I enjoy British murder mysteries, especially those set in the past. Anne Perry has two excellent series: her William Monk mysteries, set in mid19th century London; and her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries, set in late 19th/early 20th century London.
The particularly gruesome murder of a middle-aged prostitute on Limehouse Pier soon lands Monk, his wife Hester, and the brilliant barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone in a tangled web of deception thrown up by government ministers, ostensibly to protect the grieving family when a prominent doctor committed suicide after his research on opium use and abuse was rejected by the government. Gradually Monk and Hester begin to suspect that the doctor did not commit suicide but died at the hands of someone who is profiting from the opium trade. And that someone is a powerful man high in government circles, who is manipulating the police and the courts to cover up his own crimes.
The doctor's wife Dinah has insisted from the start that her husband was murdered to prevent him from speaking out. Now she is being framed for the murder of the so-called prostitute. Her conviction and execution will ensure that her accusations and her husband's reputation are thoroughly discredited.
While Monk and Hester, and a few trusted associates, work frantically to uncover the truth, Rathbone must use every weapon in his legal arsenal to defend Dinah and prolong the trial until they can find the evidence to confirm their suspicions. When Rathbone realizes that even the judge has been co-opted by the conspiracy, he must decide whether he should make use of another, darker weapon that fate has placed in his hand.
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