Books

  1. Rumpole on Trial

    Rumpole on Trial

  2. Redcoat

    Redcoat

  3. Expelled, The, and Other Novellas (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Expelled, The, and Other Novellas (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  4. The Book of Imaginary Beings (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    The Book of Imaginary Beings (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  5. Doctor Brodie's Report (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Doctor Brodie's Report (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  6. Manhattan Transfer (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Manhattan Transfer (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  7. Despair (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Despair (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  8. Cry, the Beloved Country: A Story of Comfort in Desolation (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Cry, the Beloved Country: A Story of Comfort in Desolation (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  9. Three Lives (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Three Lives (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  10. The Home and the World (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    The Home and the World (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  11. Helena (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Helena (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  12. Father and Son: A Study of Two Temprements (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Father and Son: A Study of Two Temprements (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  13. Hiroshima (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Hiroshima (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  14. Eva Trout (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Eva Trout (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  15. Cheri (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    Cheri (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  16. The Chronicles of Clovis (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    The Chronicles of Clovis (Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  17. The Family Moskat (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    The Family Moskat (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  18. The Ramayana: Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    The Ramayana: Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  19. McTeague: A Story of San Francisco (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.)

    McTeague: A Story of San Francisco (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.)

  20. Heroes and Villains

    Heroes and Villains

  21. The Basketball Diaries

    The Basketball Diaries

  22. The Ghost Road

    The Ghost Road

  23. Six

    Six

  24. Signals of Distress

    Signals of Distress

  25. The Hummingbird Saint

    The Hummingbird Saint

Rumpole and the Reign of Terror (Rumpole Novels)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • John Mortimer Forges On
  • Rumpole's Reign of Terror A Pure Joy
  • Rumpole Undaunted
  • The Reign of Rumpole
  • Just About Perfect
 Rumpole and the Reign of Terror (Rumpole Novels)
John Mortimer
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:
  1. Rumpole Rests His Case
  2. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
  3. The First Rumpole Omnibus (Rumpole)
  4. Quite Honestly
  5. Rumpole and the Primrose Path

ASIN: 0670038040
Release Date: 2006-11-16

Book Description

The bestselling barrister is back—and ready to take on his most timely case yet

When Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders—John Mortimer's first Rumpole novel ever—debuted last year, devoted fans came to it in droves. Now, just in time for Christmas, Mortimer returns with another Rumpole novel to tackle a truly relevant topic with his signature wit and style.

While defending a mind-numbingly dull theft charge, Rumpole finds that the new terrorist laws have hamstrung his beloved courts. Meanwhile, a Pakistani doctor has been imprisoned without charge or trial under suspicion of aiding al Qaeda in its plans for a terrorist attack. With the doctor's wife begging him to help her husband, the Great Defender is determined to bring the case before a jury.

Trouble is also brewing at home as Hilda—She Who Must Be Obeyed—sits down to write her own memoirs describing her view of Rumpole and her own love life. Rumpole's battle on the home front threatens to derail his case but where there's a Rumpole, there's a way!

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars John Mortimer Forges On.......2007-04-10

Sir John Mortimer is a source of wonder to me. Despite declining health, he still manages to put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard and compose new work. The latest installment of the "Rumpole" series is serviceable effort but has the feeling of a "paint by numbers" approach. Mortimer knows Horace Rumpole so intimately that he can almost channel him (no doubt employing the ghost of the inimitable Leo McKern to facilitate his efforts). Mortimer has long been a champion of civil rights, an outspoken defender of the golden rule of jurisprudence, that the accused is innocent until found guilty by a jury of his/her peers. Sir John's dismay at the increased police powers contained in Britain's onerous anti-terror legislation registers on every page and redeems and ennobles a lesser effort in a worthy, long-running series.

5 out of 5 stars Rumpole's Reign of Terror A Pure Joy.......2007-02-22

John Mortimer's latest Rumpole novel needs another 5-star review about as much as his crusty, curmudgeonly bard of the Old Bailey needs a leader on a simple breaking and entering trial. But I'll go ahead and give it to him anyway.

Mortimer has bested his most recent Rumpole efforts with this modern case of terrorism and a goverment too eager to overlook longheld beliefs about rights and freedom.

In the hands of many, such a book could be tedious and preachy, but in Mortimer's deft hands, it is, like all Rumpole novels, a rollicking, witty, and light tale of intrique that Mortimer fans will delight in.

