The Detective Wore Silk Drawers

The second Sergeant Cribb mystery is set in the world of Victorian bare-fisted pugilism—an illegal sport, but Cribb discovers evidence that it continues in secret, confirmed by a headless body in the Thames whose hands were “pickled” for fighting. A young constable called Henry Jago is chosen to infiltrate the gang and he has to submit to a rigorous programme of purging, pickling and training. Moreover, Cribb needs to intervene at the crucial time to prevent young Jago from being battered to death.