Midnight at Marble Arch (Thomas Pitt Mystery, Book 28)
Danger is only ever one step away…
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- €6.49
Publisher Description
Will Pitt be able to uncover the unspeakable truth behind two women's deaths?
Loyal, honest and, above all, principled. There is no finer detective in Victorian London than Thomas Pitt; the protagonist of Anne Perry's acclaimed mysteries. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sherlock Holmes.
'Sweeping and scandalous... Perry has perfected a delicate touch' - New York Times Book Review
It is 1896, and Thomas Pitt is in charge of Special Branch. He is beginning to understand the power he now commands, but is still ill at ease at the glittering events he and his wife Charlotte must attend. During a lavish party at the Spanish Embassy, a policeman breaks into Pitt's conversation with investor Rawdon Quixwood to break the terrible news that Quixwood's wife, Catherine, has been viciously assaulted at their home, and left for dead. Worse still, it appears that the assailant was someone she had trusted as she opened the door to the attacker herself.
At the same party, Charlotte sees Angeles Castelbranco, an ambassador's daughter, flinch in fear at the teasing of some young men. A few days later, she flees from the same group and, in her terror, falls from a window - what could have caused her to take that fatal step? Pitt and his friend Victor Narraway vow to uncover the unspoken truth behind these two women's deaths. But as they investigate, deception and violence get ever nearer and danger is only ever one step away...
What readers are saying about Midnight at Marble Arch:
'The story is very compelling and keeps you guessing until the end'
'Intelligent, gritty... and heartfelt'
'Excellent. Brilliant story and superb characterisation'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sexual violence is at the heart of bestseller Perry's engrossing 28th Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel (after 2012's Dorchester Terrace), set in 1896 London. Pitt, the new head of Special Branch, and his ousted predecessor, Victor Narraway, are about to leave a party when a police officer informs another guest, financier Rawdon Quixwood, that his wife, Catherine, is dead. Pitt and Narraway accompany Quixwood to the financier's house, where they find the wife's battered body. After being raped by her assailant someone she apparently let inside she drank a fatal dose of laudanum. Later, Angeles Castelbranco, the Portuguese ambassador's daughter, plunges to her death in an effort to escape the rake who had been tormenting her. Pitt learns that she, too, was the victim of sexual assault. In an intriguing twist, Quixwood provides the alibi for the suspect in that case. Perry does a nice job exploring late Victorian attitudes toward sex crimes.
