Wobble to Death is listed as one of the top 100 crime novels of all time by the British-based Crime Writers Association, and you can see why. It is set in London in the Victorian era during a six-day endurance race-walk, known during the time as a "wobble". Sergeant Cribb and his assistant Thackeray are called in when one of the competitors is murdered during the race. Lovesey gives a fabulous sense of place and time - the odors of the hall, the class distinctions, the language - a history lesson you didn't even realize you were learning. Lovesey makes each character memorable without a lot of backstory so the book can stay focused on the murder.

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