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22nd out of 97 books
—
51 voters
I Am the Only Running Footman (Richard Jury #8)
by
Martha Grimes (Goodreads Author)
Finally back in print-a classic Richard Jury novel from "one of the established masters of the genre" (Newsweek).
Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury takes on an elusive strangler in a case of family secrets-and family lies...
"Witty...stylishly crafted." (The Washington Post)
"[Grimes] gets our immediate attention [and] holds it...with something more than mere su...more
Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury takes on an elusive strangler in a case of family secrets-and family lies...
"Witty...stylishly crafted." (The Washington Post)
"[Grimes] gets our immediate attention [and] holds it...with something more than mere su...more
Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
Published
October 1st 2001
by Onyx
(first published 1986)
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Eighth in the Richard Jury series.[return][return]A young woman is strangled on a lonely highway pulloff--on Brian Macalvie's turf. 10 months later, another young woman is strangled the same way outside a Mayfair pub of the title, bringing in Richard Jury. suspicion falls on the latter woman's lover, David Marr, a member of a very wealthy and very close knit family. Melrose Plant becomes involved when another young woman, in love with Marr, pleads with Melrose to visit Marr and his family--neigh...more
I've been, along with Mom, culling out very old mystery series and rereading before donating. I'm beginning to think I should skip the rereading point. Either the first three attempts at this were just bad luck or you really can't go home again, I'm not sure which. I do like Richard Jury. This one however is barely a 2.5 stars. It was dull and the ending awful.
Two murders little more than a year apart, two women strangled with their scarves, are the cases connected or mere murders of convenience...more
Two murders little more than a year apart, two women strangled with their scarves, are the cases connected or mere murders of convenience...more
I Am the Only Running Footman is a mystery revolving around two strangled girls. Other than that both girls were strangled at night with their scarves, there seems to be little to link the murders. However, Richard Jury, with a little help from Melrose Plant, tracks down all the leads. In the final chapters, he quickly pulls together the clues to solve the mystery.
This was my second mystery by Martha Grimes. I did not enjoy it as much as the first. This one comes further along in the series whic...more
This was my second mystery by Martha Grimes. I did not enjoy it as much as the first. This one comes further along in the series whic...more
This was my last book for 2010. I didn't enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed others in the Richard Jury series. I'm guessing that's partly to do with the many interruptions I had while reading, and the fact that I was trying to get it finished by the end of the year!
Two women have been murdered in a similar fashion albeit in two different locations and time spans. Are they connected? Of course they are. Richard Jury is joined as always by his faithful hypochondriac assistant Wiggins, Melrose Plant...more
Two women have been murdered in a similar fashion albeit in two different locations and time spans. Are they connected? Of course they are. Richard Jury is joined as always by his faithful hypochondriac assistant Wiggins, Melrose Plant...more
This Richard Jury mystery is not a long one, but it is rather entertaining. Wiggins is in good form, and even establishes a rapport with one of the suspects at one time. There are two instances of young women being strangled with their own scarves. one in London, and the other elsewhere. Mrs. Wasserman doesn't have much to do, but Carole-anne plays a larger role. Melrose Plant stays at a rather wanting establishment where he is in danger of bodily harm from the bumbling people there employed, Th...more
Zwei zeitlich weit auseinander liegende Morde, deren einzig gemeinsamer Nenner ist, dass sie bei Regenwetter begangen worden sind, hat Richard Jury vom Scotland Yard in seinem achten Roman "I am only the Running Footman" ("Inspektor Jury steht im Regen") aufzuklären, wie immer mit tatkräftiger Unterstützung von Melrose Plant.
