** 3.4 STARS **

I love this author and this series, but this is my least favorite book so far. I’m not saying it isn’t a good read, I’m just saying that it isn’t as good as previous books. I am usually very good at figuring out whodunit, following the clues, etc. but this one just kept me scratching my head throughout - not in a good way. I just didn’t get some of those ‘logic leaps’ that were made and I’ll give you some reasons below.

Daniel Pitt, twenty-five years old, a lawyer in the law chambers of fford Croft and Gibson, son of Sir Thomas Pitt, head of Special Branch, receives a summons from the police to come to the morgue to identify a body. The only identifiable item on the body was Daniel’s business card. Daniel had already been worrying about his friend and fellow lawyer, Toby Kitteridge because he was always early, never late – and today he was late to work. Daniel, filled with fear and trepidation at what he might see when he gets into the morgue, seems to have his worst fears confirmed when he sees Kitteridge’s unsightly coat hanging in the morgue. Then, they escort him into the area where the body has been kept. Daniel swallows hard, takes a deep breath, and tells them he is ready. What he sees will haunt him forever – a horribly slashed face (and body) – but it isn’t Kitteridge – it is another lawyer from their firm, Jonah Drake.

Why would Jonah Drake be in that depraved part of London – in the wee hours of the morning? Was he pursuing some perverse inclinations at one of the bawdy houses? Not likely. Was he pursuing leads on a case on which he was working? His current case was a tangled financial one, not something that should take him to that area. Is it something from a previous case? It could be. As they question and look into Jonah’s life and cases, they meet a man they didn’t know existed. Jonah was seen as aloof and cold – a workaholic at the office – no personal life, yet, in the notes and drawings they find as they go through his paperwork, they get to know a brilliant mind, a perceptive mind, a witty mind, a lonely man. How could they all have ignored this man who was so much more than they ever imagined?

As their investigation goes on, Daniel’s father gets involved as well as others who have made appearances in previous books. We have more bodies turning up in almost the same place and still no idea who or why the murders have happened.

For me personally, this wasn’t a great mystery – but it was a lovely way to see Daniel grow as a person, and perhaps that was one of the purposes of the book. Daniel has been sort of a man-child who was learning his way in the world and trying to get out of the shadow of his wonderful larger-than-life father. He also sees his own shortcomings in judging someone by outward appearances/actions. His learning to appreciate Jonah as the person he was rather than the person he projected hopefully taught Daniel a valuable lesson he’ll use in future books. He saw his father was human and vulnerable just like everybody else and that was a good thing.

Here are some of the reasons the mystery part of this book left me scratching my head: (1) Daniel seemed totally inept and almost played a secondary role. (2) Daniel, his father, and Kittreridge went over the same evidence time-after-time-after-time. (3) Daniel, his father, and Kittridge asked the exact same questions of themselves and each other time-after-time-after-time. (4) Giant leaps in the progress of the case would happen, with nothing to support it. They just all suddenly decided this is what happened and off they went. (5) Somehow, because Marcus is getting forgetful, they immediately start assuming he must have done something shady. (6) When Charlotte is kidnapped, Daniel and his father sit around reading files trying to solve the murder. How is that going to tell them where Charlotte is being kept? Why didn’t they just ask Roman Blackwell and his mother to check the area where they were sure Charlotte was being held – after all, that area is their old stomping grounds?

Anyway, the book was an okay read, but I wouldn’t read this one again. I’ll certainly be looking forward to the next book and will be hoping that a post-COVID book will have a different flavor/feel than one written during COVID.

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

Death with a Double Edge is the fourth book in the Daniel Pitt series by the incomparable mistress of the historical mystery, Anne Perry. I'm a rather new fan of this author, and I've yet to read anything by her that wasn't fabulous. If you haven't read the first three books of this series you won't be confused, as this mystery is a stand-alone. You will, however, want to go back and read more about these fascinating characters.

Daniel Pitt, a junior barrister, is summoned by the police to identify a murdered man who had Daniel's card in his pocket. Fearing it is his best friend and co-worker Toby Kitteridge, he discovers the deceased is actually Jonah Drake, a senior barrister in their firm. What was Drake doing at Mile End, a dangerous part of the city, in the middle of the night? Marcus fford Croft, the head of their firm, seems to know more than he lets on...or is his issue his deteriorating memory? Daniel and Toby investigate Drake's past cases, and one in particular leads them to a wealthy shipbuilder whose business is important in building up Britain's naval fleet. Suddenly there's another murder, then another, and Daniel's investigation is being blocked by officials; even Daniel's father Thomas Pitt, head of Special Branch, is warned off the investigation. Then Charlotte Pitt, Daniel's beloved mother, disappears...

