Swing, Swing Together

An elementary school teacher in training goes for a midnight swim in the Thames with a couple of friends, breaking the school rules and facing expulsion if they’re caught. So when the police arrive the next day, they fear the worst. Turns out one of them may have witnessed the escape of murderers… three men, to be precise, in a boat…to say nothing of the dog.

This was a lot of fun. It’s a Sgt Cribb adventure set the summer after the publication of Three Men in a Boat, and everyone is obsessed with the book and re-creating the journey taken by the men in the story. You don’t need to have read that book to enjoy this one, but I imagine it would add an extra dimension of fun if you had. The only prerequisite for enjoying this book show more is liking an older-style detective story and this type of setting. It’s also a good book if you like detective duos who chaff each other like Cribb and Thackeray do. This might be my favourite book in the series so far… and now I want to read Three Men in a Boat again. show less

This is an amusing spin on the classic Victorian novel, Three Men in a Boat. A student at a strict teaching college takes a midnight swim (in the altogether) with a couple of new friends, which could result in their expulsion from the school. She sees three men (and the dog) in a boat, A series of complications leads to her being brought back to the school by the local bobby. All seems to have gone well.

Until the police arrive the next day, investigating a drowning from the previous night. The ensuing mystery involves some delightful scenes and lots of light humor. Don’t analyze this one—it’s complete improbable, more like an early Christie featuring one of those girls named Bundle or Bunch—just enjoy a relaxing, fun trip back show more to a simpler age. show less

A young woman goes what we would now call skinny dipping and sees tree men in a boat. It turns out they may have been involved in the murder of a tramp. Sgt. Cribb, Constable Thackery and the potential witness set off down the river in their own boat, hoping to find the villains. The book derives from the Victorian comic classic Three Men in a Boat, which I have not read. Apparently it set off a fad of people traveling around in boats.

One of the best in the series. Harriet is a great addition.