A Case Of Spirits

Sergeant Cribb #6

by Peter Lovesey

Scotland Yard's Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray investigate a case involving a burgled risque painting, the occult, and a violent death that interrupts a seance in the home of a Royal Academy member

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime, Historical Mystery, Historical, Ebooks

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Peter Harmer Lovesey, also known by his pen name Peter Lear, was a British writer of historical and contemporary detective novels and short stories. His best-known series characters are Sergeant Cribb, a Victorian-era police detective based in London, and Peter Diamond, a modern-day police detective in Bath. He was also one of the world's leading track and field statisticians.

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this from a little free library outside of an elementary school I pass while walking with my dog, and I'm so glad I did! I'm kind of a sucker for old Penguin paperbacks, and a vintage British mystery sounded very appealing. I'd never read Peter Lovesey, but I knew the name. It was immediately engaging, the characters were clearly drawn, and the plot was a lot of fun. I can't remember the last time I read a mystery. I enjoyed this one immensely.

[Celia {Semi Hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sessões espíritas, fantasmas, século XIX. Tinha tudo para dar certo, só que não deu...
Um pouco previsível, personagens não muito consistentes.
No final houve um twist interessante que colocou em dúvida as deduções retiradas até então, mas para voltar ao ponto inicial.
Não posso dizer que não gostei, não foi um suplício ler mas também não foi leitura verdadeiramente cativante. O famoso "ni".

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dame Agatha Christie and Her Peers
1975
English Manor House Parties? Seances? Laughs? Lovely, almost-naked ladies? And, amazingly, Lovesey uses "A case of spirits" as a joke about booze exactly, and only, one time. You'll be waiting for it, but still it's a surprise. Red herrings/deceptions of which Christie would be proud? Yes to all, lots to enjoy here.
CAST - 5 stars. An opening-page seance kicks this off beautifully: 4 officers at the "Paradise (no less) Street Police Station" get in touch with 'the other side' and if you're not laughing, or at least suddenly in a really good mood by page 4 or 5, nothing Lovesey writes will appeal to you. Sergeant Cribb narrates in this 6th outing and he delivers the best lines: a self-identified scientist brags that he is a member of 'The Ghost Club at Cambridge University', Cribb states that it appears "the members have made up their minds already." Dr. Probert is an authority on classical art and the fact that his collection consist of almost-naked women proves his scholarship in the area. Miss Crush is much too lovely, Mr. Brand can't possibly be THE ONLY real medium in London, Detective Thackery much enjoys climbing a trellis to watch...oh, this is the Victorian era, you know...
ATMOSPHERE - 5 stars:...so I can't spend too much time on the art he enjoys, or exactly why he goes to great lengths to repeatedly look into a window. The rage of London is a spiritual movement, and the seances here are so beautifully done, so hilarious, you might feel you've discovered outtakes of that classic film, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken".
CRIME - 4 stars: A one-of-a-kind shocker in this genre. And this crime MUST occur during this specific Victorian era, pulling atmosphere and villains together perfectly. But the science behind the crime? I'm not so sure it'd really work.
INVESTIGATION - 3 stars: Cribb is a bit clueless, but given the crime (a first) so is most of Scotland Yard. If you don't know the science (like me-clueless), then you're going to question Cribb's ability to ask the right questions. How could he? (A singular flaw/plot-hole.)
RESOLUTION - 4 stars: Oh, the trickery, the lies. The villains are actually much too smart: they should easily be able to get away with about anything: Lovesey should have let them do so...even though, in a way, he does.
SUMMARY: 4.2. This is one of the most enjoyable mysteries I've ever read. It can't be beat on comedy level, line for line. I could not grasp the science (the real science here) and perhaps the author could have offered a better explanation, but this novel is all about having a blast of a read. Very enjoyable and original.

[Sónia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma boa surpresa, este livro. Para quem está habituada a ler policiais em que as descrições são bastante gráficas, onde há muito sangue e se suspeita logo de um criminoso, Um Caso de Espíritos foge a tudo isso, mas conquista pontos, face à abordagem diferente que tem,

Tendo como protagonistas uma dupla de investigadores com algum sentido de humor e com um estilo muito próprio, esta obra relata roubos e um consequente crime ocorridos nos meandros da alta sociedade vitoriana (muito bem descrita, por sinal). Aqui todos são suspeitos, todos têm um motivo, mesmo que insignificante, para serem suspeitos. Numa linguagem muito atractiva e com alguns apontamentos hilariantes, esta obra faz o pleno no que ao carácter lógico-dedutivo diz respeito.

