Working his way up at London law firm fford Croft and Gibson, Daniel Pitt is named junior counsel on a fraud case with the potential to make or break his—and the firm’s—reputation. The trouble is, Malcolm Vayne, the man on trial, has deep pockets, and even deeper connections. Vayne’s philanthropic efforts paint him a hero in the eyes of the public, but Daniel’s friend Ian, a police officer, has evidence to suggest otherwise. Nervously working alongside Gideon Hunter, the new head of his firm, Daniel is under pressure to prove that Vayne is guilty. I’m so happy there is at least one last Daniel Pitt story and should this be the last, it’s one of the best. I love how this character has grown and changed over the years. I shall miss this author but she left a legacy of amazing mysteries of which this is one.

This is the 6th in the series following lawyer Daniel Pitt, but one wouldn't have to have read the previous in the series.....as Perry reviews enough back story. For those who have read all though, I felt like this story line satisfies a bit of everything....we see a bit of the new life for Daniel Pitt, his home life & professional....& the room for 'continuation' in both of those. There is also drama, mystery & legal/courtroom maneuvering & chase scenes. Altho this is a 'historical mystery', it isn't quite as heavy on the historical aspect as some other of her books....I felt this book to be more character driven. I've enjoyed all of these in the Daniel Pitt series, & this one was good too. If you haven't read historical mysteries before, this series is a great place to start!
I received an e-ARC from Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books via NetGalley in return for reading it & offering my own fair/honest review.

#The Fourth Enemy#NetGalley
By: Anne Perry
Reviewed by: I Love to Read
The Fourth Enemy is the story of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt's son, Daniel, all grown up now and is a barrister faced with prosecuting the head of a powerful investment company. Unscrupulous people operate the investment firm. The company is bilking its investors by offering a pyramid scheme as a legitimate venue. The corruption reaches into the highest levels of society. All the characters are fully developed drawing the reader into every facet of their lives. I had trouble believing some of the court scenes. but not enough to distract from the story. We will miss Anne Perry, a brilliant writer, who offered complex mysteries, brilliant characters, and a true glimpse into the society of her chosen time periods.
Thank you #NetGalley# and publisher for offering this book in exchange for an honest review.

Daniel and Miriam make an excellent investigative team in this 6th book in the Danial Pitt series. This series carries on the excellent Thomas Pitt series. With the firm being run by Toby Kitteridge, a new barrister has been brought on. These changes will be central to the story as a prominent businessman is charged and brought to trial. Another excellent story, but Anne Perry doesn't write anything else.

Anne Perry never disappoints. I love her books and Al the different characters. This book is no different.

The courtroom trial in this book was beyond frustrating highlighting the difficulty of convicting a slippery, powerful, wealthy personality. Typical of the Daniel Pitt series the case is looked at from every conceivable angle, dissected, resected with a running commentary of all the pitfalls and how a case could be lost and how the jury was losing interest and how prejudicial the misogynistic judge is behaving and on and on. There were a few too many things going on, too many words and emotions which distracted from the main thrust of the story. Shorter would have been better except for the ending which was just abrupt and disappointing. Having said all of the above I liked the book and read it in one sitting.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy.

I've read a few other books by Anne Perry and always find them enjoyable. This one might have been my favorite.
This book captured my interest from the beginning and held it all the way through. The characters are engaging, and the plot is well thought out . The mystery is intriguing, and the writing is superb.
Historical mysteries are probably my top genre at the moment, and as always, Anne Perry's are fantastic.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In this latest installment in the series featuring Daniel Pitt, the law firm for which he works has taken on a new lead barrister and moved a junior into another leadership position. Daniel and the team take on the prosecution for fraud of a high profile businessman and newspaper magnate. Daniel has recently married Miriam and she plays a key role in the story as a forensic pathologist. The novel focuses on the trial and the various twists and turns associate with the characters involved.

Although I did not read the others in this series, the author did a good job of describing the characters and bringing readers up to date with past events. I enjoyed this novel as quite the page-turner, and the action became rather intense as the trial progresses. An astute reader could find this not only an intriguing story but could also draw some parallels to current day events with the media and those in power.

