The Whitechapel Conspiracy

Starred review from January 1, 2001
In her 21st novel featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, Edgar Award-winner Perry pulls out the stops and delivers one of the finest performances of her career. Four years after the Ripper terrorized London, Thomas's testimony in a murder case is enough to convince a jury to convict distinguished soldier John Adinett of the murder of his friend, Martin Fetters, despite Adinett's having no clear motive for the killing. Upon conclusion of the case, Thomas finds himself removed from command of the Bow Street Station and sent to work undercover for the Special Branch in the East End. Somehow, unknowingly, he has offended the powerful members of the sinister Inner Circle, and his banishment to the slums puts him in the middle of alleged anarchist plots and dangerous conspiracies. His only allies are his wife, Charlotte, their servant girl, Gracie, and his subordinate officer, Tellman. As a team, they dig into the puzzle behind the Adinett-Fetters murder, believing that, if they can understand why the murder occurred, they can restore Pitt to his job. What none of them realize, however, is that the murder is only a small part of a terrifying conspiracy, one that threatens the very fabric of English society. That the conspiracy itself is so plausible is a testament to Perry's knowledge of her period. This is a mesmerizing and suspenseful tale, rich in period detail, rife with articulate and believable characters.

Starred review from June 4, 2001
Having provided enough damaging testimony to convict a man of murder would seem a triumph of investigative police work. However, in this instance, the man sent to the gallows is a member of the Inner Circle, "those men who had secret loyalties which superseded every other honor or pledge." And, as a result, Edgar Award winner Perry's perennial Victorian hero, Detective Thomas Pitt, finds himself being transferred away from his wife and home and his command of the Bow Street station to Spitalfields, a remote London slum. Meanwhile, Pitt's wife, Charlotte, their colorful and cocky cockney housekeeper, Gracie, and her beau, Sergeant Tellman, take on the task of uncovering the conspiracy that has tarnished Pitt's name. Like Pitt, they unearth more than they expect. It seems that the Inner Circle's clandestine behavior can be traced all the way back to the gruesome crimes of Jack the Ripper, and the stakes are so high that the entire fate of the British way of life is threatened as the truth is unraveled. McCallum's expertly suspenseful reading will keep listeners glued to their headphones as he reveals the frighteningly full extent of the Inner Circle's influence and evil. Simultaneous release with the Ballantine hardcover (Forecasts, Nov. 6, 2000).

February 1, 2001
Simply put, Perry's 21st novel featuring Superintendent Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte is one of her best works. Pitt has singlehandedly apprehended and convicted the murderer of a well-to-do archaeologist. Instead of being rewarded for his zeal, he finds himself reassigned to the East End slums to keep an eye on anarchists. Naturally, Charlotte won't stand still for this. She is aided in her quest to discover the truth by her maid, Gracie, and the stubborn Sergeant Tellman. Great Aunt Vespasia and a long-lost love also have a role to play, as the depths of a government conspiracy are gradually revealed. Perry deftly weaves the different threads of her story into a powerful tale of corruption, patriotism, and loyalty. She uses her extensive knowledge of the period and actual historical events to heighten the suspense. Superb writing and characterization make this essential for every collection. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/00.]--Laurel Bliss, Yale Univ., Sterling Memorial Lib., New Haven, CT

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2000
When Pitt delivers the testimony that condemns a prominent man for murder, he is "rewarded" by being shuffled off to the Special Branch, which operates in London's risky East End.

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2000
Perry has a knack for presenting Victorian society--from ballrooms replete with every luxury to London slums filled with suffering and disease--with engaging realism and biting social commentary. Her historical mysteries have the sweep of Victorian novels, but she adds contemporary pacing and jolts of suspense to the mix. Reading Perry is a bit like reading Thackeray edited by Elmore Leonard. In this, her twenty-first novel starring middle-class policeman Superintendent Thomas Pitt and his upper-class wife, Charlotte, the year is 1892. The Prince of Wales is living to excess; Jack the Ripper is dissecting Whitechapel prostitutes. Superintendent Pitt has been demoted for testifying against a member of the Inner Circle accused (and convicted) of the seemingly senseless murder of a close friend. Pitt's reassignment, from the Bow Street police station to filthy, disreputable Spitalfields, where he must work as an undercover investigator of possible anarchist plots against the Crown, means total separation from his family. While Pitt wrestles with despair over his tattered reputation and abhorrent living conditions, the ever-capable Charlotte uses her social connections to uncover the motive for the murder that left a prominent antiquarian dead, his friend sentenced to death, and her husband demoted and despairing. Charlotte and Pitt discover, in their separate investigations involving both extremes of London society, a secret that has resulted in grotesque murders and that threatens the government itself. A powerhouse of a history-mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)