Young lawyer Daniel Pitt must defend a British diplomat accused of a theft that may cover up a deadly crime in this riveting novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Twenty-one Days. Daniel Pitt, along with his parents, Charlotte and Thomas, is delighted that his sister, Jemima, and her family have returned to London from the States for a visit. But the Pitts soon learn of a harrowing … Pitts soon learn of a harrowing incident: In Washington, D.C., one of Jemima’s good friends has been assaulted and her treasured necklace stolen. The perpetrator appears to be a man named Philip Sidney, a British diplomat stationed in America’s capital who, in a cowardly move, has fled to London, claiming diplomatic immunity. But that claim doesn’t cover his other crimes. . . .
When Sidney winds up in court on a separate charge of embezzlement, it falls to Daniel to defend him. Daniel plans to provide only a competent enough defense to avoid a mistrial, allowing the prosecution to put his client away. But when word travels across the pond that an employee of the British embassy in Washington has been found dead, Daniel grows suspicious about Sidney’s alleged crimes and puts on his detective hat to search for evidence in what has blown up into an international affair.
As the embezzlement scandal heats up, Daniel takes his questions to intrepid scientist Miriam fford Croft, who brilliantly uses the most up-to-date technologies to follow an entirely new path of investigation. Daniel and Miriam travel to the Channel Islands to chase a fresh lead, and what began with a stolen necklace turns out to have implications in three far greater crimes—a triple jeopardy, including possible murder.
Praise for Triple Jeopardy
“Another deftly crafted and original mystery by a true master of the genre . . . is ideal reading for all dedicated mystery buffs.”—Midwest Book Review
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A simple, uncomplicated case of murder and courtroom drama this is not. But, then it never is with a writer who not only brings the past of, first Victorian, and now Edwardian London to life, but also brings the reader right inside the minds of the characters who people her stories.
For those new to Anne Perry’s books, Triple Jeopardy is the second of the Daniel Pitt stories. The Daniel Pitt stories are a follow up series to the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. Daniel is their son. He is a lawyer unlike his dad who was a police detective and left the London force to rise through the rank in Special Branch to become its head. Because of the close tie of family and an assumed familiarity with all that came before, new readers should start with Thomas and Charlotte’s stories before jumping into Daniel’s. And, because they enter into this story, the novella, A New York Christmas, should be read first so the reader has the earlier part of Jemima and Patrick’s story.
Triple Jeopardy left me in knots so many times. I was so vested in the characters that I felt what they felt and, particularly, feared what they did. By the time I was done with this investigation and courtroom drama, I was still left with a great deal to unpack. The author tells a cunning murder mystery in a well drawn setting with complex characters and motives, but she’s not afraid to ponder social mores and ideologies, too. Justice vs. Revenge, Truth vs. Expediency, A Woman’s Reputation exposed to puerile gossip vs. allowing an injustice, and the biggie, presumed innocent until proven guilty, are just some of the major elements brought into play.
So, the skinny on Triple Jeopardy is that young, junior lawyer, Daniel Pitt, gets sideswiped when during her first visit home from America, his sister, Jemima and her husband, Patrick, approach him with a nearly impossible request. A dear friend was assaulted in her own home back in DC and the man who did it is now back in London after claiming diplomatic immunity. They want to get him on a different charge because surely a man that would attack a woman has done other crimes and, if possible, get the other brought into it.
Daniel isn’t emotionally involved like his sister and brother in law who he doesn’t want to disappoint, but he is uneasy. They are trusting the word of others and he is trusting their word. The actual facts are few, but hearsay is rife. And, things that stack up against Phillip Sydney very neatly. And, yet, a young woman is not faking the assault which really happened and her father swears he saw the man’s face clearly before he got away.
Daniel wants to help his sister and her husband get justice for their friend, but he believes that there is something else behind it all.
Daniel is up against powerful people and maybe his own family, but it sure was great seeing him work through all that with the help of Kitteridge, his wry senior partner, the colorful and not always lawful Rowan Blackwood, and the redoubtable criminal pathologist Miriam fford Croft.
Though I felt Jemima and Patrick put Daniel on the spot, I did love that I got to follow up with them after all this time. I always wondered how Jemima and her Irish-American copper were faring.
Miriam and Daniel’s interactions are my favorite as there is the low level buzz of attraction with the slight taboo that he is over ten years (maybe even fifteen) her junior.
This was one where I knew exactly who the bad guys were as soon as most of the players were introduced and I even got the general idea of why things were set up the way they were. But, that said, there were a lot of coloring in that I needed to get a better picture so it made more sense for the why behind this villain. In the end, I still had some questions that I didn’t think got fully answered like the German angle and how the villain was connected there. Maybe I missed it and will need to go back and look closely. But, beyond that I wanted to know the ramifications for what came now that the truth was out. It ended abruptly with not much of a denouement.
All in all, it was a gently-paced character driven plot with spikes of intrigue and excitement. It was a nice blend of historical setting and courtroom drama. I can’t wait for more of Daniel and the others solving mysteries and bringing the answers to the courtroom. This is definitely a series for the historical mystery fan.