The story starts out slowly, with Daniel and Toby looking into Drake's past cases. However, soon things start to speed up, turning into a complicated mystery with many twists and turns and plenty of red herrings thrown in to notch up the suspense. I just adore Daniel, an up-and-coming young barrister building a name for himself. He's a smart man, but he's also willing to ask for help when he needs it. I really enjoyed the times Daniel went over his case with his parents to get their keen insight. We have a good amount of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt in this series installment, and they were a welcome addition. Marcus fford Croft's situation herein was unsettling; was he involved in this mess and keeping secrets, or were his health issues the problem? Daniel agonized over the situation, as fford Croft was his mentor, but was also the head of their firm; if he was involved in wrongdoing, the entire firm would be adversely affected. The only thing that displeased me in the story was the lack of Miriam fford Croft's presence, as she was studying in Holland during most of the book. I missed her working the case with Daniel...thank goodness she arrived in time to help wrap up the case! I hope Ms. Perry won't make us wait too long for Daniel's next adventure!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Set in 1911, junior barrister Daniel Pitt is called to the morgue to identify the victim of a vicious knife attack carrying no identification, but one of Daniel's cards is in his jacket pocket. It is a senior barrister at his firm, Jonah Drake, but nobody knows why he was in the questionable neighborhood of Mile End at 2am. Daniel and his colleagues start to look through Drake's previous cases to see if they can identify a motive. Another body turns up in almost the same place, stabbed through the heart with what could be the same blade that killed Drake, but the police don't seem inclined to investigate either murder. Daniel enlists the help of his father, Sir Thomas Pitt (head of the Special Branch), but as they get closer to identifying the man behind the murders, they realize he is very powerful and protected. I liked the characters, and overall the plot was good, but there were times I felt information was repeated unnecessarily, like the author was trying to make sure we hadn't lost sight of certain facts.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Young attorney Daniel Pitt, when called to identify a man in the police morgue who had his card, is at first afraid that it is Kitteridge, one of the younger partners who had been late to a meeting. However, it turns out to be Jonah Drake, one of the firm’s senior partners, who has been viciously murdered in one of the seamier parts of London. Concerned for the reputation of the firm, Daniel’s employer, Marcus fford Croft, assigns him and Kitteridge to comb through Drake’s recent cases for a connection.

They soon hone in on two cases, one in which the son of a shipping magnate was acquitted of the murder of a young woman, and another in which the defendant was left with a stain on his reputation, despite not being convicted. Keeping on the right side of the shipping magnate, Erasmus Faber, is vital to the British government’s national interests as they attempt to build up their navy in the years leading up to WWI, so Daniel is warned by his father, Sir Thomas, head of Special Branch, to avoid involving him if possible, but this is where the trail seems to lead. Soon others are murdered, and Daniel, Sir Thomas, and his mother, Charlotte, find themselves deep in a web of corruption and scandal.

Since Miriam fford Croft, the daughter of Daniel’s employer and his usual partner in detection, is attending medical school on the Continent, and due to the unusual nature of the case, both of his parents have a far more central role than they have in the earlier books in this series. I, for one, was glad to see them back in the thick of the action once again, and the love of the parents for their son and for each other, even after thirty years of marriage, as well as his for them, is believable and well drawn, especially when Charlotte is put in danger in a bid to stop the investigation and they fear that they may never see her again.

The mystery, as always, is enjoyable, although I felt that the solution maybe wasn’t quite up to snuff, but where Ms. Perry has always excelled is in the creation of often quirky but always believable characters who seem to jump off the page. The first victim, Jonah Drake, in particular, comes to life (ironically, after his death), as Daniel searches his papers and possessions for clues to his murderer, and he comes to see what he thought was rather standoffish, even boring, older man as a brilliant, passionate legal mind with a wry humor and even artistic talent. Marcus fford Croft, who may be contending with the early stages of dementia, is also perceptively and sympathetically drawn.

Death with a Double Edge is a worthy entry into a series that, with the 32 Thomas and Charlotte Pitt books, now stands at 36 books, all well written and enjoyable. I look forward to Daniel’s further adventures and growth as both a human being and an attorney.

