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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, well-crafted story of murder in Victorian London, June 11, 2005
Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte have been at the center of many mysteries, many of which take them into the heart of the underworld of Victorian London. Nothing is ever as it seems on the surface, however, and it takes the married couple more than wits in order to solve a crime. The mystery which surrounds that in Seven Dials is no exception.
This time, it's a case of diplomacy, as a seemingly open-and shut-case occurs. Apparently, an Egyptian woman shot her lover in her back yard and then put it in a wheelbarrow in order to get rid of it. But it becomes increasingly clear to Pitt that Ayesha Zakhari, supposed mistress of a member of the Cabinet, is not the perpetrator of the crime, after all. For one, there is no blood on her white evening gown, and she was not strong enough to put the dead man into the wheelbarrow by herself. It soon comes out that cabinet member Saville Ryerson was at the scene of the crime not long after it occurred. Soon it becomes clear that the murder is linked to the riots that have been taking place at Manchester- where, incidentally, Ryerson is from.
Victor Narraway sends Thomas Pitt to Alexandria to find out more about Miss Zakhari- and he learns a number of interesting things about the relationship between the woman and the deceased man. Narraway, however, has a much deeper reason for sending Pitt away- the case is becomeing much more serious than anyone had suspected.
Unrelated is the case of Martin Garvie, manservant to a Mr. Garrick. When Martin goes missing, his sister Tilda enlists Gracie's help to find him. It soon becomes clear to Charlotte Pitt that this is no simple case of a dismissed valet; his master Mr. Garrick has also vanished mysteriously, apparently taking Martin with him. None of the other servants know where either man has gone, and no one really wants to talk about it, either. In addition, it seems that Mr. Garrick was a drunk who relied heavily upon his young valet for support. Charlotte and Gracie turn to Charlotte's great-aunt Vespasia Cumming-Gould, a well-known and liked aging socialite, who uses her circle of influence to investigate Mr. Garrick's father. This is an excellent mystery with lots of twists and turns, that had me guessing until the very end.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anne Perry Goes Platinum, March 4, 2003
I think by this point in time it might be more appropriate to call Anne Perry's stunning Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mysteries a saga rather than a series. Her masterful exploration of the minutiae of 19th century manners and mores not only reminds me of Galsworthy or Trollope, but her overall vision of Pitt's world has evolved into something almost epic in scope. "Seven Dials" is an especially fascinating extension of her steadily intensifying image (most recently "Whitechapel Conspiracy and "Southhampton Row") of Thomas Pitt as Hero, struggling desperately and essentially alone to defend Queen and Empire against sinister political forces which seek to destroy them. This latest, enormously complex novel begins shortly after Pitt's recent forced reassignment to the Special Branch when he is dragged from his bed at dawn and ordered to report to Victor Narraway, head of Her Majesty's Secret Service, for briefing. Edwin Lovat, a junior diplomat, has been shot to death late at night in the garden at luxurious Eden Lodge; the owner of the weapon, its Egyptian tenant...beautiful, enigmatic Ayesha Zakhari...has been caught in the act of trying to dispose of the body, and her current paramour, senior cabinet minister Saville Ryerson, has inexplicably arrived on the scene within minutes of her apprehension. Pitt's charge is to investigate the matter but protect Ryerson if at all possible since even a whiff of scandal could jeopardize on-going negotiations in a potentially explosive labor situation in Ryerson's Manchester district (dependent on Eqyptian cotton for its weaving industry) and might be disasterous to already fragile Anglo-Egyptian relationships. Ryerson swears his lady is innocent; the lady refuses to say anything, and Pitt's search for the truth eventually leads him to Egypt where he uncovers horrifying evidence of a terrible atrocity linking past and present in a deadly conspiracy that, if revealed, could shake the British Empire. Meanwhile, Charlotte and her faithful servant, Gracie, undertake an investigation of their own: an apparently small matter of Gracie's friend Tilda's missing brother. Only Anne Perry...echoing Charles Dickens...could manipulate such diverse events so adroitly that a relatively minor subplot leads surely but inevitably to its utterly logical interconnection with the main thread of the story thereby solving both mysteries and providing a shattering conclusion to this gripping adventure. As always, Anne Perry's superb plotting and vivid characterizations kept me glued to my seat until I was able to satisfy myself that, once again, the Pitts and their friends had emerged triumphant against danger and misfortune and justice had effectively been served. I was especially pleased by Ms. Perry's delightful resolution of one plotting element...something that has been hanging fire for several books now...that brought a smile to my face as I watched it unfold.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic Anne Perry, June 5, 2003
I've always enjoyed Anne Perry's Charlotte and Pitt mysteries more than her Monk and Latterly mysteries. They are not perhaps as deep but they are usually much more fun. I find it easier to identify with the main characters and the ambience of their lives is more satisfying. Seven Dials, the most recent Charlotte and Pitt mystery, is for me one of her better recent books. The writer's facility for setting a scene, whether it is a society event, the slums of the east end of London or the streets of Alexandria is unparalleled. She makes her way unerringly through the mind-boggling convolutions of Victorian morality without miring the reader in its tedious virtue. This is another of Anne Perry's good yarns, complete with Gracie, Aunt Vespasia and sister Emily. It is full of strong emotions, well-honed dialogue and spiced this time with Pitt's visit to Egypt.
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