Seven Dials

Rating:
Summary: Anne Perry Goes Platinum
Review: I think by this point in time it might be more appropriate to call Anne Perry's stunning Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mysteries a saga rather than a series. Her masterful exploration of the minutiae of 19th century manners and mores not only reminds me of Galsworthy or Trollope, but her overall vision of Pitt's world has evolved into something almost epic in scope. "Seven Dials" is an especially fascinating extension of her steadily intensifying image (most recently "Whitechapel Conspiracy and "Southhampton Row") of Thomas Pitt as Hero, struggling desperately and essentially alone to defend Queen and Empire against sinister political forces which seek to destroy them. This latest, enormously complex novel begins shortly after Pitt's recent forced reassignment to the Special Branch when he is dragged from his bed at dawn and ordered to report to Victor Narraway, head of Her Majesty's Secret Service, for briefing. Edwin Lovat, a junior diplomat, has been shot to death late at night in the garden at luxurious Eden Lodge; the owner of the weapon, its Egyptian tenant...beautiful, enigmatic Ayesha Zakhari...has been caught in the act of trying to dispose of the body, and her current paramour, senior cabinet minister Saville Ryerson, has inexplicably arrived on the scene within minutes of her apprehension. Pitt's charge is to investigate the matter but protect Ryerson if at all possible since even a whiff of scandal could jeopardize on-going negotiations in a potentially explosive labor situation in Ryerson's Manchester district (dependent on Eqyptian cotton for its weaving industry) and might be disasterous to already fragile Anglo-Egyptian relationships. Ryerson swears his lady is innocent; the lady refuses to say anything, and Pitt's search for the truth eventually leads him to Egypt where he uncovers horrifying evidence of a terrible atrocity linking past and present in a deadly conspiracy that, if revealed, could shake the British Empire. Meanwhile, Charlotte and her faithful servant, Gracie, undertake an investigation of their own: an apparently small matter of Gracie's friend Tilda's missing brother. Only Anne Perry...echoing Charles Dickens...could manipulate such diverse events so adroitly that a relatively minor subplot leads surely but inevitably to its utterly logical interconnection with the main thread of the story thereby solving both mysteries and providing a shattering conclusion to this gripping adventure.

As always, Anne Perry's superb plotting and vivid characterizations kept me glued to my seat until I was able to satisfy myself that, once again, the Pitts and their friends had emerged triumphant against danger and misfortune and justice had effectively been served. I was especially pleased by Ms. Perry's delightful resolution of one plotting element...something that has been hanging fire for several books now...that brought a smile to my face as I watched it unfold.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Anne Perry
Review: I've always enjoyed Anne Perry's Charlotte and Pitt mysteries more than her Monk and Latterly mysteries. They are not perhaps as deep but they are usually much more fun. I find it easier to identify with the main characters and the ambience of their lives is more satisfying.

Seven Dials, the most recent Charlotte and Pitt mystery, is for me one of her better recent books. The writer's facility for setting a scene, whether it is a society event, the slums of the east end of London or the streets of Alexandria is unparalleled. She makes her way unerringly through the mind-boggling convolutions of Victorian morality without miring the reader in its tedious virtue.

This is another of Anne Perry's good yarns, complete with Gracie, Aunt Vespasia and sister Emily. It is full of strong emotions, well-honed dialogue and spiced this time with Pitt's visit to Egypt.

Rating:
Summary: An Intriguing and Spellbinding Tale!!
Review: Seven Dials is one of the best books in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series! It has everything in it, and although there are a few coincidences in it, it still is wonderful entertainment. The plot of this story takes place in Victorian England and in Egypt. Both places are beautifully described and the reader really feels that they are there in this time and place. Pitt is trying to fit into his new position in Special Branch, and he's trying to figure out his superior - Victor Narraway. Neither one trusts the other as yet, but by the end of the book, they trust each other implicitly. They are both working to avert a terrible scandal that threatens the British access to Egyptian cotton and the Suez canal. How a death of an ex-soldier in a moonlit garden can threaten the well being of a nation is up to the reader to find out as they read this wonderful story.

Rating:
Summary: one of her best
Review: Seven Dials is one of the best books Perry has written lately. A minor diplomat is killed, apparently by an Egyptian woman, and an important political figure looks to be impicated--but his downfall would be detrimental to delicate negotiations, so Special Branch, in the form of Pitt, is called in. There's a good mystery with far-reaching political ramifications, some domestic drama, and Pitt gets to take a trip to Egypt. Followers of the series who want to check in on the characters will get to do so. Nearly everyone gets some juicy material. Especially good is the further exploration of Narraway's character; he was a bit two-dimensional previously, but he gets flsehed out a bit here. Charlotte gets to do some "detecting," as do Gracie and (at Gracie's insitence) Tellman. The only quarrel I have is that, once again, two different cases eventually intersect. The coincidence is hard to swallow, but the rest, the plot, the pacing, and the characters are good enough that it's easily overlooked.

Rating:
Summary: Square is Much Better Than Circle
Review: This was easily the best Pitt mystery in several years. For one thing, the silly Inner Circle plot is gone from this book. For another thing, all the major characters play significant roles in solving a mystery that, while quite complex, is understandable and, at its conclusion, makes perfect sense. This was a very satisfying return to form for Perry. Hopefully, this will continue into her next Monk book, because those too have been a little off kilter for awhile.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and insightful
Review: When a diplomat is found murdered, it is obvious who killed him--the foreign woman whose gun lies smoking next to his body. The British Special Service is called in not to find the killer, but to protect her lover, M.P. Ryerson. The government's relationship with its Egyptian 'protectorate' has been uneasy and Ryerson is the one man in a position to balance the Empire's interests. Detective Thomas Pitt might not like his job, but he's got to do it. Except that nothing about this case is exactly what it appears to be.

While Pitt is looking for the truth behind the obvious, his servant Gracie and wife Charlotte are investigating a completely different, but equally baffling problem. The brother of one of Gracie's friends has disappeared, forgetting his sister's birthday and his other obligations. With no clear case for the police, Charlotte turns to her aristocratic relatives to dig beneath society's veneer to learn the nasty secrets that are known but never spoken of.

Author Anne Perry has created a rich view of Victorian England and Empire. The brief view of Alexandria, Egypt depicts the exotic wonder of this ancient land while Perry also shows a sympathetic eye to the caste-ridden society of England itself. The coincidence that Charlotte's investigation merges with Pitt's is a bit far-fetched, but does not really marr the power of this story.

Pitt, his boss Narraway, and Pitt's aunt Vespasia are especially complex and interesting characters while Gracie provides a comic touch. SEVEN DIALS is entertaining and, for all its century-old setting, raises issues that remain current.