If you love a good murder mystery with a couple of unexpected twists and turns, I have a book recommendation for you! In her new book that comes out today, A Case of Mice and Murder, Sally Smith cleverly interlaces a couple of legal cases – the disputed author of a bestselling children’s book and a murder. In 1901. Gabriel Ward, a gentle, painstaking lawyer, already has the case for Millie the Temple Church Mouse when he discovers the body of the Lord Chief Justice of England on his doorstep when he steps out in the morning. The barefooted judge is attired in evening clothes and has a knife sticking out of his chest.
The police can only enter the Temple by invitation. Gabriel and his trusted but nervous sidekick are selected to do the investigation. The men juggle the two cases leaving the reader wondering what connection they could possibly have to each other. As they investigate the murder, they learn Temple secrets hidden from the outside world. Alongside the murder probe, the case with the children’s book and a nervous publisher seem to be diversions from the urgency of the murder investigation until they are not. I won’t do a spoiler here, but I will say I am expecting the clever Gabriel to show up again in a future mystery.
A Case of Mice and Murder is a perfect book for a rainy day when you need an avoidance distraction from laundry, dirty dishes, and dust. Give yourself permission to enjoy it. The distractions will still be there when you finish.