- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (28 Nov 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140246983
- ISBN-13: 978-0140246988
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 604,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Horace Rumpole is supposedly enjoying his well-earned retirement basking in the Florida sunshine. But a colleague's casual request for advice on a difficult case sends him hurriedly back across the Atlantic. Leaving retirement far behind, the irreverent and claret-swilling Rumpole soon finds himself facing a fanatical religious cult, a mysterious letter written in blood, and the Pornographer-in-Chief to the fair town of Grimble.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
(3.5 stars) Living in "retirement" in Miami, Florida, where their son Nick is head of the sociology department at the university, the irascible Horace Rumpole and his wife Hilda ("She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed") are enjoying the warm winter weather and sunlight. When Tiffany Jones, a young professor at the university, disappears, shortly after she has flirted with Rumpole at a party, he is as perturbed as are her many friends. Simultaneously, Rumpole reads in a London newspaper, sent by friends, that a struggling young accountant has been arrested for the gory murder of a wealthy aristocrat in a London "tube" station. A message written in blood is found beside his body.
Rumpole cannot resist the lure of returning to London to work on this "blood" case, and Hilda soon joins him, but he discovers that his desk in chambers is now occupied by Ken Cracknell, an overconfident young man with no experience defending a murder case. It is Ken who will defend Simpson, the accountant, but he agrees to let Rumpole work as his "assistant" in this sensational murder investigation. The two locations--Florida, where Tiffany has disappeared, and London, where Simpson has been arrested and charged with murder--come together when Tiffany and Simpson both prove to have been interested in a cult, Children of the Sun.
Written in 1982, this mystery is a product of its times, a time when "Moonies" were dominating the news, and the novel's "surprises" are not very surprising when seen from the contemporary vantage point. Side plots involving Rumpole's history with Judge Bullingham, his possible representation of the aggrieved wife of a philandering barrister, the romantic dalliances of Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown with other members of Chambers, and his son Nick's arrival, which leads to his helping Rumpole on the Simpson case, fill out the novel.
Author John Mortimer has written the Rumpole novels out of chronological sequence re Rumpole's career, so it is disconcerting to have Rumpole coming out of retirement at an early point in what becomes a long sequence of Rumpole novels and stories. This novel feels flat and unfocused, as if Mortimer were trying to figure out where to go with it--and with Rumpole and Hilda--at this early stage in the Rumpole series. Rumpole's presumed "retirement" because of his lack of confidence after losing ten cases in a row seems inconsistent with his enormous arrogance and ego, and is hard to swallow for the reader. With its unusually large number of distractions, this novel is one of Rumpole's less organized adventures. n Mary Whipple
Rumpole cannot resist the lure of returning to London to work on this "blood" case, and Hilda soon joins him, but he discovers that his desk in chambers is now occupied by Ken Cracknell, an overconfident young man with no experience defending a murder case. It is Ken who will defend Simpson, the accountant, but he agrees to let Rumpole work as his "assistant" in this sensational murder investigation. The two locations--Florida, where Tiffany has disappeared, and London, where Simpson has been arrested and charged with murder--come together when Tiffany and Simpson both prove to have been interested in a cult, Children of the Sun.
Written in 1982, this mystery is a product of its times, a time when "Moonies" were dominating the news, and the novel's "surprises" are not very surprising when seen from the contemporary vantage point. Side plots involving Rumpole's history with Judge Bullingham, his possible representation of the aggrieved wife of a philandering barrister, the romantic dalliances of Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown with other members of Chambers, and his son Nick's arrival, which leads to his helping Rumpole on the Simpson case, fill out the novel.
Author John Mortimer has written the Rumpole novels out of chronological sequence re Rumpole's career, so it is disconcerting to have Rumpole coming out of retirement at an early point in what becomes a long sequence of Rumpole novels and stories. This novel feels flat and unfocused, as if Mortimer were trying to figure out where to go with it--and with Rumpole and Hilda--at this early stage in the Rumpole series. Rumpole's presumed "retirement" because of his lack of confidence after losing ten cases in a row seems inconsistent with his enormous arrogance and ego, and is hard to swallow for the reader. With its unusually large number of distractions, this novel is one of Rumpole's less organized adventures. n Mary Whipple
Format:Paperback
This is classic Rumpole. I bought it as my holiday read. Unfortunately, I opened it the day before the holiday just for a quick look. The result was that my packing went unpacked, I finished it long before we started the holiday and I had to rush out to buy something else to take with me.
The basic premise is that Rumpole, having faced a number of defeats at the Old Bailey, finally decides to throw in the towel and retire. He and SWMBO decide to move abroad and stay with his son Nick in Florida whilst his office in chambers is given over to two new arrivals.
Meanwhile, a murder is committed on the platform of a tube station. The case arrives at Chambers and is taken up by one of the juniors. Phyllida Erskine Brown becomes aware of the details and as the defence rests on a particular understanding of bloodstains, she writes to Rumpole for his advice. Rumpole meanwhile, champing at the bit in America takes the bait and, without Hilda's prior agreement or authority, flies back to London, installs himself behind the potted palms in the corridors of chambers and endeavours to muscle in on the work.
I'll leave the rest for you to find out.
The basic premise is that Rumpole, having faced a number of defeats at the Old Bailey, finally decides to throw in the towel and retire. He and SWMBO decide to move abroad and stay with his son Nick in Florida whilst his office in chambers is given over to two new arrivals.
Meanwhile, a murder is committed on the platform of a tube station. The case arrives at Chambers and is taken up by one of the juniors. Phyllida Erskine Brown becomes aware of the details and as the defence rests on a particular understanding of bloodstains, she writes to Rumpole for his advice. Rumpole meanwhile, champing at the bit in America takes the bait and, without Hilda's prior agreement or authority, flies back to London, installs himself behind the potted palms in the corridors of chambers and endeavours to muscle in on the work.
I'll leave the rest for you to find out.
Format:Paperback
Rumpole's first full length outing. That is to say, this is a novel, unlike the earlier books featuring John Mortimer's great comic creation, which were collections of short stories. Sadly, this novel, while a good read and often extremely funny, does serve to show how well suited the tales of this defending barrister are to the short story format.
That said, there's much to savour here, including the sight of Horace and Hilda in sun-kissed retirement in Florida; An unlikely situation that clearly suits neither Rumpole nor Florida.
Unlike all his previous cases, however unlikely, this one, featuring a murderous American cult reaching over to London, doesn't really ring true. I think this is probably because Rumpole himself seems more like an amateur detective than a courtroom lawyer. Again, the format may be at fault here, obviously a novel, with its longer length, must have more plot than a short story, which can just show a trial without troubling over details of investigation.
That said, there's much to savour here, including the sight of Horace and Hilda in sun-kissed retirement in Florida; An unlikely situation that clearly suits neither Rumpole nor Florida.
Unlike all his previous cases, however unlikely, this one, featuring a murderous American cult reaching over to London, doesn't really ring true. I think this is probably because Rumpole himself seems more like an amateur detective than a courtroom lawyer. Again, the format may be at fault here, obviously a novel, with its longer length, must have more plot than a short story, which can just show a trial without troubling over details of investigation.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
