Seven Dials: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel

Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte have been at the center of many mysteries, many of which take them into the heart of the underworld of Victorian London. Nothing is ever as it seems on the surface, however, and it takes the married couple more than wits in order to solve a crime. The mystery which surrounds that in Seven Dials is no exception. This time, it's a case of diplomacy, as a seemingly open-and shut-case occurs. Apparently, an Egyptian woman shot her lover in her back yard and then put it in a wheelbarrow in order to get rid of it. But it becomes increasingly clear to Pitt that Ayesha Zakhari, supposed mistress of a member of the Cabinet, is not the perpetrator of the crime, after all. For one, there is no blood on her white evening gown, and she was not strong enough to put the dead man into the wheelbarrow by herself. It soon comes out that cabinet member Saville Ryerson was at the scene of the crime not long after it occurred. Soon it becomes clear that the murder is linked to the riots that have been taking place at Manchester- where, incidentally, Ryerson is from. Victor Narraway sends Thomas Pitt to Alexandria to find out more about Miss Zakhari- and he learns a number of interesting things about the relationship between the woman and the deceased man. Narraway, however, has a much deeper reason for sending Pitt away- the case is becomeing much more serious than anyone had suspected. Unrelated is the case of Martin Garvie, manservant to a Mr. Garrick. When Martin goes missing, his sister Tilda enlists Gracie's help to find him. It soon becomes clear to Charlotte Pitt that this is no simple case of a dismissed valet; his master Mr. Garrick has also vanished mysteriously, apparently taking Martin with him. None of the other servants know where either man has gone, and no one really wants to talk about it, either. In addition, it seems that Mr. Garrick was a drunk who relied heavily upon his young valet for support. Charlotte and Gracie turn to Charlotte's great-aunt Vespasia Cumming-Gould, a well-known and liked aging socialite, who uses her circle of influence to investigate Mr. Garrick's father. This is an excellent mystery with lots of twists and turns, that had me guessing until the very end.

Victor Narraway, director of Her Majesty's Special Services Branch, under direction from the very top, briefs Pitt on a murder at luxurious Eden Lodge - the dead man, Edwin Lovat, is a junior diplomat, of no particular distinction, and, under normal circumstances of no particular importance to Special Services. The stink of potential political scandal blew all the way into Prime Minister Gladstone's office because Lovat was shot in the garden of Ayesha Zakhari, the sultry and exotic, beautiful Egyptian mistress of Saville Ryerson, a senior cabinet minister. Ryerson is currently conducting a sensitive negotiation on the price of Egyptian cotton that has enormous implications for fragile trade relationships between England and Egypt, not to mention a delicate labour situation in Manchester district that could explode into widespread strikes with disastrous economic fall-out. The difficulties are rather compounded by Ryerson's admission that he was helping Zakhari dispose of the body but neither of them is able or willing to provide any reasonable explanations beyond insisting they are innocent of the actual shooting. When Narraway sends Pitt hustling off to Alexandria to investigate Lovat's and Zakhari's pasts in more detail, Charlotte and their servant, Gracie, with the elegant assistance of Aunt Vespasia Cumming-Gould, look into a family matter on their own - the rather puzzling abrupt disappearance of a friend's brother. Perry's masterful and surprising resolution of these two separate investigations into a single case culminates in an explosive courtroom drama - the outcome of which may well determine the economic fate of much of the British Commonwealth. As usual, Perry's delicious plotlines and superb story-telling are accompanied by a voluptuous description of Victorian life that would have made Dickens or Conan Doyle look to their laurels to see who was catching up - clothing, weather, ambience, smells, sights, manners, class attitudes and distinctions, accents - it's all there in an extraordinary wealth of minute detail! The real pièce de résistance for me came when I realized that the story is ripped right out of today's headlines and world situation. That it could just as easily have taken place in a modern New York or London courtroom made this novel just that much more exciting! If you're a mystery lover, this is one you won't want to miss out on.

