Series: Daniel Pitt #3
Publication Date: 4/7/20
Number of Pages: 304

Tightly wrapped within the cocoon of this superb, well-plotted mystery series, you will find the nuggets of early forensic science. This story deals with the effect of arson and intense heat upon bones – particularly the skull – and the way an arrogant, self-centered, selfish, vengeful ‘expert’ can warp the judicial system for his own reward.

The story is tightly plotted, well written, and filled with historical accuracy. I loved Daniel Pitt immediately because I loved his parents first. Daniel is a wonderfully honest, dedicated, and very honorable twenty-five-year-old man who has been out of law school for just a couple of years. He’s on the bottom rung of the ladder at his law firm, fford Croft and Gibson, and rarely gets assigned a case himself. He sits as second chair to his friend and mentor, Toby Kitteridge.

When a young woman, Jessie Beale, arrives at the prestigious law firm and asks to see Daniel, it is because of an earlier case in which he had represented a party who was found innocent. It had seemed a near-impossible case, yet Daniel won it – and she wanted that same thing for her friend, Rob Adwell. After hearing what she had to say, Daniel couldn’t help but believe the man was guilty of the crime, but once he discussed it with Kitteridge and the firm head Marcus fford Croft, it was decided they would take the case. He was amazed when they won the case, but it was because of the expert forensic testimony of Sir Barnabus Saltram.

Weeks later, Daniel is called to defend Jessie herself. She is accused of murdering Rob in exactly the same manner as the first murder occurred. As Daniel investigates, he begins to wonder if his client might not be guilty of not one, but two murders. Yet, because of the expert testimony from Adwell’s trial, he can only assume she will be found innocent. That tears at him because he will be a party to letting a murderer go free. What a conundrum our erstwhile young lawyer has found for himself. How can he meet his obligations to his client and his conscience at the same time?

As more things emerge and information shifts, attacks happen, the tale gets filled with more twists and turns. Will Daniel’s minor case end up turning Britain’s justice system and the fledgling forensic sciences field on its head?

Miriam fford Croft is the forty-year-old daughter of Marcus fford Croft, Daniel’s boss. Miriam is a woman who has suffered for the times. She’s brilliant, dedicated, educated, and without a college degree or credentials even though she has completed all of the coursework and received exceptional marks. The field of forensic science is not one that is available for women. I have to say, I was a bit concerned about Miriam in about the first 35-40% of the book. She seemed to have given up on her pursuits and was feeling pretty ho-hum. Then, she perked up and things got moving for her. I was happy for her to finally come to some sort of resolution within herself.

I loved Miriam and Daniel working together and solving issues. I loved Miriam’s courage in the face of social ruin and I loved that Daniel let her make the decision about how to continue.

I keep wondering if there is going to be a May-December romance between Daniel and Miriam. They certainly care for each other, but is it romantic? I don’t know, but it will be interesting to see.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Anne Perry has done it again! Sometimes the mystery is a little too "pat", but the details in her depictions of Victorian and Edwardian society are incredible. It's also entertaining to follow the main character, Daniel, who was "born" in the Pitt series.

Full disclosure, I did not finish this book. I read the first couple chapters and felt like I was missing a significant part of the characters back story by not having read the previous books. Usually I am ok with this, but in this case there were repeated teasing hints and vague references which were heavy handed enough that the reader knew something important happened, but not enough information to feel comfortable guessing at it. I usually complain about recaps and I'm not a fan of them, but this time I felt like telling the author to either recap or shut up with the hints.
HOWEVER, and it's a big however, the hints while stopping in me this book did make me want to go hunt up the previous book or books. I found the characters very interesting and the setting compelling. So you might see an update after I go hunt up other Anne Perry books in this series and then finish this book.

When Robert Adwell is accused of setting the warehouse fire that kills a rival gang member, his girlfriend Jessie Beale begs young lawyer Daniel Pitt to represent him. Daniel's good friend Miriam helps arrange an expert witness who helps Daniel's case. However, just when things appear to be resolved, the unexpected happens. Daniel and senior barrister Toby Kitteridge find themselves in the middle of a related case, representing a client they can't trust. The results of that case spur Daniel, Toby, and Miriam to take on a third related case and the professional and the personal stakes couldn't be higher.

