One Fatal Flaw

Daniel Pitt #3

by Anne Perry

Two fiery deaths have young lawyer Daniel Pitt and his scientist friend Miriam fford Croft racing to solve a forensic crisis in this explosive new novel from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

When a desperate woman comes to Daniel Pitt seeking a lawyer for her boyfriend, Rob Adwell, Daniel is convinced of the young man's innocence. Adwell has been accused of murder and of setting a fire to conceal the body, but Daniel is sure that science can absolve him--and Miriam fford Croft is the best scientist he knows. Miriam connects Daniel with her former teacher Sir Barnabas Saltram, an expert in arson, and together, they reveal Adwell's innocence by proving that an accidental fire caused the victim's death. But it's not long before Adwell is killed in the same fiery fashion. If these deaths are, in fact, murders, what essential clue could Daniel and Miriam have missed?

As their investigation deepens, one of Saltram's former cases comes into question, and Miriam finds herself on the defensive. If the reasoning Saltram used in that case is proved false, several other cases will have to be re-tried, and Saltram's expert status--not to mention Miriam's reputation--will be ruined. Haunted by Saltram's shady tactics in and outside of the classroom, Miriam is desperate to figure out truths both past and present and protect herself in the face of Saltram's lies. What started as an accidental fire in Adwell's case seems to be linked to a larger plot for revenge, with victims accumulating in its wake, and Miriam and Daniel must uncover who or what is stoking these recurring flames--before they, too, find themselves burned.

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

311 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2019

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

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Defense and counter defense. Check and checkmate!

An unremitting and fascinating case for Daniel Pitt, even as he becomes a more reluctant player. As the story built I was exhausted by the first court case and nowhere near ready enough for the second. Good grief I thought! By the end of a third one I was wrung out like a wet bleach cloth (currently being used constantly around my home).
Perry has given us a Daniel Pitt intricately woven story centered around two deaths from arson. Toby Kitteridge, a senior in the chambers, is as usual a wonderful foil for Daniel. I am quietly interested in Toby Kitteridge whom Miriam thinks of him as being surprisingly "agile of mind and clumsy of body." Miriam fford Croft is involved once again, assisting Daniel with her forensic expertise. However, as we know, as a woman Miriam has no legal authority or acceptance by the courts. She puts Daniel in touch with Sir Barnabas Saltram, an expert in arson cases. Saltram is her former teacher, a man superbly secure in his opinions about himself, his work, and his disdain for Miriam. I found the thinly elegant Doctor, a villain of the first order.
When the second case surrounding the deaths comes to court, Daniel finds himself working on behalf of the girlfriend of the man he'd previously defended, Rob Adwell.
The way these cases unfold during the trials is absolutely fascinating. Head of Chambers, Marcus fford Croft rises to the occasion for an associated case and Miriam has a breakthrough.
I confess I am enthralled by the legal challenges this series bring forth. Just loving Daniel's journey as a solicitor who seems to fall into unusual cases, and that of Miriam as a scientist.

A Random - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley

[Julie Griffith Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Perry's Daniel Pitt series is fresh, invigorating, and a first class read. Daniel, who is the son of Sir Thomas and Lady Pitt, is a newly minted lawyer with a place in a prestigious London chambers. He is drawn into an arson and murder case by Jessica Beale, and agrees to represent her young man, Rob Ardwell. Pitt is introduced to forensic specialist Sir Barnabus Saltram by his friend, the scientist, Miriam fford Cross, who was once one of Sir Barnabus's students. The case is won on Saltram's testimony that the heat of the fire caused the death and Ardwell is found not guilty.

Soon, though, Ardwell, himself, is killed in remarkably similar circumstances, and Jessica Beale is charged with his murder. Should Pitt again use Saltram to clear his client? Or are there reasons why both Pitt and Miriam might want to discredit him? The consequences of crossing Saltram may be dire. Can Pitt and Miriam outwit him? One Fatal Flaw is a cracking good yarn by the best writer of historical mysteries in the world. Highly recoommended. Thanks to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the ARC provided for this honest review.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tender heart and a crusader for justice spirit lands young lawyer, Daniel Pitt, in a maelstrom of fire when one arson murder becomes two and an expert witness gets debunked in a spectacular way placing Daniel, and even his family and friends, in danger. It built slowly, but when it got there the tension was breathlessly taunt in this historical mystery by a favorite author.

One Fatal Flaw is the third of the Daniel Pitt series which originally spun from the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. The story could standalone though it is also strongly connected to what comes before both in the series and the previous series.

One Fatal Flaw is set in 1911 when England is in the last years of the Edwardian Era and seeing great advancements in the sciences specifically forensic science. This latest Daniel Pitt tackles arson. Daniel is a young, intelligent, and hardworking, but he can lead with his heart which lands him and his friends into all sorts of trouble including this latest case about poor warehouse gang members. Daniel is a junior at Marcus fford Croft’s law firm and meant to assist Kittering, a promising trial lawyer. I have to laugh each time because the senior Kittering ends up being dragged into troublesome underdog cases by Daniel each time. Daniel does the investigating and Kittering does the trials and Miriam fford Croft and Dr. Ottershaw act as the forensics team for the firm. Love seeing them all working together on these intense cases.

The previous books focused mostly on Daniel, but this one split the narration between Daniel and Miriam. This is because Miriam was at the heart of the story. She is a woman interested in forensic science which is a career closed to her just as she studied at university and took all the classes, but could not have the actual degree. For the sake of justice and her friendship with Daniel (which I keep thinking is slowly turning into something more- very slowly, but there), she goes to a person from her past, sacrificing pride to ask one of her old professors now a famous and brilliant forensic expert to examine the evidence to see if there is anything to get Daniel’s client off. Miriam faces her inner demons in this one just as Daniel gets a bit more of his naïve newbie shine wiped away when he makes mistakes and learns a lesson about reading people and their motives.

