8/10
Two seemingly unrelated murders and a cast of suspects with secrets galore, amidst a vivid backdrop of Victorian London. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt eventually figure it out, even as the case strikes chillingly close to them. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyed this installment of Charlotte & Thomas Pitt but have to wonder at Charlotte's family experiencing yet another death in the family due to murder. Very unlucky and very unlikely. Still, it was a great read. ( )

Thomas is called into a gruesome murder in which a young woman was chopped into pieces and left in packages throughout the area. With nothing more than her mutilated body, Thomas despairs of ever catching the killer.

Emily and George go to visit his family. However, the visit turns problematic when George begins what seems to be an affair with his cousins wife, Sybilla. The disaster escalates when Emily discovers George dead in his bed shortly after having his morning coffee.

Facing the grief of her husband's betrayal and death are bad enough, but now Emily is under suspicion of murder. Charlotte arrives to comfort her sister, but Thomas's role is much more official and will require discretion to uncover the killer, but can he truly eliminate Emily from the suspect pool?

While juggling both murders, Thomas is called in on a third when Sybilla is found strangled with her own hair. Could Emily really have been so jealous? Who else in the house had motive to kill both victims? As Thomas digs into Sybilla, he finds another connection to the earlier murder and mutilation. Could the 2 crimes be connected?

Emily is accused of murdering her husband in the house of relatives. Ending not very satisfactory.

Normally I give Anne Perry four stars, but I just didn’t feel this one got there. This one spent too much time on Emily. And the ending was a let down. Not my favorite, but it won’t keep me from reading another. The Thims and Charlotte Pitt stories are worth it. ( )