Ok, I’m ready for the next one!
I have several books in the series featuring Daniel Pitt’s parents Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, but I’ve yet to read them. I shall definitely have to amend that! This is the second book in the spin-off series starring their son Daniel, a young lawyer. It totally stood alone, but references to Daniel’s previous case make me want to dive into that book, too.
I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Daniel is a smart young man, trying to stand on his own and not in the shadow of his renowned father. I especially liked his interactions with his older sister Jemima, her husband Patrick and their two adorable children. However, it’s his relationship with Miriam fford Croft that I found most intriguing. She was a fascinating woman – a doctor and scientist in a time when that wasn’t acceptable for women, in the years leading up to World War I.
As to the mystery, I guessed rather early on as to whom the real criminal probably was. However, I hadn’t the foggiest idea how Daniel was going to put it all together in the end. I believe Daniel was feeling that way, too! But put it together he did, leading to an exciting conclusion. This author definitely has a new fan in me.
Seriously, when can I expect the next one?
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
Anne Perry is a master storyteller and this new series just adds to her legend. I have followed and loved the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series from the beginning and to now have their son Daniel with his own series is delightful. The first book in the series, Twenty-One Days, was an outstanding read and a great introduction to this new series. In this book, we find recurring characters from the first book – and I hope they will be recurring characters throughout the series because I liked them all very well. I particularly like Miriam Fford Croft who is an anomaly for her time – she is brilliant and has studied forensic sciences and has passed all of the tests to become a doctor, but she can’t be a doctor because she is a female. I also think she might turn out to be Daniel’s love interest even though she is 15 years older than him – he’s twenty-five and she is soon to be forty.
Daniel is so excited! His sister Jemima is visiting from America with her husband and their two daughters. Daniel has never met her husband nor her daughters and he’s so excited to meet them – especially his nieces. He’s also apprehensive because he hasn’t seen Jemima in four years and he wonders if she has changed. They were so close growing up and he doesn’t want to lose that even though they live on different continents. Her husband is an Irish-American police detective named Patrick Flannery.
When Daniel first meets Patrick, he has quite a story to tell Daniel and he asks Daniel for his help. Daniel is a very honorable, honest and upstanding young man (just like his dad) who has devoted his life to the justice system and he is outraged and angry at the tale Patrick has told him. A diplomat from the British Embassy in Washington DC broke into the home of a prominent American citizen, he assaulted (not raped) the daughter of the home in her bedroom and snatched a necklace from her neck and made his escape – but not before her father saw and recognized him. That same diplomat claimed diplomatic immunity and immediately returned to London. Daniel is outraged at this miscarriage of justice and wonders how he can help bring the blackguard to justice.
Soon, the method presents itself and Daniel is prepared to leap in, but then, he meets the young man and starts to wonder if he knows all he needs to know about the case. Patrick is adamant that the young man is guilty, Jemima is torn, and Daniel just doesn’t know. As Daniel digs, he comes to believe there is a bigger, darker secret yet to be uncovered. That doesn’t mean the man isn’t guilty – it just means there is more to know.
Daniel investigates and more and more things seem – just – wrong – not quite adding up. He asks his friend Roman Blackwell (from book one) to learn what he can of the young man and then later he brings Miriam in to do some forensic work. They all uncover more and more information that makes Daniel believe he’s in a bed of quicksand – a bottomless pool of secrets.
The ending is quick, short and unexpected. Maybe a bit too abrupt for my liking. I thought that some leaps of logic that Miriam made were more like leaping canyons rather than fissures and I didn’t see anything presented at that point that would actually justify that leap. Then, once that leap was made, we didn’t see the evidence until Daniel presented it. I would have liked to see more of that investigation and how they got there.
This is a delightful read and I absolutely LOVED that Charlotte and Thomas Pitt made appearances. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you give the book a try!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Not as good as previous Anne Perry books, maybe because it is a new character. However, it’s easy to read and entertaining.
Triple Jeopardy, the second in the Daniel Pitt series, finds Daniel in a precarious position. His sister Jemima, her husband Patrick, and their daughters are visiting from America, but Patrick is there for more than that. Daniel soon finds himself defending Phillip Sydney, an Englishman accused of embezzlement; however, this case is anything but straightforward. This book is a Victorian mystery at its finest. The plot is fast-paced, and there are puzzles throughout as well as a cast of memorable characters — especially Daniel and Miriam. I highly recommend it.
“Triple Jeopardy” is the second Daniel Pitt book by Anne Perry, and it’s a worthy successor to the first.
Daniel’s sister and her husband, visiting from Washington DC relate a horrible story; a British diplomat has committed a sexual assault and robbery on a young girl, even to the point of doing so in her bedroom — in America. The man has grabbed a necklace, claimed diplomatic immunity, and fled home to England. So far he’s escaped justice. They want Daniel Pitt’s help to do something about this. Daniel commits himself immediately, which he will probably live to regret, no doubt.
