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Rumpole of the Bailey #4
Rumpole for the Defence
This book is a sheer delight. Mortimer gives us humor as only the British can dish it out. And what great fun to contemplate what it would be like to be Rumpole, an utterly unflappable character, slightly detached from and amused by all of life's challenges, whether they occur in a court of law or as a result of living with a spouse he calls She Who Must Be Obeyed.
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1982
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About the author
John Mortimer
245 books227 followersJohn Clifford Mortimer was a novelist, playwright and former practising barrister. Among his many publications are several volumes of Rumpole stories and a trilogy of political novels, Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets, featuring Leslie Titmuss - a character as brilliant as Rumpole. John Mortimer received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.
Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles
Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
March 29, 2020
That champion of the downtrodden, oppressed and falsely accused, the aging London barrister Horace Rumpole is at it again in another addition of his memoir-esque reminiscences in Rumpole for the Defense.
In just about every one of former barrister-turned-author John Mortimer's books his hero Rumpole, that witty grump, is almost invariably set upon by an antagonistic judge. Often his client is not guilt, but harboring a secret he/she doesn't want to give up, not even to his/her own counsel. Usually, Rumpole is even at odds with his own firm!
About a half dozen stories/cases make up Rumpole for the Defense. I don't know if there's a common thread among them more than, say, Rumpole's continual defense of those accused of crimes they (usually) didn't commit and the aforementioned recurring formulas. I suppose Mortimer was leaning most heavily on Rumpole's unflinching defense of those in need, and the need in general of those at the mercy of the merciless.
This is a very solid 3 stars. If there's any real fault it's that it is rather repetitious, treading on past formulas already well-tread. However, these are good stories that will delight any Rumpole fan and should engage those who like courtroom drama.
REREAD UPDATE: I'm giving this a full 4 stars now. These stories are just downright enjoyable. Also, with this reread, I noticed that Rumpole doesn't necessarily "win" every court case or always come out smelling like roses. It adds a nice layer of character development.
In just about every one of former barrister-turned-author John Mortimer's books his hero Rumpole, that witty grump, is almost invariably set upon by an antagonistic judge. Often his client is not guilt, but harboring a secret he/she doesn't want to give up, not even to his/her own counsel. Usually, Rumpole is even at odds with his own firm!
About a half dozen stories/cases make up Rumpole for the Defense. I don't know if there's a common thread among them more than, say, Rumpole's continual defense of those accused of crimes they (usually) didn't commit and the aforementioned recurring formulas. I suppose Mortimer was leaning most heavily on Rumpole's unflinching defense of those in need, and the need in general of those at the mercy of the merciless.
This is a very solid 3 stars. If there's any real fault it's that it is rather repetitious, treading on past formulas already well-tread. However, these are good stories that will delight any Rumpole fan and should engage those who like courtroom drama.
REREAD UPDATE: I'm giving this a full 4 stars now. These stories are just downright enjoyable. Also, with this reread, I noticed that Rumpole doesn't necessarily "win" every court case or always come out smelling like roses. It adds a nice layer of character development.
August 17, 2020
Probably read this decades ago but any outing of the Old Bailey hack is well worth revisiting. Long Live Horace Rumpole! Glorious.
January 10, 2023
More hugely enjoyable Rumpole.
April 9, 2019
Another collection of stories about the triumphs and disasters of that lovable scourge of the courts, Horace Rumpole.
April 8, 2019
Rumpole is an absolutely guaranteed mood elevator, whichever of the books you pick up. Had a bad day? Rumpole. Missed the bus? Rumpole. Country heading for an economic catastrophe the like of which is unknown in generations? Rumpole, Rumpole, Rumpole.
He's almost the literary equivalent of push-button pain relief. He's literary morphine, deployed against all the ills of the world.
We love Rumpole.
Unlike a few since the first Rumpole novel, this feels like 'timeless' Rumpole, random tales drawn from memory, rather than following any particular chronology. There are some lovely cases and stories here though, including a case of possible police racism, and a glorious boat-based murder - or is it? - involving a schoolfriend of She Who Must Be Obeyed.
There's little enough to say about Rumpole, really. For me, he's as priceless a British comic character as Falstaff, Bertie Wooster, Esme Weatherwax or Sam Vimes, guaranteed to give you fun and pleasure every time you encounter him. This one feels like a more freewheeling Rumpole collection, and that's never a bad thing. Thanks, Rumpole, old darling.
He's almost the literary equivalent of push-button pain relief. He's literary morphine, deployed against all the ills of the world.
