A Victorian murder mystery Series

Book 15

Someone in the Colonial Office is passing secrets to Germany about England’s strategy on Africa. While Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt investigates this matter of treason, he is quietly looking into the tragic death of his childhood mentor, Sir Arthur Desmond. Pitt believes that Sir Arthur was murdered, and that the crime is connected with the treachery in the government. And when the strangled body of an aristocratic society beauty is found floating near lonely Traitors Gate, Pitt and his clever wife, Charlotte, begin to see clearly the pattern of tragedy and frightening evil that Pitt must deal with, at the risk of his career—and his life.

Pentecost Alley

by Anne Perry

Published 19 March 1996

The murder of a prostitute named Ada McKinley in a bedroom on decrepit Pentecost Alley should occasion no stir in Victoria’s great metropolis, but under the victim’s body, the police find a Hellfire Club badge inscribed with the name “Finlay Fitzjames”—a name that instantly draws Superintendent Thomas Pitt into the case. Finlay’s father—immensely wealthy, powerful, and dangerous—refuses to consider the possibility that his son has been in Ada McKinley’s bed. The implication is clear: Pitt is to arrest someone other than Finlay Fitzjames for Ada’s demise. But Thomas Pitt is not a man to be intimidated, and with the help of his quick-witted wife, Charlotte, he stubbornly pursues his investigation—one that twists and turns like London’s own ancient streets.

Rutland Place

by Anne Perry

Published 1 January 1983

When Charlotte Pitt learned of her mother's distress at losing a locket with a compromising picture, she could not know that it was the beginning of a chain of bizarre events that would end in sudden death. For hidden behind the sumptuous elegance of Rutland Place were terrible secrets. Secrets so horrifying that only murder could conceal them. But the dangerous persistence of Charlotte and the quiet patience of Inspector Thomas Pitt made it possible to unwind this most macabre and chilling mystery...

Resurrection Row

by Anne Perry

Published 1 November 1981

It was the most incredible thing: a corpse sitting in an empty hansom cab - and it wasn't just any corpse, but the body of a peer of the realm. To Inspector Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, it was sheer lunacy. Whoever would want to unearth a decently buried old chap like Lord Augustus Fitzroy-Hammond? The doctor insisted that the death had been natural. But there was certainly nothing natural about any of this as far as the police were concerned. And Inspector Pitt was determined to unearth the truth - even if the digging could kill him...

Belgrave Square

by Anne Perry

Published 17 March 1992

When an obscure moneylender named William Weems is murdered in the humble Clerkenwell district, there are no mourners—and there is more than a little discreet rejoicing among those whose meager earnings he so mercilessly devoured. Yet when Inspector Pitt finds in the murdered man’s office a list containing the names of some of London’s most distinguished gentlemen, he begins to realize the magnitude of his duty. William Weems, it transpires, was no common usurer but a vicious blackmailer. Fortunately, Pitt’s clever, well-born wife, Charlotte, has entrée to London’s best society. Her insights prove to be invaluable to Pitt’s investigation as she observes, at glittering balls and over gossipy tea tables, a world of passion, power, and greed that the police are seldom permitted to see.

Ashworth Hall

by Anne Perry and David McCallum

Published 1 March 1997

The 17th in the popular series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. To all outward appearances, it is yet another exclusive party at the magnificent Ashworth Hall. Select members of Victorian High Society gather for a weekend at the lavish country seat of up-and-coming MP Jack Radley, hosted by his charming wife, Emily. A phalanx of maids, valets, cooks and grooms is at the ready. Also in attendance are Emily's sister Charlotte and her husband, Thomas -- that is to say, Superintendent Pitt of Bow Street. For this is a secret conference on the heated subject of Irish Home Rule, with a team of negotiators finely balanced between Catholic and Protestant, extremist and moderate. The topic is full of urgency since the news of Parnell and Kitty O'Shea is about to emerge from the divorce courts. Beneath the patina of civilized talks lurk resentments and beliefs which give rise to devious acts and complex manipulations. Not all the delegates are convinced that their interests will be best served by peace. Not everyone will live to see the end of the conference...