The author writes her characters, their situations, the historical backdrop and social history so articulately and brilliantly. There are layers of development that immerse the reader in the people and their story so it’s not just a historical mystery. This one does have some disjointed places and got off to a slower start, but that didn’t stop me from engaging completely with the story once it got rolling.

Like earlier books by the author, I can highly recommend this one/series to historical mystery fans.

[Randi Annie Framnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lawyer Daniel Pitt is asked to defend a criminal in a case of arson and murder which seems cut-and-dried, only it escalates into another case. Two warehouses have burnt down and two murders have been committed exactly the same way. He calls upon experts on forensic science to present evidence of what really happened in these fascinatingly complex cases.

One Fatal Flaw by Anne Perry is number 3 and the last in Daniel Pitt Mysteries Series published by Ballantine Books. We follow new lawyer Daniel Pitt as he is asked to defend a known criminal in an arson-murder case. Soon there is an identical case, and they both seem disturbingly similar to a case 20 years ago. Daniel gets help from forensic scientist Miriam fford Croft as well as his powerful father, Thomas Pitt of Special Branch, to prove what really happened.

Secondary character Miriam fford Croft is an interesting female character with views that would fit right into the 2000s. She is well educated and is frustrated that women are not allowed to earn degrees in England 1910. I think she is hard working and an impressive character despite having had serious setbacks in her personal life. I was pleased to see she found a way to deal with her professional problems and I she is my favorite in this story.

The historical setting of this plot is London 1910 when English women were expected to marry. Education was considered a waste of time. Miriam fford Croft managed to complete her studies, but didn’t earn a degree because she was a woman. As Anne Perry’s books are set mainly in 1800s, there are elements of male prejudice against women in most of them. In One Fatal Flaw it is a prominent part of the plot, which I enjoyed a lot in the way I would a horror movie.

One Fatal Flaw (Daniel Pitt Mystery #3) by Anne Perry is a quick and easy read with an exciting plot set in a new century. The writing is vivid and the character building excellent. I enjoyed reading Triple Jeopardy #2 in Daniel Pitt Mysteries Series, just as it was released. One Fatal Flaw includes hints to previous stories, giving just enough info about characters for it to work excellently as a standalone as all other works of Anne Perry. I love Anne Perry’s unique cockney dialect writing, and the mystery element of Miriam’s personal life, which was revealed as a little gem right at the end. I am excited to read anything else she releases in future.

Fans of Anne Perry will love One Fatal Flaw. As will readers of historical crime fiction. Similar authors to explore might be C.S. Harris or Charles Finch.
Thank you to the local Public Library of Kristiansand for providing One Fatal Flaw which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5
Main reasons: Excellent plot, superb writing, great characters

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. I shall give a full review at a later date.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

(More like 3.5 stars.) Young lawyer Daniel Pitt is back in the third installment of Anne Perry’s latest series, a spin off from her popular Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. When a young woman comes to Daniel begging him to get her boyfriend acquitted of arson and murder, he reluctantly agrees to take the case and, with the help of his friend and sometimes collaborator, Miriam fford Croft, enlists a famous forensic scientist to defend his client. But after a second, identical fire and death calls the verdict in this previous case into question, Daniel and Miriam must decide if the cost of justice is worth paying with their reputations—or even their lives.

I had read the previous Daniel Pitt mystery and was happy to find that this one, like its predecessor, was filled with the pub dinners, tea settings and atmospheric descriptions of London weather that transport the reader to 1910 England and are for me a real pleasure of reading these books. Unfortunately, however, the plot suffers a bit from the same slow, ruminative pacing and abrupt ending that I’ve found in the few other Anne Perry books I’ve read. I’ll probably still read the next Daniel Pitt book—I’ll just be more prepared for a meandering but pleasant journey to a quick conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining legal thriller from Anne Perry.
I am enjoying young Daniel Pitt, newbie barrister, working in London, 1911. He's earnest, intelligent and very willing to admit when he makes mistakes or when he doesn't know the answer. He's very much a work in progress. I'm looking forward to finding out what the author has in store for him.
The arson/murder cases that are the focus of the story allow the reader to witness the early days of forensic science, as the cases' outcomes depend on the testimony of an 'expert witness'. The courtroom scenes are quite tense.
Over the years I've had my ups and downs with this author's books. This new series, so far, has been an 'up'.
Ms Perry, may you stay healthy and keep writing--this greedy reader wants more stories featuring Daniel Pitt.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Pitt along with his parents, his office mates and Miriam are back with another case. Actually three cases are covered in this book. Jessie Beal asks Daniel for help on an impossible case. Miriam comes up with a star witness that has ties to her past, who helps Daniel. However, there is more to this star witness and his past as well as Jessie Beal and the case.

As always the story line continues with all the main characters and we become more involved with their lives. The mystery and forensics that were new at the time are interesting and help the story to flow well. I truly enjoy Anne Perry's writing. Thank you #NetGalley for the chance to read #OneFatalFlaw and give my honest opinion.

[Barbara Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series: Daniel Pitt #3
Publication Date: 4/7/20
Number of Pages: 304

Tightly wrapped within the cocoon of this superb, well-plotted mystery series, you will find the nuggets of early forensic science. This story deals with the effect of arson and intense heat upon bones – particularly the skull – and the way an arrogant, self-centered, selfish, vengeful ‘expert’ can warp the judicial system for his own reward.

The story is tightly plotted, well written, and filled with historical accuracy. I loved Daniel Pitt immediately because I loved his parents first. Daniel is a wonderfully honest, dedicated, and very honorable twenty-five-year-old man who has been out of law school for just a couple of years. He’s on the bottom rung of the ladder at his law firm, fford Croft and Gibson, and rarely gets assigned a case himself. He sits as second chair to his friend and mentor, Toby Kitteridge.

