Traitors Gate

Charlotte & Thomas Pitt #15

by Anne Perry

Someone in the Colonial Office is passing secrets to Germany about England’s strategy on Africa. While Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt investigates this matter of treason, he is quietly looking into the tragic death of his childhood mentor, Sir Arthur Desmond. Pitt believes that Sir Arthur was murdered, and that the crime is connected with the treachery in the government. And when the strangled body of an aristocratic society beauty is found floating near lonely Traitors Gate, Pitt and his clever wife, Charlotte, begin to see clearly the pattern of tragedy and frightening evil that Pitt must deal with, at the risk of his career—and his life.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Crime

434 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Anne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life after serving five years in prison for murder (in New Zealand). A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.

Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".

Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.

Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories

Reviews

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery is rich with atmosphere and character development. There is political intrigue with corruption that goes fairly deep into the British government. A person might be tempted to despair with so much corruption except for the counterbalance of deep friendship, loyalty, and respect shown to Thomas pit by the family where his father served as their game keeper. One of the really interesting parts of this book is that we finally get tolearn more about what Thomases life was like as a child and young man. We see a bigger picture of where he came from, who he was, and how he got to where he is now. I mention this because throughout most of the series, we have very complete information about his wife Charlotte and her family members. Most of the story is told from the perspective of one of those family members, so it’s refreshing to get a clearer picture of Thomas’s past.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite Ann Perry book’s thus far. I tend to find the William Monk series more appealing - its a bit more brooding and edgy. However this Thomas and Charlotte Pitt instalment ranks up there as one of the best so far. Thomas is now Superintendent of Police and is enlisted in an investigation on a potential information leak from Britain’s Colonial Office; jeopardizing Britain’s position in late nineteenth century Africa. Concurrently with this, Thomas reestablishes a connection with his old friend whom he grew up with as son of a gamekeeper. It was his friend Matthew’s father who owned the estate and whom was highly regarded and loved by Thomas as well. Arthur Desmond dies under suspicious circumstances and Mathew implores Thomas to look into his father’s death and vindicate his name. This aspect of the story provides some very welcome insight into Thomas’s earlier life and his upbringing. Both of these investigations occur simultaneously and Ms. Perry does an admirable job of creating the suspense and developing the mystery surrounding both. Things eventually lead to a murder of a prominent socialite; also complex and especially cruel. All three of these very bewildering and engaging plot lines move this book along at a quick and entertaining pace. Woven into these are some very interesting historical and sociological insights into Britain’s colonization of Africa and the foreshadowing of all the later devastation that brought to that continent and the interplay of being a strong Victorian woman with powerful and individual values and ideals and society’s expectation of you to be a loyal and completely supportive wife no matter how far your values may drift from that of your husband’s. Overall an excellent book and a completely enjoyable read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though these books follow a formula, it is just absolutely amazing that I get carried away with each one. It is like reading about old friends and I feel for Thomas every time he gets screwed by the class conscious snobs of Victorian England. I feel outrage over the way people are treated and how willingly they accept this treatment. I would most likely be an old maid out there trying to wake up the population and backing all kinds of social causes with an amazing passion. That said, once I start reading one of these books I can't stop. I was up until 2:30 the other night trying to finish it. Just a great story and I look forward to each and every one.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book too over 200 pages for me to really get into. I like faster moving books than this. I know this was a period piece, but when I had to take a break and read other books in between, that is not a good thing to me. I liked how the story moved towards the end, but it could have kept that intensity throughout the entire story, even the build up.

[Chequers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Una noia mortale!
Come al solito, una storia che avrebbe potuto essere interessante rovinata da una prosa prolissa e scadente.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRAITOR'S GATE - VG
Perry, Anne - 15th in Thomas Pitt series

Someone in the Colonial Office is passing information to Germany about England's African strategy. Police superintendent Thomas Pitt is charged with investigating this treason, but his mind is on the sudden, tragic death of his childhood mentor, Sir Arthur Desmond.

I always forget how much I enjoy these. I love the quality of her writing, her characters, the plotting and sense of time and place.

