Master Sally Smith talks to her publishers about her recently published crime novel, A Case of Mice and Murder (Raven Books), the first instalment in a brand new series, introducing a wonderfully eccentric sleuth, Sir Gabriel Ward.
Tell us about A Case of Mice and Murder
A Case of Mice and Murder is an historical detective story. It tells the story of two mysteries in 1901 in the Temple, the heart of legal London. The first is the dramatic murder of the Lord Chief Justice and the quest to find his killer. The second a sensational legal battle over the rights to a book written by an anonymous author. There is one man linking them; Sir Gabriel Ward KC, Eton and Oxford educated, brilliant, solitary, reclusive, bound by compulsive rituals; reluctant sleuth in the first story, legendary advocate in the second.
What inspired you to write this novel after decades of a successful legal career?
The answer to this is COVID lockdown and enforced solitude at my desk at home. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I did find in some odd way that the lack of all the usual freedoms helped liberate my ways of thinking.
What made you choose the start of the Edwardian era as the period setting for your mystery? Did anything in particular draw you to this time?
I had previously written a biography of Sir Edward Marshall Hall, the great advocate of the Edwardian era, so I had already steeped myself in the period for that book. The years between 1900–1930 have been called the golden age of advocacy. Barristers were household names and the newspapers dominated by reports of their doings, both social and professional. KCs were automatically knighted, murderers hanged when cases were lost, the law courts imbued with an extraordinary sense of theatre.
What research did you do to help build the world of The Inner Temple (and beyond) in 1901?
I did huge amounts of research for my earlier biography; the Temple has archives going back for hundreds of years. I also did some detective work of my own, and found two families who had kept in their attics (truly in their attics, though that sounds like a bit of romantic overlay!) all the professional and social records of two Edwardian KCs who had been close friends. They revealed an entire, absolutely authentic world; it was the strangest feeling untying the pink tape on briefs that had not been opened since they were tied up at the end of the case. There were dozens and dozens of boxes. By the end, I felt I could live the life of my Edwardian characters. And of course, there were the British and London Libraries to fill in any gaps left.
What were the challenges and benefits of writing a murder mystery set over a hundred years ago?
I think it is almost entirely benefit; but then I suppose that is why I felt an early Edwardian background was the best for me. Not so far back it is hard to relate to, but just pre-motor-car, just post-telephones and some electricity and of course no other modern technology of any kind. Also, an interesting period for forensics; newly scientific but not too technical! I think maybe the downside is that however much we analyse it, we can never quite be sure we can write authentically about a different mind-set. The world I am writing about was governed by rigid class divides, rigid gender divides, rigid moral standards, which if not adhered to were transgressed in secrecy. My protagonist detective is a liberal kind man, but I wanted him to be liberal and kind by the standards of his time, not ours, if that makes sense.
The novel balances a murder investigation with a fascinating intellectual property case. How did you approach plotting A Case of Mice and Murder?
I enjoyed this bit most. Although the content may not always be enlivening to the general reader, drafting legal documents is a very good discipline for learning structure. I wrote the two stories almost entirely separately and only converged them in the last few chapters.
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Gabriel Ward is already a firm favourite with early readers. How did he come to you as a character?
Gabriel Ward is just himself. He introduced himself to me as a complete person and I never even thought about what he would or would not do in any given circumstance, he just takes over. Sometimes I am quite surprised at his reactions, but they always feel as though they could not be any different and he gets very irritable if I try and direct his behaviour. His background was intentionally that of the archetypal Edwardian barrister, but his personal characteristics are just him. I am very fond of him, now I have got to know him. In the evenings, I can see his lighted window in King’s Bench Walk from my own window!
A Case of Mice and Murder features an extensive cast of lawyers, policemen, and household staff, which makes the novel really come to life. Was it important to you for the world of your novel to feel populated and busy?
Absolutely yes. The Temple is to this day a self-contained world and as busy as a beehive. Now of course we have professional staff, not servants, to run the various departments but their interactions with the barristers who live and work with them are close and co-operative, and the world is gossipy and close and friendly like all tight little communities. The archives make it clear that in Edwardian times, that general set-up was much the same. The Temple by today’s standards was very patriarchal and some may say patronising, but nonetheless it was close and protective and there was a strong loyalty to it as an institution at all the social levels.
It tells the story of two mysteries in 1901 in the Temple, the heart of legal London. The first is the dramatic murder of the Lord Chief Justice and the quest to find his killer. The second a sensational legal battle over the rights to a book written by an anonymous author.
How did your own legal background help inform your writing? Did your own approach to legal work come out in Gabriel’s methods at all?
The Inner Temple Law Library together with those of the other three Inns of Court (Middle Temple, Gray’s and Lincoln’s) are amongst the best law libraries in the world. There is nothing they do not have, including all previous versions of all law books produced over the centuries. I approached the legal bits by expunging any knowledge I may have and saying to the Inner Temple librarians; ‘Please may I have the textbooks and statutes I would have looked this up in in 1901 and nothing post that date.’ That way I could be sure that I was not approaching it with a modern eye. Yes, I am afraid Gabriel and I do share some working methods; a shade obsessive, a tendency to pedantry and bad delegators; unfortunately, I certainly do not share his reputation for ‘being the ultimate opinion on those most intractable legal problems despaired of by his colleagues at the Bar.’
Who are some of your favourite crime writers? Did any of them influence A Case of Mice and Murder?
I think Dorothy L Sayers’ The Nine Tailors is about the best ever! I read period stuff very extensively and I am sure my style is influenced by that, whether consciously or not. That is not to say I do not read lots of modern stuff; recently I really enjoyed Janice Hallett’s The Appeal. But my heart lies in the first half of the 1900s!
Sally Smith KC
Reproduced by kind permission of Bloomsbury Publishing
A Case of Mice and Murder: ‘A delight from start to finish’ Sunday Times: The Trials of Gabriel Ward Sally Smith, Raven Books (bloomsbury.com)
