Long Spoon Lane

Written by Anne Perry

Narrated by Jenny Sterlin

After bombs explode during an anarchist attack in Long Spoon Lane, two of the culprits are captured and the leader is shot . . . but by whom? As Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch delves into the case, he finds that there's more to the terrorism than the brutality of misguided idealists. Clues suggest that Inspector Wetron is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to stir up fears of more attacks and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. To defeat Wetron, Pitt must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey. The unlikely allies are joined by Pitt's clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490639499

Anne Perry

With twenty million books in print, ANNE PERRY's was selected by The Times as one of the twentieth century's '100 Masters of Crime', for more information about Anne and her books, visit: www.anneperry.co.uk

Reviews for Long Spoon Lane

[mynning · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Anne Perry has written a series of Victorian mysteries centered around Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. Pitt is a middle-class British citizen and his job is a thankless one of being a police inspector. His wife, Charlotte, comes from a wealthy social position, has married beneath her for love, and they forge a strong partnership in marriage. Every book is well plotted, excellent characterization, fast-paced, and loaded with hard-core facts of the lifestyle of the times. I actually own these books - the whole set - in hardback. She's worth every penny.

[carl_alves_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in the late 1800s in England, the story starts off with the bombing of a building and the murder of one of the anarchists believed to be behind the bombing plot. Thomas Pitt of Special Branch is brought in to investigate the bombing and the murder. This starts a long path where Pitt's investigation reveals corruption in the police force and the government. He uncovers that the bombing and the murder were all about an attempt to pass a bill that would give the police more power.Although the mystery aspect of this was well done and much of the plot was compelling, the underlying reason behind all of this seemed really silly, making it hard for me to ever get into the story. The characters in the story made such a big deal about a bill that would allow police to carry firearms. My reaction as I was reading was what's the big deal? Of course, police officers should be able to carry firearms. Going up against armed criminals equipped with nightsticks would be ridiculous. The characters also raised a big stink about the police being allowed to question the servants of rich folk. God forbid, these ultra rich, high and mighty people would have their servants be allowed to answer questions about possible criminal wrong doing. The last time I checked anybody can be questioned if a commoner is suspected of a crime. Anyway, it really irritated me and as a result I could never get fully invested into the characters or the story. Still, not a bad read as far as mysteries go.Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Didn't enjoy this one as much as the others in this series. Complicated plot involving blackmail and police corruption among the classes over the right of the police to interview servants with their employers being present and the police to carry guns.

[bjmitch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel is one of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, a favorite of mine. It's the Victorian era in London and in this story Thomas has been removed from the police in Bow Street to work in Special Branch. I love the characters, not only Thomas and Charlotte, his wife, but her aunt Lady Vespasia, the Pitt's servant girl Gracie, and Gracie's fiance Tellman who used to work with Pitt at Bow Street.In this story anarchists are bombing poor neighborhoods and no one can understand why. As Pitt responds to a bombing, he and his boss Narraway follow the bombers to Long Spoon Lane where a shoot-out ensues. Afterward, a body is found and identified as the son of a member of Parliament who just happens to be a friend of Lady Vespasia's. What was he doing with the anarchists? Was he a hostage? Surely he couldn't have been one of them.The investigation unearths police corruption in several stations including Bow Street which involves some high officials. Not knowing who to trust, except Tellman, Pitt sets out to get at the root of the problem and discovers very disturbing evidence. As usual, Lady Vespasia plays a vital role in the investigation.Along the way as you read Perry's books you learn about Victorian London. There are scenes with the wealthy and powerful and others with the poorest of the poor. Tellman takes Gracie to the theater and you see what appealed to the masses at the time. There are scenes along the Thames and others in the slums, then the scene shifts to a drawing room of a wealthy family. I love this kind of thing and Perry is an expert at putting the reader right into each setting.I dread the day I run out of Perry novels to read so I save them for just the right time. This one was certainly worth the wait.Source: Trade with friendRecommended reading

[etxgardener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This installment of Perry's Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mystery series is about anarchist bombings in London and how it's connected with corruption in the Metropolitan police. Pitt must once again deal with his old enemies Charles Voissey and Inspector Wetron who were instrumental in his leaving the police department and entering the Special BranchMs. Perry draws rather obvious parallels between the proposed legislation to deal with the anarchists and legislation that has been passed both in the US and the UK to deal with today's terrorist threats. There is little doubt where her sympathies lie as she has Pittt's MP brother-in-law say: "There's a lot of fear around, Thomas. Fear of change, fear of violence, fear of apathy allowing us to lose what we have. It's a bad motive for doing anything. We react without taking account of the consequences."Always intelligently written, Ms Perry's mysteries arre a joy to read.