Crime fiction master Peter Lovesey’s debut mystery introduces Victorian detective Sergeant Cribb as he investigates a speed-walking race turned deadly.

“An outstanding period piece with plummy characters and a killer neatly hidden.” —Los Angeles Times, Dorothy B. Hughes

London, 1879. Crowds have gathered at Islington’s chilly Agricultural Hall to place their bets on who will become the next world champion in a six-day, 500-mile speed walking race, the “wobble.” When one of the highly favored contenders dies under suspicious circumstances, Sergeant Cribb also has a race on his hands—to pursue a ruthless murderer.

Wobble to Death was Peter Lovesey’s debut novel. In the 45 years since it was published, its author has gone on to write more than 30 world-renowned mysteries, win numerous crime fiction prizes. There is no better place to dive into Lovesey’s legendary oeuvre than with this sparkling debut.