Very good Thomas Pitt mystery that doesn't have Pitt do much. He has been exiled to a poor part of London, while his wife & friends try to determine why he was punished and why a murder was committed. Turns out that a conspiracy to topple the monarchy was part of the reason.

Debido al testimonio clave del superintendente Thomas Pitt, el soldado y caballero John Adinett es sentenciado a la horca por el inexplicable asesinato de su gran amigo, Martin Fetters. Sin embargo, en vez de ser felicitado, Pitt es relevado de su puesto, alejado de su familia y destinado a una de las zonas más peligrosas y sórdidas de Londres: Whitechapel, en el East End.
Mientras él sigue la pista de complots anarquistas contra la corona, su esposa Charlotte se sirve de sus contactos en la alta sociedad para descubrir los móviles de un asesinato que costó la muerte de Fetters, la condena de su mejor amigo y la degradación de su marido.

Un roman policier qui présente l’originalité de commencer par le procès. Mais si les conclusions en étaient fausses? Thomas et Charlotte Pitt, alliés de leur fidèle servante se plongent dans Whitechapel, sur les traces de Jack l’Eventreur. Une série qu’il fait toujours bon de reprendre, et qui, malgré un espace-temps restreint (Londres victorienne) sait surprendre. ( )

Although this isn't the first of the Anne Perry novels by a long way, it's the first one I've read and i liked it. It features Pitt, a Victorian police inspector who has testified at a murder trial and whose testimony manages to help get the man convicted. He was guilty but there didn't seem to be any motive. Pitt gets demoted and sent to the east end of London to try to keep an eye on possible anarchist conspirators.

Meanwhile, his coworker is trying to unravel another mystery with the help of Pitt's kitchen maid and Pitt's wife. It all seems unconnected but it is in the end. It even draws in a possibly solution to the identity of Jack the Ripper who had terrorized the East End four years before the timeline of this book. ( )

I don't usually care for historical fiction, even though I do not know much about the history, I really enjoyed this book. The Story was about Thomas Pitt, a detective in London, who caught and convicted a murderer. However this murderer had friends in high places (the Inner Circle) who punished Pitt by forcing him to step down from his position on Bow street and work, as well as live, in the poor side of town. His Wife, maid, and coworker all work together to try and understand why the murder was committed and thereby get Pitt reinstated. The Plot is very involved and leads to republican conspiracy, Monarchy cover-ups and even Jack the Ripper. The thing I liked most about this book was the budding relationship between Gracie (the maid) and Tellman (the detective). All of the characters are memorable and love-able. I think I will read more of this series. ( )