[Jane Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few comments about this book:

The author switches point of view, which is normal enough, but I don't think the switching added up to any great revelations. I feel like if the author switches around from one character to another and it serves no other purpose than to just be a convenience for the author, the book will lose me. It didn't in fact lose me. I finished reading but I wasn't particularly in love with any of the book.

The book just doesn't grab you. The first bit of action is when a carriage barrels down on two of the main characters, threatening their lives. After this, the main character begins to feel paranoid about the impending actions of a secret society. Oh my God! What could possibly happen next?!

I wouldn't say I'm seasoned at writing reviews; in fact, I would just say I'm blabbing on about likes and dislikes, so please, read no further. But there a few main plots here, only one of which is wrapped up by the detective.
1. There is the treason.
2. The mystery of the original murder.
3. And then the murder of the chancellor's wife.

The mystery of the treason is simply told to the main character because another character happens to overhear a conversation between his wife and her father. The author does get some emotion out of this but it wasn't a very satisfying way to learn about the one committing treason as he was unwittingly doing it. And then the murder of Author Desmond is discovered by a character we have never met by simply having a psychotically and narrow-minded burst of rage over the fact that his secret society was involved in anything but altruistic endeavors. Perry can certainly describe people. She has a way with words.

On page 208, I liked this description of Farnsworth:
Pitt was aware not only of the strength of will behind the calm, almost bland countenance, but suddenly of an intelligence he had not previously suspected. He realized that until now he had had a certain contempt for Farnsworth, an unconscious assumption that he held the office because of birth, not ability. Farnsworth’s lack of understanding of certain issues, certain characteristics or terms of phrase, he had taken for slowness of mind. It came to him with a jolt that it was far more probably a narrowness of experience. He was one of the vast numbers of people who cannot imagine themselves into a class or gender, least of all emotions, of a different person. That is lack of vision or sensitivity, even compassion, but it is not stupidity.

Perry can certainly describe a person. I don't mean a physical description, but a description of their personality.

My Overall Rating/Recommendation: Pass. It's cleanly written and she describes people well but the unfolding the plot and the way it grips the reader leaves something to be desired.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fifteenth installment in the series is a strong one. The theme of the consequences of Imperialism in Africa is taken up with an undercurrent of questioning the right of women to work or for that matter to have opinions of their own, both in and outside of marriage. Thomas's boyhood mentor is poisoned at his club early on, which entails Superintendent (remember, he was promoted) Pitt returning to his working class country roots and reawakening his fraternal relationship with the mentor's gentry son. The dastardly Inner Circle's machinations are discovered to reach deeper and further throughout society in this engagement; not knowing who can be trusted and who cannot adds to the suspense. None of the murder detections were resolved the way I expected, and I enjoyed the fairly complicated process of trying to guess who did what, when, and how. There is some high drama in the closing along with the transformation of an irksome character (who appeared earlier in the series) into a comic hero, which I found charming.

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this series two years ago and finished the first 13 books before giving up on it. I recently decided to give the series another try and I found the 14th book (The Hyde Park Headsman) was somewhat interesting and was worth three stars. In the case of Traitors Gate, however, I was totally bored for the first half to two thirds of the book, while the author droned on about the situation in Africa in the late 19th century and about British society. It picked up towards the end of the book, and the conclusion was surprising, but once again this author likes to solve the mystery and then just stop a few paragraphs later. It is obviously her style, but I find it very annoying and I always end up feeling like she couldn't wait to finish the book and move on to something else.

[Sharyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Perry is an amazing writer, she actually made the 1890 British African politics interesting. Thomas Pitt is such a terrific character, but there wasn't enough if Charlotte until she actually helped him solve one of the murders. This was a 3 murder book, all by different reasons by different people, each of them a surprise to me, which is why I so enjoy these books. Her evocation of Victorian England is incomparable. Plus I was just in London and saw Traitors Gate from a boat on the Thames, which helped me envision Pitt's thinking. I have read the whole WWI series, some of the Monk stories, but am now concentrating on The Pitt series, and she has now started a new series, yikes.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read with a cracking good mystery that was tangled and dense. I liked the way it focused more on Thomas Pitt, as he is the most interesting character in the series. His moral compass always points true, but he is wise enough to see all sides of a question. His new job as Superintendent requires him to take care of politically sensitive cases and this new case is very sensitive, as it involves treason in the Colonial Office. Things become more dangerous as the case becomes more deadly.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I actually liked this one. It was a page-turner for sure. Fast-paced and engaging.

