On a sunny afternoon in late June, Cambridge professor Joseph Reavley is summoned from a student cricket match to learn that his parents have died in an automobile crash. Joseph's brother, Matthew, an officer in the Intelligence Service, reveals that their father had been en route to London to turn over to him a mysterious secret document—allegedly with the power to disgrace England forever and destroy the civilized world. A paper so damning that Joseph and Matthew dared mention it only to their restless sister. Now it has vanished.
What has happened to this explosive document, if indeed it ever existed? How had it fallen into the hands of their father, a quiet countryman? Not even Matthew, with his Intelligence connections, can answer these questions. And Joseph is soon burdened with a second tragedy: the shocking murder of his most gifted student, handsome Sebastian Allard, loved and admired by everyone. Or so it appeared.
Meanwhile, England's seamless peace is cracking—as the distance between the murder of an Austrian archduke by a Serbian anarchist and the death of a brilliant university student by a bullet to the head becomes shorter with each day.
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"I can always depend on a good read when I pick up an Anne Perry book. She is very thorough with her use of description and her plot development. What a great story. Well done! Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford, award-winning author of "The Whistling Bishop" and "F-Stop: A Life in Pictures"." — Emily-Jane (5 out of 5 stars)
"I can always depend on a good read when I pick up an Anne Perry book. She is very thorough with her use of description and her plot development. What a great story. Well done! Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford, award-winning author of "The Whistling Bishop" and "F-Stop: A Life in Pictures"."
" In a word.... depressing. Well written, but not enough to make me read another by the same author. "
" I have read and liked Anne Perry's other mysteries set in Victorian England but this new series set during WWI has really mesmerized me. I am now on book four and wait for the disclosure of who the Peacemaker is "
" very good book, kept you on your seat until the end, one of a series "
" Did not measure up to the beginning. I'll try another Ann Perry title and see what I think. "
" Picked this up for the WWI story line as well as murder mystery. The book seemed to drag a little at times. The description of pre-war England was beautiful and the relationship between the two brothers is interesting as they try to solve their parents murder. Hope the next in the series picks up a little. "
" #3 I didn't care for this book at all. I didn't care for any of the characters and found it uninteresting. "
" Sooooo overwritten.. Everything telegraphed a mile away... Male characters incredibly and unrealistically emotional and dramatic... Depressing that this woman is such a bestselling author. I guess she found a niche and made it her own. "
" Just decided to return to the library as almost 1/2 way into it I found I really didn't care what happend or how it ended. "
" Great read. Recommended by friend as was not disappointed. Look forward to reading the second in this series about WWI. "
" Only so so. This book starts out OK, but the ending is too contrived and a disappointment. "
" I have read a lot of Anne Perry's novels. I have enjoyed the Thomas Pitt and Monk series so I was excited when I saw this series on the shelf at the library by Ms. Perry. But I was unable to become absorbed into book. It seemed to drag and drag. Maybe I'll try it again someday...or maybe not. "
" A disappointment. The writing was mediocre at best, the characters dull. The author has obviously done a lot of research on the time period -- much trivia integrated into the text -- but this is not enough to persuade me to read the rest of this series. "
" Not my favorite Anne Perry novel. Her other series are much better. "
" This book seemed to start very slowly and there were many parts were I zoned out while listening. Having said that, Anne Perry is still an incredible author and I will try the second in the series before I give up on it. "
" Wonderfully written cozy mystery set in England on the verge of WWI. "
" Great series depicting World War I. "
" I liked it fine. It was a book about the beginning of WWI and had a mystery associated to it as well. "
" Good to very good introduction to Ms. Perry's new series. "
" Read for Mystery Book Club November 2004 "
" not sure why it took me so long to get through this. I like this era, and anything British usually tickles my fancy... but this dragged a bit for me, for some reason. "
" I enjoyed this book, although it is dark and tragic. "
Anne Perry (1938-2023) was an English author of historical detective fiction, mysteries, young-adult fantasy, and young-adult fiction, and holiday novels, with several making the New York Times bestsellers list. Her novels were set in Victorian England, the Ottoman empire, and in Europe during WWI and WWI.
Michael Page has been recording audiobooks since 1984 and has over two hundred titles to his credit. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. As a professional actor, he has performed regularly since 1998 with the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He is a professor of theater at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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