Wobble To Death: Peter Lovesey

In the late nineteenth century, 'Go As You Please' contests, or 'Wobbles', were bizarre athletic - or endurance - contests. The object of the race is to see how far a man could walk, run or hobble for six days and six nights. The prize: one hundred pounds - a fortune! - and a belt showing him to be the Champion Pedestrian of the World. It's an event that attracts a lot of punters and very serious money is wagered. The 'Wobble' of this tale is set in Islington in the late 1880s, run by a shady promoter who is looking to make money fast with little interest in the fate or state of the competitors. The intervention of more than one murder makes for a more grisly contest than usual - and as the police investigate, the race continues relentlessly.