- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; New Ed edition (7 May 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006479073
- ISBN-13: 978-0006479079
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 535,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Synopsis
Inspector Thomas Pitt and Charlotte, his wife, face widespread corruption in the highest places, sparked off by a killing in the backstreets. This is the 12th mystery in the series.
From the Back Cover
A VICTIM MOURNED BY NOBODY
The grisly murder of William Weems drew little pity. A ruthless moneylender, he preyed upon the poor of Clerkenwell and was not averse to blackmail when the chance came his way. Few would have taken any notice, had not the Chief of Police at Bow Street been approached by an old friend for a curious favour.
What could link peer of the realm Lord Sholto Byam with the sordid usurer? The situation is delicate enough to call in Bow Street's best, Inspector Thomas Pitt. One thing is soon clear: there are forces at work beyond the common motives of greed and fear of scandal. Can Charlotte Pitt amass enough evidence from her forays into Society to enable her husband to prove the unbelievable truth? Or will the hidden layers of conspiracy triumph, corrupting the Government and justice itself?
"The author has the eyes of a hawk for character nuance and her claws out for signs of criminal injustice"
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is set the year after Jack the Ripper made his mark on London. A money lender is found dead in the back streets and he has be shot with unconventional ammunition. This confusing case leads Inspector Thomas Pitt and Charlotte, his wife, to uncover secret societies and corruption in the highest places. The poorest are being exploited and powerful people are keen to ensure that the identities of slum landlords remain hidden. This book uncovers a powerful love story that has been a closely guarded secret. It is well worth the read and the characters are well drawn if somewhat 'larger than life'
Format:Paperback
The murder of a unpleasant moneylender is not mourned, particlarly when the person concerned blackmails too. Thomas Pitt is called in when his Senior Officer is asked by a friend to look into the matter. Another good novel by Anne Perry.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
16 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Moneylenders, Murder, and Scandal
2 July 2000
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is the twelfth book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series of mysteries, and I think it is the best of the series so far. As with all Perry mysteries in the series it begins with the discovery of a body: the body of William Weems, a moneylender. Pitt is asked to investigate the case--even though it is out of the Bow Street jurisdiction--by his boss, Micah Drummond. As Pitt gets to the bottom of the mystery we meet with secret societies, suicide, parliamentary politics, and many secrets. There is a good balance in this book between Charlotte and Thomas, and the supporting character who rises to the top of the story is Micah Drummond.
I was completely baffled regarding motivations until the very last page, when the murderer of Weems was finally revealed. This is an engaging and exciting mystery that you won't be able to put down!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Perry is one of the very best
19 Oct 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
For those unfamiliar with this series, Inspector Pitt is a police detective in Victorian England, in the period shortly after the professional police force was first established. Policemen were respected to a degree, but apparently had about the same social status as a skilled laborer. Pitt's wife, Charlotte, on the other hand, is from a much wealthier and higher-status family. Indeed, Charlotte's sister is married to a wealthy and well-connected man who is being considered for a vacancy in Parliament. That connection enables Charlotte to participate discreetly in Pitt's investigations when they require a peek into the activities of society's upper crust.
The story: a sleazy loan shark is found shot to death in an unusually gruesome manner. Almost everyone who knew the man had good reason to want him dead. Even Inspector Pitt, who is assigned to investigate the case, can't avoid the feeling that the murderer did the rest of society a favor. But murder is illegal, and so the investigation goes on.
It quickly develops that the victim was not only a loan shark, but a blackmailer as well, with several socially prominent people on his list of victims. Hence the investigation must proceed delicately. And that's where (as usual) Pitt's wife, Charlotte, lends a hand.
If you are already familiar with Anne Perry's Inspector Pitt series, you know that she's one of the very best mystery writers around. Personally, I think Elizabeth George and possibly P. D. James are her only superiors in the field. It's hard to rank one book in the series against the others, but this one certainly upholds the high standards of the entire series. The characterizations are vivid and believable, the plot is complex and captivating, and the ending is logical and satisfying. My only complaint about the book (and it applies to all the Inspector Pitt books) is the constant obsession with differences in social class. Those differences existed in Victorian England, of course, but I find it hard to believe they were such a preoccupation in everyone's mind, minute by minute, day after day, as Perry makes them out to be. The class distinctions were more likely taken for granted, like the weather.
If you're a mystery fan and you haven't read any of Perry's work, then this is as good an introduction to the series as any. You're in for a treat.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
For Odd Reasons, My Favorite Pitt Book So Far
29 Jun 2000
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I have to laugh - this is my favorite book so far in the Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series. Why laugh? Because I realized at the end that the murder that starts the sequence of events off is really unneccesary! Now don't let me spoil the story for you with that comment, because it really is quite a good book. The relationship between Thomas and Charlotte really takes shape here - as much as they love each other, I always wondered how they could both get over the differences in their pasts. They do, but this book shows that it takes work and understanding. In the end, the mystery is good (even if I'm still puzzled about it) and the character studies are even better.
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