'Anne Perry;s superb New York Times bestselling novels set in the glorious reign of Victoria are loved by readers far and wide. Now, with this new Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery, Perry returns us to that charmed era, when wealth and power rule--but where, alas, poisonous corruption lies coiled in the heart of the empire.
As commander of the powerful Special Branch, Thomas Pitt has the job of keeping Britain safe from spies and traitors. So there's no obvious reason why he is suddenly ordered to investigate two minor incidents: the blood, hair and shards of glass discovered outside the home of naval weapons expert Dudley Kynaston, and the simultaneous disappearance of Mrs. Kynaston's beautiful lady's maid.
But weeks later, when the mutilated body of an unidentified young woman is found near Kynaston's home, Pitt realizes that this is no ordinary police investigation. Far from it. Is Kynaston--one of Britain's most valuable scientists--leading a double life? Is Pitt saddled with a conspiracy so devilishly clever that it will ruin him?
A baffled Pitt has never needed his friends more desperately, including his indomitable wife, Charlotte; his canny old colleague Victor Narraway; and his personal drawing-room spy, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. But even these allies may not be able to save Pitt--or Britain.
Only Anne Perry could have created the tense unfolding of plot and counterplot, love and betrayal, scandal and murder that follows. Death on Blackheath is rich with fascinating characters, authentic period flavor, knife's-edge suspense, and a haunting, unforgettable denouement.'
My thoughts:
I have dearly loved this author of some time. Anne Perry has a way with recreating Victorian England that is so far superior to other authors that it's hard not to love her books. I have read all of her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels and the William Monk series and have realized that these mysteries are some of my favorite historical mysteries. I have to say that I loved the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries when he was just a detective solving murders and crimes and not the chief of the Special Police solving treasonous and political plots. I understand that the author wanted to move Pitt up in the world, but I feel like the series has lost that aura that I fell in love with previously.
The fact that Pitt was solving heinous crimes and murders, is what really drew me in to this series in the first place and the fact that Charlotte and her family would assist him in solving those mysteries. This series has really gotten away from that with the scope of Pitt's promotion and I sort of miss the way the series used to be. This book was hard for me to follow along and I had some times where I was a little confused as how things turned out or occurred. Still the writing, the characters and the time period were superb as one has come to expect with Perry, but it still feels like something is missing.
To be honest, I think it would be next to impossible for Perry to return to the way the series was formerly. Pitt has come to far in the ranks of government to go back to regular detecting. I just feel that this series has taken a different turn, and I am not one hundred percent sure that I like where it is going. Others will probably disagree with me, but I really want the series to return to the things that made me love it in the first place. I was a little disappointed with this one, but I appreciate the hard work and dedication that this author always puts into each and every single book she writes.
Overall Rating: 3
Title: Death on Blackheath
Author: Anne Perry
Series: Thomas and Charlotte Pitt Mystery #29
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
Pages: 321
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through Netgalley and Edelweiss, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.