Bethlehem Road
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4.2 • 16 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Members of Parliament are murdered crossing Westminster Bridge, in the New York Times–bestselling series set in Victorian London: “A sterling performance” (Library Journal).
In the few minutes it takes to cross Westminster Bridge, Sir Lockwood Hamilton has his throat slit and is tied securely to the lamppost with his evening scarf. The killer then vanishes without being seen. Inspector Thomas Pitt thinks the motive might have been personal . . . or political. When a second Member of Parliament is murdered in the same way, politics appear to be the reason. Soon the suspect list includes anarchists and suffragettes. Public outrage mounts and fear grips London and Parliament after a third lamppost murder. Deep in his end of the investigation, Pitt must rely on his wife, Charlotte, and Great-aunt Vespasia to explore the drawing rooms of the upper class for clues to the mystery. With burning social issues swirling around them, the three of them must solve the case before another MP falls victim to the Westminster cutthroat.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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. Last seen in Silence in Hanover Close , London policeman Thomas Pitt and his well-born, well-educated wife, Charlotte, here investigate the gruesome murders of members of Parliament on night-shrouded Westminster Bridge. Because the murdered MPs held differing political views and had separate personal connections that might have each motivated a murderer or murderers, the case is as impenetrable as a pea-souper until the Pitts get to work. A real treat is the beautifully drawn character of a suffragette who has lost her daughter. Etched with pain and compassion unusual in a detective novel, this characterization makes up for a mildly disappointing turn of plot at the novel's conclusion.
