Abracadaver:

Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement Recipient Mystery Writers of America 2018 GrandmasterPraise for Abracadaver“Another of those delightful Victorian mysteries, featuring Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray of the Yard. This one deals with peculiar accidents in various music halls, mishaps of a kind that would ruin a performer’s career; and then there’s murder . . . Fine picture of period vice, good mystery plotting, and fun.” —San Francisco Chronicle“It’s a tangled business, both evil and intricate. Every police move seems frustrated by almost superhuman cunning until Cribb’s trap nails the murderer and ends a hunt as spectacular as it has been fairly marked with clues. Very much Grade A.”—John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine“Music hall’s heyday lovingly recalled as Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray cope with limelit poisoning and Victorian permissiveness . . . Thoroughly entertaining.” —The Guardian“Sinister fun in splendidly atmospheric setting.”—Sunday TelegraphPraise for Peter Lovesey   “I have long loved Peter Lovesey’s books . . . A creative, courageous and gifted writer.” —Louise Penny   “Lovesey is a master of the crime novel.” —Sara Paretsky   “What'll it be today? A knotty puzzle mystery? A fast-paced police procedural? Something more high-toned, with a bit of wit? With the British author Peter Lovesey, there's no need to make those agonizing decisions, because his books have it all.” —The New York Times Book Review   “Mr. Lovesey's narrative is swift, but he takes time out for local color and abundant humor, the latter springing from the book's quirky characters . . . Lovesey is a wizard at mixing character-driven comedy with realistic-to-grim suspense. And in a writing career spanning four decades, he has created a stylish and varied body of work.” —The Wall Street Journal   “A treat . . . Lovesey’s restraint, wit, and charming cast ensure him a place in the winner’s circle.”  —Entertainment Weekly   “Extremely stylish, lighter than air . . . utterly surprising.” —Newsweek