The Angel Court Affair: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel

Threats to a religious radical become Thomas Pitt's problem in bestseller Perry's 30th historical featuring the Pitt husband-and-wife sleuthing team (after 2014's Death on Blackheath), one of the series' better entries. Sofia Delacruz, an Englishwoman who has been living in Spain, has achieved notoriety for her views on the relationship between man and God. Right before she embarks on a speaking tour of England in April 1898, Sofia receives letters threatening her life, and Thomas, who's in charge of Special Branch, is ordered by his superior to insure that Sofia remains unharmed while on British soil. Since the U.S. has just declared war on Spain after the destruction of the USS Maine, international tensions, already exacerbated by a series of anarchist bombings, are at a high level. The Home Office fears that Sofia's death as a result of her beliefs could lead to war with Spain. Despite Thomas's best efforts, he's unable to shield her from violence. As usual, Perry melds the intellectual debates of the day with a suspenseful plot line. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Mar.)