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Friday, November 20, 2015

Friday Forgotten (or Overlooked) Book: THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF by Martha Grimes


This is the first Richard Jury mystery and the one which introduces us to the nicely neurotic inhabitants of Long Piddleton. The setting is a snowy picture postcard English village, cozily nestled on the banks of the River Piddle. It's the Christmas season but that hasn't stopped a murderer from going about his nefarious duties.

When a dead body is found stuck in a keg of beer at The Man With A Load of Mischief pub (all Jury books are titled after existing English pubs), followed by yet another dead body later found tucked in the mechanical sign above the front door of the Jack and Hammer (Long Piddleton's not so friendly neighborhood pub), well, it's time for Scotland Yard in the form of Richard Jury to make an appearance. Not that that puts paid to the killings in this small village in Northants.

Detective Chief Inspector Jury is tall, handsome, languid, lonely, given to intuitive flashes and incapable of finding the right woman (no matter if she is right in front of his nose). Yet he possesses a smile which is supposed to stop women (and anyone else) in their tracks. Go figure. He is also a man whom children instinctively trust and divulge their secrets to. An especially important trait in a Martha Grimes book.

Here we also meet, for the first time, the charming and very cavalier Melrose Plant, a man who, for reasons which become obvious over the length of the series, has given up his title as Earl of Caverness. Given up the title, yes, but not the mien. Still, he is pretty down to earth for a man of luxurious lifestyle complete with mansion and butler. Now if only he could get rid of his annoyingly batty aunt, all would be perfection. 

So who is responsible for the rather unsightly Long Piddleton killing spree? 

One would immediately jump to the conclusion that I'm talking about a series of cozies, but one would be wrong. Author Martha Grimes has invented a style of story which should be discordant, but to my mind is not; she has managed to combine the ambience of the cozy (along with the requisite cast of assorted eccentrics) with the deeper, darker ambience of the police procedural/thriller. The crimes themselves are often ugly and the solutions never pat. Happy endings for all involved do not abound except very occasionally. One just never knows how a Jury book is going to turn out. If you cannot acclimate yourself to this sort of thing, then the series is not for you. 

Too bad because for wit, intelligence and imagination, you can't top Martha Grimes.  In so many ways she is unique in the world of genre (if you care to describe it like that) fiction.

I've read THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF a couple of times and have also listened to the audio version narrated superbly by Steve West. It's up to you how you choose to begin this series (not that it really needs to be read in order), if you choose to begin it and I say: please do.

I've written about Richard Jury before since he remains one of my favorite characters in fiction (and one of my huge crushes) and over the years I've read every single Jury book. (But don't ask me for synopsis of plots please, the spirit is willing but the memory banks are depleted.) You must trust me when I say that on the whole, I've enjoyed almost every single one and it is a series I recommend highly. 

(And no I don't mind the inclusion of dogs and cats of varying personalities, names and antics. I like the element of other-worldliness they add to the stories.)


Since it's Friday, don't forget to check in at author Patricia Abbott's blog, Pattinase, to see what other forgotten or overlooked holiday-themed books other bloggers are talking about today.

10 comments:

  1. Yvette I've been collecting this series and almost have them all, but yet to read a one! I'm crazy that way. Beginning next year that's the plan. Looking forward to them. LOVE that cover

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  2. Yvette,

    Grimes has long since been a favorite of mine. And, the village of Long Piddleton is a necessary element in the stories. I hope the aunt stays around for the rest of the series, and I would like to see more of the hermit and the goat.

    I think I've read them all also, but it's been some time so maybe I should take another look at the first in the series.

    Good review--you've captured the flavor (somewhat off of true north) perfectly.

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    1. Thanks, Fred. I think we two might be the only current Grimes fans around these parts. :) But maybe we can convert a few more.

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  3. This series doesn't really need to be read in order, Peggy. Since nobody ages and nobody really evolves past a certain point. That's part of the charm of the books I think. But as I mentioned, these are not really cozies so there are lots of dark crimes committed except that we are NEVER (thankfully) in the mind and thoughts of the killer or of anyone except Jury and Plant (that I can remember anyway). Lots of great stuff, you're in for a treat.

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  4. I need to get back to this series, Yvette. I have read 13 of them, The Case Has Altered is the one I will read next. I have all the rest of them, well maybe not Vertigo, the latest. Have you read any of the other series?

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  5. THE CASE HAS ALTERED is an especially good one, Tracy, so you're due for a treat. VERTIGO? Did I read that one? Oh yes, VERTIGO 42, read it recently - very good and back to form. Far as I know Grimes only has one other series, the Emma Graham books. There are, I think, only three or maybe four. I've read three. The finest one is the second one, COLD FLAT JUNCTION. Brilliant. All my own biased opinion, of course. :)

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  6. Yvette, I admit to having passed up several opportunities to pick up Martha Grimes paperbacks. I didn't know the Richard Jury series was so enjoyable. His character sounds very appealing as does the (rather original) idea of naming the books after English pubs.

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    1. I love this series, Prashant so I can't be sensible about it. :) They're not all equally good of course, but those are few and far between thankfully. I love these characters too, that never hurts.

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  7. Read one of hers decades ago but didn't get along I'm afraid - as I recall, she got several British details wrong which kept talking me out of the story, which obviously didn't help ... Really enjoyed the review though Yvette :)

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    1. I'm curious, Sergio, what details? Do you remember any? I would have said she gets things pretty much right. When I began reading Grimes I thought she was British. Where did I go wrong/??

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