Invitation To A Dynamite Party

Sergeant Cribb #5

by Peter Lovesey

The year is 1884 and a series of bomb blasts has caused mayhem in London. The perpetrators are Irishmen seeking independence. One of the "infernal machines" has even bombed the CID office at Scotland Yard. Worse, Constable Thackeray is suspected of conspiring with the terrorists.

Reluctantly Sergeant Cribb attends a course in the science of bomb-making and infiltrates the Dynamite Party. Based on the real events in London in 1884-5, the story had its own resonance ninety years on

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

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

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

[Brian G · Rating 4 out of 5]

More thriller than murder mystery
Cribb finds himself in the clutches of a gang intent on using dynamite for po0litical gain
Full of action Cribb is at his best as he has to think on his feet.
4 stars .

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- The topic of a 19th-century Irish terrorist cell didn't interest me much, but I like Lovesey's writing, so the book was fairly good overall.

[FeedMyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invitation to a Dynamite Party was my first time reading any work by Peter Lovesey but I can say with certainty that it won't be my last. Set in 1800s Britain, at a time when many people were heading to the UK to take up the mission to set Ireland free, this book follows the detectives on the hunt for those utilising dynamite and ensuring that the UK would not be able to get everything their own way without a fight but when the police decide to infiltrate the gang by placing one of their own at the very heart of things can they really manage to keep themselves safe, others safe and put an end to the terror being caused?

Written in a beautiful way that flows nicely whilst also giving a true atmosphere and feel for the setting, the people and the events, this is an author who truly knows his genre and is at the very top of the field when it comes to his writing.

[D J Rout · Rating 4 out of 5]

While most of the Cribb stories are Victorian-era police procedurals, with the solutions arrived at by investigation and logic, this one puts Sgt Cribb in jeopardy as he goes undercover to thwart a plot by Irish revolutionaries to blow up some buildings in London using what are called 'infernal machines' - i.e., dynamite blown up by alarm clocks.

So the novel builds to a conclusion where Cribb has to get out of the trap he's in, which he does by the slightly cliched technique of chewing through the ropes. That excluded, it's marvellous to read a story where Cribb goes undercover. Even his encounters with the lovely Rosanna, Irish femme fatale are written with due attention to the niceties of 1882 and the kisses they exchange are of a most chaste and necessary kind.

Admirable.

[Terry Steinborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entry in the Sergeant Cribb series. It's 1884 and the Irish independence terrorists are out in strength, bombing buildings in London to try to force Great Britain to allow Ireland to rule itself. Scotland Yard assigns Cribb to become knowledgeable on explosives with an eye to stopping the terrorists. He goes undercover and then the fun begins. Thackary has bumbled along enough to get involved, but is little heard from in this episode. The story is cleverly worked out, as usual.

[David Grieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable period police procedural (of a sort) set in 1880s London. Excellent period detail and language, both of which are occasionally taken to extremes to emphasise the humour. And it works. The story is amusing and entertaining and even a bit tense in parts. If you like police stories that don't take themselves to seriously you may well like Detective Sergeant Cribb. A definite "cosy".

[Pam Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, a most entertaining story, full of historical information about the Irish situation in the 1880's, dynamiting and early submarines. Detective Sargeant Cribb is an intelligent, likeable guy. These are always fun to read.

[Robert Burgon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovesey's Sergeant Cribb books are easy reads and not too long (this paperback was just over 200 pages) but they are delightful to read and contain some fascinating historical details of the late Victorian age.

[Jeff Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Lovesey combines fact and fiction to provide an interesting account of the attempts that Irish nationals to blow up historic buildings in London. Cribb is shoehorned into one of these attempts to great effect.

[Renee M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoy all the funky research and historical detail that Lovesey throws at me with Cribb and Thackeray. Bareknuckle boxing, race walking, bomb making, punting on the Thames. It’s all good, quirky fun.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cribb finds himself embroiled in an Irish rebel gang hell-bent on blowing up late Victorian London and on the trail of the unfortunate Constable Thackeray. Witty, fast paced and highly enjoyable.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this length of detective story. Great pace and lots of humour.

