
A Case of Life and Limb
'A brilliant mystery' Daily Mail
Sally Smith(Author)
Raven Books (Publisher)
Published on 23. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-5266-6875-2 (ISBN)
Description
'As brilliant a cosy crime novel as you'll ever read' JANICE HALLETT
'A masterful voice in the mystery world' S. J. BENNETT
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...
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 led to at least one death. It is up to Gabriel, and Constable Wright of the City of London Police, to find out who before the body count gets any higher. The game's afoot...
'A masterful voice in the mystery world' S. J. BENNETT
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...
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 led to at least one death. It is up to Gabriel, and Constable Wright of the City of London Police, to find out who before the body count gets any higher. The game's afoot...
Reviews / Votes
Witty and cunningly plotted . . . as entertaining as her first * Sunday Times * 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 ... 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 We have the top-hatted world of the Temple, malice and vicious competition alongside Gabriel's calm scholarship, the well-observed dynamics of class and gender conventions within and outside the Temple, police procedure, muckraking journalism, fine courtroom description, murders, tombs and homosexuality, all delivered with calm, skill, wit, humanity and a searching reaching into personalities and values * The Critic * Following up on a successful debut novel is tough for any author. Expectations are high but rarely fulfilled. Smith is one of the exceptions ... a brilliant mystery * Daily Mail * Perfectly paced with lots of twists and turns and an intellectually satisfying denouement * Historical Novel Society * [Gabriel Ward KC is] one of the most attractive figures to appear in crime fiction recently. Sally Smith ... brings both lightness of touch and elegance of prose to her enchanting story * Literary Review * Two sometimes overlapping plot lines are deftly woven together in a meticulously researched work that opens the doors of readers to the history and traditions of the Temple * The Times * Absolutely exquisite and a total charm. It reminds me of Dickens at his best. An utterly joyous read that sends you back in time with effortless skill -- Imran Mahmood, author of Finding Sophie An excellent and well-paced story, and the anachronistic world of the bar is brilliantly described ... I look forward to the next * Law Society Gazette * Praise for A Case of Mice and Murder: 'A delight from start to finish' * Sunday Times * A triumph of ingenuity * Daily Mail * A cunning and delightful mystery with rich, wonderful characters and period detail so vivid, you can touch it -- Ian Moore, bestselling author of Death and Croissants A total delight! ... Intelligent, insightful mystery ... all skillfully woven together with a poignant, human story. I devoured it in one sitting! -- Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, author of A Murder of Crows Intriguing, engaging, and thoroughly satisfying -- T. E. Kinsey, bestselling author of A Quiet Life In The CountryMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
234 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5266-6875-2 (9781526668752)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Sally Smith
A Case of Life and Limb
The Perfect Charming and Immersive Historical Mystery for Cosy Winter Nights
E-Book
07/2025
1st Edition
Raven Books
€9.49
Available for download

Sally Smith
A Case of Life and Limb
The Perfect Charming and Immersive Historical Mystery for Cosy Winter Nights
E-Book
07/2025
1st Edition
Raven Books
€9.49
Available for download
Person
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.