It is 1896 and Thomas Pitt has recently been appointed head of Britain's
Special Branch. The former head, Lord Narraway, has become involved in
the investigation of a rape and murder of a young socialite.
A short time later while at a party Pitt's wife is amongst a group who
sees a young man terrify a young woman so much that she accidentally
falls out a two storey window to her death. Charlotte's Aunt Vespasia
has a feeling that the two events might be tied together. She sets
about a quiet inquiry, and determines in her own mind that the young man
who had terrified the dead girl had raped her at an earlier party.
The father of the young girl asks Pitt to investigate his daughter's
death. Narraway comes to Pitt for advice on the course he needs to
take. Pitt contacts a lawyer and discovers how difficult it is to
prosecute a rape case. The woman is humiliated even more. He is also
concerned that the perpetrator could repeat his crime. He isn't wrong,
because another young woman is raped and murdered shortly afterwards.
When a third girl is raped, Pitt has a name confirmed, but there is no
evidence to put forward to prosecute. How can he do it?
Author Anne Perry sets a struggle for both Pitt and Narraway, plus the
legal team to prove both the innocence of one man and the guilt of
another in this Victorian murder mystery. A good, quick read.
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