Britain’s secret intelligence service, MI6, has lost contact with its informant in northern Italy, just as important information about the future plans of Austria and Nazi Germany is coming to light. And young Elena Standish is the only person who can recognize MI6’s man --- because he is her former lover. Aiden Strother betrayed her six years before. Now, with so much to prove, Elena heads to Trieste to track down Aiden. As Elena gets word of a secret group working to put Austria in the hands of Germany, her older sister, Margot, is in Berlin to watch a childhood friend get married --- to a member of the Gestapo. Margot and Elena’s grandfather, the former head of MI6, is none too happy about the sisters’ travels at this tumultuous time, especially when a violent event at home reminds him that even Britain is growing dangerous.

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. 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?

Daniel Pitt, along with his parents, Charlotte and Thomas, is delighted that his sister, Jemima, and her family have returned to London from the States for a visit. But the Pitts soon learn of a harrowing incident: In Washington, D.C., one of Jemima’s good friends has been assaulted and her treasured necklace stolen. The perpetrator appears to be a man named Philip Sidney, a British diplomat stationed in America’s capital who, in a cowardly move, has fled to London, claiming diplomatic immunity. But that claim doesn’t cover his other crimes. When Sidney winds up in court on a separate charge of embezzlement, it falls to Daniel to defend him.

As beautiful as it may be, their friends’ country house is not where Lady Vespasia wishes to spend Christmas with her new husband, Victor Narraway, former head of the London Special Branch. As tensions grow, the young and beautiful Iris Watson-Watt becomes the center of several men’s focus. Unbeknownst to Vespasia, Iris carries a sensitive package that she must pass to Victor in the hope of unmasking a British traitor. While Victor plots his moves, he is reminded of a similar case from 20 years before, when a young Frenchwoman also carried a clandestine message --- one that resulted in her still-unsolved murder. Victor has always been tormented by his failure to protect her, and now he must act fast before history repeats itself.

On vacation from London on the beautiful Italian coast, 28-year-old Elena Standish and her older sister, Margot, have finally been able to move on from the lasting trauma of the Great War, in which the newly married Margot lost her husband and the sisters their beloved brother. Touring with her camera in hand, Elena has found new inspiration in the striking Italian landscape, and she’s met an equally striking man named Ian. When Ian has to leave unexpectedly, Elena finds she’s not ready to part from him, and the two share a spontaneous train trip home to England. But a shocking sequence of events disrupts their itinerary, forcing Elena to personally deliver a message to Berlin on Ian’s behalf, one that could change the fate of Europe.

When kidnappers choose a broken-down waterside slum as the site of a ransom exchange for the wife of wealthy real estate developer Harry Exeter, the Thames River Police and Commander William Monk shadow Harry to the spot to ensure that no harm comes to him or his captive wife. But on arrival, Monk and five of his best men are attacked from all sides. Certain that one of his colleagues has betrayed him, Monk delves into each of their pasts, one of which hides a dreadful secret. Soon facing a series of deadly obstructions, Monk must choose between his own safety and the chance to solve the mystery --- and to figure out where his men’s loyalty really lies.

Throughout the annals of fiction, there have been many celebrated detective teams: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Nick and Nora Charles. Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. That last pair is the creation of beloved mystery writer Anne Perry, who, as the editor of ODD PARTNERS and in conjunction with Mystery Writers of America, has enlisted some of today’s best mystery writers to craft all-new stories about unlikely duos who join forces --- sometimes unwillingly --- to solve beguiling whodunits.

1910: Twenty-five-year-old Daniel Pitt is a junior barrister in London and eager to prove himself, independent of his renowned parents’ influence. And the new case before him will be the test. When his client, arrogant biographer Russell Graves, is found guilty of murdering his wife, Daniel is dispatched to find the real killer before Graves faces the hangman’s noose --- in only 21 days. Could Mrs. Graves’ violent death have anything to do with her husband’s profession? Someone in power may be framing the biographer to keep damaging secrets from coming to light. It is a theory that leads Daniel’s investigation unexpectedly to London’s Special Branch --- and, disturbingly, to one of his father’s closest colleagues.

Formerly a river urchin living on the banks of the Thames, nine-year-old Worm has never experienced a family Christmas. But thanks to a job at Hester Monk’s clinic, he’s found a makeshift family in kindly volunteer Miss Claudine Burroughs and curmudgeonly old bookkeeper Squeaky Robinson. When Worm witnesses the abduction of a beautiful woman by a pair of ruffians just days before Christmas, he frantically turns to Squeaky for help. What neither of the would-be saviors expects, however, is that the damsel in distress already has her dilemma well in hand…and is taking steps to bring her captors to justice for crimes far worse than kidnapping. But the rogues, as cunning as they are deadly, are not to be underestimated.

