Invitation to a Dynamite Party

The book is very interesting and fun to read. However there is a big mistake at the end. How could an old (complete) deaf man listen and understand a guy telling him how to operate sub marine by "hearing what the guy SAID twice" when the detective can only hear the instructions from behind the capital's seat (the detective himself was physically tied behind the area where could NOT move his head to see the old man and the guy knows how to operate the submarine)?

This short (188 pp.) novel is more thriller than mystery--though there is some mystery too. It stars Lovesey's Sergeant Cribb & his sidekick Constable Thackeray. It's set in 1884 London & concerns a secret society of Irish "patriots" who use explosives (early terrorism) to shock Londoners, in order to coerce home rule for Ireland. Cribb is drafted to help fight this group of dynamiters. As usual, Lovesey includes the atmosphere of 19th c. London including moral issues, but the psychology of the characters isn't much different than now. I liked this book and was tempted to give it 5 stars. In fact, I like this series better than Lovesey's Bertie (Prince of Wales) series set in the past as well as his contemporary Inspector Diamond series. Enjoy!

What a wonderful little story. Like the two previous stories in the Cribb/Thackery story, this is a fetching little book. Cribb and Thackery actually go underground in this story. We the readers find out all about the Fenian movement from the 1880's. Plus, like other books in the series, we learn something about a popular sport from that era. In this case, it is hammer throwing, although the sport is really incidental to the story. If I have any complaints about this story, it's that we don't see much of Thackery, but Cribb is excellent and we know Thackery will be back in the next one. This is a great series. No one can get into to spirit of the Victorian era better than Lovesey.

Sgt. Cribb and his hard working assistant, Constable Thackery and whisked away from their regular duties to a special mission of combating terrorism, 1880s style. Sgt. Cribb is given a quick course in explosives and then infiltrates a terrorist organization. Thackery is the link between Cribb and their superiors but still manages to find himself in the thick of things.This story has everything from training in demolitions at Woolwich Arsenal, terrorist organizations and counter-terrorist tactics and early submarine developement. You will quickly become immersed in the story and will forget time and place. Lovesey does an excellent job of blending all of these various subjects and characters into a coherent and entertaining story. The mastermind of the organization, bent on attacking British royalty is quite a surprising charecter and one you would not ordinarily suspect. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who has an interest in 19th century fiction. You don't have to have read previous Cribb mysteries, Lovesey does an excellent charecter developement in a few pages that will bring the beginner right up to speed. It will whet your appetite for more Cribb books.