"One Fatal Flaw" is the third book in this series, which is a spin-off of the author's popular Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. Their son, Daniel, is the main character in this series as he gains experience a a new lawyer at a prestigious law firm in 1910 England. Daniel and his friend Miriam, a scientist and daughter of the law firm's founder, put justice ahead of themselves. They are likable main characters and I enjoy seeing them work together as well as watching their friendship grow. However, when Miriam is on her own, the narrative can become bogged down in details about the state of women in science at that time. There were a lot of chapters with Miriam on her own and with her own friends at the beginning and those portions of the book moved slowly, but the first two cases out of necessity had a lot of repetition, but it didn't make for exciting reading.

The slow start to the book made this book my least favorite in the Daniel Pitt series. However, when Daniel and Miriam start working on the third case, things pick up. It was suspenseful as the reader anticipates what the outcome in court would be. The novel is a good mix of forensics, legal strategy, and courtroom drama, especially in the later chapters. Even though it takes a while for the story to play out, I enjoyed the book overall and loved the ending. I would rate this book 3.5 stars, but look forward to reading more books in this series.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Ballantine Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I was new to this series (and to the one from which it was spun off), so it took me a little while to catch up, but the story still worked as a standalone. The characters were appealing, and the richly detailed setting gave this story a strong sense of time and place. Some descriptive sections went on for too long, which, coupled with the repetitive nature of the court cases (necessary to the plot, but still), made for slow going at times. The characters would make it worth trying other books in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for a digital advance review copy.

Anne Perry’s Daniel Pitt series is excellent, and the third installment, One Fatal Flaw is no exception. Perry’s knowledge of 19th century London is evident in the novels, and it is fascinating to read as Daniel Pitt, son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt (Perry’s bestselling series), who is now a new, inexperienced lawyer, investigates his client’s cases. His friend, Miriam fford Croft, who is a scientist, but because she is a woman can’t practice as a forensic expert, teams up with Daniel to get to the bottom of the crimes for the clients that Daniel represents. In One Fatal Flaw, Daniel agrees to represent a young woman who is worried that her boyfriend will hang for a murder that she doesn’t think he committed, but since he was a criminal and the man with him, another criminal, died, he must take the blame for the other man’s death. Miriam is instrumental in getting Sir Barnabas Saltram, one of her past professors who is considered the best forensic scientist in London, and an expert in arson, to testify, and it is his testimony that gets Adwood off. But when this woman is accused in an identical case, Daniel figures that things aren’t adding up and gets Miriam involved to find out what is going on.

There is building suspense throughout this novel, and the twists and turns will keep readers on the edges of their seats. Saltram is an unlikeable character, and Daniel suspects that his past relationship with Miriam has some aspects that he isn’t privy to. Perry is a master at developing characters so that they become real, and Saltram is one that is quite despicable, as well as arrogant and willing to lie to preserve his excellent reputation.

Perry has a knack for taking command of a story and telling it expertly. This book is fascinating, and actually contains three separate mysteries which, in the end, blend together nicely. One Fatal Flaw is highly recommended for those who love a good thriller and appreciate historical fiction.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Jessica Beale convinces Daniel Pitt to represent her love Rob Adwell in an arson case and, with the help of his friend the scientist Miriam FFord Croft and Sir Barnabas Saltram, he gets him acquitted. Sadly, however, Adwell himself is killed not long after and she is accused! Saltram, who was Miriam's teacher and mentor, has been considered the expert on the effects of fire on the human body for many years and his opinions have been critical in any number of cases over the years. Now, though, it's clear that he wasn't right. I admit to being a fan of this series which started as a spin off and now is evolving as an excellent one in its own right. Set this time in 1911, some of the most interesting aspects revolve around Miriam and ow she navigates as a woman of science in this era. The mystery, which pulls also on a cold case, is nicely twisty, the atmospherics are good, and the characters are terrific. Perry has a nice way of slowly pulling the wool away from the bad guys which makes this, like her others, particularly satisfying. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fine as a standalone but do try the others as well!

