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Commander William Monk: in search of justice, he will not stop until he has found the truth.

It is a time of progress, with the Empire’s interests expanding and the contentious new Suez Canal nearing completion. Many people stand to gain – and to lose – as the world rapidly changes.

When a Thames pleasure boat is blown up with the loss of many lives, an Egyptian man is quickly sentenced to hang for the crime. But William Monk, head of the River Police, discovers the evidence was flawed. As he and his wife Hester investigate further, Monk begins to wonder if the wrong man was convicted. If justice itself has been tainted, exposing the true culprit will be far more dangerous…

In April 1915 Joseph Reavley is serving as chaplain on the Front Line at Ypres. The war that should have been ‘over by Christmas’ has already decimated the British Expeditionary Force. To Joseph’s sector comes an ambitious young war correspondent determined to expose the horrors of trench life. But before he can dispatch his piece, he is found dead in no-man’s-land. Still seeking the man behind his parents’ murder, and to protect his sister Judith from the pain of an impossible romance, Joseph must find the truth. His search takes him to London and the beaches of Gallipoli, and at last to face a desperate moral judgement which challenges every belief he holds.

It’s July 1917, and as the sun sets over No-man’s-land so Joseph Reavley’s heart sinks with it. As chaplain he must keep up the men’s morale, but as rumours of mutiny grow stronger he is losing any chance of getting through to them. After the death
of an officer, twelve soldiers are arrested, and it falls to Joseph to uncover the truth about their involvement.
Joseph’s brother Matthew, of the S.I.S, is also in pursuit of the truth, whilst struggling to come to terms with his part in the Peacemaker’s death. Approached by a Junior Cabinet Minister who is being blackmailed, Matthew learns of a plot to destroy the only men who can bring about lasting peace. As he embarks on an investigation Matthew knows his own life is in danger but thinks it a small price to pay to secure the future of millions of people.

Once again, Inspector William Monk, now of the Thames River Police, must face a dangerous foe.

It’s 1864, and after a game of cat and mouse, Monk has captured Jericho Phillips, the man he suspects of brutally killing a young mudlark and running an evil child prostitution ring. In bringing Phillips to justice, Monk hopes to close down the ring and avenge the memory of Durban, his old commander, who was determined to capture Philips. However at trial justice does not prevail. Oliver Rathbone, Monk’s friend, is hired anonymously to represent the accused and when he proves that vital evidence is missing, Phillips is freed. As Monk begins the investigation again, venturing deeper into London’s murky underworld, he realises that Durban may have had his own reasons for pursuing Phillips, and shockingly, that secret support for Phillips may reach further into civilised society than anyone could ever have imagined…

After a brilliant military career in India, General Thaddeus Carlyon finally meets death not in the frenzy of battle, but at a London dinner party, in what appears to be a freak accident. But the General’s beautiful wife readily confesses that she killed him – a story she clings to even under the shadow of the gallows. Investigator William Monk, nurse Hestor Latterly and Oliver Rathbone, counsel for the defence, work feverishly to break down the silence of the accused and her husband’s proud family; and with the trial only days away they inch towards the appalling heart of the mystery.

Mariah Ellison isn’t merely disappointed to learn that she won’t spend Christmas at home with her married granddaughter: she is furious. Instead, Grandmama is being packed off to a house in the Romney Marshes to stay with her ex-daughter-in-law. Never having got on with Caroline, Mariah much disapproves of her new husband: decades younger than her, Joshua, an actor, is scarcely even respectable. There will be nothing to do, no one to visit, and no doubt the terrible weather will make even taking a walk impossible. It is going to be the worst Christmas of Grandmama’s life.

As if that weren’t enough, another visitor is foisted on the household. Then something shocking and quite unexpected happens. Has a crime been committed? Grandmama is surprised to find herself turning detective – another profession she deplores – and proving extremely good at it.

The fifth in Anne Perry’s series of charming Christmas novellas.
For Superintendent Runcorn, Christmas has rarely looked so bleak. Believing that a change of scenery may help him finally forget Melisande Ewart, Runcorn heads for the beautiful, desolate Isle of Anglesey. Any hopes of Christmas passing quietly are dashed, however, when he discovers Melisande is also in Anglesey and, moreover, that she is engaged to another man.
Then the local vicar’s sister is found murdered and Melisande’s brother is implicated in the crime. Determined to assist Melisande in her time of need, Runcorn resolves to find the killer. Is it possible in doing so, that he will also win the heart of his one true love?

