Twenty-one Days

January 22, 2018
Set in 1910, bestseller Perry’s series kickoff introducing attorney Daniel Pitt fails to impress, in part because Daniel, the son of the stars of the author’s Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series (Murder on the Serpentine, etc.), is a much less developed character than his parents. After managing to gain an acquittal for a client charged with murder, the inexperienced Daniel aids in the defense of historian Russell Graves, who’s on trial at London’s Old Bailey for murdering his wife, Ebony. Even though Ebony’s face and upper body were “burned to the point of total disfigurement,” their 19-year-old daughter, Sarah, was able to identify the body. When Graves is convicted, Daniel has 21 days to find exculpatory evidence before the man’s execution. In his search, he encounters a serious moral dilemma. The puzzle’s uninspired solution won’t shake the faith of Perry fans. They know that she’s quite capable of doing better. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary.

February 15, 2018
Perry kicks off a new series in a new era by handing his first big murder case to the son of her longtime hero Sir Thomas Pitt, head of the Met's Special Branch (Murder on the Serpentine, 2016, etc.).Almost literally yanked out of the courtroom where he's defending dicey private inquiry agent Roman Blackwell on a charge of homicide, Daniel Pitt, who's been a junior barrister for only a year, is tapped to assist his distinguished colleague Toby Kitteridge in the much higher-profile defense of Russell Graves, a tell-all biographer charged with bashing his wife, Ebony, to death in her bedroom and setting her head on fire. The case is already winding down when Daniel steps into the Old Bailey, and his emotional last-minute questions aren't enough to save Graves from a guilty verdict. But Marcus fford Croft, Daniel's head of chambers, doesn't intend to let that verdict stand. He demands that Kitteridge and Daniel get it reversed, Kitteridge by looking for new legal arguments, Daniel by finding new evidence, before Graves hangs in three weeks. Hardly has Perry begun to count down the days to the execution when Daniel comes across a stunning new development: The subject of Graves' latest expose was none other than the late Victor Narraway, an old friend of Sir Thomas Pitt, who's liberally smeared along with his mentor and predecessor. Now that Daniel's reasons for wanting to see Graves executed are at least as powerful as his reasons for seeking his acquittal, the stage seems set for an epic battle of conflicting passions and loyalties. Alas, the windup of the case is a lot less compelling than its setup.Even so, Perry, who seems just as comfortable in 1910 as she ever did back in Victoria's day, provides a great first half and raises a number of pointed ethical questions before she rescues her hero from having to resolve them.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2018
The maven of well-crafted Victorian mysteries and author of both the William Monk series and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries introduces the Pitts' son, Daniel, junior barrister, in this intriguing, entertaining, and character-centric start to a new series. Just when he's making progress on a case in which he hopes to save his father's colleague from hanging, Daniel is ordered to assist on another case in which the defendant, Russell Graves, seems clearly guilty of his wife's brutal murder. Graves is a condescending, abusive man who refuses to defend or explain himself, presenting multiple challenges for his legal team. In a story that's nicely tied to the characters in the Pitt series, Perry introduces Daniel and his cohort, the brilliant Miriam Fforde Croft, and raises the knotty question of whether some clients are truly undefendable. A similar case is at the heart of Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done (2017), the story of the Borden ax murders. Readers interested in the legal and philosophical questions Perry raises will also enjoy William Landay's Defending Jacob (2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from April 1, 2018

Daniel Pitt, son of the legendary Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, is a young barrister determined to save his client from execution. Biographer Russell Graves was convicted of killing his wife and setting her body on fire. Daniel and his colleague Kitteridge have 21 days to find evidence to overturn the conviction or Russell hangs. While Kitteridge looks for legal loopholes, Daniel investigates other suspects. Set ten years after Murder on the Serpentine, Perry's excellent new series launch expertly takes the Pitts into a new century and makes use of the scientific advancements of the time, fingerprints and X-rays, to add fresh drama to the courtroom scenes. Daniel, having been so lovingly raised, is unused to the more complicated side of the law and life. Consequently, he comes across as a little naive. This innocence is mostly endearing, and he is surrounded by an exciting cast of hopefully recurring characters. VERDICT Fans of Perry's long-running "Thomas Pitt" series will delight in following the adventures of a new generation. [See Prepub Alert, 10/16/17.]--Lynnanne Pearson, Skokie P.L., IL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2018

After 32 adventures, Perry decided that the series starring Det. Thomas Pitt and unimpeachably smart wife Charlotte had run its course and is launching a new series starring their lawyer son, Daniel. Daniel's client, biographer Russell Graves, appears to have been framed for the murder of his wife, and Daniel has 21 days to find the real killer before Graves hangs.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.