The traitor among us /

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Elena Standish investigates the murder of a fellow MI6 agent near the country estate of one of England's most influential families in this gripping mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

"Unbearably suspenseful."-- Bookreporter

Not far from the sprawling grounds of Wyndham Hall, the body of longtime MI6 agent John Repton is found, shot dead with a single bullet to the heart. The corpse's proximity to the estate sends ripples of concern through the intelligence community: Repton was killed while surveilling the members of a household with alleged ties to fascists who threaten the security of the country, as Hitler's influence spreads across Europe. Elena Standish is assigned the case, thanks to her new connection to the Wyndham family: Her older sister, Margot, is being courted by Lady Wyndham's brother.

Elena secures an invitation to Wyndham Hall for herself and a companion--her colleague James Allenby. To covertly investigate Repton's murder, the pair must uncover the true loyalties of the people in the house while protecting Margot from her beau's potentially dangerous relatives. But Elena is torn, for her widowed sister has finally found happiness after years of sorrow, and having to take down the Wyndhams would destroy Margot's new relationship.

As Elena and Allenby dig deeper into the Wyndham family's nefarious connections, Margot grows suspicious. Can Elena reconcile her political and professional obligations with her loyalty and love for her sister? Will Elena and Allenby uncover their colleague's killer? In The Traitor Among Us, Anne Perry raises the stakes--for Elena, MI6, and the future of Britain.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Chapter 1 Lucas Standish was not asleep in his chair--not quite. The September sunlight lay in a soft, bright pool on the floor, picking out the colors of the carpet and the patches worn by the passage of feet over the years. He could still hear the soft chattering of the birds from the garden. When the telephone rang, its shrill noise startled him fully awake. It must be important for anyone to call at this time on a Sunday afternoon. He reached for the phone and said quietly, "Standish." "Sorry," the voice at the other end replied. Lucas recognized it, even from that one word. It was James Allenby, back in England after two years in the United States. He did not bother to say that it was urgent. Of course it was. He would not call Lucas for anything less. "What is it?" Lucas did not waste time with trivia. "I'm afraid it's bad." Lucas knew Allenby well enough to recognize how the man's carefully controlled voice betrayed the depth of his emotion. "John Repton is dead," Allenby told him. "Shot and left in a ditch in the countryside. In the Cotswolds, near a private estate called Wyndham Hall. Single rifle bullet to the heart. I think he was killed somewhere else, and then moved. Not enough blood on the ground where he was discovered. Not visible from the road. In fact, it was only by chance that he was found at all." Lucas felt a sudden intense pain of loss. He had known John Repton for years. They had worked together in MI6 during the Great War, which had spread ruin across half the world, from the late summer of 1914 to November of 1918. That had been sixteen years ago. Now, in the waning summer of 1934, the prospect of conflict was returning. Less than three months ago, Adolf Hitler had silenced, banished, or executed thousands of his most dangerous enemies within his own country. Those who had survived were forced to live in mute obedience. The events, which had come to be known as the Night of the Long Knives, were still fresh in Lucas's memory. "What was he working on?" Lucas asked. "I thought John was retired." "There's always the one last time. And he was passionate about this particular project," Allenby replied. "You understand." Allenby was referring to the fact that Lucas had more or less retired. He was well over the age when most men sat back and relaxed, taking up gardening or beginning that book they had always intended to write. But Lucas could not leave the job alone: He cared too much; it involved every part of his life. He had been willing to be called on by those who had previously worked for him, and eventually he returned as an adviser and, sometimes, more than that. He had a good idea that John Repton had been doing something similar. "John was looking into personal influence," Allenby continued. "That is, people who were using their influence to back some candidates for Parliament and ruin the reputations of others. There's a lot of sympathy for Germany, and admiration for the way it is rising to power again. So many think the Treaty of Versailles was a recipe for future disaster, punitive beyond sense, and--" Lucas interrupted him. "We know all that, James. But it's too late to undo, even if we could. What can we do now? Germany is rebuilding at a hell of a pace and beginning to prosper. Specifically, what was Repton looking into that got him killed? Are you absolutely sure it wasn't personal, or even accidental?" He knew that