Murder on the Serpentine

Written by Anne Perry

Narrated by Jenny Sterlin

Queen Victoria herself presents the head of England's top investigative force, Thomas Pitt, with his most high stakes case yet in the thirty-second installment of the New York Times bestselling series by Anne Perry. When Thomas Pitt is summoned to Queen Victoria's private chambers, he hardly knows what to expect. When she tells him that the body of one of her closest confidantes-Sir John Halberd-has been found in the Serpentine, he knows he is facing his most daunting and dangerous investigation yet. Sir John was a man who kept many secrets, moving within a circle of the most powerful and prominent members of London society. And the more Pitt learns about Sir John's past, the more he puts himself and his loved ones at risk. The royal family cannot be denied.but will the most important case of Pitt's career be his last?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781501946431

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 Murder on the Serpentine

[BettyAnne McDorman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I have loved every book in the series. But this is the only one that left me with a shiver of delight. Well done.

[lisahistory · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Certainly not the best of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries, this one spends much time inside their heads and dealing with emotions, which made the story less interesting.

[pat_bunk_malecki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good. But I have read other books from Anne Perry and they were great. I liked it but didn't love it.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Queen requires Pitt's help and Charlotte and Emily get back into the game. Two murders posed as suicides force Pitt to enter the high and murky world of palace intrigue with perhaps another Boer War as a possible result. With the covert but capable assistance of the ladies, he identifies the culprit. But, can he bring him to justice? Another excellent story from an outstanding author.

[raucousrain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won this as an ER book. It took quite a while to get to me, but I am so happy that it did!I love Anne Perry's writing and I thought this was a particularly good book – the great plot and suberb characters of course, but also reading how life and political times are changing in Victorian England, as well as the aging of Victoria herself.One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was getting to know Thomas and Charlotte Pitt even more than I thought possible. The last couple dozen pages are outstanding.

[silversurfer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A grand mystery involving our Thomas trying to save Queen Victoria and Prince Edward from embarrassment. A wonderful mix of mystery and British History. As usual, Anne a Perry transported me back to Victorian England and Thomas and Charlotte Pitt working together once more...but this time to save the Crown! Another excellent novel in this beloved series.

[romonko · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this book we see Commander Pitt all on his own while dealing with a treason, murder and political case that he has been asked to investigate by Queen Victoria herself. The Queen is concerned because one of her trusted advisors has been found dead in the shallow waters of the Serpentine River, which is located right in Hyde Park. Why was he out there in the middle of the night, and how could he have drowned in such shallow water? She enlists Pitt's help while asking him to keep the investigation to himself. Pitt discovers a lot more than a silly accident. He finds treason, a long series of lies and coverups, and it extends right to the highest echelons of London society. Anne Perry does such a good job of crafting her mysteries around the dark serets and dark alleyways of Victorian London. In this book, we see Thomas reach a crossroads in his career as Commander of Special Branch. The rewards could be great, but the ignominy of failure could be catastrophic too. The reason I gave 4 stars rather than 5 is that there is really no mystery here. We know, and so does Thomas, who the killer is almost from the beginning of the investigation. It's still a worthy addition to this wonderful series.

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The latest installment in Anne Perry's Charlotte & Thomas Pitt mystery series finds Pitt called to an audience with Queen Victoria and given the job of finding how Sir John Halberd really died. His body had been found face down by a boat in the Serpentine, but the Queen is suspicious. He had been investigating something for her that involved the Price of Wales, so was it an unfortunate accident or was foul play involved?As with the recent stories (now that Pitt has been appointed to be head of Special Branch), Charlotte cannot appear to be officially helping Pitt with his cases. He proceeds in his stoic and somewhat priggish way, while she and her sister Emily go sub rosa into London society to dig up clues and facts. It's taken a while for Perry to work out this new relationship, but I believe with this book she has struck the right note, an the story moves briskly to it's conclusion with a special new reward for Pitt at the end.We're coming to the end of the Victorian era. I wonder how this detective duo will fare during the reign of Edward VII

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Queen Victoria sends for Thomas Pitt, now head of Special Branch, to investigate the death of a friend of hers who was looking into her son Edward’s relationship with a horse racing friend. The man was murdered before he could tell the Queen what it was he found out. Charlotte and her sister, Emily, help Thomas by socializing with the society ladies at afternoon teas and listening to all the gossip.

