When the Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord Norman Dunning, is found murdered, Sir Gabriel Ward is persuaded to investigate this crime, privately, before the whole unsavoury business is handed over to the London Police Force. This is due to the place of murder being the Temple area of the city, a cosseted world of learned Judges, Clerks, Barristers, and a great deal of Latin and legal terminology!
The Temple, both Inner and Middle Bars, were founded by the Knights Templar in the Twelfth century, when they created a very early form of money transfers both across the known world and at home, for the benefit and discretion of Royalty and nobility alike. The stone effigies of those Templar knights make this a very atmospheric place.
Sir Gabriel Ward is the very last person you would expect to become an amateur sleuth, but when he is teamed up with Police Constable Maurice Wright, they are determined in their efforts to find the murderer. Sir Gabriel is working on a case that concerns a book by an unknown author about Millie the Church Mouse, and he would rather be concentrating upon this, but as the story progresses, he starts to show an awareness of social issues that he has up till then been completely ignorant of, and although he is initially out of his comfort zone, he starts to show compassion for the underclasses, and perhaps a disdain for his fellow judges and their behaviour and morals.
I love the style of writing, being both humorous and informative. Tightly written, who doesn’t love the chance to be an armchair detective? Sir Gabriel is a diffident but observant investigator, and Constable Wright is the perfect foil, being both curious about people and new inventions of the time of 1901, and the airs and graces of this hallowed ground.
I think this partnership could be a natural successor to Watson and Holmes, and I am really looking forward to the next book in this new series.
This book examines the social restrictions placed upon the fairer sex, in their aspirations that were cruelly crushed, but they are of a necessity here.
I cared more about Sir Gabriel and his social awakening than the actual crime at times, and that was a very pleasant surprise. I have rated this a five star read.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for my advance copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave a review to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

This is a great book, apparently simple but really very clever. Sir Gabriel Ward KC is enlisted to investigate the death of a senior judge within the confines of The Temple. He is also working on a difficult case of copyright. Ward appears to bumble along but assesses everything. It was a joy to read a book with a linear timeline.
As a first in a series, it has definite potential. I look forward to many more in the series.

This was the cosiest murder mystery, set in warmer months, I have ever read. It’s Shardlake with sherry.

I wanted to hug the gentle and shrewd Gabriel, who is the unwilling sleuth, and I adored his encounters and moments of bonding with his co-workers and new found friends.

At the beginning of this interesting and complex story, there a lot of characters introduced closely together and therefore it took a while for me to match the character with the name.

The more uncomfortable he becomes, the more humane his interactions with people from all aspects of society are. The writing is excellent and filled with wit and pathos.

I could choose a bunch of social truisms that are littered throughout the novel, but the one which struck me the most was:
‘Nothing make people cling to the conventional like a fear of being found out.’

I cannot wait to read the next book!

An interesting and informative historical Novel set in the lnner temple of the law courts. Its’ an independent enclave within the city of London where the most senior judges and barristers of the kingdom reside. When a murder occurs within it’s precinct it’s governing authorities appoints a leading KC to conduct the initial investigation before allowing external authorities to intervene. The story of the investigation provides an intimate insight in the life and times of all is inmates and the events that ends in the murder of the Lord Chief justice. What a mouse has to do with it all is another matter

Gabriel Ward KC is a recognised and respected senior lawyer, living and working in the Temple in London. He is precise on his interpretation and application of the law and lives his life according to a regular routine that others can set their clock by. His routine though is disrupted when Lord Dunning, Lord Chief Justice of England, is found dead on Gabriel’s office doorstep and he is asked to investigate.

This is a skilfully written tale combining a murder mystery and an intriguing legal case with some fascinating insights into the Victorian legal system, class boundaries and the role of women at that time in society. Gabriel’s character is well developed and as he is forced out of his comfortable routines and associations he gradually develops compassion for those less privileged.

This is a thoroughly engaging story and I’m looking forwards to further books in this series.

Gabriel Ward KC is asked (strong armed) to investigate the murder of the Lord Chief Justice after he is found murdered on the steps of the hallowed Inner Temple. Also, running alongside the whodunnit is the whowroteit mystery that Gabriel is also embroiled in as he is representing the publisher of a hugely successful children’s book who is sued by a woman claiming to be the pseudonymous author, Miss Cadamy.

The book is slow to begin with whilst we are introduced to the many different characters and the rich setting of the Inner Temple of London, which makes sense given that it is to be a series (I believe). The pace quickens around a third into the book but isn’t laced with lots of sensational chapter cliffhangers and or shocking reveals (for the sake of it). I found this refreshing and helps place you in the setting of the book.

