Death with a Double Edge: A Daniel Pitt Novel

Set in 1911, bestseller Perry’s middling fourth mystery featuring London attorney Daniel Pitt (after 2019’s One Fatal Flaw) opens with Daniel identifying a dead man in a police morgue as Jonah Drake, a colleague in his law firm. Drake’s slashed corpse was found in the East End early that morning, but why was he in such a dangerous neighborhood at that time? Daniel breaks the sad news to his head of chambers, who fears the killing may have been related to Drake’s work for the firm and asks Daniel to do some digging. Daniel uncovers unresolved questions concerning two homicide defendants Drake represented, including one whose father, Erasmus Faber, is the owner of Britain’s biggest shipbuilding company. Daniel’s policeman father warns him to tread carefully, as Faber’s business is vital to a country fearful of a German naval buildup. Some melodramatic action mars the closing sections, and Daniel remains an undistinctive lead. Fans of Perry’s longtime series leads, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, Daniel’s parents, will be disappointed. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary. (Apr.)