Seven Dials, Anne Perry

The Book

Thomas Pitt is called off an investigative assignment to look into the murder of a minor diplomat, seemingly at the hands of a Egyptian woman. So why does 10 Downing Street care so much? It's simple, that particular Egyptian woman, Ayesha Zakhari, is the lover of one of the upper level ministers and a prominent MP. Frustrated and unsure what to do, Pitt implores his new boss, Victor Narraway to trust him. But Narraway is a cautious man who lives in a world where just a single wrong move on the chess board will have him checkmated, likely by the Inner Circle, but those are not his only enemies. Pitt understands, but still begins to push his new boss so he can more effectively do his job. Pitt is sent to Egypt to see what answers he can find there.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Pitt is pulled into an investigation of her own by her maid, Gracie Phipps. One of Gracie's friends is deeply worried when she can't find her brother. One day, all is normal, now two weeks later, she hasn't had a letter and her brother missed her birthday, something that had never happened before. Gracie agrees to look into it. 

But Gracie ruffles the prickly Inspector Samuel Tellman when she asks him for a favor. Tellman is in a tight space because he's loyal to Pitt, his former boss and the Inner Circle will have him dismissed if he can. Gracie understand, but finds it difficult to navigate. Reluctantly she must admit, she is more than flattered by Tellman's crush on her, she genuinely returns his affections. 

Despite Tellman's fears that Gracie will get hurt, or he will get dismissed, Tellman helps her out, looking into the disappearance as far as he can without an official reason. Still, they come up empty.

Pitt is upset to return home and find out Charlotte and Gracie have been investigating without him. But he is shocked to discover their cases have merged. Now with the information, as unuseful as it is, he finally has all of the pieces he needs to unravel the case, but will he do so before the jury is in and there is a grave miscarriage of justice? 

My Thoughts

So, it's interesting to see how detective novels are beginning to make use of the subplot to go beyond the usual list of subplots seen in most novels. Instead of weaving a crazy love story (I quit a detective series because the author wrote a romantic subplot into a book when the MC was in a happy relationship) Anne Perry and around the same time Michael Connelly, move to an A case and a B case which, like true subplots merge into one. Although sometimes this might strain credulity, it is something I try to keep in mind while I am constructing my own mysteries. This one is well done, and advances Gracie's character turn as well as a turn in Tellman's character. I enjoyed it. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

This book came to me from the Northbrook Public Library District. It is a first edition and although lightly read, is showing its age with the glue in the binding causing the spine to loose shape and slant. This book will not survive much longer in any collection. It entered their library on January 31, 2033. The 345 page book sold for $25.95 at that time. 

This Book                                                        $25.95

Items Reviewed This Year                             $306.95

Private Books

This Book                                                        $0.00

Total of Private Books                                    $37.90

Total of All Items Reviewed This Year         $344.75

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