A Case of Life and Limb
ISBN: 9781526668752
Description
Christmas Eve, 1901. Gabriel Ward KC is hard at work on a thorny libel case involving London's most famous music hall star and its most notorious tabloid newspaper, but the Inner Temple remains as quiet and calm as ever. Quiet, that is, until the mummified hand arrives in the post.
Reviewed on 6th June 2026
An excellent second mystery for the early 20th century barrister and his police constable friend.
I was a bit dubious whether my interest in this series would survive a second book, and early on I didn't think it was going to, but as the story progressed it became more and more gripping and I found myself racing through to the end.
There are some elements of the plot that are quite uncomfortable from a 2020s point of view, particularly issues which are seem in almost entirely the opposite light now, 125 years after the novel is set. This adds a surprising sense of historical realism.
I'm left in two minds over whether or not I'll pick up the third book when it comes out.