Allenby had more sense than to have jumped to a conclusion without proof. Still, he had to ask. There was a moment's hesitation before Allenby spoke again, his voice completely unchanged. "He was sixty-two and lived alone, so the chances of it being personal exist, but they are unlikely. Repton had no close personal relationships. Most of his family are dead; there are a few living abroad. He has a house, inherited from his parents, in Lincolnshire, miles from the Cotswolds or Wyndham Hall." "Have you been there?" Lucas pressed. "That is, to his home." "Only once, briefly," Allenby answered. "I've had no time to research what I might be looking for; it's too soon. But I wanted to see if Repton left any kind of note, or evidence." "And did you find anything useful?" "Lots of newspapers." "Specifically, which ones? Did he cut anything out, or mark anything? Dates?" "It was just one whole cupboard of newspapers. A lot of them Bagby's titles." Bagby was a newspaper magnate at both ends of the popularity scale. He published the exploits, relationships, and personal griefs of the social elite. The readership was small when compared to the millions who bought his other newspaper, in which the gossip and scandal often descended to the level of the gutter. At a glance, that paper featured the complaints and aspirations of the working man, and gave a loud and eloquent voice to the injustices of society and the anger that they rightly caused. It took a fairly critical eye to see how much it followed and how much it led mass opinion. "Curiosity?" Lucas wondered aloud. "Or was John following something in particular?" "If there was something in particular, I didn't see it." There was a catch in Allenby's voice, as if he knew he had missed something. "He marked some of the letters to The Times , even though they seem on the surface to be little more than a diary of gentlemen's parties, sports, messages, and advice on the stock exchange. And, of course, the bit of scurrilous gossip that everybody despises, but still reads avidly." "He wouldn't select any piece without reason." Lucas knew for certain. "Or keep them at all, for that matter. And don't tell me it was to light a hundred winter fires." He was snapping at Allenby only because the man was being careful, perhaps too careful, just as Lucas would have been. John Repton's death hurt. He had been a good man, careful and quiet; he loved cider and creamy Lancashire cheeses and, above all, a good joke. He was gifted at telling shaggy dog stories, long and meandering, but always with a great laugh booming at the very end. He probably had no idea what a hole he would leave behind, what a sense of loss. Allenby hesitated for a few moments before answering. Was he hiding his own grief as well? "There were several articles about Robert Hastings, the member of Parliament for the area around Wyndham Hall. Highly respected. There is even talk of him as a possible prime minister in the near future. He has the courage to face a battle, if there is one, without backing down. Next best thing to Churchill coming back from the wilderness," he told him. "And articles about the sermons of Bishop Lamb, who's also from around that area. Looks harmless enough, all about forgiveness and peace in our time. But then his comments would be, wouldn't they? Coming from a bishop." That was not really a question. Possibilities ran through Lucas's mind, raised by what Allenby had shared. The war was the most horrific in the history of the world. Hardly anyone was left untouched by it. No sane person wanted that again-- ever. Lucas pushed these thoughts away. This was about John Repton, a man who had been easy to see but not really noticed. He'd dressed casually. He could have passed for a law clerk or the owner of a small business, except for his shoes. His shoes had always looked well made and expensive. It turned out they had been personally made for him because his feet were slightly different sizes. He had mentioned to Lucas once that his only regret was that his job made it impossible to have a dog since he was away too often. Lucas remembered how he had stopped and spoken to other people's dogs in the street with such joy. And now he had discovered something that got him not only shot dead, but left in a ditch for no one to find. "Lucas," Allenby interrupted his thoughts. "Are you still--" "I'm here, and I understand," Lucas cut him off. "That's part of what MI6 is for--to stop a plot before it is fully grown and it is too late." Lucas paused for a moment, and then asked, "Why are you telling me this? You don't report to me. In fact, we haven't even spoken since the Washington incident." "Because John Repton was your friend. And because you have the courage to think the inconceivable," Allenby answered. "And, if necessary, to deal with it. I know you don't want war any more than the rest of us, but I also know that you will do what you can to prevent it by facing the possibility. And you may have friends in the aristocracy, but you have no illusions about them." Excerpted from The Traitor among Us: An Elena Standish Novel by Anne Perry All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