The author brilliant captures the essence of the time with regards to women’s rights and the class system, particularly through the stories of the Lord Chief Justices family and the staff who work at the Inn. It’s probably not likely that Gabriel would not have been as sympathetic towards either but I’m glad he is!

I really enjoyed the book and found it to be a welcome change to modern day mysteries, particularly because of the overly polite, sharp minded and fair Gabriel who is not to be underestimated or ignored.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review,

The first half of this book trundles along. Charming but a little in need of a spark. The second half gathers momentum and ensures you feel like you’re right there alongside the characters, wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch.
Think Agatha Christie meets Richard Osman and you’ll get a feeling for this book.
The story is gentle and whip-smart and you grow to love the main protagonist with all his eccentricities.
A modern take on an historic version of Poirot?!

I loved so many things about this book, the setting, the characters, the clever plotting. I learnt such a lot about the Temple and its workings. A very clever book, more please .......

I absolutely loved this book. Set in 1901 in the hallowed precincts of the Inner Temple of London, the heart of the legal world, it is the story of the shocking murder of the Lord Chief Justice of England.
Gabriel Ward is an esteemed barrister who lives a reclusive life almost completely within the Temple Grounds. He is perfectly happy with his books and court cases and in fact has given up his inheritance to pursue his career when his life is suddenly turned upside down. After almost falling over the body of the Lord Chief Justice, Gabriel is given the job of investigating the crime as the police have no jurisdiction within the confines of the temple.
The investigation was extremely well plotted. This wasn’t really a book where you would be able to guess the murderer from early on as the clues unfolded very gradually as Gabriel spoke to the various people involved and gradually found out exactly what happened on the night of Lord Dunning’s murder. I loved the way that all of the little details built up to a satisfactory conclusion.
The depiction of Gabriel was brilliant. I really enjoyed his gradual change during the investigation from the horror of having to travel outside his beloved temple and speak to women and servants to a man who found that he cared about justice for everyone including the lowly laundry maid. I thought that the author did a fantastic job of showing his need for routine which nowadays would I guess be OCD. I liked the way that he was aware of it too.
The other characters were all shown equally well especially Mr Moore, the publisher who was the main character of the sub-plot involving the publishing sensation of Minnie the Mouse. The details of the investigation into the authorship of the book were fascinating and the two strands of the story came together very satisfyingly at the end. I loved Theodora too and can imagine her sheer frustration at not being allowed to use her intelligence simply because she was a woman.
The setting of the book is vividly described both in the physical setting but also in the attitudes that would have been prevalent at the time and the author’s writing style was perfectly suited to the period. Details such as the new ideas in policing such as taking fingerprints added to the authenticity of the setting. My only quibble is the over-use of Gabriel ‘snuffling’. After a while, it started to jar and I couldn’t see how the repetition of the word added to the characterisation in any way.
Apart from that very minor grumble, this was an excellent read and I can’t wait for the next book. Huge thanks to Net Galley and Bloomsbury Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an extremely enjoyable mystery set in London 1901. More specifically, it is set within the confines of London’s legal centre and our main character is the introverted, bookish, Sir Gabriel Ward KC. Sir Gabriel resides within the Inner Temple and rarely socialises or goes outside the confines of his world. However, his legal mind is intelligent and sharp, and he enjoys the world, and the life, he inhabits.

His mind is on a new case, that of a children’s book which was successful after a publisher found it on his doorstep. Herbert Moore endeavoured to find the author of the manuscript of, ‘Millie the Temple Church Mouse,’ to no avail. Now Millie has toys, a forthcoming play and is due to be printed in America, when a woman emerges to say that she is the author and disapproves of how her work has been commercialised. This tricky legal topic is taking up Sir Gabriel’s life when he arrives at his chambers to find a body lying across the threshold. The body is that of Lord Norman Dunning, the Lord Chief Justice of England, and he is barefoot…

Threatened into investigating, Sir Gabriel is unwilling, but also intrigued. Why was Lord Dunning found without his shoes or socks? Alongside Police Constable Wright, he delves into the mysteries of the Inner Temple and who carried out the shocking crime. Alongside, he, of course, also has to discover the true author of Millie Mouse.