I received a copy of Death with a Double Edge for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not up to this author's excellent standards. I found the first half to be unusually slow but everything picks up speed after that. I also knew who the main villain was half way through the book and I am usually surprised at the end of most of her books.

I really liked this book. I am still learning about Daniel, and this also featured his parents, Thomas and Charlotte, who are two of my all-time favorite characters. This was more like a cozy mystery, which I need sometimes. It takes place in England in 1911, with the upcoming war always looming in the background, but the characters not knowing where it is all headed. Definitely recommend this book, and series, if you want a lighter mystery.

This mystery starts with the tragic murder of one of the senior barristers, Jonah Drake, from the same firm which leads to Daniel investigating some prior cases for clues to the murder. More murders follow (of course) and complications with police corruption and government interference try to prevent Daniel searching for answers.

I love Daniel in this series, but Death with a Double Edge doesn't give the rest of cast of characters a chance to shine and it hurts the overall story. While some of the regulars do show up they lack the depth shown in prior books and Daniel's love interest / investigative partner, Miriam, is away for the majority of the story. Perry instead gave a rather large part to Daniel's parents - Thomas & Charlotte Pitt - to the point that it almost felt like one of their series instead of Daniels.

The mystery itself had a solid premise, but the who-dun-it was ridiculously obvious from near the beginning and it was painful to have the characters be so obtuse. There were a couple of twists, but they seemed ridiculously unlikely and weren't necessary to the mystery. The ending was abrupt and failed to follow through on a number of the side plot points.

I really like this series overall and truly hope that the next Daniel Pitt book puts him back in his legal capacity and sees him working with Miriam.

I liked the book. It is a good mystery with several twists and turns. A bit slow at first but the action and suspense build and keeps coming. Perry writes believable characters and make you feel you are in old London. I am looking forward to more stories with Daniel Pitt.

Wonderful story development, rich characters, and a plot that hooks you and never lets you go. I love it when I can immerse myself within a book and just forget about real life for awhile and “become” a part of the story. This book totally delivered!

Daniel Pitt is called to the morgue to identify the body of a dead man who was carrying Pitt's business card. When he sees the ugly coat of Toby Kitteridge, his coworker, hanging up, he is afraid the victim is Toby. However, it turns out to be Jonah Drake, a senior lawyer in the chambers, whom Daniel did not know that well. The murder was rather savage and it appeared personal. Daniel and Toby start looking into the cases that Jonah was working on and the cases he had worked on in the past, focusing on the two murder cases he had handled; Drake primarily handled financial crimes, so defending suspected murderers was quite unusual. Daniel discovers that he did not really know or understand Drake at all. Drake was found in a section of London where he had not business being. A review of his papers suggested that Drake, at times, skirted close to the line of what was legal/ethical. Daniel and Toby were concerned that Marcus fford Croft, the senior partner of the chamber, and someone who had known and worked with Drake for decades, may have overlooked or been willfully ignorant about things Drake may have been doing, or even worse, that Marcus may have somehow been involved in any possible improprieties -- a devastating thought, as Daniel and Toby considered Marcus a mentor, and Daniel was with very close with Marcus' daughter, Miriam. It will take all of the skills of Daniel, and then some, to sort out what Drake was involved in, why he was killed, and the identity of the killer (and the killer's paymaster).

Ms. Perry has crafted a very complex plot, with some rather significant surprises. I would never have guessed the identity of Drake's killer; but it was an inspired choice. Ms. Perry explores how power and loyalty influence choices and the steps people or institutions will take to overlook improprieties, even serious crimes, if they perceive the benefits of doing so or the risks of not doing so are too great to ignore. I liked how Ms. Perry utilized Drake's drawings/doodles as a source of clues. "Death with a Double Edge" is well worth reading.

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

How in the world does this author keep coming up with not only new ideas for her series, but making each book infinitely interesting? Death with a Double Edge once more proves Perry's status as an author and auto-buy for me. I particularly liked that Daniel's parents, Sir Thomas and Lady Pitt, played a larger role in this book; Charlotte is intrepid and daring as usual! You can sense that the Edwardian world is inching towards a calamitous end, as indeed Edward VII has died and his son is now King. I highly recommend this book, and cannot wait for the next in this series!

