I certainly recognized the name Anne Perry; but for whatever reason have never read any of her novels. When I saw this title available and that it was the start of a new series, I jumped at the chance and didn't disappoint.

Daniel Pitt is a junior barrister at his law firm & by unforeseen circumstances, finds himself as second chair for the trial of Russell Graves who is accused of killing his wife. Daniel is the son of Thomas & Charlotte Pitt who are famous from another of Perry's series. He soon finds himself taking on more than he bargained for as his investigation continues. The mystery/story was extremely compelling. Little by little, Perry gives clues & information of what transpired the night Ebony Graves was killed. I would compare to peeling an onion layer by layer. It was very skillfully done, by revealing enough as it progressed to keep the narrative flowing smoothly; but not too much where it was cumbersome or stalled the tale. There are some unexpected surprises & a few predictable turns; but overall an engaging story that keeps you turning the page.

The highlight were the cast of peoples in Daniel's world. I found the diversity of characters in background, personality, appearance & mindset compelling & authentic. Their interaction keeps the reader immersed in the story. I am glad to get on the ground floor of this new series. I look forward to future installments & may delve into the Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series as well.

Highly recommend

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this excellent book. Highly recommend.

This mystery novel begins a new spin-off from a series Anne Perry has been writing for decades. Daniel Pitt is the son of an investigative husband-and-wife team that featured in the Thomas Pitt series. As this book opens, he is in his mid-twenties and just beginning a legal career. He's in the midst of one case in which the defendant seems headed for a guilty verdict, but Daniel gets him off thanks to some nimble deduction regarding fingerprints.
He is rushed to assist another lawyer on a case in which the head of his firm takes a special interest: a man on trial for the murder of his wife. When a guilty verdict is returned, the legal duo has 21 days to find cause for appeal, before the sentence of execution gets carried out.
This novel has well paced twists and turns and kept me quite interested. I have been a little annoyed by what I see as flaws in Anne Perry's writing in the past, but those tendencies are restrained in this book. Her characters tend to do so much introspection at every moment, and lace their dialogue with so much philosophizing and generalizing that the pace can get a bit sluggish. But in "Twenty-One Days," things kept moving pretty quickly to a satisfying conclusion.
The characters, some of which are likely being set up to become regulars in future installments, are likable and don't have unnecessary angst or manufactured conflict. Daniel Pitt's partnership with Kitteridge, a senior lawyer, has a few moments of tension between the older and younger man, but they manage to communicate fairly well, and overall it bodes well for a good partnership.
I will really look forward to the next book.

I was able to read this early thanks to NetGalley.

This is the first in a new series of books by Anne Perry. It is a spin off of her current series featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. I have not read any of those books and it did not make a difference while reading this book.

The book introduces us to Daniel Pitt, a lawyer and son of Charlotte and Thomas. Daniel has twenty-one days to save his client from hanging. I enjoyed the investigation and mystery solving as well as plenty of courtroom drama.

I will definitely continue with this series. My thanks to netgalley and Ballantine Books for this advanced readers copy.

I really like this book!

Newly-minted lawyer Daniel Pitt is frantically trying to get a man off for murder when he receives a message from his superiors at the law firm to wrap things up quickly--he's needed at another more important trial, another murder case that seems even more impossible to win. So begins the first novel in famed novelist Anne Perry's Daniel Pitt series, a spin-off of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt murder mysteries.

Daniel is idealistic. Defending a client whose guilt seems certain is not his cup of tea. There's not a whole lot to recommend Mr. Graves either. His wife is dead from a head wound, his servants and children seem happy to have him hang for it, and his personality is none too pleasant to boot. But when Daniel and his partner Kitteridge lose their first defense of Mr. Graves, they are ordered by the head of the firm to find new evidence and make an appeal. They have twenty-one days before the man will hang.

Employing some of the detective skills learned from his father Thomas Pitt, Daniel digs into the secrets surrounding Graves' work and his past. What he finds is far from comfortable, however, and he is forced to make the difficult decision whether truth should be blazoned to the world no matter the cost.

Miriam Fford Croft, the daughter of his superior, acts as Daniel's assistant in the detective work. A scientist who was denied her university degrees on account of her sex, she is conversant in the new arts of fingerprinting and X-ray technology. But will this evidence be admissible even if Daniel calls on her in court?

This was a splendid start to a new mystery series. I loved the way Perry kept a strong connection between Daniel and his illustrious parents while at the same time introducing a whole new cast of intriguing characters. I also enjoyed the blend of courtroom drama with detective scenes. The Daniel Pitt series is off to a strong start with this book, and I can't wait to read the next one. 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.