Foi bom recordar como facilmente se descobriam criminosos, antigamente, sem artifícios de monta porque, por si só, os recursos estavam a anos-luz dos hoje existentes.

Um registo diferente do que eu estou habituada, mas que me seduziu e que recomendo, sem sombra de dúvida.

[Madalena. Vg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Achei que o livro estava bom, com uma história interessante. Foi o primeiro policial que li e até gostei, no entanto faltou um pouco de romance na minha opinião... Foi difícil arranjar tempo para ler, mas lá o consegui acabar, não é daqueles livros que nos deixam a pensar. Mas quando o estamos a ler ficamos focados, o livro não é propriamente fácil de ler requer alguma atenção e abstração na minha opinião!
Estou curiosa para ler mais policiais

[Brian G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery
This time the theme is the occult, massively popular in Victorian London
A series of thefts connected to a medium who is conducting seances
A death occurs during a sceance and Cribb is on hand to investigate
A real locked Room style mystery as the small group of characters are all together during a sceance
Cribb unravels this intricate murder
Wonderful atmospheric
4 stars

[Robert Burgon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't come across Peter Lovesey previously so I was enthralled by my introduction to his writing and the principal character in this book, Sergeant Cribb. Beautifully written, this crime novel, set in the late 18th century, has you guessing right until the very end and has more than a few smile-raising moments. I look forward to discovering more of this writer's work.

[Cameron Trost · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing setting and premise with characters who are both fun and somewhat funny, but the mystery didn't really pull me in. I found myself rushing to the end to find out who the culprit was and what evidence Cribb had against him or her, and I was underwhelmed.

[Hilária · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple but fun read. Had me laughing once or twice. It's a book with an amusing personality.

[Vera Brandão · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://verovsky-meninadospoliciais.bl...

[Lisa Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The spiritualist movement has caught the attention of part of Victorian London and people are holding seances. When some seance sites become targets of theft, Cribb and Thackeray are brought in to solve the cases. But then somebody kills the medium and the two of them then find themselves amongst some rather eccentric suspects.

Liking spiritualism myself it was interesting to read how so many mediums were frauds in those days and how they managed to trick people.

I liked the story and the characters and it certainly had a Poirot type feel to it, especially when it came to 'outing' the murderer. I must admit, I guessed who it was, but it didn't ruin the story for me.

Will definitely look for more books in the Sergeant Cribb series.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another brief and entertaining Sgt Cribb investigation, this one set in 1885.
A spiritualist dies at a séance in upper-middle-class London and Cribb, with his put-upon assistant, Thackeray, doing much of the legwork have to untangle what is essentially a locked-room mystery with a handful of suspects, several with secrets to hide.
The subtle humour added to a story which sagged a little in the middle but there was much to like; the spiritualist scene and the characters were fully fleshed out and true to the historical era. A good read.

[Jeff Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cracking look at the world of the fake medium. Sergeant Cribb finds himself attempting solve the murder of a fake spiritualist. I remember this story from the ITV television series but the book alberates the details, bringing the world to life and the deluded people who were obssessed with the after life.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read anything by this author but it won't be the last. This is number six in a series of books featuring the 1880's detective Sergeant Cribbs, but can easily be read as a standalone. Sergaent Cribbs and his team are investigating a series of thefts surrounding various seance sessions in wealthy homes, when murder rears its head.
This is a very clever story with quite a few twists and a fair degree of understated humour - thoroughly enjoyable and very much of its period. i look forward to reading more.

[T.R. Ormond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victorian whodunnit written in the 1970s and obviously the product of the sexual revolution. J.S. Mill didn't have this in mind when he wrote about the emancipation of women, lol. It's well-executed and funny. My only complaint is the portrayal of Victorian "ladies" is a little more liberal than can realistically be expected. then again, what do I know???

[Susan Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic British Mystery

A fast-paced, fun-to-read mystery featuring Scotland Yard's Detective Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackery. If you're unfamiliar with this series, give it a try. Great descriptions and fun puns.