This book can be read as a standalone although it is part of a series. Readers who enjoy fast-paced trial novels and historical mysteries will find this to be a welcome addition to the repertoire.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Anne Perry has kept me engrossed for many years. The Daniel Pitt series has moved our sights to the legal profession as Daniel works his way up the ladder in chambers. He is now married to Miriam, a career woman with great talent in forensics. Her father is stepping down as the Kings Counsel and from the practice of law and Gideon Hunter, an outsider, is joining the practice. Very quickly, they are called upon to prosecute Malcolm Vayne, a wealthy newspaper editor/owner who is ostensibly charitable and progressive, yet charged with fraud. And alleged fraud has hurt people he claims to have helped through a ponzi type scheme before such schemes had a name. Vayne is powerful and he will be a ruthless adversary. What's more, he's captured the eye of some higher ups with some of his political machinations and Thomas Pitt is involved. This is another very enjoyable Anne Perry novel. I've read all but the Christmas stories and I am so sad that the supply will fall off and she is gone. An interesting, talented writer who brought much to her readers, with a recognizable style and knowledge of day to day lives in the periods she wrote of. We grew with her as the series she developed progressed through time. We picked up on how every strata of society lived and learned quite a bit of politics, both national and international. She left her mark. She leaves a huge empty space that cannot be filled.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I have enjoyed Anne Perry's series including the Daniel Pitt mysteries. Daniel is a barrister and his latest case. unlike previous ones, involves a financial crime. Daniel is acting as second prosecutor of a man who is a very popular philanthropist and supporter of women's suffrage. Daniel's wife, Miriam, a forensic scientist is also involved in the case.

The highlights of the book are the relationships among Daniel, his new boss, Gideon Hunter, their wives, and the political issues of the time. When a key witness is found dead, the tensions escalate.

I enjoyed this book and was saddened to learn of the death of the author, Anne Perry.

I tried reading this book having read the first as a stand alone, but decided to wait, read the books in between, and then continue. Doing so made the book more enjoyable for me.

Daniel is back in court with Marcus having retired. A high profile trial that seems to be losing, all changes when there is murder, as well as Miriam being kidnapped. The book slogs a bit, then comes to life.

Sadly, Ms Perry passed away earlier this year, may she rest in peace

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I enjoy this series. Daniel Pitt is a prosecutor in London. Daniel is notified that one of England’s most influential newspaper tycoons Malcolm Vayne, is about to be arrested for fraud, and Daniel finds himself assisting with this criminal exploration into the worlds of power, greed, and evil. Daniel works with his wife Miriam, and deals with a new marriage, and also all that goes into a law firm that is in transition. The investigation part of the case is minimal because the star witness is who brought the case to them with proof of fraud, but the tricky part is getting rich people to testify, making the jury see through all the convoluted accounting work to the truth, the book is a bit slow in the beginning, but it picks up pace in the middle and it does have great suspense. It’s a great series. It seems to change with every book a bit and that makes it very enjoyable.

This was great historical fiction with vitality and characters worth rooting for. i loved the courtroom scenes.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Anne Perry never wrote a book I didn’t like, and this one is no exception. It’s not unusual or groundbreaking, but it is a solid historical mystery featuring the meticulous detail and clever plotting fans of the author have come to expect. Mystery fans will borrow and buy this one, for sure.

The latest in the Daniel Pitt series and stands up to the ones before. It may seem slow at the beginning, but you won't be disappointed. Intriguing till the very end.

I have just finished what turned out to be Perry's final book, which I hoped I could give a rousing review to, but, sadly, until the last third or quarter of the book, it frankly had me struggling through.

Gideon Hunter is newly arrived as a barrister at Daniel Pitt's law firm fford Croft and Gibson, just in time to prosecute a smug, ruthless man named Malcolm Vayne who is accused of fraud. (Basically, he has arranged an investment company that we would today call a "Ponzi scheme.") Worst of all, some of his investors are members of Parliament or other government officials, which gives Vayne much power over them. Since Vayne is now so powerful, it is dangerous to cross him, and he is so protected by certain investors that if the firm's prosecution case is not strong enough, it could destroy the firm.

The first 2/3 of the book is very slow, and the conversation is much about financial matters along with Perry's characters' usual soul-searching, except for a section where an elderly woman is threatened. The pace finally picks up near the end of the book, when the evidence against Vayne suddenly turns around and the case—and lives—are threatened. The last few chapters are very suspenseful and would make a good period thriller, but I'm afraid that the lead up is very plodding and you have to like the characters to keep going. Perry tried to give the new man, Hunter, and his wife Rose, some interesting personality, but they were very flat to me.

Each new entry in the Daniel Pitt series is highly anticipated and The Fourth Enemy was no exception. Spinning off Anne Perry’s fabulous Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, this literal second generation follow up series is as engaging as the first.