When a young woman, Jessie Beale, arrives at the prestigious law firm and asks to see Daniel, it is because of an earlier case in which he had represented a party who was found innocent. It had seemed a near-impossible case, yet Daniel won it – and she wanted that same thing for her friend, Rob Adwell. After hearing what she had to say, Daniel couldn’t help but believe the man was guilty of the crime, but once he discussed it with Kitteridge and the firm head Marcus fford Croft, it was decided they would take the case. He was amazed when they won the case, but it was because of the expert forensic testimony of Sir Barnabus Saltram.

Weeks later, Daniel is called to defend Jessie herself. She is accused of murdering Rob in exactly the same manner as the first murder occurred. As Daniel investigates, he begins to wonder if his client might not be guilty of not one, but two murders. Yet, because of the expert testimony from Adwell’s trial, he can only assume she will be found innocent. That tears at him because he will be a party to letting a murderer go free. What a conundrum our erstwhile young lawyer has found for himself. How can he meet his obligations to his client and his conscience at the same time?

As more things emerge and information shifts, attacks happen, the tale gets filled with more twists and turns. Will Daniel’s minor case end up turning Britain’s justice system and the fledgling forensic sciences field on its head?

Miriam fford Croft is the forty-year-old daughter of Marcus fford Croft, Daniel’s boss. Miriam is a woman who has suffered for the times. She’s brilliant, dedicated, educated, and without a college degree or credentials even though she has completed all of the coursework and received exceptional marks. The field of forensic science is not one that is available for women. I have to say, I was a bit concerned about Miriam in about the first 35-40% of the book. She seemed to have given up on her pursuits and was feeling pretty ho-hum. Then, she perked up and things got moving for her. I was happy for her to finally come to some sort of resolution within herself.

I loved Miriam and Daniel working together and solving issues. I loved Miriam’s courage in the face of social ruin and I loved that Daniel let her make the decision about how to continue.

I keep wondering if there is going to be a May-December romance between Daniel and Miriam. They certainly care for each other, but is it romantic? I don’t know, but it will be interesting to see.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - another great outing in the Daniel Pitt series, quickly becoming a favorite. I read most of Anne Perry’s Victorian Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series, and many of her Monk series, and like those books, she again offers wonderfully complex characters, moral dilemmas, and exciting courtroom drama.

This book opens with Daniel, a young lawyer, meeting with a young woman asking him to defend her boyfriend, who was found at the scene of a warehouse fire where another man died. It appears the two young hooligans were fighting a gang turf war, and one of them died in the fire.

It’s 1910 and forensic science is coming into its own; Daniel knows he’ll need an expert witness, so he asks his scientist friend, Miriam fford Croft, her advice. She suggests he approach her former professor, Sir Bernard Saltram, the acknowledged expert in fire-related injuries. I’ve read many Perry mysteries, and she’s created some cold, arrogant, nasty, bigoted bad guys in her day - it’s no spoiler to say this guy rates right up there (down there?) with the worst of them. Miriam’s internal monologues make it clear to the reader right away that there is a dark history here, and that comes into play much later, in a very satisfying courtroom climax.

No spoilers, I will just say this is yet another very satisfying courtroom drama from Perry. Daniel and his friends and associates are such decent and delightful characters, I look forward to his next case!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a clever way to update a series that was, frankly, getting a little worn out. Daniel is the son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and a lawyer. He is also idealistic which can both be a good thing and a bad thing. He takes a pro bono case of a young man accused of killing a rival gang member and setting a fire that engulfs a warehouse. He has succumbed to the pleas of the man's girlfriend.

Not knowing how to proceed he turns to the daughter of the senior partner of the firm, Miriam, who is quite intelligent and has trained to be a forensic scientist but who can not practice. Why? She's a woman in the early 1900's England. She gets a former professor to testify on his behalf. Once that case is concluded there is another fire and a murder exactly the same as the first one. Daniel is called in to represent the defendant. Then he turns to another fire/murder over 20 years ago.

I love how Daniel turns to his parents for advice and it's a lovely way to bring them into the story without being the main characters. I really like this new series and I appreciate the author finding a very clever way of updating her characters. This can absolutely be read as a stand alone and enjoyed but for those of us who remember Daniel growing up it is very sweet.

Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE FATAL FLAW
Anne Perry

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book for various reasons. One is the sort of stiff-upper-lip English vibe that I think would have been so prevalent in the early 1900s. The richness of the moral standards, the deep blush as the mention of things unmentionable (S e x ). In addition, I enjoy the historical backdrop of the series and the mysteries, the emerging forensic science, and the legal system. Lastly are the great characters, so well drawn, likable when required, and dastardly when needed.

I love Daniel and Miriam and their working relationship boarding on friendship and respect. Perry draws her sniveling bad guy so well, you can't help but admire and dislike him at the same time. As far as fire forensics goes, this is still an area where a great deal of debate exists today in charring and fire lines by accelerants, but the heat on bones was exact and I loved how she brought in the debate as a legal matter.

I really enjoyed this one, it was dead on.

5 stars

Happy Reading!

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this 3rd installment in the Daniel Pitt series (& might actually offer it a 3.5 star rating!) This reveals a bit more of the ongoing characters, & their history.....& may hint at what might be ahead for the ongoing series? This plot offers 3 courtroom trials, so I felt that the pretrial investigations & trial action were kind of abbreviated to accommodate all that in the book. Perry continues to offer good historical fiction in an interesting format, this one taking place in 1910 England & dealing with fire science/forensics & also attitudes of that time period toward women.
I received this e-ARC from the Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine via NetGalley after offering to read it & then post my own unbiased honest review.

