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Title details for Bedford Square by Anne Perry - Available

Bedford Square

#19 in series

by Anne Perry
Terrence Hardiman
Audiobook
1 of 3 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 3 copies available

The freshly dead body sprawled on the Bedford Square doorstep of General Brandon Balantyne is an affront to every respectable sensibility. The general denies all knowledge of the shabbily dressed victim who has so rudely come to death outside his home, but Superintendent Thomas Pitt cannot believe him—for in the dead man's pocket, Pitt finds a rare snuffbox that recently graced the general's study.

The superintendent must tread lightly, however, lest his investigation trigger a tragedy of immense proportions, ensnaring honorable men like flies in a web. Pitt's clever wife, Charlotte, becomes his full partner in probing this masterpiece of evil, spawned by an amorality greater than they can imagine.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Thomas and Charlotte Pitt

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    August 29, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780792746331
      • File size: 352122 KB
      • Duration: 12:13:35

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Victorian policeman Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, work in very different ways towards the same end--solving a murder and uncovering the perpetrator of an extortion scheme aimed at influential members of society. Terrence Hardiman narrates with conviction and an appreciation of the conventions and customs of Victorian London. He uses accents to good effect, particularly in his characterizations of the working class. Cadence and pace are effective in distinguishing the main characters. Hardiman helps listeners fit all of the pieces together, maintaining interest until the end. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 1, 1999
      History, social commentary and suspense blend artfully in this 19th installment (after Brunswick Gardens, 1998) in Perry's popular series featuring London Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt and his adventurous wife, Charlotte. The mystery arises when a body is found outside the home of respectable General Brandon Balantyne (who appeared in two earlier Pitt novels). Pitt and Sergeant Tellman, whose class prejudices are challenged during the investigation, are mystified by the body's identity and the motive for the murder. Their diggings lead them to a parallel case, when Pitt discovers that six honorable men, including Balantyne and Assistant Police Commissioner Cornwallis, are being blackmailed. Perry uses the historical Tranby Croft gambling scandal involving the Prince of Wales as backdrop, highlighting how even the imputation of wrongdoing can tarnish someone's good name. To find the blackmailer, Pitt seeks a common bond among the accused. The careful reader may spy that link before Pitt does, but will nonetheless be swept along by the narrative's rush and engaged by its attention to period detail. Aiding Pitt is a cast of smart, well-drawn female characters: Charlotte, whose social connections afford her access to society's upper crust; Gracie, the Pitts' uneducated but no-nonsense maid; and Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, Charlotte's worldly-wise relation, who dominates the narrative once she joins the investigation. Pitt solves the case based on a clever red herring, uncovering the murderer in a quick, horrifying finale. Yet again, Perry delivers an astute and gripping examination of life behind Victorian England's virtuous facade. Mystery Guild main selection; author tour.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      A dead body left on the doorstop of General Brandon Ballantyne of Bedford Square opens a case for Superintendent Thomas Pitt that involves blackmail, embezzlement and murder. British actor David McCallum narrates this Victorian mystery with all the properness of the era. He portrays Pitt as deliberate and inquisitive and compassionate toward the victims of the crimes. McCallum's formal tone in his rendering of the upper-crust club members adds to the sense of privilege and power that the elite Londoners enjoy. Although the plot stalls in parts, McCallum is able to draw the listener into both the investigation and the setting of Victorian England. K.M.D. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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