Editorial Content for Death Times Seven: A Daniel Pitt Novel
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
When an author passes away, we lose not only their enormous talents but also the lives of the great characters they have created. In the case of Anne Perry, who left us in 2023, we have the legacy of her various series that have entertained us for decades: William Monk, Elena Standish, Charlotte and Thomas Pitt, and Daniel Pitt.
DEATH TIMES SEVEN is the final Daniel Pitt novel, and the responsibility for wrapping up the series falls on Victoria Zackheim, who pays homage to Perry in the book’s dedication and by breathing life into our protagonist for one more mystery. Daniel is faced with the unspeakable burden of having to inform his mentor and friend, fellow attorney Toby Kitteridge, that Toby’s mother is dead and his father is barely alive. Even worse, it appears that the Reverend Kitteridge may have shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself.
"The dual murder mysteries at the heart of DEATH TIMES SEVEN make for a dynamic and gripping read.... It’s a remarkable finale for such a beloved and memorable series."
Now, the junior attorney must work on an important case for Toby. Peter Ward is accused of the sexual assault and murder of a young woman. Daniel is convinced that Ward is innocent, but the evidence against him most certainly would sway any jury.
The first hurdle for Daniel is accompanying Toby to the town where he was raised to face his mother’s body in the morgue while his father continues to fight for his life. Toby also has a tough battle with his sister, Alberta, who still resents him and his success while she was left behind. When Toby and Daniel insist that an autopsy be performed on their mother to find out if there were any other contributing factors to her death, Alberta is not happy. She eventually relents, and Daniel’s wife, Miriam fford Croft, performs the autopsy. There is a bullet inside the corpse but little else to disprove that she was the victim of a murder-suicide.
Daniel realizes that Toby is not up to return to the Peter Ward case, so he steps into a trial where everything is stacked against his client. As the proceedings edge forward, Daniel finds that the best way to save Ward from execution is to discredit the forensics that the prosecution is using. He has a big advantage on his side --- leaning on the expertise that Miriam brings to the game as she has uncovered evidence showing a community of pathologists who may have withheld and even fraudulently misrepresented evidence that could have instantly exonerated Ward.
How will Daniel be able to convince a jury of this alleged conspiracy without causing an even bigger scandal? This is at the center of what has become the classic moral dilemma that every Anne Perry novel poses.
The dual murder mysteries at the heart of DEATH TIMES SEVEN make for a dynamic and gripping read. Like all of Anne Perry’s longtime readers, I give thanks to Victoria Zackheim for completing what is now officially the final Daniel Pitt novel. It’s a remarkable finale for such a beloved and memorable series.
Teaser
1913: Junior attorney Daniel Pitt must step in for his friend, fellow attorney Toby Kitteridge, whose parents have been brutally attacked. Toby's mother is dead, and his father is barely alive. With Toby returning to the family home in rural Ipswich, Daniel remains in London to substitute for Toby and defend Peter Ward, who is on trial for the sexual assault and murder of a young woman. Daniel is convinced that Ward is innocent, yet the evidence seems to prove otherwise. Eager to assist, his pathologist wife, Miriam fford Croft, offers her forensics expertise. But despite Miriam’s involvement, Daniel finds himself distracted by his desire to help Toby. And when the evidence points to Toby’s father as the killer of Toby’s mother, Daniel faces two of the greatest challenges of his young career: proving the innocence of both Peter Ward and Reverend Kitteridge.
Promo
1913: Junior attorney Daniel Pitt must step in for his friend, fellow attorney Toby Kitteridge, whose parents have been brutally attacked. Toby's mother is dead, and his father is barely alive. With Toby returning to the family home in rural Ipswich, Daniel remains in London to substitute for Toby and defend Peter Ward, who is on trial for the sexual assault and murder of a young woman. Daniel is convinced that Ward is innocent, yet the evidence seems to prove otherwise. Eager to assist, his pathologist wife, Miriam fford Croft, offers her forensics expertise. But despite Miriam’s involvement, Daniel finds himself distracted by his desire to help Toby. And when the evidence points to Toby’s father as the killer of Toby’s mother, Daniel faces two of the greatest challenges of his young career: proving the innocence of both Peter Ward and Reverend Kitteridge.
About the Book
Two violent crimes challenge the investigative skills of young Daniel Pitt and his wife, Miriam, in the final novel of iconic mystery writer Anne Perry's beloved Daniel Pitt series.
1913: Junior attorney Daniel Pitt must step in for his friend, fellow attorney Toby Kitteridge, whose parents have been brutally attacked. Toby's mother is dead, and his father is barely alive. With Toby returning to the family home in rural Ipswich, struggling with grief and disbelief, Daniel remains in London to substitute for Toby and defend Peter Ward, who is on trial for the sexual assault and murder of a young woman.
Daniel is convinced that Ward is innocent, yet the evidence seems to prove otherwise. Eager to assist, his pathologist wife, Miriam fford Croft, offers her forensics expertise and exposes a community of fellow pathologists who may have purposefully omitted information from their autopsy reports. Despite Miriam’s involvement in the case, Daniel finds himself distracted by his desire to help Toby, who is too distraught to investigate the attack on his parents. And when the evidence points to Toby’s father as the killer of Toby’s mother, Daniel faces two of the greatest challenges of his young career: proving the innocence of both Peter Ward and Reverend Kitteridge. One mistake in London and a blameless man will hang. One mistake in Ipswich and Toby’s father will go to prison for life.
DEATH TIMES SEVEN, the seventh and final novel in Anne Perry’s Daniel Pitt series, was completed by Victoria Zackheim, an author and editor as well as Perry’s close friend. Rich in intrigue and courtroom drama, this engrossing novel marks a fitting finale to the career of an author widely praised as the queen of historical crime fiction.
Audiobook available, read by Samuel Roukin