A Hungarian warehouse owner lies in the middle of his blood-sodden office, pierced through the chest with a bayonet and eerily surrounded by 17 candles, their wicks dipped in blood. Suspecting the murder may be rooted in ethnic prejudice, Commander William Monk turns to London’s Hungarian community in search of clues but finds his inquiries stymied by its wary citizens and a language he doesn’t speak. Only with the help of a local pharmacist acting as translator can Monk hope to penetrate this tightly knit enclave, even as more of its members fall victim to identical brutal murders. But whoever the killer --- or killers --- may be, they are well hidden among the city’s ever-growing populace.

The body of Sir John Halberd, the Queen’s confidant, has been found in the shallow water of the Serpentine in Hyde Park, bearing the evidence of a fatal blow to the head. At Her Majesty’s request, Sir John had been surreptitiously investigating Alan Kendrick, a horse-racing enthusiast who seems to have had an undue amount of influence on her son, the Prince of Wales. Now Thomas Pitt must navigate the corridors of power with the utmost discretion and stealth, for it seems certain that Sir John’s killer is a member of the upper classes. Aided by his wife, Charlotte, and her social contacts, Pitt seeks out the hidden motives behind the polite façade of those to the manner born --- and uncovers a threat to the throne that could topple the monarchy.

As Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother, Mariah Ellison, finds herself investigating a long-unsolved slaying, it becomes clear that grappling with intrigue and foul play runs in the family. A festive Christmas package left on Mariah’s doorstep contains an ominous present, sparking memories of a 20-year-old murder that shattered her friendship with the victim’s widow. Though the gift is a bitter reminder of that tragic time, in the spirit of the season Mariah travels to Surrey in hopes of reconciling with her estranged friend and solving the crime that drove them apart. But Surrey’s picturesque hills conceal dark doings and shocking revelations that could make the holiday anything but calm and bright.

When Commander Monk of the Thames River Police is called to investigate the drowning of an escaped prisoner, he’s forced to contend with customs officer McNab, who clearly bears a bitter grudge against him. But the reason is a mystery in itself. Monk’s memory loss --- a secret he guards closely --- leaves him vulnerable to repercussions from his missing past, especially his exploits overseas in the tumultuous Gold Rush days of San Francisco. And now McNab appears intent on using whatever damning facts he can find to his advantage to ruin Monk’s future as an officer of the law.

When an explosion in London kills two policemen and seriously injures three more, many believe that anarchists are the culprits. But Thomas Pitt knows the city’s radical groups well enough to suspect that someone with decidedly more personal motives lit the deadly fuse. As he investigates the source of the fatal blast, Pitt is stunned to discover that the bombing was a calculated strike against the ranks of law enforcement. But still more shocking revelations await. As he pursues each increasingly threatening lead, Pitt finds himself impeded at every turn by the barriers put in place to protect the rich and powerful.

The year is 1900, and Victor Narraway is giving his wife, Vespasia, an unforgettable Christmas present --- a trip to Jerusalem. Vespasia is enchanted by the exotic landscape of Palestine, and charmed by a fellow traveler the Narraways meet at their hotel in Jaffa. But when the man is murdered over a torn piece of ancient parchment he was taking to Jerusalem, Victor and Vespasia risk their lives to finish his mission and deliver the puzzling document to its home. Pursued by a shadowy figure with evil intent, they embark on a dangerous yet ultimately enlightening pilgrimage to the holy city, where the mysterious message on the parchment may finally be revealed.

When Thomas Pitt is tasked with playing bodyguard to Sofia Delacruz, a young and controversial British preacher who has been living in Spain and has returned to England on a mysterious errand, he thinks it’s a waste of Special Branch’s time and resources. But when kidnappers manage to reach Sofia --- murdering two of her companions in the process --- Pitt learns that the message the lovely evangelist was meant to deliver was far more urgent than he knew.

Lonely Charles Latterly arrives at his small hotel hoping that the island’s blue skies and gentle breezes will brighten his spirits. Unfortunately, there’s no holiday cheer to be found among his fellow guests, who include a pompous novelist, a stuffy colonel, a dangerously ill-matched married couple, and an ailing old man. The one charming exception is orphaned teenager Candace Finbar, who takes Charles under her wing and introduces him to the island’s beauty. But when a body is found, Charles quickly realizes that the killer must be among the group of guests.