In the sixth of Anne Perry’s charming Christmas novellas, a community learns to come to terms with a terrible event from its past.
Emily Radley’s Christmas plans are shattered when she learns that her aunt is dying. Although estranged from her, Emily decides that she must journey to Susannah’s home in Ireland to assist her in her final days. When she reaches Connemara though, it is evident that Susannah has more on her mind than her health.
Then Daniel, the lone survivor of a ship wrecked in a violent storm, seeks refuge in Susannah’s house. Determined to understand why the village is not welcoming its new arrival, Emily discovers strange parallels with the unsolved death of another young man, Connor, many years before. Susannah, desperate to find out what happened to Connor before she dies, urges Emily to investigate. And as she does, Emily learns that some people will do anything to keep their secrets safe.

Set in Italy in 1866, A Christmas Escape is Anne Perry’s 13th festive Victorian novella.

December, 1866. Charles Latterly, Hester Monk’s brother, travels to Italy to spend Christmas on the volcanic island of Stromboli. In his secluded mountain hotel a curious group of people has gathered, and Charles senses a brittle strain between some of his fellow guests as they visit the crater of the island’s famous rumbling volcano.

While the guests prepare for Christmas, the volcano threatens to erupt, and they realise they must leave at once. As they plan their escape, with Charles thrust reluctantly into leading the group to shelter, one of their number is found dead. But if this is murder, there is a killer in their midst, and Charles must navigate a path to safety…

A Christmas Escape is the intriguing and dramatic new festive tale from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.

The queen of the Victorian mystery, New York Times bestseller Anne Perry returns with the 32nd novel in the Inspector Pitt series MURDER ON THE SERPENTINE. Pitt is on a secret mission for the Queen, maybe his last…

London, 1899: Head of Special Branch Commander Thomas Pitt is summoned to Buckingham Palace.

In the twilight of her years, Queen Victoria is all too aware that the Prince of Wales will soon inherit her empire and must be beyond reproach. She tells Pitt she tasked her close friend and confidante, John Halberd, with investigating the Prince’s friends, specifically Alan Kendrick, a wealthy playboy and betting man, but before he could report back, Halberd was found dead in a rowing boat on the Serpentine.

The death has been ruled an unfortunate accident and the investigation closed, but the Queen is not convinced that all is as it seems and tasks Pitt with finding the truth.

Forced to act alone in this most sensitive of investigations, Pitt finds himself embroiled in a plot that threatens not only the reputations of men, but also the safety and reputation of the Empire. . .

A CHRISTMAS RETURN is the 15th novella in the festive series by Anne Perry, the queen of Victorian crime.

As the festive season approaches, Charlotte Pitt’s grandmamma, Mariah Ellison, is facing Christmas alone. When she receives an unexpected gift, memories are sparked of a Christmas in Haslemere long ago, when her beloved friend Cullen Wesley died and a local villager was brutally murdered, with no killer brought to justice.

The unsolved case has resurfaced and Cullen’s grandson, Peter, begs for Mariah’s help to solve the crime that led to his grandfather’s death. Mariah can’t resist a friend in need and she returns to Haslemere to investigate the murder and heal old wounds. But evil still lurks in the picturesque village and she’ll need all her wits about her to see that justice is done.

A Christmas Return is the enthralling new festive tale from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.

DARK TIDE RISING is the 24th compelling mystery in the William Monk series, from the master of Victorian crime, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry. ‘Anne Perry’s Victorian mysteries are marvels of plot construction…truly remarkable’ New York Times.

When Kate Exeter is kidnapped on the shore of the Thames, Commander William Monk is enlisted by her desperate husband to save her. Kate’s captors are demanding a ransom for her safe return and Monk and his most trusted men must arrange a secret handover in the dark slums of Jacob’s Island. But on the night someone betrays them and a brutal skirmish breaks out, leaving death and destruction in its wake . . .

Who is to blame for what went wrong? Monk senses tensions mount and no one knows who to trust. Then a whistle blower claims that the ransom money was embezzled funds that incriminate Kate’s husband, and the case takes on a whole new meaning…

The master of the Victorian crime, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry returns with the 23rd novel in the William Monk series, AN ECHO OF MURDER.

