Treachery at Lancaster Gate

Treachery at Lancaster Gate by Anne Perry  288 pages

This book begins with an explosion in London that kills two policeman and seriously injuring three more.  At first, it seems to be the work of anarchists, but once Thomas Pitt, Commander of Special Branch, starts investigating, it seems that the motives are much more personal.  In fact, the bombing appears to be a calculated strike against the police.   As Pitt, and his former associate, Tellman, investigate, they reveal layers of corruption inside the police force, which puts them directly in the path of danger.

It's hard for me to believe that this is the 31st book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series.  I read both the William Monk and the Pitt series by Anne Perry, and while I didn't enjoy the last Monk book, I did enjoy this newest Pitt.

I felt Perry did a good job with building the story, piece by piece, and increasing the pace (and sense of danger).   I wasn't sure of the explanation behind the bombings at first, and once it was revealed, that was only part of what was happening in the story.  I appreciate that Anne Perry knows her time periods quite well, and adds in real historical and political details.  I enjoy the characters, as well, and in this book (unlike in the last Monk story), Perry did not belabor the reader with too many details of backstory.  

That's actually an irritation I have with her books, now that they are well into the two series: she goes into way too much explanation and backstory for some of the characters.  For example, by the time I'm at #21 in a series, I don't need a long explanation of how Hester Monk was a nurse in the Crimean Wars (and on and on and on).   In this book, there's a long explanation of Tellman's relationship to Pitt; instead of a long paragraph, why not just a sentence that indicates that Tellman is a former colleague of Pitt?   Ugh.    I understand that if this is the first book you ever pick up, you might be curious, but even so, I feel there's too much of this backstory that happens.

But I digress.   This book was enjoyable, and a worthy addition to the series.