What do You think about The Man With A Load Of Mischief (2003)?
Look, I am not going to apologize for loving Martha Grimes, especially the Richard Jury novels. I am fully willing to admit these are light reading, but that doesn't mean they aren't good. I find that while Grimes continues writing for this series and pumps out a book a year, the cast of characters is still just damned entertaining. Grimes is good at capturing the same wit that I see in British comedy even though she's an American.However, and this is a big caveat, don't look for realism here. Although each novel may seem to take place within current events, it's clear that Grimes' England is not meant to be true to the times. Richard Jury has also lived remarkably long and is still quite well preserved considering his age if you do the math. I urge you not to do the math.The charm in these novels is the characters, the more tangential to the actual mystery the better. There's Marshall Trueblood, a bisexual antiques dealer; Vivian Rivington, who is constantly ribbed about her Italian fiance, who is referred to as a vampire; Carole Palutski, a red-headed smoking hot babe who constantly tries to seduce Jury, acts up a storm and works as a fortuneteller in Covent Garden; Wiggins, a police man addicted to natural remedies and always convinced he is ill; Melrose Plant, an earl who has renounced his earlship, but picks it up again constantly to help in investigations; and his horrible aunt Agatha who constantly badgers him, steals his things, and tags along after him like a child left out of the fun. This is only to name a few of the colourful cast.Certainly, they are Dickensian, as I saw one reviewer mention scathingly on Amazon, but that's deliberate. They aren't real people, just as Dickens' casts of characters are a bit over the top, but they're entertaining and it's possible to overlook the fact that Grimes' stories can become somewhat formulaic, especially because in her mystery victims, suspects, witnesses, etc. she is attracted to certain types of characters (clever young children, eccentric animals, beautiful women who Jury is drawn to or who are drawn to him).In short, the flavour of these novels is irresistable, but if you go picking them apart you won't enjoy them at all.
—Mary-Beth
The first in the Richard Jury mystery series, beloved by my niece and her Mom. And I see why! Everything I love in a mystery: A quirky/interesting protagonist (Inspector, Detective, Commissario, amateur sleuth, etc.), an assistant or two, a civilian side-kick who helps solve the mysteries, a superior who is superfluous/annoying, a wonderful cast of characters who add to the dynamics, humor, romantic/sexual tension, a place that is equally a character, crazy names (places and people) etc. This one takes place in Long Piddleton (Long Pid, say the natives) in the shires. Jury is called out for two murders, but the bodies keep piling up! The story just happens to take place over Christmas - a coincidence, but given the time of year it added to the enjoyment.These, like a few other series I read, are of the lighter, more genteel sort, which provide nice break from the more grim/gruesome mysteries that are so prevalent these days. I also read those, but they can be exhausting!There was a lot of description of the village, the people, etc. that was hard to keep track of - too much detail! I'm assuming this is designed to set up the series and hope the detailed descriptions will diminish with time. I understand that most of the cast are recurring throughout the series which I am excited to read. Better get cracking - there are 23 Richard Jury books! I listened to this and at first was put off by the narrator, Steve West, but eventually decided he was brilliant at setting the tone and voicing the characters.
—Suzy
I read a Martha Grimes mystery years ago and loved it. My father-in-law gave me another recently, and I loved it, which resparked my interest in her books. She's an American, but Grimes writes an excellent classic British mystery. This is the first in the series of Richard Jury mysteries. We are introduced to all the main characters that will reappear in the further books - Melrose Plant, his aristocratic sidekick; Wiggins, his hypochondriacal sergeant; Marshall Trueblood, the gay antiques dealer; Vivian Rivington, the woman both Jury and Plant are interested in; Chief Racer, Jury's horrible boss; Mrs. Wasserman, his paranoid downstairs neighbor; Fiona Clingmore, Racer's beautiful but aging secretary; Cyril, the obtuse cat; and Melrose's obnoxious Aunt Agatha.Two bizarre and public murders calls Richard Jury of Scotland Yard to Northhamptonshire (Northants), where he meets Melrose and Marshall. Long Piddleton, the town in question, will continue to be a player in all future books.I won't get into details of plot; suffice to say that the Jury mysteries rank right up there with P.D. James and Agatha Christie. Why are all these fabulous mystery writers women???
—Kristen