5 out of 5 stars Rumpole Undaunted.......2007-02-21

Here is another fine novel from John Mortimer chronicling the life and times of Horace Rumpole, London barrister and scourge of tyrants, idiots, sycophants, and incompetents. This time, Rumpole must deal with the aftereffects of the War on Terror, particularly the Blair Government's sorry efforts to limit or efface hundreds of years of British common law safeguards against wrongful arrest and imprisonment. He is the advocate for a Pakistani resident of London who has fallen afoul of anti-terrorism laws and might be deported to his native land, where he will definitely be imprisoned and tortured or executed because he believes in democracy. (Which the anti-terrorist laws being lampooned are supposedly designed to safeguard in the first place!) Its a situation ripe for Rumpole, and he is at his best here, deflating egos and probing weak spots right and left to ultimately triumph, at least partially and only for a moment, but nevertheless triumph.

All of the tried and true Rumpole characters are here: She Who Must Be Obeyed (who gets her own point of view across several times), the-always- on-the-wrong-side-of-the-law Timson clan, the utterly incompetent ninnies Sam Ballard and Claude Erskine-Brown, and all the rest. If one takes Rumpole at his word that he was about 60 when his chronicles began back in the 1970s he must now be a nonagenarian, but he remains as ageless and active as ever. I hope we will see many more of his cases in the future (perhaps he can get a license to practice US law and take on the Bush Administration and the Patriot Act next!)

4 out of 5 stars The Reign of Rumpole.......2007-01-10

I've read almost everything Rumpole and then re-read it. I've watched everything Rumpole and watched them again. Reign of Terror may not be my favorite, but it's Rumpole non-the-less. I wish John Mortimer a long life and of course regret the loss of Leo McKern, the Rumpole in all of us.

5 out of 5 stars Just About Perfect.......2007-01-08

RUMPOLE AND THE REIGN OF TERROR is just as as perfect as a novel can be. I feared that Mortimer might make a misstep, given the "timeliness" (actually, timelessness) of his theme (the defense of our hard-won legal rights), but the storytelling is wonderfully sure and subtle. Mortimer never tells when he can show, and he writes volumes between the lines. (What a master of understatement and informing by indirection!) All the various themes and storylines (Hilda's flirtation with divorce, Rumpole's reaction to this, the way Rumpole is viewed by others in the legal system and how he views them, the subject of terror and the law) reflect brilliantly on each other and come together seamlessly at the end. The sum is more than the parts -- a feat of novelistic magic -- and there can be no higher praise than that.
Rumpole on Trial (Rumpole)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Seven more wonderful stories.
  • Disappointing
  • Continuing the entertainment
  • Timothy West is no Leo McKern, but....
  • I never thought anyone could make me forget Leo McKern
 Rumpole on Trial (Rumpole)
John Mortimer
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:
  1. Rumpole and the Primrose Path
  2. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
  3. Rumpole Rests His Case
  4. The Third Rumpole Omnibus (Rumpole)
  5. Rumpole and the Reign of Terror (Rumpole Novels)

ASIN: 0670844594

Book Description

Six of these seven stories follow Rumpole as he pursues his legal cases — doggedly determined to secure justice at all costs. The last tale features the barrister himself as a defendant accused of unethical conduct. “Rumpole is simply one of the greatest fictional characters of modern English literature.” — The Times (London) “What gives these stories their special flavor ... [is] the way that Rumpole pokes at judicial pomposity.” — The New York Times

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Seven more wonderful stories........2007-05-04

In "Rumpole on Trial" we have seven more wonderful Rumpole stories. I totally enjoyed each one. But as always, I will pick a favourite from this particular book, and it is "Rumpole and the Reform of Joby Jonson". It was laugh-out-loud funny, and Rumpole was at his curmudgeonly best in it. The other stories were lots of fun too. In the story, "Rumpole on Trial" we have Rumpole sitting on a different side of the justice system, when he is on trial for unprofessional behaviour in the courtroom. That in itself is funny, since I don't know when Rumpole is ever professional in court. But, boy is he smart. Not much gets past him that's for sure. These stories are pure delight, and I can't wait to read another.