As the presumably last work by Perry, who died in April 2023, this fifth Elena Standish historical mystery (after A Truth To Lie For) may feel bittersweet to longtime fans. Elena's MI6 boss has asked her to find out why agent John Repton was murdered. His body was found in a ditch near Wyndham Hall, the country home of her sister Margot's prospective in-laws, giving Elena a unique opportunity to scope out the situation. Repton was surveilling the estate because members of the household were rumored to have ties to fascists. Accompanying Elena for a weekend party is fellow agent James Allenby, posing as her love interest. Of course, her beloved grandfather Lucas is working the case as well from behind the scenes. The backdrop of this story is the chilling rise of Hitler and the increasingly loud voices of those in Britain who will do anything to prevent another war. Of course, readers know what is coming, yet Perry makes it seem fresh and compelling. VERDICT A quintessential Perry novel, this must-read demonstrates her trademark understanding of the human condition and is filled with complex and passionate characters.--Laurel Bliss

Publishers Weekly Review

Elena Standish returns (after 2022's A Truth to Lie For) for a delectable mystery that sees the photographer turned MI6 agent infiltrating a family of aristocrats in 1930s England. When MI6 agent John Repton is found shot to death near the Wyndham family estate, two questions emerge: who killed him, and why was he there in the first place? Elena, whose older sister, Margo, is being courted by Lady Wyndham's brother, is tapped to investigate Repton's death alongside fellow agent James Allenby. The pair discovers that Repton had been surveilling the Wyndhams to learn more about the family's rumored fascist sympathies, and land an invitation to Wyndham Hall to see what they can dig up for themselves. As the revelations turn more and more sinister, and Hitler's influence spreads across Europe, Elena faces a choice: does she risk her widowed sister's happiness to take down the Wyndhams, or turn a blind eye to matters with international implications? Perry's period details are exquisite, and she ably blends family conflicts with political intrigue, making the stakes of Elena's inquiry feel both enormous and intimate. Historical mystery fans will eat this up. Agent: Meg Davis, Ki Agency. (Sept.)

Booklist Review

This is the fifth book in Perry's sublimely intense Elena Standish, British MI6 agent, series, following A Truth To Lie For (2022), and likely the last. The author died earlier this year, leaving a legacy of over 100 published books and a place on many lists as a "master of crime," right up there with Agatha Christie. It is appropriate to note that this work bears all the hallmarks of a Golden Age mystery, with an all-suspects-assembled "reveal" at the end, reminiscent of Marple and Poirot. Elena investigates the murder of a fellow agent near a magnificent country estate belonging to an influential family. Sound familiar? It is a late 1930s summer with the looming threat of Hitler's rise and a growing wave of pacifism in a country that can't bear the thought of another war. Expertly playing a new undercover role as an elegantly attired young photographer, she finds herself dangerously awash in the pro-Nazi and antisemitic sentiments of the family, their vicar, and the chief constable. Anne Perry will be greatly missed.

Kirkus Book Review

Elena Standish is sent to a most unlikely place to ferret out the killer of a fellow spy. John Repton, who'd been active in MI6 during the Great War, had more or less retired by 1934. But the very last job he agreed to take on--secretly keeping an eye on Wyndham Hall in the Cotswolds--ended with the discovery of his body in a ditch nearby. Urgently needing to know what Repton had discovered and who'd shot him to death, Peter Howard sends Elena and James Allenby, two of his best, to Wyndham Hall to pretend they're a couple while they ask discreet questions and gather evidence. It seems more and more likely that the motive for Repton's murder was political. Sir David Wyndham has donated sizable sums to Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts. His wife, Lady Griselda, is clearly more than just an acquaintance of Edward, Prince of Wales, and his mistress, Wallis Simpson. And now that Robert Hastings, the local MP who's been spoken of as the next prime minister, has been accused by his aide, Timothy Rogers, of improper sexual advances that could put paid to his career, Lady Griselda has made it clear that she considers the pliant Chief Constable Algernon Miller the ideal replacement. What makes the assignment especially dicey for Elena is that Geoffrey Baden, David's brother-in-law and the beau of Elena's sister, Margot Driscoll, is another admirer of Mosley's, and Elena correctly believes that Margot considers every indication her sister gives that she should proceed with extreme caution as a sign of Elena's jealousy. Perry, who died earlier this year, caps a well-upholstered tale of aristocratic murder with news of a surprising killer. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Anne Perry was the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels. She was also the author of a series featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt's son, Daniel, as well as the Elena Standish series; a series of five World War I novels; twenty-one holiday novels; and a historical novel, The Sheen on the Silk, set in the Byzantine Empire. Anne Perry died in 2023.