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Anne Perry stepped away from her two bestselling Victorian-era mystery series, featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and Inspector William Monk, I thought it was just a one-time diversion. Her protagonist was Daniel Pitt, Thomas and Charlotte’s son. The newly released ONE FATAL FLAW is the third to feature this young attorney and may very well be the best book she has written in years --- which is high praise indeed as all of her work is top-notch.

The year is 1910, and Daniel Pitt is a junior lawyer working under the more seasoned Toby Kitteridge. Daniel just happens to be there in the office when Jessie Beale comes in seeking representation. It turns out that there was a warehouse fire that took place during the alleged commission of a crime. Jessie's boyfriend, Rob Adwell, was at this warehouse after hours with a man named Paddy Jackson. Their intention was to rob the place, but their plans were quickly scuttled when a fire broke out, leaving behind a lot of damage as well as Paddy’s corpse. Upon arresting Adwell, the local police charge him with murder. In their initial determination, Paddy had suffered a severe blow to the back of his head, and then the fire was set in order to cover it up.

With Adwell, a small-time thug with a lengthy police record, being accused of murder, it is extremely likely that he will hang for this offense. However, both Adwell and Jessie swear that he is innocent when Daniel meets with him while in holding. The only way to prevent this open-and-shut case from going down quickly in the judicial system would be if Daniel could obtain some sort of expert testimony to raise a shadow of a doubt about Adwell’s guilt. Daniel immediately reaches out to his good friend and frequent colleague, Miriam fford Croft, the smartest person he knows and an above-average forensic scientist. On Miriam's recommendation, they reach out to an expert on fire and arson cases --- one of her former college professors, Sir Barnabas Saltram.

Saltram has testified in many court cases over the years, and his opinion is well-respected. He indicates that, in the case of severe heat from fire, a skull may actually crack under that intense pressure. With the jury taking this into account, it means that any premeditation on Adwell's part will be off the table, and there will be more than a mere shadow of a doubt as to the implication that he struck Paddy and left him to die. The jury comes back with a not-guilty verdict, and everyone is happy. That is until three weeks later, when Jessie darkens Daniel's doorway again. This time the situation is reversed. It seems that Adwell has died in a similar fire; she has been placed under arrest and accused of his murder.

This puts Daniel in a morally ambiguous situation that many defense attorneys must experience --- the difficulty of defending a client who you know is guilty. Yes, everyone is entitled to legal representation and a fair trial, but in this case, Jessie has practically thrown in his face that she proudly committed the crime and expects him to pull out Saltram’s expert testimony one more time to get her off the hook. Daniel has a lot of trouble dealing with this predicament, but understands the oath he took as a defense attorney and follows through with his client's request to use Saltram's testimony in her defense.

It is here where Daniel somewhat unethically crosses the line, yet does so in a completely legal way. He does not want to attack Saltram's testimony because it would then refute the result of the Adwell case, as well as the dozens of previous cases in which he used the exploding skull premise. Instead, he works with Miriam to identify another fire and arson expert and have that person testify on behalf of the prosecution. Dr. Evelyn “Eve” Hall completely refutes Saltram's testimony. The jury returns in a mere 30 minutes with a guilty verdict. Daniel is now off the hook; yes, he has taken a loss as defense counsel but has won the moral battle with his own conscience.

This all takes place in the first half of the book, so astute readers will be on their toes for another bombshell to hit --- which strikes in the form of Adria Leigh. The surname is quite familiar to Daniel, as well as to others who recall the famous court case 20 years ago in which actress Marguerite Daventry perished in a house fire. The man who was eventually executed for arson and her murder was Leigh's husband, who pleaded his innocence to no avail. It seems that it was the expert testimony of a then-fledgling Saltram that sold the jury on the possibility that Daventry’s husband may have been the guilty party, paving a clear path for Leigh's execution.

Leigh wants the Daventry case reopened to finally vindicate her husband and attempt to untarnish the badly sullied reputation and prejudice with which she and her son have suffered for the past two decades. To do so, Daniel will have to call out Saltram and every single case in which he testified. This is not only potential career suicide for him, but the fallout of such a claim against a well-respected pillar of society might take down everyone close to him in the process. He knows what he is dealing with in Saltram, a cagey and cunning character who will stop at nothing to defend his honor. The one fatal flaw in this novel of the same title may very well be Saltram's vanity, but that does not make Daniel's job any easier.

ONE FATAL FLAW is an outstanding novel that takes the Anne Perry standard of meting out justice while walking that thin line between what is morally and ethically right versus the easy way out. In these troubled times, it was a pleasure to step away for a few hours to spend time with Daniel Pitt. The problems that he faces are enormous and really put into perspective what it means to do the right thing in the face of the pressure society puts on you to keep your head down and go with the flow. It seems like ages ago since the #MeToo movement made headlines, but Perry shrewdly does her best to represent women throughout the book and show their worth in a time when they were still looked at for the most part as second-class citizens.

Reviewed by Ray Palen

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been on my TBR for quite a while. It’s the third installment in the Daniel Pitt series by Anne Perry. Although I’ve read the series in an unconventional order, starting with numbers 4 and 6 first, this is the third book I’ve read. Daniel Pitt is the barrister son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, the main characters in another Perry series.

A criminal is found dead in a fire, and another is accused of his murder. At the request of the accused’s girlfriend, Daniel convinces his firm to take on the case. He enlists the help of well-respected forensic expert Sir Barnabas Saltram, who testifies that the victim's broken skull was caused by the fire, not a blow to the head. After he is acquitted, the formerly accused dies under the same circumstances, and Daniel and his friend, Miriam fford Croft, someone also knowledgeable in forensics, are convinced Sir Barnabas is incorrect and set out to prove it. Will they regret crossing Sir Barnabas?