Daniel’s sister presents an important point — that it’s Rebecca Thorwood’s word against the man, Philip Sidney. Will the young woman be willing to go public, to face the possible humiliation, if it should get to that point? And of course, behind it all is the feeling that what everyone will think is that she isn’t an innocent victim – that she let Sidney in, tempted him to attack her – “didn’t say no.” How modern this all sounds!
And it may create an international incident – in that the Americans (Rebecca’s family) believe that the British won’t see justice done, as Sidney is a British citizen.
What must happen, then, is justice obtained obliquely. Luckily, Sidney has been arrested for embezzlement, and the evidence seems overwhelming. Daniel, through his law firm, fford Croft and Gibson, will serve as counsel for the defense. But perhaps, he will not try too hard? Will his moral compass be jeopardized? Readers will see.
At first, Daniel and we readers are outraged. A bounder, Sidney has to be. And embezzling from the embassy, to add to it. And yet… Daniel meets the fellow, who swears he has done neither crime, that he is being framed for something he didn’t do. And slowly, slowly, with the help of Miriam fford Croft, friend and frustrated scientist, Daniel begins to believe his client. “Something bigger here than we have realized and a great deal uglier.” And the truth of this is more than anyone could possibly have imagined, at the beginning. There are answers to be found in the death of family far away – the catalyst for everything. Because of a house.
Anne Perry is a master plotter — “Triple Jeopardy” is a tour de force in that regard. Perry relates Daniel’s thoughts on all this – there is nothing subtle about it – her skill asserts itself in that his desire to know the truth is something the reader needs to know, too, especially as one delves further and further into the story.
The book finishes up in an exciting fashion, and we are reminded that Daniel is rather a praiseworthy lawyer. For all that is good about this book, however, the ending is too abrupt. Since we have learned so much about these people, their thoughts and opinions and soul searching and recriminations — and that’s just the good guys — the ending comes across as melodramatic; a minor quibble.
The story line presages things to come, in British history. It’ll be interesting to see how Ms. Perry handles Daniel’s future.
Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.
Triple Jeopardy is the second book in the Daniel Pitt series.
Thomas and Charlotte Pitts children are grown and are out facing their own careers. Daniel Pitt has finished his education and is now a practicing lawyer. His father, Thomas Pitt would rather have seen Daniel follow him as a policeman, but is determined not to interfere with any cases Daniel might have unless Daniel was to ask for his help. Daniel’s sister Jemima has moved to America and has married Patrick Flannery, a Washington D.C. policeman. Jemima and Patrick have returned to England with there two daughters to visit with the family. Patrick presents to Daniel a case he was working on where a friend of theirs was attacked in her home and had a reportedly valuable necklace stolen. The victims’ parents were able to identify the thief, Sidney, as a member of the British Embassy. The embassy claims diplomatic immunity and sends him back to England. Shortly after arriving back home he is charged with embezzling 100 pounds from the embassy. Patrick wants Daniel to defend Sidney on the embezzling charge with the hope of introducing the assault and theft charge from the U.S.
He agrees to represent Sidney, but the more he gets into the case, he not sure where he will find the one piece of information that will support his client. The last thing he wants to do is bring in the head of the Special Branch, his father Sir Thomas Pitt. In the end, Miriam Croft, a doctor, and pathologist comes to the rescue once again.
As always, Anne Perry provides the reader with an exciting, well-plotted story. She also provides the reader with an interesting and believable cast of characters.
Looking forward to reading the next book in this engaging new series.
This is the second book in the Daniel Pitt series and can be read as a stand alone.
In the true Anne Perry’s style you get transported in a different time period.
The story happens in the period prior to World War I. You get some insight in the court procedures, political issues and the general sentiment of that period both in England and US. Our young layer gets himself in a bit of a bind and is torn between loyalty to the family and providing justice for his client. The story has an unexpected ending. I did not read the first book in the series but it is already loaded on my kindle to be read soon.
Triple Jeopardy by Anne Perry is the second in the new Daniel Pitt series: a second-generation series following the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. For every read there are a few authors/books that are touchstones for the reader, a place to bring us back to our center. Anne Perry is that for me. For all the varied reading I do, an Anne Perry novel is like coming home. There is always a moral challenge, maybe several; there is plenty of familial love and support; and there is an interesting mystery. There is a resolution. The language is a little more formal, yet not out of reach. The story is stressful and compelling and the characters are interesting: especially Daniel and his friend Miriam. I recommend this Triple Jeopardy although I am a huge fan of reading a series in order so start at the beginning.
In this story, Daniel’s sister, Jemima and her husband, Patrick, and their two young daughters are on holiday in England (they live in the United States where Patrick is a police officer in Washington DC). Daniel is happy Jemima is home and takes immediately to her older daughter, Cassie. He likes Patrick and can immediately see how much he loves Jemima so all is good. Until Patrick brings him a crime that happened in Washington but the perpetrator used diplomatic immunity to flee to England. Patrick would like to see what could be done to right this wrong. Can Daniel do this without ruining his career?
I received a free ARC of Triple Jeopardy in exchange for a fair and honest review. #netgalley #triplejeopardy