Anne Perry has continued her great historical writing with the Daniel Pitt series, One Fatal Flaw. Daniel is a junior lawyer for the ffors Croft and Gibson law firm. He is asked to represent Mr. Rob Adwell to save him from the accusation of the intentional killing of Paddy Jackson, a rival thief in London.

This story raises the issues of the capability of women scientists in a man’s world. Miss Mariam ford Croft, an excellent scientist, but as a woman Is not recognized for her expertise. As in all of the Daniel Pitt series, Miriam is fighting this injustice but has to fight behind the scenes to right a wrong from twenty years ago. Is she strong enough to stand up for herself and for the truth?



#netgalley #OneFatalFlaw

When a distraught young woman begs Daniel Pitt to defend her boyfriend from charges of arson and murder, Daniel is duped into taking a case where his client might in fact be guilty. He turns to Miriam fford Croft, a female scientist in the male-dominated world of 1910 England, for help. Fire is not her specialty, however, and she refers Daniel to Sir Barnabas Saltram, a man with whom she has a complicated past relationship and a forensic expert on the effects of fire on the skeleton. Even though Saltram wins the day for Daniel, later events prove that his science might be more showmanship than truth. Will Daniel be brave enough to make an enemy of the powerful Saltram and clever enough to overturn an unjust ruling?

A play in three acts, this book gradually ratchets up the tension by piling successive law cases on each other, each one with higher stakes than the last. Daniel and Miriam's romantic interest continues to simmer, and we learn more about Miriam's university days back when Saltram was her salacious instructor. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, from Anne Perry's previous series, provide needed insight for their son, and the case (which starts as a struggle for leadership in a local gang) soon has ramifications across the decades. As usual, Perry makes a compelling mystery with memorable characters. Recommended.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a wonderful series, an offshoot of the Thomas &Charlotte Pitt books. Their son Daniel is an attorney and he gets involved in a trial which leads to two others in quick succession. Courtroom drama, forensic science and a cast of intriguing characters circa England 1910.

I found this latest mystery by Anne Perry to be a wonderful riveting read. While I've read many of her previous novels, this was my first that featured a grown-up Daniel Pitt. While the novel deals with an arrogant expert witness's testimony and the damage he may or may not have helped to inflict, it also examines male-female relationships and the deplorable way women were unable to work at certain professions during the early twentieth century.

The third book of Perry's new series starring twenty five year-old Daniel Pitt (Inspector Thomas Pitt's now grown son pursuing a legal profession). It's the first of this series that I have read -- decent, twisted, plot; some good characters including Daniel himself and and 40-year old Miriam fforde Croft -- a talented scientist who has been denied entrance to an all-male profession. The plot of this novel hinges on the expert testimony of a most unpleasant man who argues that a cracked skull is the result of a fire's high heat and not a bludgeoning. Strong themes of the importance of justice and proof, and the lengths to which some will go to maintain their (unearned) high reputation.

I liked the themes and the characters -- I found the whole thing a little repetitive but overall entertaining.

As always it has been a pleasure to read one of Anne Perry's books.
This is the second book in the Daniel Pitt series. You can read it as a stand-a-lone but part of the fun is following Daniel and getting to understand the kind of man and lawyer he has become. The relationship as an adult with his parents and work environment.
As a woman, we see the continuing struggles Miriam has with not been able to be recognized for been a forensic scientist. The sincere friendship between Daniel and Miriam is growing.
I really enjoyed experiencing the feel of the time period brought to live through the story.

This book has a slightly different tone but enhances the series. Early on the plot feels light and young but as I read through the three different but interconnected trials the tone became heavier and darker. How someone feels as he moved from childhood and slowly enters adulthood.

It is late 1910 and Daniel Pitt has barely a year of experience when a young lady asks him to represent her boyfriend who is accused of murder. Daniel has won two large trials and she feels he can free her boyfriend. From this trial stems two additional trials. Very distressing for Daniel since he does not want to take the cases but feels morally obligated.