Daniel is settling in well as a lawyer in Marcus fford Croft’s firm and now a newlywed and vibrantly in love with his wife, Miriam. Right now, she’s reveling in having the forensics pathologist career she worked hard for and having Daniel with a little concern that the fifteen year age gap will be a problem. Their wedded bliss is interrupted when Miriam’s father, Marcus retires from the firm and brings on a driven and gifted new young Kings’ Counsel to be the firm’s trial lawyer. In his turn, he immediate signs them up to try the biggest case of the year against wealthy businessman and philanthropist, Malcolm Vayne, for fraud. The stakes are high and the man on trial is well-loved by the masses and deeply feared by those in power that he holds in his grip.

Daniel and the whole team must win because Vayne will be relentless if he’s left free. The Fourth Enemy starts out slow and builds to a fervor. The first half focuses on Daniel and Miriam’s new circumstances as a married couple and also on the drastic changes in the law firm when Marcus retires. The investigation part of the case is minimal because the star witness is who brought the case to them, with proofs of the fraud, but the tricky part is getting the right people to testify and making the jury see through all the convoluted accounting work to the truth.

The last half of the book is when it picks up the pace and the suspenseful tension. I liked getting the brief side scenes with Sir Thomas Pitt between Daniel and Miriam’s alternating narration work. Another solid series installment. Historical Mystery fans who like courtroom action with their murder mysteries should give these a go.

'The Fourth Enemy: A Daniel Pitt novel' by Anne Perry (Ballantine Books, 340 pages, April 11)

Anne Perry died from a heart attack on April 10, 2023, at age 84, and since that short time much has been written about the “murderer turned crime writer” (Perry, the pen name for Juliet Hulme, spent five years in prison from the age of 15 for helping kill a friend’s mother). Less attention — perhaps not unexpectedly given Perry’s voluminous literary output, penchant to tackle social injustice and timing of the release — has been given to “The Fourth Enemy,” the author’s sixth Daniel Pitt mystery and one that published, as scheduled, on the day after Perry’s death. Granted, it would be nearly impossible for a reviewer to supersede the finality of that book’s internationally best-selling author when both happen nearly simultaneously, but “The Fourth Enemy” deserves its due. A competent workhorse of a novel, here the London barrister Pitt comes at odds with challenges forcing traumatic changes to his professional and personal life in a mystery not centered on a crime of violence, but on one that has deeper societal ramifications. Perry is at her confounding best here, layering the Pitt series with four decades of writing experience earned book by book. Should this be the denouement of Daniel Pitt’s sleuthing it would be a worthy one, but given the state of publishing today (looking at you © V.C. Andrews), it could be that more of Perry’s vintage Pitt is in our future.

Daniel Pitt's' personal life has improved with his marriage to Miram fford Croft. However, his professional life is still somewhat in turmoil, and will soon be upended further. Due to the health issues of Marcus fford Croft (Miriam's father and Daniel's employer and now father-in-law), Daniel and Toby Kitteridge had become more involved in managing the chambers of fford Croft and Gibson, but Marcus was still the boss and ultimate decision-maker. However, Marcus has announced that he intends to retire, and he has appointed Toby as the new head of chambers. Toby is a good choice, but will need support and a confidence boost, as he questions his ability to handle this new role. More significantly, the firm needs a new barrister, a King's Counsel, an honor and responsibility that Daniel, despite his competence, is not yet ready to assume. Therefore, Marcus has hired Gideon Hunter KC to be the new senior barrister, which will be an adjustment for everyone.

If the change in leadership and personnel was not enough, Hunter decides to take on a very high-profile case as his first case with fford Croft. Malcolm Vayne is very wealthy and very influential, owning two newspapers among other things, is active in a number of causes, including women's suffrage and poor relief, and gives generously to numerous charities, making him a very popular figure. However, his investment fund appears to be a Ponzi scheme, and he is being charged with investment fraud. Hunter has chosen to take on the role of prosecuting the case. This is a challenging task, as proving the fraud will be difficult, both in terms of finding individuals who are knowledgeable enough about his activities to establish that fraud has occurred (and willing to admit what they know) and in finding a way to make the complex financial aspects understandable to the laypersons that will compose the jury. Moreover, there will be a lot of opposition to the prosecution from people who admire and respect Vayne, and who will assume the prosecution is illegitimate, as well as influential people who have connections to Vayne that will be harmed if the prosecution succeeds. Furthermore, if the prosecution fails, then Vayne becomes even more powerful/influential, which is of concern to Special Branch, as Vayne has dealings with individuals/entities in various other European countries.

It will take cleverness, luck, a feisty old lady (Nadine Parnell) (who is the best supporting character in the story), and the fortitude of Miriam to outwit and bring down Vayne.

Anne Perry's The Fourth Enemy was a good suspense filled novel to read. I am going to give it four and a half stars.