A case of mice and murder / Sally Smith.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"I was immediately besotted . . . Brilliant." -Janice Hallett, internationally bestselling author of The Appeal

The first in a delightful new mystery series set in the hidden heart of London's legal world, introducing a wonderfully unwilling sleuth, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Nita Prose.

When barrister Gabriel Ward steps out of his rooms at exactly two minutes to seven on a sunny May morning in 1901, his mind is so full of his latest case-the disputed authorship of bestselling children's book Millie the Temple Church Mouse -that he scarcely registers the body of the Lord Chief Justice of England on his doorstep.

But even he cannot fail to notice the judge's dusty bare feet, in shocking contrast to his flawless evening dress, nor the silver carving knife sticking out of his chest. In the shaded courtyards and ancient buildings of the Inner Temple, the hidden heart of London's legal world, murder has spent centuries confined firmly to the casebooks. Until now . . .

The police can enter the Temple only by consent, so who better to investigate this tragic breach of law and order than a man who prizes both above all things? But murder doesn't answer to logic or reasoned argument, and Gabriel soon discovers that the Temple's heavy oak doors are hiding more surprising secrets than he'd ever imagined . . .

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

DEBUT Smith, a barrister and King's Counsel in London's Inner Temple, makes her fiction debut with an Edwardian-set cozy. Snuggled into the privileged surrounds of the lofty Inner Temple (much like the hallowed halls of Oxford or Cambridge) lives barrister Sir Gabriel Ward KC. He is a precise man who presses on the door three times whenever he closes it. One morning he opens his door, his mind full of case law, and stumbles over the body of the Lord Chief Justice of England. Suddenly Gabriel's ordered world is disrupted, and he is charged by the Inner Temple's treasurer to find the killer. Smith braids Gabriel's daily tasks as a barrister--working on a fraudulent-authorship case about a children's book featuring a mouse who lives in the Temple church--with the new work of finding who committed murder in the Temple. In slow, acute, and deeply satisfying reveals, Gabriel decants both cases, peeling back the secrets of his fellow lawyers and highlighting courtroom drama, social injustice, family dynamics, and the lives of servants and the served. VERDICT Smith's novel is a quiet triumph. Each small unfolding supports the next, characters blossom off the page, and the pitch-perfect pacing is as pleasurable as the descriptive detail.--Neal Wyatt

Publishers Weekly Review

Smith (Marshall Hall) delivers an affable if verbose series launch set in 1901 London's Inner Temple, home to distinguished judges and barristers. Sir Gabriel Ward KC, a neurodivergent barrister, strictly adheres to his daily routine--so much so that he barely notices a barefoot corpse lying at the front entrance of his chambers. The victim is Lord Chief Justice Norman Dunning, who was stabbed with a carving knife. Sir William Waring, master treasurer and head of the Inner Temple, is wary of outside police probing their community, so he assigns the investigation to Ward. Though Ward would rather focus on defending publisher Herbert Moore in a dispute over the true authorship of children's bestseller Millie the Temple Church Mouse, he reluctantly launches his inquiry. Alongside London police constable Maurice Wright, Ward interviews a wide array of people: servants, an ex-convict, the Temple Church's minister, Dunning's family, and potential candidates for the new Lord Chief Justice. Though at times the large cast and Smith's fondness for the language of the period saps the plot of momentum, readers will admire Sir Gabriel's wit and the tender partnership he develops with Constable Wright. This series is off to a promising start. Agent: Anne-Marie Doulton, Ampersand. (June)

Kirkus Book Review

Murder upsets the strict and ceremonious routines at the Inner Temple in 1901 London. Sir Gabriel Ward's daily movements are so predictable that his fellow King's Counsels can set their watches by them. So it's quite a shock when he emerges from his lodgings to find the body of Lord Norman Dunning, the Lord Chief Justice of England, on his doorstep. Constable Maurice Wright, who responds to a call for help, is able and alert, but his supervising officer, Sgt. Rayner, is so cavalier about fingerprints and other forensic traces that Wright fears the fatal stabbing will never be solved. So he's both gratified and relieved when Sir William Waring, Master Treasurer and head of the Inner Temple, appoints Gabriel to conduct his own investigation. Gabriel has no experience with matters of this sort and would very much prefer to be left alone to defend publisher Herbert Moore against charges brought by Susan Hatchings that he stole the pseudonymous manuscript forMillie the Temple Church Mouse that she accidentally left in his office one day, published it without her permission, and made a fortune. But Waring insists, Gabriel reluctantly agrees, and Wright improbably attaches himself as the novice sleuth's sidekick and even more improbably comes to appreciate Gabriel's talent for the job as the two bond ever more closely. Smith's first novel provides abundant red herrings, courtroom maneuvers, legal aphorisms ("Nothing is unarguable to a good lawyer"), and an appealing atmosphere of stuffy proprieties upended by murder most foul before knitting the two cases together with professional dexterity. Yes, my lord, a sequel is promised and will be most welcome. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.