[Ron Musgrove · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly amusing, slight and cartoonish. Everything else I've read by him to date is considerably better. Good title, though.

[Kay Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read lots of twists and turns as well as humorous.

[Gary Cupitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irish men (and a colleen) with a cart load of dynamite could be a fatal combination. Can Sergeant Cribb posing as a mercenary save the day? Well history is about to be radically changed if he doesn't

[Marfita · Rating 3 out of 5]

How dearly I love Sgt. Cribb! He's just so full of cute dichotomies. No problem at all learning how bombs are made or infiltrating a terrorist (Irish Republican) group - but one lovely young woman makes overt romantic, nay, sexual advances toward him and he goes all silly and confused. Again Lovesey provides us with a strong female character, but one slightly different than the others. She has her own dichotomies. Rossanna can be both ruthless and tender. She takes over organization of the plot when her father becomes debilitated, but draws the line at his martyrdom. Her flirting is so forward as to be shocking to Cribb (to a point where he seems to believe it accidental) but it isn't fake.
Rossanna might be concerned about her dad, but he doesn't seem to mind being martyred. He even tries to light the dynamite in the submarine he's sitting in with a match! He might understand more of what is going on than Rossanna credits.
I recall the television version fairly well - enough to anticipate Cribb's solution to the twin infernal machine problem, almost yelling at the Kindle. But it's still a cracking read with Cribb desperately trying to exonerate Thackeray, foil the terrorists, and not get into a compromising position with a lovely, willing woman. He has a lot to learn about being an adventurer, but that's what makes him so charming.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first came across Sergeant Cribb of Scotland Yard via the Granada television series in 1980-1981. I was delighted to discover the series was based on books, and lost no time in hunting down copies. Fast forward 40 years and imagine my delight when I came across several of the books at a second hand shop.

I am delighted to report that the books have stood the test of time.

In "Invitation to a Dynmite Party" London in 1884 is being plagued by a series of bomb blasts. A reluctant Sgt Cribb is sent on an explosives course, and when his offsider, Constable Thackery appears to be one of the terrorists, Cribb finds himself on a whirling ride fraught with danger, including being abducted at gunpoint to be the terror group's new bombmaker.

The story is fast paced and well written. A fascinating take on a perilous time.

Peter Lovesey also has a fine line in sarcasm:

"'Fancy that!' said Inspector Jowett, so dedicated to the cause of personal advancement that he was ready to fancy anything a senior officer showed him."

If you love Victorian era detective fiction, it will be worth your while getting hold of a copy (maybe try ABE Books).

Highly recommended.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The year is 1884 and London is being terrorized by a series of bomb blasts--even within Scotland Yard. Trying to get inside information on the attacks, Sergeant Cribb is asked to attend a course in the science of "infernal machines", hoping to gain expert knowledge of explosives and beat the criminals at their own game. Unfortunately for Cribb, the main suspect in none other than his Scotland Yard partner Constable Thackeray. Doubting that Thackeray would be involved, Cribb joins an American-Irish group Thackeray is associating with in order to discover what part he is plating. Cribb is abducted at gunpoint by the group and finds himself an unwilling but vital member of the Dynamite Party.

[stormhawk · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a rare book that you can come back to more than thirty years later and find out that you still like it. The Sergeant Cribb mysteries are classic British whodunits, but told with a skill that avoids the somewhat haughty tone common in the genre.

Irish Home Rule has been a source of contention for many years. Blowing things up is nothing new, but the details of 19th Century technology and security enhance the story rather than bogging the reader down in details.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sergeant Cribb is something of a Victorian James Bond in this installment. The series continues to be enjoyable.

[Kirsty Darbyshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comments later.

[Jenine · Rating 3 out of 5]

London music hall culture circa 1886, good stuff. A serviceable entry in the period police procedural. I enjoyed reading it but am not sure it stands up to the light of day very well.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

another wonderful SGT.Cribbs
Victorian mystery.