I enjoyed this complicated book but thought it was slow in spots.

Another engaging, readable, ingenious, and thoughtful story about another murder case taken on by young Daniel Pitt. His parents definitely take a back seat in this third novel on Daniel's career as barrister, and rightly so, as Daniel has come into his own now, and his trajectory propels the plot almost entirely. His friendship with misfit, aspiring scientist Miriam, daughter of his boss, grows deeper in this story. She is also a very intriguing figure and makes the reader want to know more about her. There are legal tricks at play in the story that are absolutely tantalizing. Perry aims her apt socioeconomic lens here, once again, making for a literate and deeply satisfying series. HIghly recommended for all fiction collections.

Daniel Pitt, son of Sir Thomas Pitt, has a meeting with a prospective client -- a woman who wants him to defend her boyfriend from a charge of murder. She's poor but insistent, and so he takes the case. With the help of his friend, Miriam fford Croft, he secures a verdict of non-guilty. This is all within the first quarter of the book. His next case involves the same woman, only this time it is she who needs defending: she is accused of the murder of her boyfriend in circumstances strangely similar to the previous case.

The events enfold, and take the reader on a very strange journey. Daniel and Miriam delve quite deeply into the effects of extremely hot fire on bones, specifically the skull, and eventually cross swords with a known expert in this field. The end is absolutely amazing.

I read this EARC courtesy of Ballantine Books and NetGalley. pub date 04/07/20

The year is 1910 in London. Daniel Pitt is a young lawyer at a prestigious law firm. Jessie Beale, a pretty young woman, is crying in Daniel's office asking him to represent her friend, Rob Adwell, who was accused of setting a fire in a warehouse which killed another man. Daniel goes to his more experienced friend, Kitteridge for help. The head of the firm, Marcus fford Croft okays them to represent Jessie. Appleby, the police surgeon tells them the man died of a cracked skull.

Daniel goes to his friend Miriam, Marcus' daughter, because she has studied forensic science. She arranges for them to talk to Sir Barnabus Saltram, who is an expert on fires and with whom she studied. Barnabus agrees to testify, and in the trial he convinces the jury that the head injury which cracked the skull was caused by the heat of the fire. Thus, Rob is declared innocent, and this causes a surprising chain of events.

Several weeks later, Daniel meets Inspector Quarles in a bar, and finds out Rob Adwell has been killed in another hot fire similar to the fire for which Daniel had defended Rob! When he is asked to defend Jessie, who has been arrested, he is told that she actually has the money to pay him. Daniel realizes he has to defend her, but, he now feels that she must be guilty of both fires and has tricked him into defending her, using the first case as a test. They have probably been fighting for control of the gang. Again, Daniel goes to Miriam, who goes to her friend Ottershaw. They must figure out how to appear to be defending Jessie and still get her sentenced as guilty. Saltram must testify again, but somehow, he must be shown to be wrong. If Saltram is shown to be wrong, there are many cases that have been settled based on Saltram's testimony. He is a very self asured man who will become even more of an enemy if he is proved wrong.

About this point, I couldn't put the book down!

This is an ongoing series, but it can and does stand alone. To be honest the beginning of the book is dry and slow, however it picks up and takes off and I didn't want to put it down. We end up with three different trials that involve moral and ethical issues for all involved. Enjoyable suspense, likable characters, good courtroom drama, and reminder of what 1910 science and society were like for women. Story and history are woven well together. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine via NetGalley after offering to read it & then post my own unbiased honest review.

