Southampton Row - (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt) by Anne Perry (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: New York: Ballantine Books, 2002.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In Victorian England, a divisive election is fast approaching. Passions are so enflamed that Thomas Pitt, shrewd mainstay of the London police, has been ordered not to solve a crime but to prevent a national disaster. The aristocratic Tory candidate--and Pitt's archenemy--is Charles Voisey. The Liberal candidate is Aubrey Serracold, whose wife's dalliance with spiritualism threatens his chances. Indeed, she is one of the participants in a late-night séance that becomes the swan song of a stylish clairvoyant who is found brutally murdered the next morning in her house on Southampton Row. Meanwhile, Pitt's wife, Charlotte, and their children are enjoying a country vacation--unaware that they, too, are deeply endangered by the same fanatical forces hovering over the steadfast Pitt.

Review Quotes

"Compelling . . . vintage Perry: a grand, sweeping mystery."--Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"Fast moving and utterly engrossing . . . Perry's Victorian novels attain the societal sweep of Trollope or Thackeray; she has absolute command over both political history and the small fascinating details of everyday life."--Booklist (starred review)

"A mystery--a very good one . . . Status, rights, love, and duty are hallmarks of Perry's narratives. Here, they are brought into finer focus, allowing their inherent drama to carry the story forward."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Perry skillfully explores the gap between the Victorians' love of knowledge and their deepening suspicion that their way of life cannot continue."--The Boston Globe

"Delicious political treachery . . . [Perry's] grasp of the economic and social forces of the period is masterly."--Chicago Sun-Times

About the Author

Anne Perry was the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels. She was also the author of a series featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt's son, Daniel, as well as the Elena Standish series; a series of five World War I novels; twenty-one holiday novels; and a historical novel, The Sheen on the Silk, set in the Byzantine Empire. Anne Perry died in 2023.