The monomaniacal Rand brothers are ruthless in their pursuit of a cure for what was then known as the fatal “white-blood disease.” In London’s Royal Naval Hospital annex, nurse Hester Monk is tending one of the brothers’ dying patients when she stumbles upon three terrified young children and learns that they’ve been secretly purchased and imprisoned by the Rands for experimental purposes. Before Hester can reveal the truth, she too becomes a prisoner; the brothers are too close to a miracle cure to allow their experiments to be exposed.

William Monk is witness to the terrible bombing of an afternoon pleasure boat on the river that leaves 200 people dead. An Egyptian man is quickly caught, tried and sentenced to death --- and then just as swiftly murdered in prison. When evidence surfaces that proves the dead man innocent, the case is handed to Monk, who now must rely on his own memory of the event to help piece together what really happened.

The local police have found evidence of what appears to be an ugly crime at the home of Dudley Kynaston, an important member of the Ministry of Defense. Thomas Pitt and the Special Branch are called in to investigate. But the case takes a deadlier turn when the mutilated corpse of a young woman is found near the Kynaston home a few weeks later, and Pitt begins to realize that Kynaston himself is not entirely what he seems.

Twenty-three-year-old Jemima Pitt, the daughter of Thomas Pitt and head of Britain’s Special Branch, is crossing the Atlantic. She is traveling with an acquaintance, Delphinia Cardew, who is to marry the aristocratic Brent Albright in a high-society New York wedding. When Harley, the groom’s charismatic brother, asks Jemima to help him search for Delphinia’s disgraced mother, Maria, and forestall the scandal that would surely follow if the prodigal parent turned up at the wedding, she agrees to assist him.

Claudine Burroughs dreads the holiday season for forcing her to face how empty her life has become. That all changes in the blink of an eye when a young streetwalker is brought to an exclusive holiday party Claudine is attending and then is allegedly murdered by a charming poet she had befriended. Can she save him from the gallows before Christmas?

A charismatic minister has been accused of using the faith and gullibility of his congregation for his own financial gain. When the defense comes up with a witness whose testimony completely undermines the evidence, Judge Oliver Rathbone resorts to a desperate measure to force him to recant his statement. When the guilty verdict is announced, the minister and his family are found dead, Rathbone is arrested for blackmail, and William Monk and his wife must enter the fray to unravel the truth and set their friend free.

The beloved husband-and-wife team of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt take on a traumatic murder case with chilling implications, exposing a nightmare world of fear and intimidation in which women are too often blamed for the violent attacks against them and powerful men take what they want --- leaving others to pay the price.

Monty Danforth finds the tin buried beneath a shipment of leather-bound classics. Inside is a millennia-old vellum manuscript written in an unfamiliar but unmistakably ancient language. Danforth tries to photocopy and photograph it, but he ends up with blank images, as though the ink were made of something impervious to modern technology. As the scroll’s mystery enchants him, this hapless bookseller falls into a cutthroat conspiracy that he may never escape.

Sent to India during the midst of the Indian Mutiny against the East India Company, Victor Narraway (Thomas Pitt's future boss) is charged with defending a British medical orderly accused of murdering a fellow guard. With the help of two small children, a Christmas garland, and some brilliant detective work, Narraway manages to find his Christmas miracle --- and learns a lesson about hope that he carries with him for the rest of his life.

As commander of the River Police, William Monk is accustomed to violent death, but the mutilated body of a female moves him with horror and pity. The victim’s name is Zenia Gadney. Her waterfront neighbors can tell him little --- only that the same unknown gentleman had visited her once a month for many years. What sinister secrets could have made poor Zenia worth killing? And why does the government keep interfering in Monk’s investigation?

Rumors reach Thomas Pitt,  now the powerful head of Britain’s Special Branch, of a plot to blow up connections on the Dover-London rail line --- on which Austrian duke Alois Habsburg is soon to travel to visit his royal English kin. Why would anyone destroy an entire train to kill one obscure Austrian royal, or are the rumors designed to distract Pitt from an even more devastating plot?

A familiar face from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels --- Charlotte’s mother, Caroline --- travels with her young husband, Joshua Fielding, and his theatrical troupe to Whitby, the Yorkshire fishing village where Dracula the vampire first touched English soil in the sensational novel named after him.

This latest installment in Anne Perry’s Victorian crime series finds Commander William Monk returning to a dangerous case that he thought he had left behind. High-stakes murder, conspiracy and dark secrets abound, and no one involved will escape unharmed.

Charlotte and Thomas Pitt are called out of London, to Ireland and France respectively, each chasing the person or group behind a sinister plot aimed directly at taking down the British government and Queen Victoria herself.