London, 1870: The body of a Hungarian immigrant is found dead in what appears to be a ritualistic killing, with a bayonet through his heart, his fingers broken and his body surrounded by seventeen blood-dipped candles. At first, Commander William Monk of the Thames River Police suspects the killer is from within the community, but when another murder takes place, Monk fears the immigrants are being targeted by an outsider…

Meanwhile, Hester is reunited with a doctor who had been left for dead on a Crimean battlefield. Traumatised by his experiences, Fitz has made his way home via Hungary and is now living in the community. Hester is determined to help him and, when he is accused of the killings, she sets out to prove his innocence…

When Commander Thomas Pitt is ordered to protect a young woman visiting London from Spain, he cannot see why this is a job for Special Branch. When she disappears in the dead of night from Angel Court, however, he is faced with a dangerous mystery. Sofia preached new, and some say blasphemous, religious ideals, and her life had been threatened. But Pitt senses there is some deeper and more dangerous reason for her kidnap – if that is what it is.

Three men are caught up in the hunt for Sofia – her cousin, a banker for the Church of England, a popular and charismatic politician, and a journalist who seems determined to goad Pitt to the truth. Each seems to be hiding something, and as the search for answers stretches from London to Spain, Pitt knows that time is running out, and the nation’s security could be at stake…

Angel Court is the thirtieth superb mystery featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt from the master of Victorian crime.

Death might be commonplace in 1857 in the Royal Free Hospital in London’s Gray’s Inn Road, but murder certainly isn’t. When the body of Prudence Barrymore, a gently bred, dedicated and passionate nurse, is discovered stuffed into a laundry chute no one – high born or low – can be beyond suspicion. But the police seem determined to concentrate their efforts on proving Dr Kristian Beck the culprit – because he is foreign. Concerned and unhappy with this state of affairs, Lady Callandra Daviot of the Board of Governers asks Investigator William Monk to pursue the case.
Monk, frustrated by the lingering traces of amnesia caused by an accident, agrees, and calls upon his old colleagues to aid him. Hester Latterly, an independent young woman who served with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, knew the dead woman there; Hester’s profession provides the perfect cover for her to obtain work at the Royal Free. And Oliver Rathbone, a brilliant barrister, who is brought in as counsel for the defence. But under the ever-present shadow of the gallows, and inching towards the appalling solution, the three begin to despair of justice ever prevailing.

Every night Hester Monk tends to women of the streets who have been injured as a result of their trade. But the injuries are becoming more serious, and now a body has been discovered in one of the area’s brothels. The dead man is the respected head of a successful railway company, Nolan Baltimore. With calls for the police to clean up the streets, Hester decides she must intervene to protect these women who stand to lose everything. Meanwhile her husband, William Monk, is investigating a possible fraud at Baltimore and Sons. As Monk endeavours to prevent a serious crime from taking place, he faces some staggering revelations, and finds that the time has come to confront his own demons – even if it means losing all he holds dear…

Thomas Pitt arrives at a devastating bombing in Lancaster Gate to find two policemen dead and three more gravely wounded. London’s anarchists are blamed, but as Pitt and Inspector Tellman investigate they find it looks increasingly like a personal vendetta against those particular men. Did they lie about a drugs raid that went fatally wrong, and let an innocent man hang?

The idea of police dishonesty cuts Tellman to the quick – he joined the force to protect society, not exploit it. But he must uncover the truth, however much he wants to resist the signs of blackmail and corruption. With the threat of further bombings, and their superiors pushing for a quick resolution, Pitt and Tellman find their every move scrutinised, and their own lives suddenly at risk…

Treachery at Lancaster Gate is the exceptional new historical thriller from the master of Victorian crime.