Callander Square

by Anne Perry

Published 1 January 1980

The second novel in the ever-popular series of Victorian whodunits featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, here appearing for the first time in UK paperback. Murders just didn't happen in fashionable, respectable areas like Callander Square -- and yet, there had been two in a short space of time. The police were baffled. But Charlotte Pitt was curious. Inspector Pitt's well-bred wife had not formed the habit of meddling in her husband's business, but something about this case intrigued her -- to the point where she found herself prying into the intimate secrets of the very rich, hearing backstairs gossip that would shock a barmaid, and unearthing truths that could push even the most proper aristocrat to murder.

Brunswick Gardens

by Anne Perry

Published 17 March 1998

The 18th in the popular Victorian murder mysteries featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. The conservative clergy of the Church of England are under attack from the growing popularity of Darwinism. But was it really such a threat to Reverend Parmenter that he killed his assistant for believing in it? Superintendent Pitt is called in to prevent a scandal. Parmenter was about to be made bishop, and his assistant was an uncommonly beautiful young woman. What seems to be a tragically cut-and-dried case turns into a series of ugly revelations about the politics of the church, the dubious personal lives of its clerics, ambitions thwarted, promises unfulfilled, passions frustrated. As the Parmenter family struggles under the pressures of private grief and public duty, Pitt encounters a figure from his own past who augurs trouble wherever he goes...

Farriers' Lane

by Anne Perry

Published 31 December 1993

A fresh case rakes up the past, with shocking revelations...

With resentment at every turn, Inspector Pitt tries to untangle one of his most convoluted cases to date in Anne Perry's gripping mystery, Farriers' Lane. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Harriet Smart.

'With a steady hand at dissecting character and motivation, a keen grasp of social history and a flair for description of Victorian London, Perry guarantees a good read to those who like their murder in a believable historical and psychological context' - Publishers Weekly

The distinguished Justice Stafford's shocking death from opium poisoning resurrects one of the most sensational cases ever to inflame England: the murder five years before of Kingsley Blaine, whose body was found crucified in Farriers' Lane. Amid the public hysteria for revenge, the police had arrested a Jewish actor who was soon condemned to hang. Police Inspector Thomas Pitt, investigating Stafford's death, is drawn into the Farriers' Lane murder as well, for it appears that Stafford may have been about to reopen the case. Pitt receives curiously little help from his colleagues on the force, but his wife, Charlotte, gleans from her social engagements startling insights into both cases. And slowly both Thomas and Charlotte begin to reach for the same sinister and deeply dangerous truth.

What readers are saying about Farriers' Lane:

'Lovers of a good 'whodunit' will not be disappointed with the twists and turns of the plot, neither will readers who like to bond with their literary heroes as Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are a very likeable duo who complement each other perfectly'

'The atmosphere of turn of the century London is so absorbing and tangible that you can almost feel yourself shrouded in a cold blanket of East End fog and hear the Hansom carriages clatter along the streets'

'Every book is enthralling'

The Hyde Park Headsman

by Anne Perry

Published 8 February 1994

Beheadings in Hyde Park terrorise Victorian London...

A series of attacks in Hyde Park has Superintendent Pitt's work cut out, as he pursues a deadly killer in Anne Perry's gripping mystery, The Hyde Park Headsman. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

'[Anne] Perry's strengths: memorable characters and an ability to evoke the Victorian era with the finely wrought detail of a miniaturist' - The Wall Street Journal

Not since the bloody deeds of Jack the Ripper have Londoners felt such terror as that caused by the gruesome beheadings in Hyde Park. And if newly promoted Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt does not catch the murderer quickly, he is likely to lose his own head, professionally speaking. Yet even with the help of Charlotte Pitt's subtle investigation, the sinister violence continues unchecked. And in a shocking turn of events, the case proves to be Pitt's toughest ever.

What readers are saying about The Hyde Park Headsman:

'Gripping story'

'This was a real page turner, enjoyed it enormously'

'Anne Perry writes with amazing clarity of London - a joy to pick up each book'