Bedford Square
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
Shocking! Le général Balantyne ne décolère pas contre cet inconnu qui a eu le mauvais goût de venir mourir sur son perron de Bedford Square. Pour Thomas Pitt, chargé de l'enquête, l'existence d'un lien entre la victime et le vieux militaire ne fait cependant aucun doute, mais pour le découvrir il va lui falloir explorer les arcanes de la haute société victorienne. Et lorsqu'il s'agit de s'introduire dans ce milieu huppé, aucune aide ne lui est plus précieuse que celles de sa femme, l'intrépide Charlotte, de son amie Lady Vespasia, et de l'indispensable bonne Gracie. Ensemble, ils vont peu à peu découvrir l'odieux chantage dont étaient victimes six des personnages les plus influents du royaume et qui menaçait leur bien le plus cher dans cette société impitoyable : leur réputation.
Traduit de l'anglais
par Anne-Marie Carrière
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