I really loved this series. Sir Gabriel snuffled a little too often, which became annoying, but it’s a first in what, hopefully, will become a series and so I forgave the too often used trait. That aside, I loved the sense of place and time. Sally Smith makes that world come alive, with the difficulties and limitations that women and those of a lower class faced. I loved it and look forward to meeting Sir Gabriel, and hopefully P.C. Wright, again. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

I enjoyed this book. It is part mystery, part legal drama, part historical fiction.

A reclusive and reluctant KC is asked to step in and investigate a murder in Inner Temple.

Mix with that the curious case of the sudden appearance of the author of a bestselling children’s book set within Inner Temple, and there’s an absorbing, multi-threaded plot that has to get to resolution by the end.

Gabriel Ward is a very quiet, introverted barrister living and working in the Temple in London in the early 20th century. Very set in his ways living for his work and academic reading he is certainly a very reluctant detective. But he is coerced into making investigations into the death of the Lord Chief Justice in the Temple before the case is handed over to the police.
He seems to be the only barrister we meet who is not involved in power politics within the profession and his attention to detail and total lack of arrogance make for an interesting investigator who has to tread carefully in case he upsets all these very important people.
I liked reading about all the driving ambition of the barristers and also that of their spouses and the interaction of Gabriel and the lower classes employed in the Temple and nearby was very interesting.
The interweaving of the murder investigation and the debate about the identity of the author of a best selling children’s book is well handled and makes for a very enjoyable relaxed read. I will look out for the next in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC.

An unusual but compelling blend of a Golden Age whodunnit and an intriguing criminal case, A Case of Mice and Murder follows a young barrister who finds himself dealing with the murder literally on his doorstep, as well as the ownership of a beloved children's novel, the two cases more interlinked than he ever might have thought possible. Charming in parts and certainly a love letter to the Golden Age works of Gervase Fen, it suffers a little from a soggy middle, but is nonetheless full of charming characters and an enjoyable mystery.

Murder mystery set in 1901 London - an enjoyable and different experience.

Sir Gabriel is a barrister living in Inner Temple who becomes involved in the detection of a murder as well as a case involving the authorship of a popular book. He is a bit OCD, in some respects but not in others, and an unlikely investigator but solves both cases.. There are few characters, all reasonably well-developed and typical of the social structure of the era. The story is nicely different because of the two cases and the reluctance of Sir Gabriel to become embroiled in investigating the murder. There's an interesting perspective of life in 1901, especially for anyone who doesn't know England and London. Recommended to lovers of mystery novels. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The plot is as carefully delineated and developed as are the characters who diligently go about investigating who murdered Lord Dunning, sanctimonious and bullying, power wielding as he was. Mainly of course Gabriel , a forensic theoretical lawyer rather than a real researcher into human affairs, face-to-face with suspects .. and, horrors! Females! But he emerges as warm hearted and effective, surprising himself. I guess, hindsight, I found the plotting tedious and predictable at times ... but this is a hierarchical world and inevitably we guess ahead in predictable ways. Thoroughly enjoyable with satisfying and rather sad ending even though we discover who the killer is.

What a marvellous read this book is! Set in London in 1901, it features a renowned barrister, Sir Gabriel Ward. The closed - off world of the Inner Temple, the beating heart of British Justice, is a unique place, similar to the Vatican, with its own rules, laws, ancient buildings and privileged inhabitants and is where this murder mystery is set.
The language which the author uses for the narrative is sublime, and very much of its time. This is so much more than a ‘cosy crime’ story. The characterisation of all the players is faultless, the twists and turns in the exploration of the crime are fascinating. Sir Gabriel is tasked with turning detective for a week, in an effort to find the murderer of the Lord Chief Justice before the Metropolitan police are allowed access to the inner sanctum of the Temple, to begin their own investigation.
Alongside this crime, Gabriel is working on a complex case of his own, trying to establish the real identity of a children’s story which has been published by his client, proprietor of a large publishing house.
Gabriel’s very narrow lifestyle, and his OCD which make it almost impossible for him to leave the confines of the Temple, cause him some difficulty in his detective work. He succeeds in overcoming this by engaging the services of Constable Wright, who has been assigned to assist him. They form an unlikely bond of mutual respect.
During the process of his investigation, Gabriel begins to become much more aware of the people surrounding him in the Temple and the courts, high born and lowly servants alike. As he gains insight into their lives, he becomes more aware of the limitations of his own life. As his self- awareness grows, so does his humanity to his fellow barristers, and all the many people who keep their daily lives running smoothly within the Temple.
Their stories create many opportunities for interaction for Gabriel, while the murder mystery is intriguing. The writing is exceptional, very cleverly setting the unlikely scene for the murder.
I enjoyed this book so much, and I am delighted to discover that this is the first in a series of ‘cosy crimes’ featuring Sir Gabriel. I can’t wait to meet him again. ( I do hope however, that a cure is found for Gabriel’s incessant ‘snuffling’, it’s such a distraction throughout the story. )
My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

