Rumpole Misbehaves: A Novel
by John Clifford Mortimer
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 65)
Read in February, 2008
Horace Rumpole is a perpetually 70 year old barrister, comfortably ensconced in his chambers, smoking stogies, drinking Pomeroy's Very Ordinary Claret, and quoting Wordsworth. His low points (he would have you believe) are at home with his wife, She Who Must Be Obeyed. His high points are in court when he "rears up on his hind legs" for a cross-examination, battling against the prosecutor, the judge, and occasionally his partners to protect the presumption of innocence and defend his...more
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Read in March, 2008
This short novel finds the cantankerous Rumpole at his best, defending criminals, the innocent, and the British Constitution with equal vigor. The reason I gave it only three stars was that I read a lot of British police procedurals. There is a situation in the book, which I won't detail for fear of spoilers, but which seems impossible to me in light of what other authors have described as standard Scene of Crime procedure for any suspicious death. I gather it's been a long time since Mr. Mort...more
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Read in March, 2008
I must confess that I adore Rumpole stories. I am just a sucker for his whole curmudgeonly view of life and love of the law, the good cheer with which he drinks his Pommeroy's plonk and smokes his brown cigars, his grudging admiration for She Who Must Be Obeyed, the whole cast of characters in and out of chambers. This latest is a slim volume in large print, but you don't read Rumpole for weightiness anyway. Mortimer weaves in a bit of deft commentary on human trafficking, but mostly it's the us...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone
The latest for Rumpole. The book is set in type the size of a truck, must be 16-point -- I wondered if I got a large print version by accident. But no: it's merely that it's a long short story dressed to look like a full length novel. Doesn't matter. Love it. Rumpole's wit and integrity shine in a world full of interfering judges, officious barristers and inexplicable agendas. And She Who Must is a gem. Read Rumpole when life's got you down: it's a sure-fire mood enhancer.
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
Rumpole fans
A fun short read, but nowhere near as meaty as the earlier Rumpoles. Of course, we know the characters now, so there's a bit of short cutting allowed, but it almost feels like it was written for the TV series.
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Read in February, 2008
Very entertaining. To say that Rumpole's observations of the legal profession(UK--but rings true for the US) are refreshing is, of course, an understatement. This is a recent book in the Rumpole series. I have found them all to be fun reads.
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Read in May, 2008
Rumpole books are confections. This one, really more a novella, made fun of all the right people and let Rumpole succeed once more in solving the murder and avoiding promotion.
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i hate to say it, but the rumpole canon is starting to feel...well...a bit rote. though i do like the fact that all the judges are slightly salacious in their own special ways.
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Read in February, 2008
The book was amusing, very large print to give the impression this was a "Novel" it would better be classified a "Short Story". But it was good airplane reading.....
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Read in May, 2008
Mortimer and Rumpole take on Anti-social Behavior Orders. Bless Mortimer, he must be close to 85 now...and still fighting the good fight.
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I have been a Rumpole fan for years. I will be anxious to get a copy of this. Hopefully John Mortimer still has what it takes.
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