Wobble to Death

Peter Lovesey the creator of the Sergeant Cribb novels was also a writer of non-fiction books on track & field athletics. Wobble to Death was the first Cribb novel.

The wobble is the gait that speed walkers have. As Cribb and Constable Thackeray attend the pedestrian Championship of the World is taking place in London.

An indoor walking marathon lasting six days. The winner is the man who walked the longest distance and will win a prize of £500.

The police are there as the previous year's contest led to crowd trouble. As Cribb explains there is a lot of money in the various side bets. That is where the action is.

The main contest is with toff, gentleman contender and the reigning champion Captain Erskine Chadwick and professional athlete Charlie Darrell. The rest are also rans including medical man Francis Mostyn-Smith, who plans to launch some health tonics on the back of the contest.

Forget crowd trouble. Cribb is investigating a murder as Darrell is found dead, due to strychnine poisoning. Later his trainer dies, it might have been suicide.

As the marathon continues Cribb wonders who the suspects are. Could it be Sol Herriott the organiser of the race or Cora Darrell, the newly widowed wife or the other competitors.

You have to admire the sumptuous production standards, the extras must have run to the hundreds. There is a squalid atmosphere like those marathon dances in depression set America of the 1930s.

Somehow adapter Alan Plater weaves several subplots and manages to inject some waspish humour from Cribb.