With an intriguing plot but inconsistent pace, this was another entertaining read by Perry, who has since passed away. Her detailed, descriptive language paints a strong picture of the characters and their environments, and there is fascinating insight into the life and times of early twentieth-century London. The characters, except, of course, for the villains, are charming. I especially liked the female protagonists, strong individuals on their own and proponents of women’s suffrage. Unfortunately, due to the times, they are held back from exhibiting their full worth.





Thanks to @Netgalley and @RandomHouse for the DRC.

[Kate Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 / 5.0 Stars

Author Anne Perry has truly outdone herself with this third addition to her Daniel Pitt mystery series. The writing is spectacular, atmospheric and historically based on good solid research. The pace is steady and the story well-plotted which resolves itself through a magnificent climax. If you're a fan of historical mysteries, leaning toward legal protocol, then this is a series not to be missed.

London, 1910 - Our young barrister, Daniel Pitt, is sought by a young woman in distress. She implores Daniel to defend Rob Adwell, her boyfriend, who is charged with murdering a fellow petty thief by way of arson. The evidence appears to be straight forward against Adwell who claims to be innocent of the murder. Pitt confers with Miriam, his bosses daugher, who's a chemist and aspiring forensic scientist. London, at that time, was not open to the idea of having women in forensics which causes great consternation for Miriam. In an effort to further Adwell's defense, Miriam introduces Daniel to Sir Barnabas Saltram, a highly respected expert in fire forensics. If anyone's testimony can save Adwell, it is Sir Barnabas'. Without giving it away, just know that several trials are interwoven into a delicious plot.

I am grateful to author Anne Perry and Ballantine Books for having provided a free uncorrected proof e-book of this 3rd series installment. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still like the characters. I think this one suffered because there are 3 cases and, while somewhat connected, they all are very similar so by the 3rd case I find myself zoning out. I'm also not sure how I feel about the possible Daniel/Miriam romance.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Fatal Flaw is the third in the series by Anne Perry, with Daniel Pitt as our protagonist. We are in 1910 London.

The girlfriend of a not so good man has come to ask for Daniel’s help in proving her beloved innocent of murder. There’s been arson, they know that; the warehouse is gone. And in the warehouse fire, one man escaped and one did not. She begs Daniel to be the defense lawyer. But the man doesn’t seem particularly interested in having a defense.

Daniel, through his friend Miriam fford Croft’s intercession, asks a famous expert in the causes of fire and fire evidence to look at the case. This expert is rather… sure of himself. There is the hint that the expert will do anything to have his opinion sustained. Miriam dislikes him, although she will not say why. Of course, she won’t, because that is a source of conflict. It will come out later, also of course. Thus, the author skirts around some facts, some little tidbits, that will leave readers wondering what’s going on. I would have preferred to have out with it and be done with it.

Ms. Perry presents the two different social worlds of Daniel Pitt and Miriam fford Croft very well. Although they are almost but not quite social equals, it is their different sexes that divide them like a mighty chasm, and Anne Perry knows how to present this extremely well, how a historical mystery must present this, to be believable and true to its time frame and genre. Miss fford Croft may rant and rave and fume about her constraints and pushes a bit for dramatic purposes, but she cannot do too much, and be believable. This Ms. Perry also knows very well. And so, Daniel and Miriam fight their own private battle to prove Rob Adwell’s innocence.

The expert gets Daniel’s client off with his testimony. Wonderful – except the book is only about half way done. What’s up? Ah, we are not done, not by a long shot. Because Daniel will need the expert yet again, and not in a good way, one might say. It is going to take all of Ms. Perry’s considerable skills to come up with a plausible plot and make this believable, definitely. Is there any doubt, gentle reader?

So, Miriam goes to work again, although she can’t help officially because she is of the wrong sex, alas, so she has to work behind the scenes. And she does, of course. This is her book as well as Daniel’s, perhaps more so. Another expert has to be found. And found “she” is. It is a little pat, but to be expected in a story like this.

The author builds up the case point by point. Modern detectives could hardly do better. Readers may even look at One Fatal Flaw as a study in the beginnings of modern forensic science. This is also a study in science versus emotions and fallibility. Much of the last third of the book is Daniel righting wrongs and staying one step ahead of a terrible wave of anger and ego. There is danger here, because it will force a need for revenge. But it has to be done, because it means too much for a society predicated on the scales of justice. You will have to read One Fatal Flaw to see how well he succeeds at it.

I found the book eloquent as usual, if a little pedantic and heavy, being much of what it rails about is how women were treated unfairly in their intellectual and educational development, as evidenced in Miss fford Croft’s case. In between Anne Perry talks about life, ideas, the rumblings of society with new ideas coming, how the world was changing, melting, slipping away, breaking, as she calls it. This is more than just a historical mystery.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

[Lynn Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Fatal Flaw started slowly for me. Having reared two litigators, I (once again) found Daniel Pitt to be too soft, too unsure of himself. Even young litigators have sharp teeth (with which they thankfully don't bite their mothers), so I had a hard time relating to him even after factoring in slightly more than a hundred years of changes in the legal profession, and the American versus British legal systems. I realize that he's overshadowed by his father, who's head of Special Branch, but he just seems to be too tentative about every aspect of his life. I know measured litigators, but not mousy ones, and Daniel Pitt continues into this book as a vague, feeble character.

But when he gets angry, he's a sight to behold. Particularly if he's riled on behalf of justice, or someone he's trying not to love. This transformation saves his character and will pull me into the next book in the series.

One other noteworthy character in One Fatal Flaw is the antagonist, Sir Barnabas Saltram. He's a thoroughly nasty piece of work, and entirely believable.

The conclusion of One Fatal Flaw more than makes up for a slightly (IMO) sluggish beginning, and I was cheering for young Daniel Pitt when I closed the manuscript in my e-reader. In the last courtroom scene he reminded of me a couple of other young people . . . a compliment of the highest order.

