Southampton Row

Southampton Row by Anne Perry For many years Anne Perry’s
magnificent novels have transported millions of readers
into the very heart of one of the richest most vibrant
societies the world has ever known: England in the golden
ages of Queen Victoria. Gaslight cobblestones halls of
power haunts of vice–all the splendor and sordidness of a
world that believed the opulence would last forever. But
now toward the end of her long reign Victoria’s gold is
tarnishing. With a general election fast approaching a
deep rift separates aristocratic Tories from the Liberal
opposition. The powerful Inner Circle–a secret society of
men sworn to support each other above all other
loyalties–is committed to seizing one critical seat in
Parliament a first step towards the achievement of
sinister secret ambitions. Passions are so enflamed that
Thomas Pitt shrewd mainstay of the London police has been
ordered to forego his long awaited vacation not to solve a
crime but to prevent a national disaster. The Tory
candidate is Pitt’s archenemy Charles Voisey a ruthless
leader in the Inner Circle. The Liberal candidate is
Aubrey Serracold whose wife’s passionate committment to
the Socialist agenda may hurt his chances. Equally
damaging is her dalliance with spiritualism. Indeed she is
one of the three participants in a late-night s?ance that
becomes the swan song of stylish clairvoyant Maude Lamont.
For the next morning the maid finds Lamont’s brutally
murdered body in the s?ance room of the house on
Southampton Row. To Pitt’s heavy burdens is now added the
investigation of this most baffling crime. Meanwhile his
wife Charlotte and their children are enjoying the country
vacation that Pitt has been denied–unaware that they too
are deeply endangered by the same fanatical forces
hovering over the steadfast Pitt. In this riveting new
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novel Anne Perry again proves
herself a sorceress who transcends time and change a
master without parallel of the dazzling milieu she has so
memorably made her own.