The Fourth Enemy by Anne PerryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
At the beginning of his sixth adventure, young lawyer Daniel Pitt’s life has changed in some dramatic ways. Firstly, he and strong-willed forensic scientist Miriam fford Croft, after finally acknowledging their compatibility and strong mutual attraction, have just begun what looks like it will be a very happy marriage, and secondly, Marcus fford Croft, Miriam’s father and Daniel’s boss, has retired from the law firm he founded, hiring the well-reputed but unconventional Gideon Hunter as his replacement.
Almost immediately upon taking over, however, Hunter takes on what could be a make-or-break case for the firm: the prosecution of controversial but also powerful and widely admired newspaper mogul Malcolm Vayne. If Vayne is acquitted, not only will it hurt the firm’s reputation, but he is a man who never forgets a slight and will exercise his considerable influence to do it even more harm. Also, the more they learn about his financial dealings, the clearer it becomes that he is acquiring political power and influence, both at home and abroad, that could endanger the security of the nation. The case eventually escalates to include murder and the placing of Miriam in imminent peril of death before concluding in a dramatic courtroom scene and verdict.
The first half of the book went a bit slowly for my taste, but things quickly picked up once the trial began, and as always, Perry’s characters and the relationships between them are vivid and unforgettable. I particularly liked Gideon Hunter’s wife Rose, who finds a common cause with Miriam in her advocacy of women’s suffrage, and Nadine Parnell, a doughty elderly woman who has done accounting for Vayne for years and is willing to testify against him despite an attempt on her life.
Sadly, Anne Perry passed away right after the publication of The Fourth Enemy, so unless she has left outlines behind and her heirs hire someone to continue the series, this will be the last we hear from Daniel Pitt. I have been reading her books since shortly after the beginning of her first series featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt, and will sorely miss her. RIP, Ms. Perry.
I received a copy of The Fourth Enemy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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