This is the fourth book in this series about the young lawyer Daniel Pitt. Kitteridge is late to work and Daniel and the clerk knocks on the door to tell him that a policeman wants to see him. The man tells Daniel that someone with Daniel's card in his pocket is dead, and takes him by cab to the morgue. He sees Kittridges's bold checked jacket, but when shown the dead man, he recognizes Jonah Drake, a clever senior lawyer from the firm. Drake was knifed in Mile End, a bad part of London at 2am. When he returns to the firm, Kitteridge is there, and they feel they need to find out why Drake was in Mile End at that time of night. Drake had recently gotten a "not guilty" result in a murder trial for Evan Faber, the son of a wealthy ship builder Erasmus Faber. The murdered woman was Marie Wesley, a beautiful woman who was beaten to death. Erasmus Faber is very important to the Home Office as a supplier of ships for the Navy, but is not really socially connected at this point. The Home Office doesn't want him bothered, but

Daniel and Kitteridge begin going through all Drake's recent trials looking for something that may have led him to Mile End. Daniel manages to meet Evan and finds he is a very likeable young man; they go out pub hopping another evening and Daniel is convinced he wasn't a killer. However, shortly Daniel gets another early morning call, this from Dr. Ottershaw, who tell him that Evan has been murdered and left in Mile End. Daniel goes to Mile End and going by a tobacco shop sees the same kind of cigar that Drake smoked. He goes in talks with the young woman clerk. The next day Dr. Ottershaw comes back to say the smoke shop clerk was dead. Now there have been four murders, and they all seem to be connected. Although the first one was a beating, the last three were all knifed, but with what could be the same knife.

By this time, Daniel had told his parents about the murders, and his father Sir Thomas Pitt, head of Special Branch has been talking to a few people. He is told by the Home Office not to talk with Faber. However, Sir Thomas goes anyway. Suddenly, both his parents and everyone at the law firm seem to be at risk. Things become very dangerous and suspenseful, and the end is very exciting!

I really enjoyed this newest installment in The Daniel Pitt mystery series. The story was well-written, and I couldn't wait to get back to reading it whenever I had a free minute to see what was going to happen next.

I did miss Miriam and Daniel working together in this book, but it was nice to see more interaction with other members of the law office where Daniel works.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I felt the end wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped for. It felt a bit rushed, and even though it worked, it just left me wanting it to play out a bit more.

This book can be read as a stand-alone even though it is part of a series.

Once again Daniel Pitt, a young lawyer, is thrown into a mystery and through the book works to figure it out. This time the mystery involves four murders and a kidnapping. At the very beginning of the book Daniel is called upon to identify a man that has been murdered. When he finds out that that man is a co-worker the race to find the murderer begins.
There were many things about this book that I liked. For example: Daniel and his dad working together more. Daniel’s relationship with his father and mother is a great part of the story. Miriam was not involved much in this book which I really did enjoy. I am not sure how I feel about their relationship yet. But I liked that Daniel had to work with other characters that we get to know a little better and others that we know very well to help him with the mystery. The mystery was a good one with a lot of twists. Daniel is so caring and thoughtful of others.
There was very little that I did not like about this book but there was a couple of things. The beginning was a little slow getting started and then the ending was too abrupt with not much explanation about the why. There were also some happenstances that were a little unrealistic.
However, I still enjoyed the book very much and it was a great addition to the series. I would recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read the ARC.

Anne Perry is a prolific and much-beloved author, but for some reason, this is the first book of hers that I have read. It is well written, but I'm sorry to report that it was just not my cup of Earl Grey. I found it to be a very slow and plodding read. The characters weren't particularly well-developed or interesting, and neither the era nor setting (London at the turn of the century) were atmospheric. I felt as though I read some variation of the sentence "What in the world could Drake (the book's murder victim) have been doing in Mile End (seedy neighborhood)???" about one thousand times. (The only question I had what why was Drake wearing a coworker's coat, and that question was never answered.)

That said, Anne Perry has a massive following, and I am sure that her readers will enjoy Death with a Double Edge even if I did not. Perhaps familiarity with the characters in this novel will provide a better reading experience. I'm ranking this 3 stars because it is well written and because I know Perry's fan base will be happy with it even if I was not.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This is the third entry in the thoughtful, well written series featuring young Daniel Pitt. Daniel is the son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, the protagonists of author Anne Perry's longstanding and superb historical mystery series (32 books). Perry's innumerable fans have been thrilled to follow Daniel in his burgeoning legal career, and this new story is excellent. Readers will not find a driving, edge-of-your-seat, truth-stretching thriller but a truly introspective, complicated, and layered story, as expected when reading a Perry novel. In this new story, Daniel gets reluctantly involved with a horrendous murder of their law chamber's senior lawyer, an act which propels multiple tragedies directly affecting Daniel and family. As usual in the Pitt double series, the corruption of police, society, and politics plays a major role in the crime.