Recommended.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third book in the Daniel Pitt series is another winner. Ms. Perry has branched out from her two long-running series by starting this new one with Charlotte and Thomas Pitt's son Daniel who is a young lawyer (25) who has recently graduated from Cambridge University, and is working at a prestigious law firm in London. This series still has Ms. Perry's flawless plotting and detailed characterizations. It is also an illuminating insight into the times (late 1910 and early 1911). England is going through some major societal and political changes, and there are murmurings of some real unrest in Germany. Daniel has brought his firm into what seems a hopeless case where a young man has been charged with arson and murder. The young man's girlfriend has enlisted his help. Daniel pulls out all the stops to save his client, but while doing so, makes some very worrisome and powerful enemies which puts himself, his family, his firm and his friends in grave danger. Daniel struggles to do what's right and just at any cost. He is not a young man that will give up on anything once he's on a case. (A bit like his mother Charlotte). And we get to see Charlotte and Thomas Pitt again in this spin-off series. This is a page-turner, and the book has a particularly evil and powerful villain, who, like all Anne Perry's characters, is very clearly and realistically portrayed, This is a great new series from a very prolific and much revered author.

[Scilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1910 in London. Daniel Pitt is a young lawyer at a prestigious law firm. Jessie Beale, a pretty young woman, is crying in Daniel's office asking him to represent her friend, Rob Adwell, who was accused of setting a fire in a warehouse which killed another man. Daniel goes to his more experienced friend, Kitteridge for help. The head of the firm, Marcus fford Croft okays them to represent Jessie. Appleby, the police surgeon tells them the man died of a cracked skull.

Daniel goes to his friend Miriam, Marcus' daughter, because she has studied forensic science. She arranges for them to talk to Sir Barnabus Saltram, who is an expert on fires and with whom she studied. Barnabus agrees to testify, and in the trial he convinces the jury that the head injury which cracked the skull was caused by the heat of the fire. Thus, Rob is declared innocent, and this causes a surprising chain of events.

Several weeks later, Daniel meets Inspector Quarles in a bar, and finds out Rob Adwell has been killed in another hot fire similar to the fire for which Daniel had defended Rob! When he is asked to defend Jessie, who has been arrested, he is told that she actually has the money to pay him. Daniel realizes he has to defend her, but, he now feels that she must be guilty of both fires and has tricked him into defending her, using the first case as a test. They have probably been fighting for control of the gang. Again, Daniel goes to Miriam, who goes to her friend Ottershaw. They must figure out how to appear to be defending Jessie and still get her sentenced as guilty. Saltram must testify again, but somehow, he must be shown to be wrong. If Saltram is shown to be wrong, there are many cases that have been settled based on Saltram's testimony. He is a very self asured man who will become even more of an enemy if he is proved wrong.

About this point, I couldn't put the book down!

[Cathyreynertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent adventure with Daniel and Miriam battling evil of the downtrodden.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one, but it seemed very slow paced for at least the first half of the book, and I admit to taking long stretches off between sessions of reading. I do hope Daniel wakes up to his true feelings for Miriam soon. After all, Charlotte and Pitt overcame their major romantic hurdle by the end of the first book in that series.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the fact that this story tackled headfirst the way women are dismissed as being capable of being doctors or scientists and how it can be foolish to underestimate a woman just because of her sex.

[Paul Sand · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Imported automatically from my blog. Some formatting there may not have translated here.]

Yet another entry in the "Wish I'd Liked It Better" Department. I've been hitting a lot of those lately, usually because I trusted "recommendations" from a reliable source. In this case, Tom Nolan's compilation of 2020's "best" mysteries. Really, Tom?

It's the third entry in Anne Perry's series of novels featuring young earnest lawyer Daniel Pitt; he's the son of Thomas Pitt, who has a 32-book series! There are numerous references to occurrences (I assume) in those previous books, but that's par for the course, and didn't bother me that much.

It's set in 1910 England, and Daniel is wheedled by a young woman into defending her petty criminal boyfriend against a murder charge; the forensic evidence seems to say that he bashed in the skull of another criminal while robbing a warehouse, then set a fire to cover things up.

This sounds dubious, but Daniel enlists the daughter of his firm's head, Miriam, to importune a well-known forensic scientist to testify that the damage to the victim's skull could have been caused by the extreme heat of the fire; skull bones have been known to crack in such conflagrations. Reasonable doubt is established, the boyfriend goes free…

Only to wind up dead in exactly the same way. And this time, the girlfriend is accused of the crime. And demands that Daniel defend her.

And this is when Daniel smells a rat. About time.

I found Anne Perry's style in this book irritating and repetitious. Mostly it's people talking to each other. Which is fine, but interspersed between the dialog lines are lengthy descriptions of mental states: Why did they say that? What do they think about what they just heard? What did they look like when they said it? How should they respond? This way? No, that wouldn't be proper, how about this?

And then the next bit of speech is uttered. C'mon, Anne. Just tell me what they said.

I also found the plotting to be sloppy and not particularly believable. (Perhaps I'm cranky, because I came up with a theory of what was "really going on"; which turned out to be totally wrong.)

Anne Perry is a best-selling novelist with legions of fans. So your mileage may differ. She's not my cup of tea.

(Oh, yeah, did I mention the tea? I swear, there are more words devoted to tea in this book than to crime-solving.)

[Ray Palen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Anne Perry stepped away from her two best-selling recurring Victorian Era mystery series, one featuring Thomas & Charlotte Pitt and the other with Inspector William Monk, I thought it was just a one-time diversion. The protagonist was Daniel Pitt, the young lawyer who happened to be the son of Thomas & Charlotte. Now, with the release of ONE FATAL FLAW, Perry not only has released her third Daniel Pitt novel but also presented a book that may very well be the best she has written in years --- and that is high praise indeed as all of her work is top-notch.

