.
Of Mice
and Murder (Raven Books, June 2025) has been getting raves from readers of
historical mysteries since it was released. Now it is popping up on favorites
of the year lists and I was determined to see what the buzz was about.
It is, as
everyone says, a wonderful story. Set in May 1901, the quirky Sir Gabriel Ward
KC, an outstanding addition to the pantheon of amateur sleuths, literally
stumbles across the body of Lord Norman Dunning, Lord Chief Justice of England,
as Ward was attempting to enter his legal office in the Inner Temple. Dunning was
in popular opinion amazingly average and the last person to be murdered. But
here he was, expired and not of natural causes.
By law the
Temple is not part of the City of London and London police are not allowed to
enter without invitation. The author goes into some detail about the history of
the Temple and provides a helpful map. To keep the police at bay for a few
days, Ward was given the task of investigating the death accompanied by a
police constable to take notes. Ward was on the verge of an important piece of
litigation that needed his full attention and he did not welcome this new and
strange assignment. Indeed, he did not welcome anything that disrupted his
long-established routine. His outstanding intellect was recognized by his
colleagues however and it was felt if anyone could find an answer to this
peculiar event, it would be Sir Gabriel.
The second
plot thread is just as perplexing. Years ago, legal publisher Herbert Moore
found a manuscript for a children’s book with no letter or explanation on his
doorstep. He examined it briefly and discarded it in the nearest bin, from
which his young daughter retrieved it and read it, enthralled. Moore decided to
publish it as a Christmas one-off and found himself with a runaway bestseller.
He had made some inquiries as to the author that came up empty and despite some
reservations continued to publish the book. Now a young woman has come forward
claiming authorship of the book and Moore hasn’t a legal leg to stand on. In
desperation he has turned to Ward for help.
Sally Smith
spent all her working life as a barrister and later King's Counsel in the Inner
Temple. Her deep knowledge of the history of the Temple and understanding of
its operations give the story a commanding sense of authenticity. The
references to new-fangled forensic tools such as fingerprints and the mentions
of the limitations placed on women’s lives sets the context equally well. Those
same limitations offer clues to the resolution. The dual mystery itself is nicely
constructed, and Sir Gabriel is a vivid personality with whom I can easily
identify.
Fortunately for
us all, there is no need to wait for the second book in the series; it is
available for purchase now. Library Journal starred review. Highly
recommended.
·
Publisher: Raven Books
·
Publication date: June 17, 2025
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 336 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1639736921
·
ISBN-13: 978-1639736928
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3MIybxm
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal
It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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