Monday, April 9, 2018

Daniel Pitt Solves a Curious Murder


Daniel Pitt, son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, two of my favorite characters, is on his own in this novel, the first in a new series. Daniel is a young lawyer practicing in an old established firm. At his father’s request he’s representing, Roman Blackwell, an old friend from Pitt’s time on the police force. Things look bleak until Daniel comes up with a novel idea using the new science of fingerprint analysis.

Daniel is next thrown into the middle of a case already in progress. Russel Graves, a biographer, is accused of murdering his wife and burning her body. The evidence is all against him. It seems almost impossible to get him off. Indeed, the jury finds him guilty. That’s not the end. Daniel’s senior partner owes a debt honor to Graves. He assigns a lead attorney to research the law for an appeal and Daniel to look for clues to who committed the crime.

In his search for answers, Daniel discovers that Graves’ new book is a scurrilous portrayal of the Special Branch where Thomas Pitt is now the head. Daniel is caught in a dilemma. He wants to service the law, but he also wants to protect his family.

This is a good start for the new series. Daniel is a likable character. He’s young and torn in his loyalties, but he’s very sharp and dogged in pursuit of the truth. Graves is suitably nasty making it easy to believe he killed his wife.

As usual, Anne Perry’s portray of the Victorian era is superb. You feel as if you’re inhabiting a different time period. I recommend this new book, particularly if you loved the series with Thomas and Charlotte.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

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