I think by this point in time it might be more appropriate to call Anne Perry's stunning Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mysteries a saga rather than a series. Her masterful exploration of the minutiae of 19th century manners and mores not only reminds me of Galsworthy or Trollope, but her overall vision of Pitt's world has evolved into something almost epic in scope. "Seven Dials" is an especially fascinating extension of her steadily intensifying image (most recently "Whitechapel Conspiracy and "Southhampton Row") of Thomas Pitt as Hero, struggling desperately and essentially alone to defend Queen and Empire against sinister political forces which seek to destroy them. This latest, enormously complex novel begins shortly after Pitt's recent forced reassignment to the Special Branch when he is dragged from his bed at dawn and ordered to report to Victor Narraway, head of Her Majesty's Secret Service, for briefing. Edwin Lovat, a junior diplomat, has been shot to death late at night in the garden at luxurious Eden Lodge; the owner of the weapon, its Egyptian tenant...beautiful, enigmatic Ayesha Zakhari...has been caught in the act of trying to dispose of the body, and her current paramour, senior cabinet minister Saville Ryerson, has inexplicably arrived on the scene within minutes of her apprehension. Pitt's charge is to investigate the matter but protect Ryerson if at all possible since even a whiff of scandal could jeopardize on-going negotiations in a potentially explosive labor situation in Ryerson's Manchester district (dependent on Eqyptian cotton for its weaving industry) and might be disasterous to already fragile Anglo-Egyptian relationships. Ryerson swears his lady is innocent; the lady refuses to say anything, and Pitt's search for the truth eventually leads him to Egypt where he uncovers horrifying evidence of a terrible atrocity linking past and present in a deadly conspiracy that, if revealed, could shake the British Empire. Meanwhile, Charlotte and her faithful servant, Gracie, undertake an investigation of their own: an apparently small matter of Gracie's friend Tilda's missing brother. Only Anne Perry...echoing Charles Dickens...could manipulate such diverse events so adroitly that a relatively minor subplot leads surely but inevitably to its utterly logical interconnection with the main thread of the story thereby solving both mysteries and providing a shattering conclusion to this gripping adventure.As always, Anne Perry's superb plotting and vivid characterizations kept me glued to my seat until I was able to satisfy myself that, once again, the Pitts and their friends had emerged triumphant against danger and misfortune and justice had effectively been served. I was especially pleased by Ms. Perry's delightful resolution of one plotting element...something that has been hanging fire for several books now...that brought a smile to my face as I watched it unfold.

When a diplomat is found murdered, it is obvious who killed him--the foreign woman whose gun lies smoking next to his body. The British Special Service is called in not to find the killer, but to protect her lover, M.P. Ryerson. The government's relationship with its Egyptian 'protectorate' has been uneasy and Ryerson is the one man in a position to balance the Empire's interests. Detective Thomas Pitt might not like his job, but he's got to do it. Except that nothing about this case is exactly what it appears to be. While Pitt is looking for the truth behind the obvious, his servant Gracie and wife Charlotte are investigating a completely different, but equally baffling problem. The brother of one of Gracie's friends has disappeared, forgetting his sister's birthday and his other obligations. With no clear case for the police, Charlotte turns to her aristocratic relatives to dig beneath society's veneer to learn the nasty secrets that are known but never spoken of. Author Anne Perry has created a rich view of Victorian England and Empire. The brief view of Alexandria, Egypt depicts the exotic wonder of this ancient land while Perry also shows a sympathetic eye to the caste-ridden society of England itself. The coincidence that Charlotte's investigation merges with Pitt's is a bit far-fetched, but does not really marr the power of this story. Pitt, his boss Narraway, and Pitt's aunt Vespasia are especially complex and interesting characters while Gracie provides a comic touch. SEVEN DIALS is entertaining and, for all its century-old setting, raises issues that remain current.

A new Pitt & Charlotte book is always a cause for celebration, and this one is no exception. Pitt finds himself faced with a murder case that could have major national and international repercussions, while Charlotte and her maid, the intrepid Gracie, look into the disappearance of Gracie's friend's brother, a valet. Gracie is a wonderful character, and her relationship with Inspector Tellman takes a step forward. Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould plays a major role in both investigations and, as always, is a truly memorable character. While Pitt's investigation takes him to the exotic Alexandria, Egypt, Charlotte's carries her to one of London's worst slums. Of course both cases will dovetail into a most satisfying solution. I must confess that I had suspected something slightly different from the actual solution, but Anne Perry's was far superior to mine! I wish Emily Radley, Charlotte's sister, could have played a bigger role, but maybe next time!