Perry's writing envelops the reader into a fully realized world, here it is 1911 London, and into deep ruminations of character. New readers to the Daniel Pitt series should read the first two books of this series for the greatest rewards, but each story can stand on its own. A must-have for every library's fiction shelves, Perry's writings are so much more than simple mysteries.

4 stars

A fun, twisty historical mystery with great characters.

[What I liked:]

•The characters are excellent! Each one, including most side characters, have their own quirks & distinguishing personality traits. I either liked or was intrigued by them all. It’s not a character-development-heavy book since it focuses on the mystery, yet Daniel does think & have his mindsets challenged by the discoveries he makes about the people around him, & takes the time to consider the cost of his actions. I thought that struck a nice balance.

•The writing is smooth, & for the most part not too wordy or dense. The dialogue was believable. I especially liked how the writer paid attention to facial expressions & nervous tics & other subtle tells, adding nuance to the description of conversations.

•I loved all the little delicious & unique details of this story! Such as Drake’s cartoons, Toby’s weird fashion sense & special brand of organized chaos, the unusual murder weapon, the character with memory issues, the unconventional love interest, etc. They helped the story stay memorable, & made it enjoyable to read; not like a formulaic plot with generic characters.

•The plot is decent, with enough hints that the twists don’t seem random, but also subtle enough that the mysteries aren’t transparent. There were several layers, complexities, & actors involved to keep the action interesting.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I figured out the perpetrator early on, & so I was a bit disappointed the MC’s remained so clueless & didn’t suspect *anything* at all in that direction. Not even a hint, when it felt obvious to me. Of course there were plenty of details and motives & complexities to the case that I quite enjoyed watching slowly being revealed throughout the book. It’s not like I had everything figured out. But the way the MC’s raised every single possible angle (even far fetched ones), except one, pointed a big red fat arrow in the direction they were blithely ignoring; which confirmed my suspicions without giving me any uncertainty to keep me guessing.

•There is lots of repetitious discussion of the facts of the case in dialogue. Some amount of hashing out the details & asking pertinent questions is necessary of course, but at times it felt like the *same exact* hand wringing & conversation (Whodunnit? Why? Etc.) was being repeated every chapter without any new angle, bepuzzlement, or bits of info. This got annoying & felt very boring. I wish these conversations were varied a bit more so there had been more of a sense of forward momentum to solving the case. (The overall pace of the action, however, is excellent!)

•A certain fight involving some women seemed far fetched to me. Both are on the ground & injured, & two of their attackers simply flee? Wouldn’t the attackers have finished them off?

CW: murder, physical violence

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Anne Perry always captures the feel of Victorian London and I’ve enjoyed the evolution of the Pitt family. I especially appreciate that Perry writes about fierce female characters, regardless of their age or social class. That said, this particular novel felt repetitive and was slow-moving until the last few pages - where all of the criminals went to their just rewards. I thank Netgalley for the ARC. #DeathwithaDoubleEdge #NetGalley

I am a fan of Anne Perry's other series so a sequel/spinoff series that follows the son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt intrigued me. However, this book didn't work for me. It felt more plodding and slow paced than her other series and I found that it didn't quite capture my interest. It is superbly written as all of her other books, but the pace just couldn't keep the mystery alive for me.

The year is around 1800 England. Three murders have happened and Daniel Pitt is wondering how are they related. You see Daniel's associate is murdered while wearing another co workers coat and Daniel's card in his pocket. To top it off his body is left in a very seedy part of town. A part of town no one ever wants to speak about. Daniel is told to investigate the reason behind these murders, but why when Daniel is only an attorney and not law enforcement.. Anne Perry writes a story of mystery, murder and surprise at every turn. Ms. Perry writes a story that seems to never want to be figured out. Especially when it also concerns a very wealthy and political man whose son was also one of the murder victims.. Ms. Perry has us at the edge of our seats with the many twists and turns in this mystery. If you like a real murder mystery you will enjoy this book. Thank you Ann Perry and Ballantine Books for a great read.