's Great Aunt Astasia. Pitt soon figures out that the real culprit is Wetrin, the leader of the Inner Circle as well as the head of the Bow Street Runners. He has been running a protection racket. The bombing is set up as a way to convince Parliament to pass a bill allowing the police the right to carry guns and have much more power which would be invasive.
Will Pitt be able to figure everything out and stop Wetrin before the voting on the special bill?
Will Pitt be able to figure everything out and stop Wetrin before the voting on the special bill?
January 20, 2018
"Pitt... scorgeva l'elemento umano dove individui più semplici e meno generosi rilevavano solo il misfatto. ...quella peculiarità che era la sua forza oltre che la sua debolezza."
L'approfondimento umano dei personaggi è sempre il punto di forza dei libri di Anne Perry. Stavolta la trama è più da spy-story che da giallo classico o storico. Anarchici, corruzione della polizia, la Confraternita che torna in auge. Ma ciò che porta alla soluzione e che eleva la storia è sempre l'analisi dell'elemeno umano, delle passioni, ma stavolta soprattutto degli odi che muovono le persone. Nell'8oo come oggi.
L'approfondimento umano dei personaggi è sempre il punto di forza dei libri di Anne Perry. Stavolta la trama è più da spy-story che da giallo classico o storico. Anarchici, corruzione della polizia, la Confraternita che torna in auge. Ma ciò che porta alla soluzione e che eleva la storia è sempre l'analisi dell'elemeno umano, delle passioni, ma stavolta soprattutto degli odi che muovono le persone. Nell'8oo come oggi.
April 4, 2020
I enjoyed trying to solve this mystery along with Thomas Pitt. Bombings in London in the late 1800's cause problems for Pitt and his supervisor Victor Narraway. Joining forces with his nemesis Charles Voisy is a dangerous but necessary action for Pitt if he is going to be successful in solving the crimes. This case also puts Samuel Tellman in a precarious position with his boss who is the head of the Bow Street police force. There are lots of convolutions to the plot of this novel; but, as usual, Anne Perry manages to tie all the plot strands together at the end in a way that makes sense. I have thoroughly enjoyed these books.
February 28, 2023
This entry in the series had a very good story. Now that Pitt is in Special Branch, he's following up anarchist bombings in London, but as always, there is more to the bombings than meets the eye. As he & Narraway get farther into the investigation, they uncover police corruption on a wide scale that brings them up close & personal with their old nemesis, Sir Charles Voisey. Their lives are in jeopardy, Sgt. Tellman & Gracie are involved, Great-aunt Vespasia lends a hand, & the suspense slowly builds to a rather unexpected ending. I really enjoyed this one. In fact, I finished wondering why I have such a long space between reading Perry books. They are so good!
September 28, 2022
“To sup with the Devil, you’ll need a very long spoon” - the basis for the title, and a clue to the twistings and turnings of Pitt’s efforts to find who is responsible for the bombings of two areas in London, the murder of one of the anarchists, and the source of the funding behind them. Strange bedfellows in the course of pursuing the truth lead him to team up with arch-enemy Voisey, while Vespasia renews acquaintance with a woman she mutually despised. The revelations involve nearly all Pitt’s family and friends, with justice of some sort being served.
November 2, 2022
I don't enjoy the politically motivated books in this series as much as the drawing room murders. I enjoyed this one more than some others because the pace was fairly steady and wasn't too overburdened with repetitive conversations between characters.
Unrelated to the plot... I don't care for Gracie. All of the other characters seem to look on her with such glowing affection and with Tellman more than affection. I don't understand it. I find her to be an argumentative opinionated harpy and I skim every part she is included in. Just my personal taste.
Unrelated to the plot... I don't care for Gracie. All of the other characters seem to look on her with such glowing affection and with Tellman more than affection. I don't understand it. I find her to be an argumentative opinionated harpy and I skim every part she is included in. Just my personal taste.