We love Rumpole.
Unlike a few since the first Rumpole novel, this feels like 'timeless' Rumpole, random tales drawn from memory, rather than following any particular chronology. There are some lovely cases and stories here though, including a case of possible police racism, and a glorious boat-based murder - or is it? - involving a schoolfriend of She Who Must Be Obeyed.
There's little enough to say about Rumpole, really. For me, he's as priceless a British comic character as Falstaff, Bertie Wooster, Esme Weatherwax or Sam Vimes, guaranteed to give you fun and pleasure every time you encounter him. This one feels like a more freewheeling Rumpole collection, and that's never a bad thing. Thanks, Rumpole, old darling.
July 27, 2024
Mortimer embodies liberal values in a crusty old fogey.
September 30, 2013
Lost weekends (lost to binge TV show-viewing on Netflix) is not a new phenomena. I've been tearing through the Rumpole of the Bailey books at a rapid rate, too.
Perhaps it was due to my youth when I watched the TV shows, but the books seem to have more existential pathos than the TV shows. The books are worth a read, even if you have seen the episodes on TV.
Perhaps it was due to my youth when I watched the TV shows, but the books seem to have more existential pathos than the TV shows. The books are worth a read, even if you have seen the episodes on TV.
November 6, 2021
This is my new binge-reading. We're back to the short story format, but otherwise the books are so similar that it's difficult to contribute some exciting new observation to each one, it would be like trying to rate each Hershey Bar you eat, rather than Hershey Bars in general. I'll say that for this set of stories there were a few more twists than usual, and that I saw through most of them. I don't need twists, I'm quite happy to see by what legal means Rumpole manages to get clients in or out of jail, despite guilt or innocence.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s.)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s.)
January 23, 2020
Another book of sheer joy! There are stories, which end in court, and most of the time Rumpole wins. This is not what this book, or any of the series are about. Rumpole is of a different era, and his ways and manners, are long past. John Mortimer humour in the words Rumpole speaks are genuinely funny, quite often i find myself laughing away.
I would recommend this and the whole series to anyone.
I would recommend this and the whole series to anyone.
November 10, 2019
Rumpole is a barrister in London who mainly defends low-level crooks, sometimes getting them off, but at least trying to get reduced sentences. Opposing counsels and presiding judges are a real pain, as is his wife Hilda, aka She Who Must Be Obeyed. The TV series was a really good portrayal of the stories, particularly Leo McKern as Rumpole.
June 25, 2013
Rumpole always cracks me up. This was a series of short stories - each about an hour long on the audio version. Perfect for our commuting.
June 7, 2019
"Once more into the breach" with the "Rumpole of the Bailey" series by John Mortimer (Horace Rumpole must be rubbing off on me)!
As we're reading all things Rumpole for this month's mystery discussion, this time I chose "Rumpole for the Defence," a collection by Mortimer featuring the self-proclaimed Old Bailey hack in seven stories, including the following:
"Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt," where the defense attorney stands ready to defend young black teen Oswald Gladstone on the charge of attempted murder against all comers, including the judge, the prosecution, the police, the public at large, Rumpole's own son Nick, and even the client himself, while the barrister also finds himself at odds with Nick over his chosen profession.
"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail," in which Rumpole visits his old alma mater, St. Joseph's College at Oxford, while defending a gardener on the campus from a charge of blackmail against one of the college's professors, but, as always, all is not as it seems.
"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" finds the barrister in unfamiliar territory, instructing on a will case where the beneficiary claims to still be on good terms with her late benefactor via supernatural means.
"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" has Horace Rumpole defending a police inspector, whom he has tangled with before, against a bribery charge.
"Rumpole and the Expert Witness" takes a page from Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution" to marvelous effect as a so-called expert witness appears to have it in for the defendant accused of the murder of his wife.
"Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas," in which Rumpole asks the prosecution for a little Christmas charity in his defense of a young member of the London criminal clan, the Timsons, and receives some Christmas spirit, but not in the way he expects.
"Rumpole and the Boat People," the final story in the collection, features Rumpole taking the unaccustomed place of junior to leading counsel Guthrie Featherstone as they defend a woman against the charge of murder at sea.
