Highgate Rise: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Series Book 11) - Kindle edition by Perry, Anne. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Anne Perry is a gifted writer who weaves engaging stories of people from nearly every class of Late Victorian England. Can come across as somewhat preachy at times, but the intricacies and twists and turns in her plots are related in an engaging style which draws the reader in. Mildly addictive for those who enjoy the genre.

When a fire breaks out on Highgate Rise, the wife, Clemency, is burned alive, Pitt suspects that her husband, Dr. Scott may have been the arsonist and had lit the fire to kill his wife, in order to collect her large fortune. The good doctor goes to stay with a nearby neighbor and the neighbors house also burns down and the neighbor is killed in the blaze. Each time there is a fire, the doctor is out on a call. Now the doctor really does look like the arsonist rather than the intended victim, but the wife also has a past that might have put her in harms way. She is a crusader for the poor and has found evidence that those of the gentry dealing in properties that are squalid, places of ill repute, and linked to criminal activities, using many avenues and corporation names that make it impossible to trace them back to the wealthy, who are making a fortune off of the proceeds of these tumbled down properties. Charlotte is again set on the path of danger, as she traces the path of Clemency during the last few days of her life to figure out what she knew that might have led to her death. The action stretches from the lowest slums to the loftiest centers of power, as Pitt and Charlotte race to find the murderer before another fire takes the life of Dr. Shaw.

Another Perry novel well-written, but this one has a few surprises and a bit of a different take on the society. It is descriptive of the period and centers on several of the primary societal issues of the day and the need for change - reminded me a bit of Charles Dickens' concerns that a severely stratified society created for the population. It is best to read the "Pitt novels" of Anne Perry in order as there is always prior history involved with the characters. What made this particular novel timely was that some of the issues society faced in that time setting are beginning to get more public attention in our own society and time - and not always in the best way for all concerned.