Dorchester Terrace: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel    by Anne Perry Order:  USA  Can Ballantine, 2013 (2012) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Anne Perry's Dorchester Terrace is full of foreign intrigue, treason, assassinations, murder and heartbreak, and immersed in the social class system that prevailed in 1896 London. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are rising in society, not very happily it seems. Pitt has been made head of Britain's Special Branch, having been working his way up through the ranks. He's not sure whether his promotion was because of his abilities or because his predecessor Narraway has been unseated and someone was needed to fill the spot. Alert members of his squad have noticed men belonging to terrorist groups have been arriving in Dover. Since an Austrian crown prince is scheduled to visit the British Court, this is not good news. Could he be the target of an assassination plot to discredit the British government? At the same time, an ailing Italian woman, who had been very active in world politics in her day, is frightened she may inadvertently divulge secrets that could hurt others, even though those secrets are years old. As always, author Perry has Charlotte help her husband in every way she can in this popular series. She does it discreetly even though Charlotte and her sister Emily have words that could destroy their relationship. A beautiful Croatian woman, married to a British power broker, comes into the story with her own tale that goes back many years to when, as a child of eight, she witnessed her father being beaten and shot to death. The question is who was responsible for his capture? If nothing else, the cover of Dorchester Terrace will entice you to own this suspenseful book. The scene is set by a gathering of ladies in extravagant dresses with long trains and wasp-like waists, fans at the ready to beguile gentlemen. The men with their white gloves and boutonnières, white shirt fronts and white bow ties, looking splendid in their tuxedos. Obviously a night of dancing and sparkling wit amongst the cream of society. The tale is beautifully written, about a period of time we must have missed in my high school history classes. How could anyone go wrong obtaining a copy of one of Anne Perry's books? Her William Monk series is just as enjoyable. Don't miss this one. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews