Available Formats
A Case of Life and Limb: a charming and immersive historical mystery perfect for summer reading
By (Author) Sally Smith
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Raven Books
4th November 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Law and society, gender issues
Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives
Crime and mystery: cosy mystery
823.92
Paperback
320
Width 153mm, Height 234mm
Winter, 1901. The Inner Temple is even quieter than usual under a blanket of snow and Gabriel Ward KC is hard at work on a thorny libel case. All is calm, all is bright - until the mummified hand arrives in the post...
While the hand's recipient, Temple Treasurer Sir William Waring, is rightfully shaken, Gabriel is filled with curiosity. Who would want to send such a thing And why But as more parcels arrive - one with fatal consequences - Gabriel realises that it is not Sir William who is the target, but the Temple itself.
Someone is holding a grudge that has already led to at least one death. Now it's up to Gabriel, and Constable Wright of the City of London Police, to find out who, before an old death leads to a new murder.
I love Sallys writing, and now shes established herself as a masterful voice in the mystery world. As youd expect from an ex-Kings Counsel, her language is as rich as it is precise. In this book, I loved getting to know Gabriel better, and wondering how much has really changed in the upper echelons of the law. Topsy Tillotson is a heroine I thoroughly enjoyed rooting for, and the court scenes are a heart-in-mouth highlight. Im a big fan of the series and Im already looking forward to Gabriels next adventure * S. J. Bennett, bestselling author of Death in Diamonds *
Praise for A Case of Mice and Murder: 'A delight from start to finish' * Sunday Times *
Praise for A Case of Mice and Murder: 'A triumph of ingenuity ' * Daily Mail *
PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR:
The world of barristers living and working in the Temple in 1901 is perfectly evoked, and Sir Gabriel Ward KC is endearingly eccentric
Sally Smith spent all her working life as a barrister and later KC in the Inner Temple. After writing a biography of the Edwardian barrister Sir Edward Marshall Hall KC, she retired from the bar to write full time. A Case of Mice and Murder, her first novel, was inspired by the historic surroundings of the Inner Temple in which she still lives and works and is the first in a series starring the reluctant sleuth Sir Gabriel Ward KC. A Case of Mice and Murder was longlisted for the 2025 CWA Whodunnit and Historical Daggers.