But the writing was very mediocre, the dialogues stiff and the discussions about colonialism and women's rights read like lectures, not actual conversations that people have in real life.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little hard to get into, but worth struggling through the long first 2 chapters.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 Stars. The only reason this novel rated 3.5 Stars was due to the dramatic ending. Otherwise the first 75% of the story was a bit too slow and dry for me. What really hooks me into this series besides an excellently written late Victorian historical mystery novel is Charlotte's family and friends soap opera shenanigans. Except for Aunt Vespia of course who wouldn't participate in any shenanigans but would definitely indulge in some intrigue.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/10
Another excellent mystery by Anne Perry featuring Charlotte & Thomas Pitt, along with commentary on colonialism & Africa as well as the status of women in Victorian England.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so much better when Thomas is more or less on his own. The Emily/Charlotte interference is so overdone.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Récit bien mené si ce n'était le dénouement, à nouveau invraisemblable à mon avis.

[Astrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plutôt 3.5 mais de toute façon c'était un réel plaisir de juste retrouver la plume de Anne Perry ♡

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perry's characters are alive and vibrant. Her story lines and plots are always well developed and accurate for the era. A thoroughly satisfying read.

[Puck · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAGNÍFICO, GRATA SORPRESA, ME HA ENCANTADO. Muy bien construido, todos los misterios de la trama enganchan, aunque al principio va algo lento. Pitt tiene gran protagonismo. Tremendo!. Completamente recomendable, de los mejores libros de Anne Perry hasta ahora.

-Posible Spoiler-
La resolución es muy buena! Muy doloroso quienes son la victima y el asesino, pero increíble libro. Magnífico final.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

If a reader was not familiar with the Pitt series, this would be the one I’d suggest beginning with. Thomas is at the height of his skills and courage, Charlotte saves the day with the clever manipulation of Eustace, and Perry’s writing is taut and exact, with very little of the meandering self-absorption she usually inflicts on her characters. And dare we hope that the Inner Circle — the baddest of the bad guys — has been dealt a lethal blow?

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite simply the worst book I have ever read. Like an American stand-up comedian, she over explains everything. I only held on to the end as an exercies, to see if I could put myself through it. Having completed what I consider the most arduous task in the world, I am now confident I can walk through walls, if I have to!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was bored through the first half of this book. Political intrigue isn't really my jam. However, the machinations of the "Inner Circle" which we've come across in several installments in this series are a different matter. Things certainly picked up in the second half-last fourth and the ending was supremely satisfying.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A friend of mine loves Anne Perry, and this was the first I ever read of hers. I was disappointed. I thinks it's just not my genre. I didn't really care who did it, and kind of felt I knew who it was the whole time. Maybe if I read some more of her books I would get into them more?

[Martina Sartor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un Pitt sempre più bravo, una Perry sempre più grande nel tratteggiare personaggi e ambiente e nell'andare a fondo delle motivazioni delle azioni umane.
Vien voglia di correre subito a leggerne un altro per sapere come andrà a finire fra Pitt e la temibile Confraternita.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average.

[Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

After struggling through 200 of the 600+ pages, I'm giving up on this one. I love her writing, but the overly-political plot left me bored and with floundering attention.

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really difficult for me to get into (I loathe political intrigue), but once the bodies started piling up, it was classic, gripping Perry.

[Scott L · Rating 5 out of 5]

They just keep getting better. I started reading the series with the most recent and had to start from beginning. My heroes and heroine in these troubling times.

[Joanne Kauffmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many Thomas Pitt stories. Unfortunately the plot was cumbersome. I had a great deal of trouble keeping the characters straight.