The body lies reclined in a punt, clothed in a torn dress, head thrown back in a mimic of ecstasy. It is a feminine pose but the body is distinctly male. The case already reeks of scandal and the body is not even cold. Pitt is the natural choice to investigate what he soon realises is the most unnatural of killings.

The twentieth mystery in the bestselling Inspector Pitt series, by the master storyteller of Victorian society, Anne Perry

About the Author
Anne Perry is a New York Times bestselling author noted for her memorable characters, historical accuracy and exploration of social and ethical issues. Her two series, one featuring Thomas Pitt and one featuring William Monk, have been published in multiple languages. Anne Perry has also published a successful series based around World War One and the Reavley family, and the recent standalone novel The Sheen on the Silk. Anne Perry was selected by The Times as one of the twentieth century's '100 Masters of Crime'.

Reviews
'A splendidly plotted yarn' Publishers Weekly
Give her a good murder and a shameful social evil, and Anne Perry can write a Victorian mystery that would make Dickens' eyes pop out * New York Times Book Review *
Beautifully crafted * Cosmopolitan *
'The Troubles perfectly suit Perry's gift for rooting large-scale social conflict in the minutiae of domestic intrigue' Kirkus Reviews
Her Victorian England pulsates with life and is peopled with wonderfully memorable characters * Faye Kellerman *
'Perry's narrative is as statley and elegant as a royal barge on the Thames' Washington Post
The novel has a totally contemporary feel and is admirably well-written * Guardian *
'Master storyteller Anne Perry moves closer to Dickens as she lifts the lace curtain from Victorian society to reveal its shocking secrets' Sharyn McCrumb
'A complex plot supported by superb storytelling...and William Monk, a contender for the post of Most Original Investigator in recent fiction' Scotland on Sunday
A complex plot supported by superb storytelling * Scotland on Sunday *
'Ms Perry fashions a Victorian story with the sophisticated characterisation and psychological suspense that are everyday tools of the contemporary writer...the result is first rate' New York Times Book Review
'Her Victorian England pulsates with life and is peopled with wonderfully memorable characters' Faye Kellerman
'[A] surpassingly excellent historical and psychologically intricate mystery' Publishers Weekly
'Beautifully crafted' Cosmopolitan
'Perry's narrative is as stately and elegant as a royal barge on the Thames...with a final courtroom confrontation that's a humdinger' Washington Post Book World
'The novel has a totally contemporary feel and is admirably well-written' Guardian
'Anne Perry continues to weave her beguiling spell, combining an adroitly plotted murder mystery and a lamentable social evil. Her Victorian mysteries have all the requisite scene-setting atmosphere and even a leavening of Dickens' social comnscience... Perry at her accomplished best' Crime Time



Book Information
ISBN 9780747262329
Author Anne Perry
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint Headline Book Publishing
Publisher Headline Publishing Group
Weight(grams) 231g
Dimensions(mm) 177mm * 117mm * 27mm