Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry

Twenty-One Days (Daniel Pitt, #1)Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Daniel Pitt #1
Publication Date: 4/10/18

I can hardly begin to tell you how excited I am about this new series – and I almost missed it! It takes place in a later time period than I normally read, so I almost passed it by. However, it is by an author whose writing I enjoy and it featured the son, Daniel, of the lead characters, Charlotte and Thomas Pitt, in another series that I really enjoy – so I decided to give it a try. The writing is great, the plot is excellent and I came to really like and appreciate the characters. I couldn’t tell for sure which characters would be recurring in the series, nor could I decide if I thought there would be a romance between Daniel and Miriam – since she is almost his mother’s age. It will be a delight to find out what is going to happen next!

Daniel Pitt, twenty-five years of age, is a newly minted lawyer with a degree from Cambridge. 1910 is an exciting time in which to live. Women are beginning to be more and more insistent about their rights and the field of forensic science is in its infancy. They are able to identify an individual by their fingerprints, bullets can be matched, they can tell human blood from animal and x-rays have been invented. Daniel grew up learning about honesty, honor, and integrity from both his father and his mother. His father, Thomas Pitt started out as a Bow Street Runner and moved on to the newly formed police force and he is now knighted and is the head of the Special Branch. I have read and loved the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series and can highly recommend it as a series.

Daniel has just wrapped up a really tricky murder case when he’s ordered to another courtroom to assist another lawyer, Kitteridge, in yet another murder trial. This one isn’t going well and neither lawyer really believes that the defendant is innocent. They think that, in a stretch, he could be, but they aren’t convinced of it. Besides, the defendant is a total jerk and nobody, including the lawyers, likes him. When he is convicted and sentenced to hang, they aren’t surprised. They have twenty-one days to find a reason to appeal the verdict and keep him from being hanged.

As Daniel investigates and makes more and more discoveries, he becomes convinced that Graves is really innocent. However, he has no idea how to prove it. He believes that his only option is to find out who the real murderer is and his investigation leads to some real soul searching on Daniel’s part. The client is a writer and he is writing an expose that could ruin his father. It isn’t true, but can Daniel prove that?

It was a really great read and there wasn’t a dull moment in it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

A Christmas Return by Anne Perry

A Christmas ReturnA Christmas Return by Anne Perry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Stand Alone
Publication Date: 11/7/17

This lovely novella is loosely related to the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. Thomas nor Charlotte makes an appearance in this novella, but they are mentioned. It definitely made me realize that I am woefully behind in that series. Evidently, a lot of family changes have transpired since I last read one of the books in the series. I’m thinking I need to go catch up!

The only real relationship this novel has to Christmas is that it is set at Christmas time. However, it is also a novel of justice, growth, self-knowledge, and renewal. The main characters were good friends twenty years ago when a tragic death tore them apart. Can that friendship be renewed and can a twenty-year-old murder be solved? Seeing Mariah’s growth, understanding and self-forgiveness is a delight.

Mariah Ellison is Charlotte Pitt’s paternal grandmother. She has always been a curmudgeon – well, not just a curmudgeon because she was mean, spiteful and hateful. In this novella, we learn about her early life and basically what made her who she is today. It is nice to see that a genuinely nice and caring person appears to be emerging.

Twenty years ago, in a small English village, a fourteen-year-old girl was abducted, raped, tortured and murdered. Mariah’s friend, Cullen, an honest, ethical lawyer was set to represent the accused, Dr. Durward. Then, after a visit to another village a number of miles away, Cullen told the defendant he could no longer represent him. The next day, Cullen was murdered, and rumors were spread about his wife, Rowena, having murdered him. Dr. Durward was later tried and found not guilty of the girl’s murder and nothing ever happened with the murder of Mariah’s friend.

Today, that defendant is back in town stirring up trouble for Rowena and her grandson, Peter and also impugning Cullen’s name. Peter sends a desperate message to Mariah for help and the next day she’s on a train determined to help however she can – and to mend a torn friendship with Rowena. The last Mariah saw Peter, he was only ten years old. He has now grown into a man who remembers her with great affection and respect.

Mariah and Peter work hard to solve the murder and bring the killer to justice. Mariah’s unique understanding of someone who is as dark as this murderer allows them to take avenue’s that would not normally have been looked into. There is a short time to be able to find the killer and bring him to justice. Can they do it? If the murderer is really Dr. Durward, he cannot be tried again, so what can they do?

This is an entertaining short read and if you have read the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt books, you will greatly appreciate Mariah’s metamorphosis. She’s still a work in progress, but she’s growing every day.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”