[eyes92c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Death and intrigue in high places.In this novel Pitt finds himself undertaking a mission for Queen Victoria. One that could have grave consequences for the Prince of Wales and the future of the monarchy. We meet some interesting new characters along with old friends.A boating accident on the Serpentine, 'a decorative stretch of water that curved across the middle of Hyde Park.' In the dead of night of a trusted and favoured courtier of the Queen's--Sir John Halberd drowns. This leads to Pitt being called before the highest figure in the land. His task, to discreetly continue the inquiries Halberd had undertaken for the Queen and to discover the truth behind the boating 'accident.' It seems embroiled in the affair is Delia Kendrick, a former mistress of the Prince of Wales and now wife to one of his closet friends. For me a huge part of the intrigue of this novel lies in the emotional and psychological struggle that Pitt has to come to terms with. We see him wrestle with his conscience and ideals as he fully assumes the mantle of Commander of Special Branch. Trying to formulate the ways between honourable behaviour and necessity for the good of all. A very rocky path.Victor Narraway and Vespasia are out of the country. Normally Pitt would consult Victor when the action moves into the upper stratosphere of high society. Now Pitt has to rely on his own resources and Victor's notebooks.Looming on the horizon is the possibility of a second Boer War. Murder, suicide and gun running are in the mix.Charlotte cannot enter so readily into Pitt's cases--these are now concerned with State secrets and anarchy. She does however do what she can.I find her inclusion into the Lady's Club and murmurs of the suffragette movement interesting. Ah, if that came to pass that could open up a whole lot of possibilities, even conflicts for Pitt and Charlotte. But I digress!Another fascinating addition to the Pitt collection.A NetGalley ARC

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As head of Special Branch, Pitt is asked by Queen Victoria to investigate a friend of her son's, Prince Edward, whom she thinks may not have his best interests at heart. Utmost discretion is required, of course, and so Pitt is on his own since Narraway and Vespasia are abroad and he should not confide in Charlotte about a royal issue. Murder is involved, as well as possible blackmail and treason against the British interests in Africa. At the heart of this mystery is the importance of information--to crime solving, diplomacy, and personal lives. As usual, Anne Perry's research makes for an interesting backdrop for this mystery, presenting the politics leading up to the Boer War, the relationship between Victoria and her son (heir to the throne), and Victorian era society. At times, some of the narrative seems repetitive, but this is nonetheless a page-turner that will appeal to fans of historical fiction or mysteries.

[ddjtj1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

MURDER ON THE SERPENTINE BY ANNE PERRY: I have been an avid fan of the Thomas & Charlotte Pitt novels since the very beginning & while some of the series books have lagged in plot this one I feel is up to Perry's usual standards of a great mystery/historical fiction. Thomas Pitt now head of the Special Branch is commanded to attend Queen Victoria, once a young vibrant Queen, now much older and still in mourning over the death of Albert. Victoria, worried about her son, the Prince of Wales & the heir apparent to the throne, "asks" Pitt to investigate the death of one of her friends who died mysteriously while gathering information on the people that Prince Edward calls his friends. Pitt must accept this as a command feels this is not part of his job at Special Branch but hey its the queen so he must obey. To Thomas's surprise, while he is investigating, finds that yes it is his job. Ms Perry in MURDER ON THE SERPENTINE, has brought Thomas & Charlotte and all the rest of the familiar characters back up to standard to make this who done it & why a really good read for the fans of the Thomas & Charlotte readers. I received this book free from NETGALLEY in exchange for an open and honest review.