Einen Jury-Roman zu lesen, ist wie zu alten Freunden zu Besuch zu sein. Inzwischen sind sie mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen: Melrose und die tückische Tante Agatha, der bunte Ma...more
Einen Jury-Roman zu lesen, ist wie zu alten Freunden zu Besuch zu sein. Inzwischen sind sie mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen: Melrose und die tückische Tante Agatha, der bunte Ma...more
Richard Jury is my favorite English detective! The eighth in the series, I am the Only Running Footman, is at the top of my favorites in the series. This time around Jury is called in to investigate the murder of a women outside a pub in the Mayfair district of London. Policeman Macalvie is back in this novel, convinced that the London murder is connected to a similar murder in Devon. (This is the second novel with Macalvie and I am wondering if he will pop up again in future stories.) Melrose P...more
It doesn't happen often that I don't understand a book, but I didn't understand this one. From the minor: Edward and Ned are the same person, is Ned a nickname for Edward? To the major: Who did what? Still, I loved the imagery, especially The Mortal Man Inn. I giggled so much that my son kept asking me what was so funny. I had read this book before, forgotten the plot (well I guess so!) but recalled much of the imagery which was even funnier this time around.
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The first Martha Grimes I read, picked up at an airport bookstore. I was hooked on the characters she draws and enjoyed the story. I just wince at her not infrequent misapprehensions of England and Englishness. Her England is in some ways a pastiche and almost a parody of some kind of English essence! But a good storyteller, despite a certain formulaic quality eg young person and animal. Good enough to keep me engaged - I've read them all and own most.
This book did not connect with me. I found it to be disjointed and had a hard time maintaining interest. I liked the Richard Jury character (it's the first Jury mystery I've read), Wiggins, and Jury's neighbors in the one scene in which they appear; the other characters not so much. There are no spoilers in this review, because, candidly, I'm not sure "who done it." I guess I could go back and re-read the last chapter or so to try to figure it out, but I don't think I care enough.
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i basically liked this mystery but found it very hard to follow because of her writing style. She seems to love the dangling participle more than ANYTHING in the world, and she loves to just toss things out and explain them later. Which is especially annoying as she is an ENGLISH TEACHER, or she was when she wrote this. I do play to try future books in this series and see if some of those problems are cleaned up.
This is the one that got me started on Marthe Grimes' books. (I'm a pushover for a catchy, humorous title)
Inspector Richard Jury and his amateur associate, Melrose Plant - they are on a more equal footing then Holmes and Watson, and there is a welcome strain of humor and humanity; the books’ titles refer to the names of pubs, which figure largely in the stories; early novels contain a highly irritating aunt, who is somewhat phased out in the later books.
A series well worth diving into for the lo...more
Inspector Richard Jury and his amateur associate, Melrose Plant - they are on a more equal footing then Holmes and Watson, and there is a welcome strain of humor and humanity; the books’ titles refer to the names of pubs, which figure largely in the stories; early novels contain a highly irritating aunt, who is somewhat phased out in the later books.
A series well worth diving into for the lo...more
I love Martha Grimes but this book's ending was off....like she just decided she didn't feel like writing it anymore and "ended" it....totally weird. In fact, I went to the bookstore (mine was a library copy) and flipped to the last page to double check. It ended so oddly (and quickly) that I thought part of the book was missing! The rest of the book was wonderful....so sad.
I think I am in an abusive relationship with this series. Every time, I am disappointed, but I keep going back, because I see potential & hope for change, but it doesn't happen. This book was ok. I was excited for the return of Malcavie, but he was underused. There were too many tangents that had nothing to do with anything (Mrs. Wasserman, the Wereboys family, Vivian's absentee fiance) & there aren't really substantial clues to the murder, it is just all summed up at the end, as if a li...more
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I do love this author and series, but this one felt cobbled-together, and the ending was ridiculous. I'm not entirely sure what even happened! There we were by the sea...and then BAM! Finis.
In other books of this series, the secondary characters have substance, and contribute greatly; here they are not even "airy nothings"--they are leaden...and confusing. I think you dialed this one in, Ms. Grimes.
In other books of this series, the secondary characters have substance, and contribute greatly; here they are not even "airy nothings"--they are leaden...and confusing. I think you dialed this one in, Ms. Grimes.
