by Anne Perry
First published 2025
Daniel Pitt arrives at a city morgue laboratory on a cold February afternoon. Wind carries the promise of frost while gas lamps flicker through the mist. Two pathologists examine a bloodied young woman on the autopsy table. The victim, twenty eight or twenty nine years old, shows no signs of sexual assault. Robbery appears ruled out as a motive. Someone stabbed her repeatedly with an extremely sharp curved blade in what seems like furious rage. This marks the second such killing in recent days. Another woman arrived with nearly identical wounds. Both murders occurred at twilight during heavy rain, when pedestrians wrapped in raincoats and hidden under wide brimmed hats become impossible to distinguish. A chilling detail confirms these crimes form a series. This particular evidence must stay hidden from the public to prevent widespread panic. No one in London can feel safe while the unknown Rain Stabber walks the streets.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation
Setting: London
Period: 20th-century
331 pages · Kindle Edition · MONDADORI
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder