Treachery at Lancaster Gate: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel

At long last! All of my favorite characters are back and/or are playing a larger part. Charlotte, Gracie, Emily, Tellman. The return of these old friends is worth 2 stars in itself. I love the way Emily's character has matured from a selfish and somewhat vain young woman to a more mature, thoughtful and caring individual. I do still wish Charlotte was a more important part of the story like in earlier entries. I also wished Gracie had played a bigger role, but was happy to see she remained her forthright, stubborn, loyal self.The case was also interesting and police corruption is still a timely subject. It was also well done, the reasons behind the chief villain's (and it's not Alexander, who killed the policemen) actions coming slowly to light, for the reader and for Pitt.There are a few reasons I deducted one star. First, how long has Pitt been head of Special Branch? Long enough to stop being so wishy-washy and full of doubts, though he did redeem himself at the very end during the trial. Second, I'm sorry, but I don't understand Tellman's initial vehemence and dislike toward Pitt, especially since the first scene dealing with these two characters makes it seem as if this anger has been simmering for some time. It all just seemed to come out of left field to fit the plotline. It might have been more believable if Tellman's resentment was stirred after talking to Pitt and realizing what he suspected. I am glad Tellman finally admitted to his naivety and did the right thing. Of course, we all knew he would in the end. Third, and last, Ms. Perry falls into her usual trap, a nauseating amount of repetition.My biggest hope now is that Anne Perry continues to insert all the old, well-loved characters into future entries. It's one of the main pleasures accompanying the Pitt series and I think Ms. Perry made a serious misstep in ignoring certain characters for so long.

Commander Pitt, "head of Special Branch, that discreet part of Security that dealt with threats to the nation - sabotage, assassinations, bombings, any form of terrorism" is confronted with a gruesome scene at the Lancaster Gate - a bomb went off and five policemen from the same precinct are killed or seriously wounded. "This was a deliberate attack directed specifically at the police.." Who did it? Was it a foreign anarchist? "London was full of them. Half the revolutionaries in Europe had either lived here or passed through." Pitt receives assistance from Inspector Tellman, who serves as liaison to the regular police force. Soon, routine background investigation uncovers some disturbing patterns. More digging ensues and tentacles of the investigation reach from police squads to trade deals with the Chinese and Christmas festivities all over London. What did the five dead policemen have in common? Quite a bit, actually. Opium addicts in search for their next fix were surprised by the police, an innocent bystander was shot, a man was hanged, and commentaries in the newspapers influenced public opinion. Then a second bomb goes off, a vacant building this time, and nobody is hurt. Pitt has to move ahead. The book ends with a sensational trial in which the last remaining questions are answered.

Let's start by saying I'm an Anne Perry fan -- and have been for a long time. I've read all her Monk and Pitt series, so this review is tempered by my high regard for the whole body of her work. Having said that, some of the novels have been uneven; that's not to be wondered at. This last one has a mixture of pros and cons that even out to about 3 1/2 -4 stars in my opinion. The good points:1) I am delighted to see my old friends back in play: Lady Vespasia, a bigger role for Charlotte, her sister Emily, and of course, Gracie and Tellman. Hooray! 2) It is a timely novel -- historically correct in terms of the anarchist threats in London at the time but timely for our own current events. 3) Perry muses on the role of law and the police in a complex society, which gives the reader food for thought. 4) There are some episodes of excitement, action, and suspense (a couple of previous novels were less suspenseful in my view -- almost languid in their pace. The cons: 1) It seems to me that over time Perry has increased her reliance on the stylistic device of questions. Lots of questions. So many of the characters have paragraphs full of self-questions, musings, internal debates -- all ending in question marks. Once I start to notice the repetition, I really start to notice the trend and I find it disruptive to the narrative and just plain annoying. 2) Lots of repetition. If I had a dollar for each time a character said essentially the same speech (in one glaring example, about the need for society to believe in its police as a bulwark against chaos, etc., etc,), I'd have had the price of the book. 3) Though there were a few pages that were riveting, more of the book was a rather tedious back-and-forth over much the same ground. In conclusion, if you are already a Perry fan, you'll enjoy this book anyway. If you are new to the series, this isn't the most exciting introduction to it.

This book is back to Anne Perry's usual standard--almost. It is a much better story than Angel Court and we care about these characters much more. Tellman and Gracie come back as well as the regular beloved Narraway and Vespasia. But Anne seems to be forgetting things. How can Tellman be so shocked and appalled by potential police corruption after all the past dealing with Superintendent Wetron and Inspector Simbister in Long Spoon Lane. Surely he lost his "virginity" on such matters long ago. Also how long does Jack have to be the unlucky man who has business dealings with men that are really not doing him any good. Jack's a good guy--give the man a break!Also she sets up events and then abandons them---what happened to family Christmas? The last time Emily spent Christmas with the Pitts it was such a good part of the book. Having both families together for Christmas in this book ---and then actually writing about it---would have added a lot to this book too. To bad Anne decided to throw away that opportunity.Finally Anne has never before that I am aware implied that a major character had a "story" with Pitt before not previously mentioned or dealt with by any previous book. Here a character comes back to have a "past" we've never been told about in two previous books she was part of. ConfusingBut again much more like the old Charlotte and Pitt we know and love so well. Definitely back on track.

I so enjoyed this book, back to Ann Perry at her best. All the characters we love are back too. The story kept me involved right up to the end, I look forward to number 32.

Five stars for brilliant detection and shocking evidence revealed right at the end. Good to see Pitt, Tellman a nd Gracie back in the fold together.

Ann Perry just gets better & better. This is an excellent storyline & the book arrived quickly.

Excellent ! Well written with feelings and a good end.The author describes the feelings of all sympathetically and truthfully.