This was an enjoyable book. It is actually the third book featuring young lawyer Daniel Pitt and aspiring scientist, Miriam fford Croft (who is also the daughter of Marcus fford Croft, Daniel's employer). I think reading the first two books would be beneficial, as it would provide more insight into the main characters, but the book can be enjoyed without having read the earlier books (I have not read them). Daniel Pitt is approached by a young woman, Jessie Beale, who wants him to defend her boyfriend, who has been accused of arson and murder for a warehouse fire in which a rival gang member (Paddy Jackson) died. He agrees to take the case, which will actually be argued by a more senior associate in the firm, Toby Kitteridge, with Daniel sitting second chair. The case against the accused, Rob Adwell, seems like a lost cause, but Daniel consults with Miriam, who suggests seeking the assistance of Sir Barnabas Saltram; Miriam despises Sir Barnabas, but he is the foremost expert in England on fire damage to skulls. Sir Barnabas agrees to testify and his testimony exonerates Mr. Adwell. A few weeks later Mr. Adwell dies in a warehouse fire in the exact same circumstances as Paddy Jackson. This time Jessie Beale is arrested for his murder and she seeks out Daniel and Toby to represent her. They have no choice but to agree and they have no choice but to seek testimony from Sir Barnabas again, which will exonerate Jessie (even though she has all but admitted to Daniel and Toby that she was guilty). While trying to put on a proper defense, Daniel, with the help of Miriam and a fellow forensic scientist, try to find a way to show Sir Barnabas is wrong and expose Jessie's guilt without revealing they are working at cross-purposes. They ultimately enlist the help of a forensic expert from Holland, who is called by the prosecution, and who is able to demonstrate that Sir Barnabas' testimony is faulty.

Shortly after their "loss", Mr. Pitt is approached by Adria Leigh, the widow of James Leigh, who was convicted of arson and murder in the death of Marguerite Daventry twenty years ago. Mrs. Daventry's husband, Roger, had been originally charged with her murder, but Barnabas' testimony about fire damage to skulls resulted in Roger being found not guilty. James Leigh was later arrested and charged with arson and murder and after being convicted, was put to death by hanging. The trial made Barnabas Saltram famous and also advanced the political aspirations of Roger Daventry. With Sir Barnabas shown not to be infallible, Mrs. Leigh hopes that her husband's case can be re-opened and he can be posthumously exonerated, as his conviction has made life very difficult for her and her son -- no-one wants to associate with them because of what her husband allegedly had done.

At the most basic level, it would seem that the firm has to take the case and correct this injustice. However, Sir Barnabas has testified in numerous cases over the past twenty years, all of which are potentially called into question by the Jessie Beale case. There are many people, including in the government and in the legal system, that are not interested in the Daventry case being reopened or possibly dozens or hundreds of other verdicts questioned. One of the best aspects of the book is that the author fully explores the competing tensions between seeking justice for the Leighs and the possibility of having to re-open and re-try dozens, if not hundreds, of cases, thereby casting doubt on the legitimacy of the legal system and court verdicts, as well as publicly acknowledging that an innocent man was convicted and executed (and possibly others as well in other cases).

My only real complaint with the book is the ending. Sir Barnabas Saltram is exposed as petty and vindictive and the testimony about fire damage to skulls that made him famous 20 years ago and that he has been repeating ever since has been shown to be faulty, which results in Daniel obtaining vindication for the widow of James Leigh, who was convicted of arson and murder in the case of Marguerite Daventry and was hanged as a result. After Sir Barnabas leaves the witness stand, Miriam and her father start celebrating; Miriam thanks Daniel for defending her reputation; and then Antonia Llewellyn, the sister of Marguerite, offers congratulations and offers Mrs. Leigh and her son a place to live, jobs, and further education for her son if he wants it. This is a wonderful ending. However, no judge is going to allow this celebrating and conversation in the courtroom when the trial has not officially concluded. It would have been better for the trial to have formally ended before the celebration and offers of assistance took place.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this 3rd installment in the Daniel Pitt series (& might actually offer it a 3.5 star rating!) This reveals a bit more of the ongoing characters, & their history.....& may hint at what might be ahead for the ongoing series? This plot offers 3 courtroom trials, so I felt that the pretrial investigations & trial action were kind of abbreviated to accommodate all that in the book. Perry continues to offer good historical fiction in an interesting format, this one taking place in 1910 England & dealing with fire science/forensics & also attitudes of that time period toward women.
I received this e-ARC from the Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine via NetGalley after offering to read it & then post my own unbiased honest review.