[BrianC75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well written. Characters interact wonderfully completely in keeping with the period. Dialogue backs this up and all is rounded off deftly with a really clever plot line which engages the reader throughout. Good stuff!!

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really cliched. A big house with servants, stolen art, a seance; they had nothing else to do before television, I guess. And a death. The police are called and it's decided that a sergeant is worth a handshake, presumably a lesser rank is beneath notice.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only a good story and characters (I especially enjoyed Thackeray in this one), but the humor was spot on.

[Margarida Patinho · Rating 1 out of 5]

nada de especial. para um romance policial, fica muito aquém das expectativas

[Panu Mäkinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brittikirjailijat tuntuvat ihastuneen spiritismin ympärille kiedottuihin jännitystarinoihin. Oma henki kullan kallis ei ehkä ole parasta Loveseyta, mutta tarina on viihdyttävä.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great fun

[Carolyn Angi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot more straight up talking than the last. Dragged on for a bit but overall still solid

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable as always. Love the sly but gentle humour.

[Cara A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy going read for the dig

[Janet Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny easy read ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Baz Leone · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Lovesey book and I enjoyed it, lots of reader guesswork involved and patches of humour between the narrative. Well worth an afternoon read.

[Marfita · Rating 4 out of 5]

What luck to find a whole "passel" of Sgt. Cribb mysteries in the Jasmine Overdrive collection to read on my Kindle! I loved these in the 70s when I was working in my first library position and all sorts of goodies were returned and some even got shelved!
These older books are hard to find and even most of the ebooks are checked out! Can't wait to read some more. I also enjoyed the TV series with Alan Dobie, who really brought out Cribb's dry wit. The books and the series may be directly responsible for my love of historical mysteries (aside from my obsession with the older versions of the Nancy Drews).
Sigh! No more nostalgia, on to the present example:

The Victorian Age obsession with spiritualism is presented here: the mediums (media?), the scientists who investigate them, the enablers/conspirators, and the murderer. Sgt. Cribb is asked to investigate the robbery of a painting, not a valuable one, but part of a collection. This leads to the discovery of another robbery, this time of a vase - again, not valuable but part of a collection that contains more valuable items. The common element to both of these robberies is additionally that there was a seance at the house led by the rising star of spiritualism, a young man with a shady background.
It's all straightforward until someone dies. Sgt. Cribb inflicts subtle cruelties on his detective constable, Thackery, while Cribb in turn is dressed down by his superior, Inspector Jowett. Cribb is at his deducing best, while Thackery chases down information that merely confirms what his superior has already figured out on his own.
The other characters, while interesting, are a bit thin. The Probert family has their unique features. Dr. Probert totally ignores his wife and keeps a collection of naughty paintings. Both are unaware of what their daughter is up to when she's out distributing largess to the populace. Miss Crush has a scientist hiding under her table, with no good explanation. Oh yes, he claims there's a good reason, but I'm not buying it. And what is last year's star medium up to?
All in all, delightful.

[Marylou · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Sergeant Cribb mysteries

[Carina Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is 3.5/5

Positive things:
-The whole story was nice to read. The connection between the theft and murder was not that soft but still amusing;
-The description of the seances was great. I don't know a lot about this topic, but there wasn't anything that seemed out of place. Probably the best part in my opinion. Also the explanation on how mediums back then used to fake them was fascinating.
-I liked it how the chapters start with some verses of the same poem ("Mr. Sludge, “The Medium”" by Robert Browning). I personally don't like poetry, but that one was really interesting and it connected with the story;
-This book mixes three of my favorite genres: historical fiction, crime and supernatural (ghosts). I feel like this is such a rare combination so this fact by itself is a plus.

Negative things:
-Some characters sounded very unrealistic , specially Mrs Probert, and also some of their actions were quite odd which was extremely annoying;
-The writing was kinda meh. Obviously you only find out who the murderer is in the end, but I never felt much suspense during the whole thing, it was like if even the narrator didn't believe what he was saying.
-The cover of my edition was not accurate with the time of story. Even though it's really pretty, according with the research I usually do before I start reading a historical book, the clothes are a few decades behind the period of the story (1885).

It's a nice book if you want to relax and know a little bit of the 19th century spiritualism, but don't have big expectations about it.