Dorchester Terrace [by] Anne Perry
New York; Ballantine Books [2012] 978-0-345-5102-4; $26.00
Many people believe that Thomas Pitt has been promoted beyond his capabilities when he was appointed to the head of England’s Special Branch. He can often tell when this sentiment is being considered, and it leads him to painful moments of self-doubt. Rumours have reached him of the plot to blow up a train bringing Austrian Duke Alois Habsburg to visit his British kin. Is there some deeper significance to this obscure royal, or is this an attempt to draw Special Branch away from something even more devastating?
Meanwhile, in a bedroom on Dorchester Terrace in London, an elderly Italian woman, a former spy and adventuress, is sinking into dementia, terrified that she will reveal secrets that will get someone killed. She calls to another former spy, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, related to Pitt’s wife Charlotte, for help. Both Lady Vespasia and Charlotte come to her aid, and are appalled at her condition, but, when she dies, they are not convinced that it was because of natural causes.
Meanwhile, Pitt has turned to his friend, the former head of Special branch, Victor Narraway, as well as Evan Blanktyre, a British diplomat with interests in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His wife Adrianna is Croatian. Pitt becomes more and more infuriated by the man who should be the most helpful to him, a minister in the Foreign Office named Thomas, Lord Tregarron. Tregarron is Jack Radley’s new boss, and Jack Radley is married to Emily, Charlotte’s sister. Pitt and Radley are at loggerheads many times, driving a bit of a wedge between the sisters, which means they must make up. Strife in the Pitt household during this difficult time puts even more pressure on Pitt.
Soon after the death of Adrianna Blantyre, Pitt starts to put it all together. Adrianna’s father was a martyr to the Croatian cause, betrayed by a friend. If only he can put his finger on the friend – or the son of the friend…
When the disaster comes to a head, with a shooting on the train, one of the Duke’s friends is killed and Pitt goes after the shooter. He tries to negotiate with him, takes his horse, and heads for London, where there is a showdown with another enemy in a men’s room! Nobody had expected Pitt to shoot down someone in cold blood, but, as Duke Alois has pointed out earlier to Pitt, when he says he’s not a gentleman, it is pointed out that, because his father was a gamekeeper, he has a servant’s sense of honor. And most of the murder and mayhem have happened on his patch!
Anne Perry is very adept at creating the mood of the times, including the importance of fin de siècle Austria and the fire of mid-century revolution, as well as the beautiful balls, with exquisite clothing, food, and ambience. Very highly recommended. ~ lss-r
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