A Case of Life and Limb
a charming and immersive historical mystery perfect for summer reading
Author: Sally Smith Series: The Trials of Gabriel Ward
Reluctant sleuth Gabriel Ward KC is faced with a bizarre case as the peace and quiet of the Inner Temple is shattered by the arrival of several parcels containing body parts. Gabriel will need to work quickly to wrap this mystery up...
3rd November 2025
Hardcover
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Summary
Reluctant sleuth Gabriel Ward KC is faced with a bizarre case as the peace and quiet of the Inner Temple is shattered by the arrival of several parcels containing body parts. Gabriel will need to work quickly to wrap this mystery up...
Description
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.
Critic Reviews
I love Sally’s writing, and now she’s established herself as a masterful voice in the mystery world. As you’d expect from an ex-King’s 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. I’m a big fan of the series and I’m already looking forward to Gabriel’s 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
I adore Sir Gabriel Ward and his piles of books -- Fliss Chester, author of the Cressida Fawcett Mysteries
About the Author
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.
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3rd November 2025
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