Murder on the Serpentine

January 16, 2017
Queen Victoria needs the help of Thomas Pitt, who now commands Special Branch, in Perry’s autumnal 32nd mystery featuring Pitt and his wife, Charlotte (after 2015’s Treachery at Lancaster Gate). The monarch, who is nearing the end of her life, asks Pitt to probe the untimely death of Sir John Halberd, an old and trusted friend of her majesty, whom she had asked to investigate Alan Kendrick, a new adviser to her son, the Prince of Wales. While Kendrick seems to be primarily sharing wisdom about horses with the heir to the throne, a fellow horse enthusiast, the queen is concerned by the man’s rumored involvement in “all sorts of other affairs.” Her worries were only heightened when Halberd died in an unusual boating accident under circumstances suggesting the possibility of foul play. The mystery may follow familiar lines, but even newcomers are likely to be charmed by scenes that deepen Pitt’s family relationships. This entry’s main strength lies in the quiet, emotionally intelligent interactions among its characters. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary.

March 1, 2017
This is billed as the last entry in the long-running series starring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. Perry's beat is Victorian England; her special bent is to hold a lens up to a social wrong of the time that reflects one of our own society's continuing abuses. In this last Pitt book, the thirty-second in the series, Queen Victoria herself summons Thomas, the head of London's Special Branch, which deals with threats to national safety, to Buckingham Palace. One of the Queen's trusted advisers has been found dead in a rowboat on the Serpentine River in Hyde Park. Was it an accident or murder? Every reader of mysteries knows it never is an accident. Every longtime reader of Perry knows that the dead man's secrets could upend a government and endanger Pitt's life. The investigation follows the usual procedure: Pitt does his official sleuthing, while his wellborn wife, Charlotte, seeks out receptions where she can get the dirt on aristocrats who may be involved in the crime. This is formulaic in the extreme but necessary to round out the series for Perry fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

October 15, 2016

Queen Victoria has summoned Thomas Pitt to investigate the murder of her close confidante Sir John Halberd, a man with dangerous secrets. This 32nd outing is the last in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, but Perry will leap forward to 1910 for new series starring the next generation of Pitts.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017

The 32nd book in the "Charlotte and Thomas Pitt" series (after Treachery at Lancaster Gate) brings the story of Perry's Victorian sleuths to a close. Thomas, now Head of Special Branch, takes on a murder case for Queen Victoria. There's a great deal of back history and foreshadowing in this finale. A new series will jump forward to 1910 and the next generation of Pitts. [See Prepub Alert, 9/19/16.]--LH

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.