by Anne Perry
First published 2014
Thomas Pitt leads Britain's Special Branch, hunting spies and traitors who threaten the realm. His superiors assign him what seems like routine work: examine blood and glass fragments found outside naval weapons expert Dudley Kynaston's residence, then locate Kynaston's missing lady's maid. Pitt questions why Special Branch handles such minor matters. The discovery of a mutilated woman's corpse near Kynaston's home transforms everything. Pitt suspects the scientist lives a secret life that endangers national security. A complex conspiracy emerges that could destroy Pitt's career and Britain itself. He turns to his closest allies: his sharp wife Charlotte, former colleague Victor Narraway, and aristocratic informant Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. Even their combined skills may prove insufficient against enemies who operate in shadows. Pitt faces a web of deception where distinguishing friend from foe becomes impossible.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, crime, detective, espionage, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Blackheath, Britain, Naval Weapons Expert Residence
Period: 19th Century, 20th Century
320 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books