The year is 1910 and Daniel Pitt is a junior lawyer working under the more seasoned Thomas Kitteridge. Pitt just happens to be there in the office when a woman named Jessie Beale comes in seeking representation. It turns out that there was a warehouse fire that took place during the alleged commission of a crime. Beale's boyfriend, Rob Adwell, was at this warehouse after hours with a man named Paddy Jackson. Their intention was to rob the place. Their plans were quickly scuttled when a fire broke out, leaving behind a lot of damage as well as the corpse of one Paddy Jackson. Upon arresting Rob Adwell, the local police charged him with murder as, in their initial determination, Paddy Jackson had suffered a severe blow to the back of his head and then the fire was set in order to cover this act up.

With Rob Adwell, a small-time thug with a lengthy police record, being accused of murder it was extremely likely that he would hang for that offense. However, Jessie Beale swears his innocence and Mr. Adwell does likewise when Daniel Pitt goes to meet with him while in holding. The only way to prevent this open and shut case from going down quickly in the judicial system would be if Pitt could obtain some sort of expert testimony to raise a shadow of a doubt about Adlow's guilt. Pitt immediately reaches out to his good friend and frequent colleague, Miriam fford Croft. She is the smartest person he knows and also an above-average forensic scientist. On Miriam's recommendation, they reach out to an expert on fire and arson cases --- one of Miriam's former College Professors, Sir Barnabas Saltram.

Sir Barnabas has testified in many court cases over the years and his opinion was well-respected. He assesses the Adwell case and indicates that, in the case of severe heat from fire, a skull may actually crack under that intense pressure. With the jury taking this into account, it means that any pre-meditation on Adwell's part will be off the table and there will be more than a mere shadow of a doubt as to the implication that Adwell struck Paddy Jackson and left him to die. The jury comes back with a not guilty verdict and everyone is happy. That is until three weeks later when Jessie Beale darkens Daniel Pitt's doorway a second time. This time, the situation is reversed. It seems that her boyfriend Rob Adwell has died in a similar fire and that Jessie has been placed under arrest and accused with his murder.

This puts Daniel Pitt in the morally ambiguous situation that many defense attorneys must experience --- the difficulty in defending a client you know is guilty. Yes, by law, everyone is entitled to legal representation and a fair trial --- but in this case, Jessie Beale has practically thrown in Daniel Pitt's face the fact that she proudly committed the act and expected Pitt to pull out the expert testimony of Sir Barnabas Saltram one more time to get her off the hook. Pitt has a lot of trouble dealing with this predicament but understands the oath he took as a defense attorney and he follows through with his client's request to use Saltram's testimony in her defense. It is here where Pitt somewhat ethically crosses the line, yet does so in a completely legal way. Pitt does not want to attack Saltram's testimony because it would then refute the result of the Adwell case as well as the dozens of previous cases he used the exploding skull premise in. Instead, he works with Miriam to identify another fire and arson expert and have them testify on behalf of the prosecution. This new expert is a woman named Dr. Evelyn 'Eve' Hall and she completely refutes Saltram's testimony.

The jury returns in a mere thirty minutes with a verdict of guilty. Pitt is now off the hook --- yes, he took a loss as defense counsel but won the moral battle with his own conscience. This all takes place in the first half of the novel, so astute readers will be on their toes for another bombshell to hit. The bombshell strikes in the form of a Mrs. Adria Leigh. The surname is quite familiar to Pitt, as with many people who recall the famous court case twenty years prior in which a well-known actress named Marguerite Daventry perished in a house fire. The man who was eventually executed for arson and Daventry's murder was Adria Leigh's husband. He and his wife pleaded his innocence to no avail. It seems that it was the expert testimony of a then fledgling Barnabas Saltram that sold the jury on the possibility that the husband of Marguerite Daventry may have been the actual guilty party, paving a clear path for Leigh's execution.

Mrs. Leigh wants the Daventry case reopened to finally vindicate her husband and attempt to un-tarnish the badly sullied reputation and prejudice her and her son have suffered with for the past twenty years. To do so, Daniel Pitt will have to call out Sir Barnabas Saltram and every single case he testified in. This is not only potential career suicide for young Pitt, but the fallout of such a claim against a well-respected pillar of society might take down everyone close to Pitt in the process. He knows what he is dealing with in Saltram, a cagey and cunning character who will stop at nothing to defend his honor. The one fatal flaw in this novel of the same title may very well be Saltram's vanity --- but that does not make Daniel Pitt's job any easier. ONE FATAL FLAW is an outstanding read that takes the Anne Perry standard of meting out justice while walking that thin line between what is morally and ethically right versus what is the easy way out. In these troubled times we currently live in, it was a pleasure to step away for a few hours to spend some time with Daniel Pitt. The problems he faces in this novel are enormous and really put into perspective what it means to do the right thing in the face of the pressure society puts on you to keep your head down and go with the flow. Additionally, it seems like ages ago when the Me Too movement was the headline on the news --- but Anne Perry shrewdly does her best to represent women throughout this novel and showing their worth in a time when they were still looked at for the most part as second-class citizens.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Vicki Kondelik · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Fatal Flaw is the third book in Anne Perry’s mystery series featuring young lawyer Daniel Pitt and forensic scientist Miriam fford Croft, set in 1910 London. Daniel is the son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, the main characters in Perry’s best-selling series. He is a recent graduate of Cambridge University, and works for Marcus fford Croft, Miriam’s father, along with Toby Kitteridge, a somewhat older, more experienced trial lawyer. Kitteridge argues the cases in court, while Daniel does the investigative work. Marcus, who is slowly losing his memory, usually stays in the background, except in one memorable trial toward the end of the book. Marcus’ brilliant daughter, Miriam, a woman of 40, has assisted Daniel in two previous cases. She has a passion for science, and, when she was younger, she wanted to get a medical degree, but that was not permitted for women, at least in England. Miriam has done all the coursework to become a scientist, and passed all her exams, but, at this time, she was not allowed to take a degree. This is a time when forensic science was relatively new, and fingerprints and X-rays were just beginning to be admitted as evidence in court.

