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Seven Dials Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,283 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Thomas Pitt, mainstay of Her Majesty’s Special Branch, is summoned to Connaught Square mansion, where the body of a junior diplomat lies huddled in a wheelbarrow. Nearby stands the tenant of the house, the beautiful, notorious Egyptian woman Ayesha Zakhari, who falls under the shadow of suspicion. Pitt’s orders are to protect—at all costs—the good name of the third person in the garden: senior cabinet minister Saville Ryerson. The distinguished public servant, whispered to be Ayesha’s lover, insists that she is as innocent as Pitt himself. Pitt’s journey to uncover the truth takes him from Egyptian cotton fields to the insidious London slum called Seven Dials—and ultimately to a packed London courtroom in which shocking secrets will at last be revealed.
“Intricately layered … The visual panorama is voluptuous to behold.”—New York Times Book Review
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"This one was quite a shocker compared to most of Anne's lightweight mysteries. England was occupying Egypt at the time, though not officially. In England an Egyptian woman is accused if killing a minor government official in the middle of the night in her own garden. When the police arrive due to an anonymous informant, her lover, and senior member of Parliament who represents the area in England where raw Egyptian cotton is processed into fabric, has arrived. She claims to have found him dead rather than killed the man. The Parliament member admits to planning to help her hide the body though he does not believe she murdered him. The whole time Pitt is investigating this his wife is trying to find information on a missing servant who is the brother of her own cook. Eventually the two cases tie together in a way you would never have expected and the reason for the killing and the involvement of the Parliment official is a total surprise. The final scene is really out of character for Anne Perry's writing and is an excellent ending."
— Tracy (4 out of 5 stars)
Seven Dials Listener Reviews
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" The solution is a bit more obvious than some of her novels, the situation a bit more contrived, but still quite a good read. "
— Michael, 2/18/2014 -
" Pitts do it again. "
— Hapzydeco, 2/10/2014 -
" Interesting story with characters I like. "
— Diane, 2/8/2014 -
" Interesting to read about how Egyptians were viewed in England and vice versa. And how the authorities were more concerned with covering up a crime than exposing it if it would affect the empire in a negative way. "
— Sue, 2/6/2014 -
" Faced paced ending, aftera somewhat slow start. I remembered who did it, but not why ... all these secrets that would break down the Empire! How many can there be?! "
— Mary, 2/1/2014 -
" I am curious to read any book my mom gives 5 stars. I just downloaded to my kindle and will spend Friday night with a good book and learn more about my mom at the same time. I am looking forward to it. "
— Marsali, 2/1/2014 -
" Another good one by Anne Perry. This one was interesting with Pitt's trip to Egypt. "
— Cheryl, 1/17/2014 -
" Very good thrilling story. "
— Mary, 1/14/2014 -
" Pedestrian. Repetitive. Solution too easy. "
— Rebecca, 1/6/2014 -
" This was a reaelly well done historical mystery. I'm looking forward to reading more Anne Perry. "
— Kate, 12/20/2013 -
" This book was Anne Perry at her best! Interesting political tensions with Egypt and wonderful plot twists - everything that makes good historical fiction and compelling mystery. "
— Ndshill, 12/17/2013 -
" You need to be patient in an Anne Perry book. The case wasn't solved until the last two pages. I really enjoy her books and the people in them. "
— Virginia, 12/4/2013 -
" Intriguing; interesting setting around England and Egypt. "
— Jenny, 10/28/2013 -
" Excellent addition to the Pitt series, with an interesting diversion to Alexandria, Egypt. As usual, the setting and characters are as important as the mystery. "
— Pat, 8/12/2013 -
" Really enjoy listening to these books; Perry brings the Victorian period to life; the politics, social mores of all classes, the homes, the smells and noises. This is was especially interesting right now since it dealt with political turmoil in Egypt. "
— Joan, 7/9/2013 -
" Not a bad mystery, but too far into the series to read first. "
— Rannie, 4/3/2013 -
" Thomas Pitt is charming and alluring but Charlotte steals your heart with her boldness and elegance for a woman in that era...A must read if youo enjoy the old times victorian feel. "
— Deepashri, 11/8/2012 -
" This had some great twists and turns...loved it! "
— Natalie, 10/16/2012 -
" I think this was one of the better books in the series. The plot was intriguing--complex, but not impossible to follow. There was more development of each of the major characters, too. "
— Margaret, 10/10/2012 -
" This is the best one yet! The ending was a total surprise to me. "
— Jodee, 4/9/2012 -
" I faintly remember this book as being the first Anne Perry book that I read some years ago. It was nice to put the non mystery part of the story into context. The book had a nice dramatic ending and the why behind the crime was at least somewhat plausible. "
— Allison, 4/3/2012 -
" A good mystery that doesn't get solved until the very end. Interesting historical reference (British in Egypt) and furthering Gracie and Tellman's romance. "
— Jill, 6/13/2011 -
" It took me a while to really begin to get interested in this novel but towards the end, it really picked up steam and I was racing through the streets with Pitt and feeling the freshness of a new discovery. Great read. "
— Cindy, 1/5/2011 -
" Excellent addition to the Pitt series, with an interesting diversion to Alexandria, Egypt. As usual, the setting and characters are as important as the mystery. "
— Pat, 12/14/2010 -
" Interesting to read about how Egyptians were viewed in England and vice versa. And how the authorities were more concerned with covering up a crime than exposing it if it would affect the empire in a negative way. "
— Sue, 11/19/2010 -
" I faintly remember this book as being the first Anne Perry book that I read some years ago. It was nice to put the non mystery part of the story into context. The book had a nice dramatic ending and the why behind the crime was at least somewhat plausible. "
— Allison, 9/12/2010 -
" Interesting story with characters I like. "
— Diane, 8/1/2010 -
" This was a reaelly well done historical mystery. I'm looking forward to reading more Anne Perry. "
— Kate, 4/6/2010 -
" This is the best one yet! The ending was a total surprise to me. "
— Jodee, 12/9/2009 -
" I had never read any Anne Perry titles. I liked this story and the husband/wife duo and her description of Victorian England. "
— Allison, 10/22/2009 -
" This had some great twists and turns...loved it! "
— Natalie, 8/25/2009 -
" If you like murder mysteries, this is a good one - set in the 1800's in England. "
— Pam, 7/13/2009 -
" This book was Anne Perry at her best! Interesting political tensions with Egypt and wonderful plot twists - everything that makes good historical fiction and compelling mystery. "
— Ndshill, 6/10/2009 -
" You need to be patient in an Anne Perry book. The case wasn't solved until the last two pages. I really enjoy her books and the people in them. "
— Virginia, 4/15/2009 -
" I really enjoyed this mystery. I particularly enjoyed how Perry interconnected the two mysteries. "
— LeslieVA, 2/20/2009 -
" A good mystery that doesn't get solved until the very end. Interesting historical reference (British in Egypt) and furthering Gracie and Tellman's romance. "
— Jill, 9/7/2008
About Anne Perry
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.