Once again, Mortimer's stories are a delight, as Rumpole does battle with all manner of opponents, the most formidable of which is his wife Hilda, otherwise known as She Who Must Be Obeyed. As Rumpole observes near the end of the Boat People story, "Matrimony and murder both carry a mandatory life sentence." However, there a few instances in this book where Hilda stands ready to defend Rumpole, particularly against their son Nick in the Confession of Guilt story. The wily barrister doesn't always win, but he does learn from his mistakes in ways that other members of his Chambers, (such as Claude Erskine-Brown, Guthrie Featherstone and Sam Ballard) never will.
This collection gets five stars. Now I'm ready to read "Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders."
As we're reading all things Rumpole for this month's mystery discussion, this time I chose "Rumpole for the Defence," a collection by Mortimer featuring the self-proclaimed Old Bailey hack in seven stories, including the following:
"Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt," where the defense attorney stands ready to defend young black teen Oswald Gladstone on the charge of attempted murder against all comers, including the judge, the prosecution, the police, the public at large, Rumpole's own son Nick, and even the client himself, while the barrister also finds himself at odds with Nick over his chosen profession.
"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail," in which Rumpole visits his old alma mater, St. Joseph's College at Oxford, while defending a gardener on the campus from a charge of blackmail against one of the college's professors, but, as always, all is not as it seems.
"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" finds the barrister in unfamiliar territory, instructing on a will case where the beneficiary claims to still be on good terms with her late benefactor via supernatural means.
"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" has Horace Rumpole defending a police inspector, whom he has tangled with before, against a bribery charge.
"Rumpole and the Expert Witness" takes a page from Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution" to marvelous effect as a so-called expert witness appears to have it in for the defendant accused of the murder of his wife.
"Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas," in which Rumpole asks the prosecution for a little Christmas charity in his defense of a young member of the London criminal clan, the Timsons, and receives some Christmas spirit, but not in the way he expects.
"Rumpole and the Boat People," the final story in the collection, features Rumpole taking the unaccustomed place of junior to leading counsel Guthrie Featherstone as they defend a woman against the charge of murder at sea.
Once again, Mortimer's stories are a delight, as Rumpole does battle with all manner of opponents, the most formidable of which is his wife Hilda, otherwise known as She Who Must Be Obeyed. As Rumpole observes near the end of the Boat People story, "Matrimony and murder both carry a mandatory life sentence." However, there a few instances in this book where Hilda stands ready to defend Rumpole, particularly against their son Nick in the Confession of Guilt story. The wily barrister doesn't always win, but he does learn from his mistakes in ways that other members of his Chambers, (such as Claude Erskine-Brown, Guthrie Featherstone and Sam Ballard) never will.
This collection gets five stars. Now I'm ready to read "Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders."
June 6, 2018
I'm a big fan of the TV show and the book is great too in that it is easier to figure out motivations.
Here is a list of the stories:
"Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt" - The issue of whether a signed confession is really a confession of guilt, or an indication of something else.
"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" - A Professor of Moral Philosophy claims he was being blackmailed by his gardener who threatened him to expose him.
"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" - After a gentleman dies, his nurse claims that he left his estate to her rather than to his family. The gentleman confirms this from the beyond.
"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" - A "copper" who usually opposes Rumpole is now accused of taking bribes, so he comes to Rumpole to defend him.
"Rumpole and the Expert Witness" - A doctor is accused of murdering his wife. The doctor's father worked with Rumpole during the Penge Bungalow Murders. Rumpole comes to the rescue.
"Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas" - It is better to give than receive. Rumpole is looking for a gift of a win.
"Rumpole and the Boat People" - A man goes overboard, and his wife collects the life insurance. Nevertheless, her brother-in-law claims that she murdered him.
Great twists and turns.
Here is a list of the stories:
"Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt" - The issue of whether a signed confession is really a confession of guilt, or an indication of something else.
"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" - A Professor of Moral Philosophy claims he was being blackmailed by his gardener who threatened him to expose him.
"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" - After a gentleman dies, his nurse claims that he left his estate to her rather than to his family. The gentleman confirms this from the beyond.
"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" - A "copper" who usually opposes Rumpole is now accused of taking bribes, so he comes to Rumpole to defend him.
"Rumpole and the Expert Witness" - A doctor is accused of murdering his wife. The doctor's father worked with Rumpole during the Penge Bungalow Murders. Rumpole comes to the rescue.
"Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas" - It is better to give than receive. Rumpole is looking for a gift of a win.
"Rumpole and the Boat People" - A man goes overboard, and his wife collects the life insurance. Nevertheless, her brother-in-law claims that she murdered him.
Great twists and turns.
