The
Detective Wore Silk Drawers
A
Sergeant Cribb Investigation
Peter
Lovesey
Soho
Constable (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-524-5 (1569475245)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-524-9 (9781569475249)
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $14.00
Synopsis (from the publisher): Set in the Victorian era in the world of bare-fisted pugilism -- an illegal sport. Cribb discovers evidence that it continues in secret, confirmed by a headless body in the Thames whose hands were “pickled” for fighting. A young constable called Henry Jago is chosen to infiltrate the gang and he has to submit to a rigorous programme of purging, pickling and training. Moreover, Cribb needs to intervene at the crucial time to prevent young Jago from being battered to death.
Review:
Peter Lovesey's second novel featuring Sergeant Cribb, The Detective Wore Silk
Drawers, originally published
in 1971 and newly reissued by Soho Press, is again a sports-themed
mystery with the Victorian London detective investigating illegal
bare-knuckle boxing.
Sergeant Cribb and his assistant Constable Thackery are called to
investigate a headless corpse washed up on the shore of the Thames.
Because of the wounds on his hands and the shape of his knuckles, they
believe he was a fighter in the underworld of bare-fisted pugilism -- a
sport ruled illegal years before. In order to learn more they enlist
the help of young, well-built, ex-boxer Constable Jago. Jago continues
to work out in the gym at Scotland Yard. Although he has never fought
bare-fisted, he’s certain he has been trained by men who
have. He could tell by their hands and knuckles. He knows of these
“pugs”, men trained in secret mansions or
buildings. Mystery not only surrounds the owners of these fighters, but
what happens to those who lose. Some believe they go into hiding to
keep from being jailed. Still others believe they are killed and their
bodies buried. Cribb and his team suspect one such mansion, Radstock
Hall, owned by Mrs. Vilbert, is not only her home, but also a training
center for pugs. Why else would she have a large gymnasium with every
work-out apparatus available to build a fighter’s body? Jago
goes undercover and is accepted at Radstock to prepare for a fight
against “The Ebony”, already a winning fighter.
But all doesn't go as planned. Mrs. Vilbert is soon murdered, stabbed
to death, her take of the money bet on the upcoming fight missing and
found under Jago's pillow. Jago, unknown to the local police, is under
suspicion but not arrested. He continues to train but he knows he
doesn't have a chance against Ebony. The only question is, can Cribb
find who's behind the murders before Jago becomes a victim, either in
the ring or soon afterward.
Lovesey draws Victorian London in a very descriptive manner, bringing
to life the characters and settings in this story, drawing the reader
in. The
Detective Wore Silk Drawers
is not only an engaging tale of a brutal sport but also an interesting
take on a powerful woman who runs the training center for the men who
participate in it. And not least, it is a strongly plotted mystery that
will keep the reader in suspense until the very end. Soho Press is to
be commended for re-releasing this outstanding series for a new
generation of mystery readers.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Detective Wore Silk Drawers and to Soho Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Detective Wore Silk Drawers? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Wobble to Death
Dodd Mead (Hardcover), February 1970
ISBN-10: 0-396-06233-4 (0396062334)
ISBN-13: 978-0-396-06233-2 (9780396062332)
The Detective Wore Silk Drawers
Dodd Mead (Hardcover), January 1971
ISBN-10: 0-396-06377-2 (0396063772)
ISBN-13: 978-0-396-06377-3 (9780396063773)
Abracadaver
Dodd Mead (Hardcover), September 1972
ISBN-10: 0-396-06627-5 (0396066275)
ISBN-13: 978-0-396-06627-9 (9780396066279)
Mad Hatter's Holiday
Dodd Mead (Hardcover), March 1973
ISBN-10: 0-396-06835-9 (0396068359)
ISBN-13: 978-0-396-06835-8 (9780396068358)
The
Tick
of Death
Dodd Mead (Hardcover), July 1974
ISBN-10: 0-396-06972-X (039606972X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-396-06972-0 (9780396069720)
A
Case of
Spirits
Dodd Mead (Hardcover), January 1975
ISBN-10: 0-396-07218-6 (0396072186)
ISBN-13: 978-0-396-07218-8 (9780396072188)
Swing,
Swing
Together
Dodd Mead (Hardcover), January 1976
ISBN-10: 0-396-07327-1 (0396073271)
ISBN-13: 978-0-396-07327-7 (9780396073277)
Waxwork
Random House (Hardcover), April 1978
ISBN-10: 0-394-50066-0 (0394500660)
ISBN-13: 978-0-394-50066-9 (9780394500669)
Omnimystery
keywords for The Detective Wore Silk
Drawers ...
Location(s) referenced: London, England.