June 3, 2020
Thomas Pitt
This is the story of Thomas Pitts investigation of a bombing ,n Myrdle Street and his battle with anarchists in Long Spoon Lane. When he tried to find who killed one of the anarchists he works in tandem with his old enemy Due Charles Voisey. How Thomas finds out who killed the anarchist and the repercussions of that discovery make for a great read. Highly recommend this book and the series.
This is the story of Thomas Pitts investigation of a bombing ,n Myrdle Street and his battle with anarchists in Long Spoon Lane. When he tried to find who killed one of the anarchists he works in tandem with his old enemy Due Charles Voisey. How Thomas finds out who killed the anarchist and the repercussions of that discovery make for a great read. Highly recommend this book and the series.
December 31, 2023
Enjoyed the book. The plot was excellent and the storyline intriguing. Characters were well developed. Easy book to follow. It lacked the suspense of her other books, and dragged along at times. But overall, a well written book. The book could epitomize the corruption that the US now faces in their own Congress, FBI, CIA, judicial system and police. It's amazing how power and money never seem to become outdated. Too much simply corrupts. Recommend.
November 13, 2020
Thomas Pitt, fd polisinspektör, har blivit tagen snett till höger in i hemliga polisen. Det betyder att han inte kan jobba ihop med Charlotte lika mycket och det gör serien lite tråkig tyvärr. Det var roligare när det var mord i societeten, som kunde lösas med hjälp av Charlotte och hennes rika syster Emily. Läs serien från början!
March 22, 2021
While I still enjoyed this addition to the Pitt series, I found the mystery less compelling than usual. Since the theme was political in nature, there was less emphasis on the relationships of the main characters. It was still fun revisiting the Pitt adventures and I look forward to the next in the series.
August 3, 2022
excellent book
I’ve been reading this series in order over the past 24 months! The characters are extremely well written with their past life experiences impacting their relationships and reactions to each other, world events, and others in society! The plot is again superior and set appropriately in the time period of history! Well Done, Ms. Perry!
I’ve been reading this series in order over the past 24 months! The characters are extremely well written with their past life experiences impacting their relationships and reactions to each other, world events, and others in society! The plot is again superior and set appropriately in the time period of history! Well Done, Ms. Perry!
February 24, 2023
Anne Perry schreibt wunderbare Romane, die in der viktorianischen Zeit spielen. In diesem Buch habe ich die Geschichte aber etwas langatmig gefunden. Ab Seite 300 wird es spannend. Dann bleiben noch rund 90 Seiten. Aber das ist mein subjektives Empfinden.
Die letzte Wendung war allerdings überraschend und war wirklich ausgezeichnet. Alledings etwas abruptes Ende.
Die letzte Wendung war allerdings überraschend und war wirklich ausgezeichnet. Alledings etwas abruptes Ende.
January 23, 2025
3.5 stars
Hallelujah, I think the Inner Circle is dead. Evil conspiracy has hunted Pitt over the last few books. I've found the plots tedious.
I did enjoy the involvement of Charlotte, Tellman, Gracie , Vespesia and others. Perry's latest books have included tragic deaths.
I'll continue to read this series, yet am not enjoying them.as much as the earlier novels.
Hallelujah, I think the Inner Circle is dead. Evil conspiracy has hunted Pitt over the last few books. I've found the plots tedious.
I did enjoy the involvement of Charlotte, Tellman, Gracie , Vespesia and others. Perry's latest books have included tragic deaths.
I'll continue to read this series, yet am not enjoying them.as much as the earlier novels.
September 27, 2017
Another great historical mystery with Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. Thomas is now working in Special Branch and trying to deal with anarchists in general and the leader of the Inner Circle, Inspector Wetron. In addition to great historical research the story is a great mystery.
November 19, 2017
I've enjoyed the novels in this series which I've read previously. This one, which I picked up at random in a thrift store, seems very much to want to be read in order. Much of the book was referring to occurrences in previous books, and there was not nearly enough of Charlotte.
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