The legendary Anne Perry is a stalwart of the British historical mystery. Readers of her fine work can be guaranteed of the following each and every time: a perfectly plotted story, believable three-dimensional characters, and a novel with heart and a morally driven theme at its center. But don’t be fooled. In no way are these cozy tales, and Perry is not afraid to take dark turns when necessary.

THREE DEBTS PAID is the fifth novel starring Daniel Pitt, whose parents are Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. When the book opens, Daniel’s assistant, Impney, tells him that his old professor, Nicholas Wolford, was at their office wanting to meet with him. Wolford had written a book about the French Revolution and was accused by another writer of plagiarism. He ended up striking this other man violently in the face at a public setting. Daniel asks if Wolford would apologize; he would, but only for hitting him, not for refuting the accusation.

"Perry has another winner on her hands. Once again she is not afraid to show the dark side of the human condition, and she does so with such impeccable style."

Meanwhile, Daniel is working closely with friends Miriam fford Croft, one of the first female pathologists in London, and Eve Hall, who is assisting her. They are busy with the first of what will be three corpses, all victims of the “Rainy-day Slasher.” Each of their index fingers has been torn off of the dominant hand. This is being kept a secret so that the newspapers don’t find out and indirectly let the killer know that the investigation team is on to his or her methods.

What sets Anne Perry apart from other writers is her way with words. Here is a passage describing Miriam and Eve as they work on this complex case: “The younger woman with the bright hair had opened a door in his mind and showed him a small, lonely world where perspectives shifted, and things assumed utterly different shapes. Reasons formed where there had previously been none. And then they dissolved into smoke, obscuring the sense of other things, leaving a dark confusion so that nothing was recognizable anymore. Was that what madness was like?”

While Daniel is preparing for Woolford’s trial, his client states that the murder victims were most likely killed for something external, a common circumstance each of them shared. This gives Daniel reason to pause --- not so much for what Woolford said, but why he said it. The Slasher case itself takes an unexpected turn, and suddenly the work that the pathologists have been doing is getting hushed up.

Perry has another winner on her hands. Once again she is not afraid to show the dark side of the human condition, and she does so with such impeccable style.