A Case of Mice and Murder is a weird little book and our hero Gabriel Ward is a weird little hero. He is a underrated genius barrister who is serious about the law and lives a quiet life in the Inner Temple the closed and closeted world of Londons Legal system until one morning Gabriel trios of over the body of the Lord Chief Justice with a knife sticking out of his chest and no shoes on his feet. Baffling. The Inner Temple is closed to police and Gabriel is given a week to sort it all out before they are allowed in the avoid brining scandal to the hallowed halls. This was a funny little book, it a told in third person so I never felt particularly close to any of the characters and I didn’t get much from Gabriel as a character. I liked the intricacies of the two parallel cases and the internal gossipy politics of Inner Temple. I found the world interesting but could have done with a bit more character.

London, 1901. Gabriel Ward is an excellent barrister who lives and works in the Inner Temple, a gated and guarded enclave for members of the legal community. He lives in rooms with towering piles of books on every available surface. He doesn't leave the Inner Temple willingly and even then, he is obsessive about his routine. He has a sharp mind and a reputation for being a formidable opponent in court, highly skilled at cross examination. When the book opens, he is following his daily routine automatically while his mind is hard at work puzzling out a difficult case regarding the authorship of a highly successful children's book about Millie the Mouse. His daily routine and his ruminations are rudely interrupted, however, when he is prevented from entering his chambers by the dead and barefoot body of the Lord Chief Justice. How could this happen, why did it happen, and who did it? Under the circumstances, it seems quite possible that it was an inside job. Wanting to avoid publicity, the Treasurer calls on Gabriel to do his own investigation with the help of a police constable. This does not fit into Gabriel's idea of proper routine at all, and he is very focused on his upcoming case, but when he is threatened with eviction from his home, he feels powerless to refuse. As he begins to investigate, his horizons widen, he is forced out of his routine, and sees opportunities for personal growth. He also learns more than he's comfortable knowing about his colleagues.

I loved this book. Gabriel is such a wonderful character, with his brilliance, love of books, extensive knowledge, logical mind, and human foibles. He could come across as cold and rigid, but his quick mind allows him to see things from many angles and to analyze his own behavior in new circumstances. The locked room style mystery is intriguing. The setting and the supporting characters provide an interesting window into the culture of the time, which I always like. The writing is fabulous. At one point, the author describes Gabriel this way:
For Gabriel was a traveller. Not of the pith helmet and bamboo stick variety, nor even of the Baedeker guide and Gladstone bag kind, but a traveller in the mind, scaling the mountains of learning created by historians and philosophers, scientists and poets, and novelists.The books in Number Four King's Bench Walk were friends into whose warm embrace he fell every evening and who held him until bedtime at half past midnight every night. Few knew of these travels, since Gabriel read not to acquire knowledge nor to impart it, but simply because he could not help himself.

Books are a part of the narrative here in ways large and small, which is another thing I loved about the book. Both of the storylines are compelling and I was eager to find out whodunnit and who created Millie the Mouse. In short, this is a fine book, skillfully written and a fabulous read. I was thrilled to learn that it's the first in a series and I will definitely be looking out for the next one. Highly recommend!

A Case of Mice and Murder is a cosy mystery in the hushed legal setting of the Inner Temple at the turn of the twentieth century. The fiercely clever and solitary Gabriel Ward KC is asked to investigate when the Lord Chief Justice is found stabbed to death and sockless.

The story was very enjoyable and I liked the Millie The Temple Mouse children's book subplot, but I did find Gabriel's habit of snuffling rather distracting after the first dozen times. I'll definitely look out for the next in the series and hope the snuffling can be treated with an anti-histamine.

Those Hallowed Halls..
The first outing in The Trials of Gabriel Ward, set at Inner Temple 1901. Barrister, Gabriel Ward, is soon to discover the very dead body of the Lord Chief Justice of England on his very own doorstep - and so begins a murder mystery of the grandest proportions. Gabriel is soon to learn that the hallowed halls of the Inner Temple hide a multitude of secrets. Wonderfully immersive, wholly enjoyable and beautifully done with a deftly drawn cast, a delightful protagonist and a well imagined setting.