Case of Spirits: A Sergeant Cribb Investigation (Sergeant Cribb Investigations) [Paperback]

Peter Lovesey (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sergeant Cribb Investigations | Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Praise for the Sergeant Cribb series:

“Delightful Victorian mysteries, featuring Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray of the Yard. . . . [A] fine picture of period vice, good mystery plotting, and fun.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“These are humorous novels and the humor is character-based. . . . Cribb was the first of the new-wave Victorian crime-fighters and is still arguably the best.”—Sherlock Holmes magazine

The spiritualist movement has captivated a segment of society: manifestations, the occult, and “sensitives” are in vogue. But the séance sites seem to be targeted for burglaries. Then, while Cribb is on the case, someone murders the medium.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Soho Constable; 1st Printing edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569475970
• ISBN-13: 978-1569475973
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #903,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PETER LOVESEY is the author of the Peter Diamond mysteries, well known for their use of surprise, strong characters and hard-to-crack puzzles. He was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2000, the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, the Anthony, the Ellery Queen Readers' Award and is Grand Master of the Swedish Academy of Detection. He has been a full-time author since 1975, and was formerly in further education. Earlier series include the Sergeant Cribb mysteries seen on TV and the Bertie, Prince of Wales novels. The Diamond novels, set in Bath, England, where Peter lived for some years, feature a burly, warm-hearted, but no-nonsense police detective whose personal life becomes as engaging to the reader as the intricate mysteries he solves. His team in Bath CID includes the ex-journo Ingeborg Smith, the long-serving Keith Halliwell and the meticulous John Leaman, all involved in what is essentially a fair-play procedural mystery series. Peter and his wife Jax, who co-scripted the TV series, have a son, Phil, also a teacher and mystery writer, and a daughter Kathy, who was a Vice-President of J.P.Morgan-Chase, and now lives with her family in Greenwich, Ct. Peter currently lives in Chichester, England. His website at www.peterlovesey.com gives fuller details of his life and books. "Try him. You'll love him," wrote the doyen of the mystery world, Otto Penzler, in the New York Sun.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun, February 24, 2010

By 

M. T. Bowers (Northern Illinois) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Case of Spirits: A Sergeant Cribb Investigation (Kindle Edition)

This is a short (almost novella length), fun read. This book had me laughing out loud. In terms of silliness, it's sort of halfway to Wodehouse, with the same jabs at social class distinctions. Some of the plot elements are frankly incredible, but due to the light tone of the book, you just go with it.

In Victorian London, a new spirit medium, Peter Brand, is being investigated by the LADS (Life After Death Society) and courted by bored society ladies. This necessitates a series of seances where deadly serious "scientists" put Brand to the test while others around the table see things, throw things and take the opportunity to tease their lovers. When a seance ends in murder, Sergeant Cribb investigates, being careful not to look too clever so as not to upstage his befuddled superior, Inspector Jowett.

Highly recommended to break the tension on a stressful day (and boy did I need it -- a minor car repair turned out to be -- well, let's just say if this book hadn't had me laughing out loud I would've been sobbing out loud).