Twenty-One Days

I've only read one other book by Anne Perry, although she has written a lot of mysteries based in England, which I tend to like. I read one of her fluffy holiday books (The Christmas Return), which had links to the characters of her primary series featuring Charlotte and Thomas  Pitt (over 30 novels). This is the first of an intended series featuring their son, Daniel, who is working as a junior barrister in a prestigious law firm. Daniel gets assigned by the head of the firm to assist with a case where their client, Russell Graves, is charged with the murder of his wife, Ebony. Although there is certainly some doubt about the motive Graves might have had to murder his wife, he is an arrogant man and the jury returns a verdict of guilty. Daniel and the lead attorney, Kitteridge, have 21 days to find compelling evidence that would cause the court to reconsider the verdict--an appeal. As Daniel presses Graves for other reasons his wife might have been murdered, it emerges that Graves is a muck-racking biographer and may have threatened powerful people who would frame him for the murder in order to stop publication of an upcoming book. When Daniel finds the manuscript, it turns out that these people could very well include his father, who is currently the head of the Met's Special Office. The manuscript not only insinuates dirty dealings on the part of Thomas Pit but also of the previous holder of the office and his wife, both long-time friends of the Pitt family. Daniel is torn, but feels he must pursue the leads to save Graves from the gallows if he is innocent of the murder. What he finds to exonerate Graves is based on the early forensic use of x-rays (this is set in 1910) and on interviews with Graves' children and household staff. It's a surprising twist in the story and I was thoroughly engaged in learning how it would all turn out. Worth the read if you like historical mysteries. Additional reviews available from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.