Traitors Gate

Someone in the Colonial Office is selling Britain's African strategy to Germany, and Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt is quietly investigating both the treasonous leak and the suspicious death of a mentor he believes was murdered for what he knew. The two investigations converge when a strangled woman is found floating near Traitors Gate in the small hours of the morning, and the threads of political intrigue and personal loyalty twist together around a secret that has been poisoning lives for years.

Jenny Sterlin has a sure command of Anne Perry's Victorian London, giving the ensemble of aristocrats, politicians, and sharp-eyed investigators their proper period texture. Her Charlotte Pitt is a particular pleasure, bringing the character's intelligence and gentle persistence to the fore. At just over sixteen hours, this fifteenth entry in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series demonstrates Perry's skill at braiding political thriller and personal drama.