December 24, 2023
An enjoyable read going into the year-end holiday season, especially since one of the stories in the collection is appropriately titled Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas. Not entirely sure about the 4 stars. There's not much to the legal cases. And there's something of a superficial air in the clever bon mots, the sameness of the story construction, and the inevitable references to claret and the Penge Bungalow Murders. Nevertheless, I did quite enjoy reading this. The writing — all first-person narrative by grumpy and provocative old Rumpole — is witty. And these stories aren't just light amusements. A fair bit of challenging material is thrown in, like bitter greens in a salad. The first story sees Rumpole dimly encountering existential doubts. At least two more see the course of justice distorted by cunning human meanness. One of them even sees Rumpole, after six losing cases, begging an opposing prosecutor for a discreet decision to go easy and increase the chances for Rumpole's client to get off. I am writing this the day before Christmas, so generosity is in order, but the 4 stars are earned.
July 31, 2017
I particularly enjoyed this series of stories. The audiobook gave the extra dimension of being read in a Rumpole-like voice and with each story lasting approximately an hour. The stories were reminiscent of episodes of the tv series from many years ago, which I particularly enjoyed. The stories were replete with dry wit and humor, the whodunnit or didhe/shedoit mystery of a courtroom drama. Although the poetry quotes were sometimes too lengthy or a bit tedious, they were an effective tool for building the characterisation and reflecting the somewhat eccentric nature of Rumpole. The book was light, amusing and had enough twists and turns to keep me interested through each story and across the whole series of stories.
July 6, 2020
A very enjoyable set of short stories with Rumpole standing up in defence of the accused in court. I don’t think the stories by themselves are consistently great or even original - I could detect undertones of Agatha Christie mysteries in a couple of them- but then, the story is infused with rich, typical British humour and old world cronies that will ensure you have a smile right through the book. The humour isn’t the more farcical kind as Henry Cecil but more restrained and... British.
May 25, 2021
The Rumpole stories, whilst becoming slightly dated in their social attitudes, are still wonderfully clever and entertaining. There is a warmth about Horace Rumpole that means he continues to endure through the years. In this anthology Rumpole must defend an old school friend of 'She Who Must Not Be Named', work to aquit a doctor accused of murdering his wife and free one of the numerous Timson lads from a GBH charge. There are twists in the tale aplenty.
September 10, 2021
As others have said, John Mortimer's Rumpole books are always a delightful read. And I can always hear and see dear old Leo McKern as Horace!
John Mortimer had learned the craft of writing well long before he created Rumpole and it shows in all of his books (at least 56 at last count). And his skill and wit stayed with him right until the end.
10/5.
John Mortimer had learned the craft of writing well long before he created Rumpole and it shows in all of his books (at least 56 at last count). And his skill and wit stayed with him right until the end.
10/5.
February 18, 2023
"Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt" - won.
"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" - won.
"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" - won, an interesting twist.
"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" - won.
"Rumpole and the Expert Witness" - won, but the murderer escaped. Eerie.
"Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas" - Rumpole got tricked by a saintly prosecutor. Lost.
"Rumpole and the Boat People" won.
"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" - won.
"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" - won, an interesting twist.
"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" - won.
"Rumpole and the Expert Witness" - won, but the murderer escaped. Eerie.
"Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas" - Rumpole got tricked by a saintly prosecutor. Lost.
"Rumpole and the Boat People" won.
May 7, 2021
The Rumpole series may very well be my favorite book series (besides Harry Potter). Horace Rumpole is one of the most timeless, well-developed fictional characters in the literary world and is the epitome of British dry-humour. These are the books I will reread on gloomy days to get a good chuckle.
December 21, 2024
Seven further trials, adapted from the 1980 BBC Radio series (plus one Play for Today). Behind Rumpole’s cynical bluster and his numerous personal and professional setbacks, Mortimer offers up ingenious case studies in legal defence. Bill Wallis’s audiobook reading is superbly Rumpole-like.
March 26, 2018
A series of short stories with Rumpole defending a variety of clients in a fun way. I love his wife and how their home life is part of each of the stories.
June 19, 2018
I love Runpole!! John Mortimer is a very good story teller.
October 24, 2018
As ever a delightful read.
August 2, 2019
Great fun with the cynical and intelligent Rumpole.
December 22, 2019
Just fun. Patrick Tull does a good job reading
May 8, 2020
More of the same. Always entertaining.
May 29, 2022
Sempre un piacere accompagnare Horace Rumple nei suoi casi
November 20, 2022
As always an excellent collection of short stories. Well worth a read!
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