Edwardian silk turned sleuth

A good mystery consists of 25% puzzle, 25% characterisation and 50% authorial expertise. Think of Sherlock Holmes, PD James or Dorothy L Sayers. Mystery and plot are just as important as believable characters.

Here, Sally Smith infuses the text with her knowledge of the legal system. Smith qualified as a barrister in 1977 and took silk in 1997. She practised in crime for 10 years before specialising in medical law. After writing a biography of the famous Edwardian barrister, Sir Edward Marshall Hall KC, Marshall Hall: A Law unto Himself, she retired from the bar to write full-time. A Case of Mice and Murder was her first novel. 

The setting of this novel is The Temple, London (1901), the residence and workplace of many barristers and judges. It is similar to an Oxbridge college, or even a monastery, as it is bound by tradition and closeted from the outside world. The book’s main character, Sir Gabriel Ward KC, is a leading silk. But even in the constrained world of the inns, he stands out as reclusive and self-contained. Ward avoids the self-publicising theatricalities of others at the bar at the time. He is a believable, interesting character who is able to combine his career as a legal adviser with being an amateur detective. Despite being slightly aloof, he is an apt investigator. He is assisted by a long-suffering police officer who does much of the legwork.  

Ward is reluctant to step much outside his legal world. Even the police cannot enter the precincts of The Temple without the permission of the authorities.  

The story starts with various body parts being delivered to barristers, along with witty notes such as ‘can I give you a hand?’, sent with a decaying hand. There is also a defamation case involving what we would now call a tabloid, which publishes sensational stories, namely about a starlet of the stage. The ‘actress’ is called Topsey. At that time, the word ‘actress’ in quotation marks implied immorality.  

This is an excellent and well-paced story, and the anachronistic world of the bar is brilliantly described. The book considers important issues about diversity, morality and secrets. Smith is strong on detail, including new-fangled invention the paperclip, the story of digestive biscuits and information about hydrangeas.  

The star of this well-written mystery is probably a cat called Delphinium who takes up residence with the amateur sleuth. I look forward to the next in this series. 

David Pickup is a partner at Pickup & Scott Solicitors, Aylesbury