by Anne Perry
First published 2012
Thomas Pitt has risen from beat cop to head of Britain's Special Branch, but whispers question whether he deserves such authority. His doubts multiply when intelligence surfaces about a scheme to demolish railway connections between Dover and London. Austrian Duke Alois Habsburg plans to travel this very route for a visit with English royalty. Pitt wonders why conspirators would destroy an entire train to eliminate one minor Austrian noble. The rumors might be misdirection, concealing a far worse attack. On Dorchester Terrace, an elderly Italian woman who spent her youth as a revolutionary spy now faces dementia. She fears her failing mind will spill secrets that could prove fatal. A young Croatian woman married to a British political figure guards her own dangerous knowledge. Pitt relies on his wife Charlotte and the shrewd Great Aunt Vespasia as he navigates these intersecting mysteries. The investigation forces him to question not only the conspiracy's true target but his own capacity to protect Britain from those who would destroy it.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, detective, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Dorchester Terrace, Dover, London
Period: 19th Century, 20th Century
333 pages · Hardcover · Random House