Bedford Square

Starred review from March 1, 1999
History, social commentary and suspense blend artfully in this 19th installment (after Brunswick Gardens, 1998) in Perry's popular series featuring London Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt and his adventurous wife, Charlotte. The mystery arises when a body is found outside the home of respectable General Brandon Balantyne (who appeared in two earlier Pitt novels). Pitt and Sergeant Tellman, whose class prejudices are challenged during the investigation, are mystified by the body's identity and the motive for the murder. Their diggings lead them to a parallel case, when Pitt discovers that six honorable men, including Balantyne and Assistant Police Commissioner Cornwallis, are being blackmailed. Perry uses the historical Tranby Croft gambling scandal involving the Prince of Wales as backdrop, highlighting how even the imputation of wrongdoing can tarnish someone's good name. To find the blackmailer, Pitt seeks a common bond among the accused. The careful reader may spy that link before Pitt does, but will nonetheless be swept along by the narrative's rush and engaged by its attention to period detail. Aiding Pitt is a cast of smart, well-drawn female characters: Charlotte, whose social connections afford her access to society's upper crust; Gracie, the Pitts' uneducated but no-nonsense maid; and Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, Charlotte's worldly-wise relation, who dominates the narrative once she joins the investigation. Pitt solves the case based on a clever red herring, uncovering the murderer in a quick, horrifying finale. Yet again, Perry delivers an astute and gripping examination of life behind Victorian England's virtuous facade. Mystery Guild main selection; author tour.

December 1, 1998
Superintendent Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charotte, deal with a murder victim found on the doorstep of a wealthy general.

Starred review from January 1, 1999
After 30 books, Perry might be forgiven if her stories began to get a little stale. No need to worry. Perry's latest, a riveting period mystery featuring London police superintendent Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, is as fresh as if it were her first effort. The body of a local peddler turns up on the Bedford Square doorstep of retired general Brandon Balantyne. As Pitt investigates, he learns that Balantyne has received an anonymous letter threatening blackmail. But how does the threat relate to the peddler's death? Pitt soon uncovers a plot to blackmail not only Balantyne but also some of the city's other prominent citizens, Pitt's own boss among them. Pitt assumes there's more to the blackmail plot than meets the eye, and the peddler's death seems to hold a significant clue. Plodding through interviews with the intended victims, sifting through paperwork, talking to the peddler's acquaintances, Pitt slowly edges toward the answer. Perry's expert presentation of Victoriana, plus a goodly dose of suspense, makes this turn-of-the-century police procedural a must-have. Interestingly, the story makes clear that in Victorian London, a man's good name and moral character were his proudest possessions--an ironic point in today's jaded climate. ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)

December 15, 1998
After 30 books, Perry might be forgiven if her stories began to get a little stale. No need to worry. Perry's latest, a riveting period mystery featuring London police superintendent Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, is as fresh as if it were her first effort. The body of a local peddler turns up on the Bedford Square doorstep of retired general Brandon Balantyne. As Pitt investigates, he learns that Balantyne has received an anonymous letter threatening blackmail. But how does the threat relate to the peddler's death? Pitt soon uncovers a plot to blackmail not only Balantyne but also some of the city's other prominent citizens, Pitt's own boss among them. Pitt assumes there's more to the blackmail plot than meets the eye, and the peddler's death seems to hold a significant clue. Plodding through interviews with the intended victims, sifting through paperwork, talking to the peddler's acquaintances, Pitt slowly edges toward the answer. Perry's expert presentation of Victoriana plus a goodly dose of suspense make this turn-of-the-century police procedural a must-have. Interestingly, the story makes clear that in Victorian London, a man's good name and moral character were his proudest possessions--an ironic point in today's jaded climate. ((Reviewed December 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)