I got this UK-edition '70s paperback from a friend who's decluttering. It's from Lovesey's "Sergeant Cribb" series, which inspired a TV series in the early 1980s. This one looks to include some shout-outs to Jerome K. Jerome's delightful Three Men in a Boat.

Later: not merely shout-outs - the entire PLOT is premised on the popularity of Jerome's novel. So many people have taken to the river as a result of reading the book (or even just hearing about it) that the harried lock-keepers and more experienced boaters are fed up to the back teeth. So when a young college student who's sneaked out for a nude swim in the river with a couple of classmates happens to spot - wait for it - three men in a boat, to say nothing of a dog... and when a body is found near the spot next day... Well, off kicks the plot! Young Harriet, rescued from her experience in the river by a charming young police constable, is brought along on Sergeant Cribb's investigation in hopes that she can identify the men she saw. But of course anyone asking about "three men in a boat" at this point in time is not going to be taken very seriously!

There's a nicely twisty plot here, in among the boats and dogs and men in straw hats, and all in all I found it quite an entertaining read.

I plan to release this book in a bundle with Three Men in a Boat, leaving them somewhere in or near Abe and Louie's Steakhouse at 793 Boylston, while on my way to lunch with a friend. Hope someone enjoys the books!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

** Released for the 2023 Valentine challenge, for the embedded "love" in the author's name. **

** Released for the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count challenge, for the penguin logo on the cover; see the Audubon site for info on the GBBC. **