Another fantastic Pitt novel from the master storyteller of the Victorian mystery.
1895 and an increasingly violent tide of political unrest is rising fast all over Europe. Special Branch’s Inspector Thomas Pitt knows that they must find those responsible before England is overrun by reformists intent on overthrowing the government. When he finds himself in pursuit of a suspected terrorist, Pitt has no hesitation in following the chase all the way to France.
But events take a sinister turn when Narraway, Pitt’s superior, is accused of involvement in the death of an Irish informant and abruptly removed from office. Aware that her husband’s own career is also in jeopardy if he is not reinstated, Pitt’s wife Charlotte determines to help Narraway clear his name.
As Charlotte and Narraway depart for Ireland and Pitt is drawn deeper into the investigation in France, it becomes clear that outside forces have conspired to separate them at a crucial time in the country’s history. With no one else to trust can they make it back to England and stop the revolt before it’s too late?

Thomas Pitt’s daughter Jemima, now a young woman, leads the cast of Anne Perry’s enthralling festive mystery. In New York, at the turn of the century, where new American money and old English aristocracy collide, a young bride’s secret past could destroy her future. Jemima, in America as a chaperone until her friend’s wedding, is instead drawn into the crisis, and must decide whom to trust, and how to thread her way through the dangerous streets of this cold, brash new city.

In the latest compelling book in Anne Perry’s bestselling Pitt series, Inspector Thomas Pitt must navigate the upper echelons of society if he is to find a murderer bold enough to kill in Buckingham Palace.
Early one morning, Inspector Thomas Pitt is awoken by a message from his boss, Narraway. A maid has been murdered. The maid worked at Buckingham Palace and Narraway needs his must trusted man to deal with the investigation.
The suspects are narrowed down to a group of guests, meeting with the Prince of Wales to discuss the funding for a huge project: the Cape to Cairo railway. If the murderer isn’t found, the Queen will veto royal support for the scheme.
It rests with Pitt to solve the murder – in doing so he must reconcile his own concept of justice with those who feel it is within their right to make their own laws, whatever the consequences.

The two figures had been on the bridge. He had grasped hold of her. To save her, or to push her?

Inspector William Monk is still feeling his way in a new post in the Thames River Police and knows he must solve the mystery to gain the respect of his men. Soon both he and Hester find themselves powerfully involved in the story of the dead woman, Mary Havilland, and her quest to vindicate her father, found dead two months previously. An engineer working for the Argyll Construction Company, James Havilland was convinced a major disaster would happen in the tunnels where London’s desperately needed new sewer system was being built. Maddened by his obsession, he’d apparently shot himself. Mary had never accepted that and now she was dead too. Was it chance or something more sinister?

You need a very long spoon indeed to dine with the devil. Early one morning, two bombs explode in an East London street. Forewarned of the attack, Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch, arrives in time to chase the bombers to a tenement in Long Spoon Lane. There, two men are arrested and one shot dead – but who and where and is the killer?
As Pitt investigates, he uncovers truths more disturbing than the acts of a few misguided idealists. There’s a web of corruption within the police force, and all the clues point to Inspector Wetron of Bow Street as its mastermind. But as head of the sinister Inner Circle, Wetron has powerful allies in every sphere.

A festive story of hope and redemption emerging from the depths of Victorian society.

1864, and on a bitter December night in Victorian London, one man longs for a Christmas miracle. The city is preparing for the holidays yet James Wentworth is unable to focus on anything other than the disappearance of his wayward son, Lucien. In desperation, he turns to his old friend Sir Henry Rathbone for help.
Rathbone finds assistance in the shape of reformed criminal Squeaky Robinson and the enigmatic Doctor Crow and as the group’s investigations take them deeper into the seedy underbelly of the capital they uncover a squalid world of illicit pleasures and a trail that leads them closer to the man they seek.
But as they get nearer to their quarry, tales also begin emerge of Lucien’s violent tendencies, his consuming obsession with a dangerous young woman and the disturbing Shadow Man. Can they bring Lucien home alive and if so, will it be a grave mistake for all concerned?

A Victorian tale of murder and intrigue taking place on a snowy Christmas in 1897…

During a bitter snowstorm, a mysterious stranger descends on the Netheridges’ country home in Whitby, where a group of renowned actors have gathered to prepare a Boxing Day production of Dracula. Amidst an atmosphere of competing theatrical egos and artistic disagreements, the unknown Mr Ballin is brutally murdered.

Determined to uncover the truth, but without help from the police who cannot reach the house through the snow, Caroline Fielding begins to investigate the circumstances surrounding the puzzling affair. Who was the victim? Was his appearance at the house as innocent and as circumstantial as he professed? And which of the guests knows more than they are letting on?