cover image Dorchester Terrace: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel

Dorchester Terrace: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel

Anne Perry. Ballantine, $26 (352p) ISBN 978-0-345-51062-4

Scotland Yard’s Thomas Pitt worries about his fitness as head of Special Branch, a post he officially assumes in early 1896, in bestseller Perry’s suspenseful 27th novel featuring Pitt and his wife, Charlotte (after 2011’s Treason at Lisson Grove). When Pitt gets reports from his staff that someone has been asking questions about railway signals and points, he’s concerned that the inquiries might be a prelude to an assassination attempt during a train journey, though the target is at first unclear. Unfortunately, getting others in the British government to share his worries proves an uphill slog. And even with additional resources, figuring out the who, the what, and the when to prevent a crime that could have international repercussions isn’t easy. Perry convincingly demonstrates that this long-running series hasn’t run out of steam, and breathes new life into it by giving her capable lead new responsibilities and new challenges. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Apr.)