This is the first book I have read from this series and I think I would have been better off starting from the beginning. There were a lot of characters to keep straight. I also felt like the mystery was solved rather abruptly, without a whole lot of clues getting there. But it was entertaining and there were a few spots where I laughed out loud. I may go back and start at book number one.
All over the place with a very absurd end. Two of the usual characters are window dressing (Plant and Macalvie) and there are too many plot points that go nowhere. One bright thing, well actually two, Wiggins is still my favourite and he has a somewhat interesting part in this book and the Warboys family who's pub/inn is just too good to be real in a catastrophic way. A very weak 2 stars.
This relates to the National Library Services For The Blind And Physically Disabled version of this book. I would have given it a 4, but I didn't care for the narrator. Sometimes it's the person reading the book who makes or breaks it for a listener. For someone who is able to read with their eyes, I would definitely give this book a 4 though.
These books look like they'd be cosy mysteries but they're definitely not. They're intelligent and well written with wit and characters you can see take shape regardless of where in the series you begin. By the end you expect to be told whodunit but it's not always clear and this is one of those. After reading four of them I was astonished to read that the author is American. She writes so realistically of London it is hard to believe.
My reviews for Martha Grimes are like a roller coaster. Some I love and others not so much. This one had me until the end. I thought it ended abruptly. The story built well, the tension seemed to be climaxing at the right moment and then it ended. I don't necessary need a policeman wrap up but it just felt incomplete.
This is probably the funniest mystery I've read. The Warboyses family is so improbable and hilarious. A stay at their "inn" (used loosely) is an adventure from which you are lucky to wake up alive. However,they are not the focus of the story. And the main story is as good as usual.
Plots with holes a Mack truck could drive through, stereotypical characters, a "huzzah!" moment at the end, this is what I get from a Martha Grimes mystery. The words are all in English and the punctuation is usually correct.
I thought someone had torn out pages at the end (or a whole chapter??) It ended rather abruptly with no explanations or tying up loose ends. This is my 3rd attempt at Martha Grimes. I gave it a good shot, but that's it for me.
THis is a reread from my teen years. I can't remember what I thought of it then, other than I like Richard Jury. I can say I didn't like this one much, definitely not one of her best. In a pre-DNA forensics revolution investigation and interviews being key, this is not dynamic police work. Ah well
Martha Grimes writes "literary" mystery novels, where the crime puzzle is suitably difficult but the main purpose is to describe interesting characters, towns and cultures. She does a good job of limiting herself to writing about what she really knows, which is small town England. She has lots of recurring characters and even recurring towns. So as a reader you get on pretty intimate terms with things. But still it's just light entertainment well done. It's like a good beach book, only returning...more
Martha Grimes has created an eclectic ensemble of city and country characters who bring a smile to your face. What fun it was to have a pint at London's ......Running Footman!
The whole gang is back - Vivian, Aunt Agatha, Carol Anne, Wiggins. Plot? I didn't have a clue who the murderer was. Never heard of him. But who cares?
My favorite title to date :-)
The Jury novels are largely reliably good murder mysteries at the higher level of the genre--and this is no exception
The Jury novels are largely reliably good murder mysteries at the higher level of the genre--and this is no exception
Richard Jury is a favorite of mine, and adding this book to my shelf reminds me that it's time to find another one to read. It's been a while.
A very short mystery novel that again sacrifices some of the satisfaction of the ending in place of something more dramatic. I dunno.
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Martha Grimes is an American author of detective fiction.
She was born May 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to D.W., a city solicitor, and to June, who owned the Mountain Lake Hotel in Western Maryland where Martha and her brother spent much of their childhood. Grimes earned her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Maryland. She has taught at the University of Iowa, Frostburg State University, and Montg...more
More about Martha Grimes...
She was born May 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to D.W., a city solicitor, and to June, who owned the Mountain Lake Hotel in Western Maryland where Martha and her brother spent much of their childhood. Grimes earned her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Maryland. She has taught at the University of Iowa, Frostburg State University, and Montg...more
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