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Buckingham Palace Gardens: A Novel (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novels) | 
 enlarge | Author: Anne Perry
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $9.69
You Save: $16.31 (63%)
New (52) Collectible (4) from $9.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 8936
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345469313
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780345469311
ASIN: 0345469313
Publication Date: March 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New, Ships from Orlando, FL
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Product Description
Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries are perhaps the best loved of all her Victorian bestsellers, luring us into the multilayered richness of London, from the great mansions and secluded drawing rooms to the city’s festering slums. Now, in her most mesmerizing novel yet, she invites us to a house-party at Buckingham Palace.
The Prince of Wales has asked four wealthy entrepreneurs and their wives to the palace to discuss a fantastic idea: the construction of a six-thousand-mile railroad that would stretch the full length of Africa. But, alas, the prince’s gathering proves disastrous when the mutilated body of a prostitute hired for a late-night frolic (after the wives have retired to bed) turns up among the queen’s monogrammed sheets in a palace linen closet.
With great haste, Thomas Pitt, brilliant mainstay of Special Services, is summoned to resolve the crisis. The Pitts’ cockney maid, Gracie, is also recruited–to pose as a palace servant and listen in on the guests’ conversations, scan their bedrooms, and scrutinize their troubled faces for clues to hidden rivalries and attachments that could have lead to murder. If Pitt and Gracie fail to find out who brutally murdered the young woman–as seems increasingly likely–Pitt’s career will be over, and the scandal may just cause the monarchy to fall.
With a cast of wonderful characters, among them the gentle Princess of Wales, and a twisting plot that takes us into the hidden world of the royal family, Anne Perry probes deeply the hearts of men and women ensnared by their own emotions. Never has this distinguished novelist told a story with more truth and passion.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Anne Perry novels are wonderful July 24, 2008
I have all her novels and though I haven't had the chance to read this one yet I'm sure I'll be pleased.
 Unexpectedly Boring July 21, 2008
I enjoy all of Anne Perry's novel series in general. But, I found this story too convoluted and boring at the same time - 1) I had to pause to write a diagram of the principle couples as they were indistinguishable from one another 2) I did not feel that the final answer made sense 3) there was too much melancholy musing by an inconsequential participant. If I hadn't been at the beach with nothing else to read, I would have skipped to the end to put myself out of misery. I am not thrilled with the way that Thomas Pitt's carreer is turning.
 Entrails and Repetition July 13, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have to admit that I am only part way through this book but I'm already tired of hearing gratuitous references to blood splattered sheets and the lurid nature of the original crime. It is also irritating to have every potential clue explained to the reader as if the author cannot risk respecting the reader's intelligence. Such a stance makes for a boring read.
Victorian Entrepreneurship and Power July 4, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A brutal murder has taken place in Buckingham Palace after one of the Prince of Wales' late night parties. The Prince's choice prostitute has been found murdered and mutilated in the Queen's own monogrammed sheets and the culprit must certainly be one of the Prince's four guests, their wives, or even the Prince himself. Special Services agent Thomas Pitt is called in to clear up the matter quietly and discreetly, for news of the event would be a political scandal and a crippling blow to the monarchy.
Anne Perry delves into a world of Victorian entrepreneurship and power, political maneuvering and ulterior motives as she introduces us to four powerful men who want to change history and secure British power forever by creating a six-thousand-mile railroad that would stretch from South Africa to Egypt. The men and their wives create an intricate web of lies, deceit, adultery, and ambition that will keep you guessing--and fascinated--until the last page. The characters are complicated, realistic, and powerful. Each struggles with his or her personal demons while desperately trying to maintain a social facade of perfection and grace.
Despite the fact that the novel is set in Victorian times, the characters encounter many of the same challenges, have the same desires, and face the fear, failing, or loss of affection as we do today. The story is pertinent to modern lives as well as a delicious step back in time.
Buckingham Palace Gardens is an intense class drama and a thoroughly engaging plot. I enjoyed discovering the clues alongside detective Pitt and his undercover maid Gracie and was intrigued by each new development in the story line. This is the first book by British author Anne Perry that I have read, and I was thoroughly impressed. I can understand why she has sold over 20 million copies of her books worldwide. She has written more than twenty other mysteries about the adventures of Detective Pitt. I cannot wait to go back to the bookstore and try another of her works, just to see if it is as enjoyable a read as Buckingham Palace Gardens.
by Jennifer Melville
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
Thomas Pitt June 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Wait for the paperback. I have read & enjoyed Anne Perry's "Charlotte and Thomas Pitt" mysteries. This one is a disappointment compared to her others. I am most annoyed that it is marketed as a "Charlotte and Thomas Pitt" novel but Charlotte is largely absent.
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