This particular case involves Robert Adwell, a member of a gang of thieves, who is accused of setting a warehouse fire in which a member of a rival gang died. The victim’s skull was cracked, apparently from a blow to the head, and Adwell escaped with only minor burns. Adwell’s girlfriend, Jessie Beale, insists that he’s innocent and asks Daniel to defend him. Daniel feels sorry for her and takes up the case, even though it is Kitteridge, as the senior lawyer, who will be arguing in court. Even though Miriam has as brilliant a mind as any scientist, she does not have a degree, so she will not be allowed to testify as an expert witness. Instead, she agrees to ask her former teacher, Sir Barnabas Saltram, to testify, even though she and Saltram hate each other. The reason for this is gradually revealed throughout the novel. It goes back to when she was a student, and I admit I guessed wrong. I had suspected that Saltram sexually harassed Miriam, but it turns out to be more complicated than that.

Saltram testifies that the heat of the fire was intense enough to crack the victim’s skull on its own, and Adwell is acquitted. Then Adwell himself dies in exactly the same way, and this time Jessie is accused of murder. Daniel knows that both deaths cannot be accidental, and that Saltram’s testimony was wrong. Jessie practically admits her guilt to him, but he takes up her defense because he knows she is entitled to one. So he faces the lawyer’s dilemma of what to do when you know that your client is guilty. In this case, Daniel suspects that she’s guilty of both murders, because she wanted to take control of the criminal enterprise.

Miriam finds a female doctor, Evelyn Hall, to contradict Saltram’s testimony. Dr. Hall is a great character, and I hope we see more of her in future books. Hall got her medical degree in the Netherlands, where, at that time, women were allowed to earn medical degrees. Why Miriam didn’t follow the same path is an interesting question, which is just barely touched on in this book. On the basis of Dr. Hall’s testimony, Jessie is found guilty. The verdict calls into question all the cases in which Saltram gave evidence.

After Jessie Beale is found guilty, Daniel decides to look into the case that made Saltram’s reputation, twenty years earlier. The wife of Sir Roger Daventry died in a fire at his country estate. Her skull was cracked in the same way as the two other victims. At the time, a worker on the estate had been hanged for the murder, and now the dead man’s widow asks Daniel to clear her husband’s name, because the family has been ruined as a result of his conviction and execution. Once again, Daniel finds himself in a dilemma because Saltram is vindictive, and if Daniel pursues the case, he will gain a powerful enemy, and Saltram will ruin both his and Miriam’s reputations. Daniel wants justice to be served, though, and he agrees to take on the case. But will the consequences prove too costly?

Anne Perry has written an excellent courtroom thriller. The trial scenes are wonderfully dramatic, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Daniel is a sympathetic protagonist, young and rather naive, and determined to do what is right no matter the cost. He is also rather unsure of himself, since he is new to his profession. Also, because his father is a famous police detective, Daniel often wonders how much of his career he owes to his father’s reputation instead of his own merits. It will be very interesting to see how he develops in future novels. Even though Daniel is a great character, I think Miriam is the outstanding character of the novel. She is a brilliant scientist, but without a degree to show for it, and she also is full of self-doubt because sometimes she wonders if she’s too emotional to be a great scientist. Miriam has obviously been damaged by her past experience with Saltram, and this is possibly a reason why she was previously unable to fulfill her potential. It is difficult to say whether there will be any romance between her and Daniel. The age difference—she is 40 and he is 25—would have been quite an obstacle in their time, even though if she had been 25 and he had been 40, no one would have thought anything of it. There are some slight hints that Miriam finds Daniel attractive, but so far that is all. It will be very interesting to see how their relationship plays out. I highly recommend One Fatal Flaw to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or courtroom drama. It is the third in a series, as I said, but I have not yet read the first two, and I was able to follow it very well without having read them, even though it made me want to. The fourth book in the series has just been published.

[Renny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put the book down....

The Daniel Pit series by Anne Perry, as demonstrated in this book, is full of fresh complex situations with intriguing multi-faceted mysteries to be solved. I look forward to her stories always.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her best. It was like three stories with a common thread. No mystery to figure out. I had a to force myself to finish, kept thinking something more would happen.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that it took me nearly a month to finish this book was not a commentary on the book itself but the events and madness happening right now. This book looks at fire, three fires to be exact. Daniel is approached by a young woman named Jessie. Jessie's boyfriend is charged with murder in the arson and ultimate death of a rival gang member. Daniel enlists the help of Miriam fford Croft who is my all time favourite book heroine ever. She calls on her old professor Sir Barnbas Saltram an expert in fires. He is an arrogant man with horrible ideas about women and a much too high opinion of himself, but he is compelling as a witness and Daniel wins the case. Weeks later it is Jessie who is on trial for murder in a nearly identical case. This time Daniel is certain that she's guilty. Again Saltram gives evidence, but this time another expert, a woman (gasp) refutes his findings and Jessie is sent to prison. Unfortunately for Daniel you can't try to take down a man as great as Barnabas Saltram without a fight and when another woman approaches Daniel for help it involves the case that gave Saltram his reputation as an expert and the dominoes begin to fall. Saltram however will not give up without a fight and this could put Daniel and Miriam and those they love in grave danger. As I said the book was great and helped me to escape when I most needed to after tough days at work during the high anxiety of a pandemic even if it was only a few minutes here and there. Miriam is someone I adore, an older single, career woman after my own heart. Finally a female protagonist who's intelligent, beautiful, childfree, happily single and is still a likeable character instead of a total bitch who's too ugly to get a man like they usually are. I like Daniel and Miriam as a team and can't help but wonder where future books will take their friendship.