1 out of 5 stars Disappointing.......2005-05-01

If you want to sit down and listen for 8 straight hours, then this is for you - if you want to listen to any of the 7 stories individually, then you'd be much better off buying the book and reading into your own recording machine. This tape series is very poorly done. 6 two-sided tapes are included in the package with absolutely no additional information. The first story does indeed start at the beginning of side #1, but after that, you're on your own; maybe it ends at the end of side #2 or maybe somewhere in the middle of side #7. Who knows. I've given up trying to cue up any of the other stories, as there's no way of knowing how long any of them or where any of them start or end.

If, after reading this, you still want to buy it, email me and I'll put mine up for sale at Amazon. It's useless to me.

4 out of 5 stars Continuing the entertainment.......2003-09-10

This book, written 14 years after Rumpole od the Bailey, is every bit as entertaining. We are reintroduced to the Timson family who retain Rumpole to represent them each time one of the family is charges with a criminal activity.Ineffectual Erskine-Brown, who finds criminal law "distasteful", is accused of sexual harassment by yhe office typist and finds it hard to convince the members of Chambers that it's all caused by his sheer stupidity(and this man is a QC!)We also meet again various judges with their foibles and failings. It's a good laugh and a perfect book to pick up for a quick read when we need a laughter boost.

3 out of 5 stars Timothy West is no Leo McKern, but...........2003-03-20

I recently found this audio edition of "Rumpole on Trial." I had only heard Leo Mckern read the Rumpole stories, but knew other actors had portrayed the British barrister in the past. Unfortunately, after listening to the Timothy West version for awhile, I stopped listening. Those of us who have heard Mckern do Rumpole almost exclusively may be dissapointed with West's version. Mckern is much more bombastic and furious with his Rumpole. West's comedy is much more subtle to the point of non-existance. Where during an objection about a point of law, Mckern would have shouted with a great relish to the argument. West does not have that flair.

But Timothy West is a good reader. I would encourage those who haven't heard Leo Mckern or have not decided that they won't accept any Rumpole other than Mckern's, to give this edition a chance. Those of us who have saturated ourselves with Mckern's acting ability, it might be best to save some money.

5 out of 5 stars I never thought anyone could make me forget Leo McKern.......2002-11-05

and, frankly, Timothy West falls just short. But considering that every drawing of Rumpole is a drawing of Mr. McKern, that he was so closely identified with the character that when he read the stories they were read "by Rumpole himself" for another reader to successfully render Rumpole was a pleasant surprise for me.

Since at least the second recording of this series uses a different actor I wonder about the quality but at least the first volume is a complete success with Mr. West's terrific reading making one (almost) forget the late "Rumpole".
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Rumpole
  • Rumpole and the Penge Bungalo Murders
  • I'm new to Rumpole: very very British
  • A bit Disapointing
  • Five Stars Anyway..
 Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
John Mortimer
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

British DetectivesBritish Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Mortimer, JohnMortimer, John | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Rumpole and the Primrose Path
  2. Rumpole Rests His Case
  3. Rumpole and the Reign of Terror (Rumpole Novels)
  4. The Third Rumpole Omnibus (Rumpole)
  5. The First Rumpole Omnibus (Rumpole)

ASIN: 0670033561
Release Date: 2004-11-18

Book Description

Now more than ever, thousands of readers delight in the adventures of Horace Rumpole, but despite the publication of more than one hundred stories, his early years have remained shrouded in mystery—until now.

In Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders, John Mortimer tells the story of Rumpole's very first case. Looking back a half century into a very different world, Rumpole recalls a man accused of murdering his father and his father's friend with a pistol taken from a dead German pilot. It was this trial and its outcome that put Rumpole on the map and began to shape him into the eccentric and cantankerous defender of justice and reciter of poetry readers know and love. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders is a must read for every Rumpole fan and a compelling invitation to new readers to get to know Mortimer's addictive barrister.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Rumpole.......2007-03-20

Poor old Rumpole. It is madness as usual (imagine a lawyer not out to empty your pockets like a "cut purse!). A fun read as usual even if "She Who Must Be Obeyed" doesn't get it. You may not agree with some of the liberality, but it is still fun.

4 out of 5 stars Rumpole and the Penge Bungalo Murders.......2007-01-04

This audio book is vintage Rumpole, full of the usual Mortimer humour and wit. I thought that the reader's voice was a bit younger and less gravelly than I expected at first, judging from my experience with several other Rumpole audio books. However, I soon became accustomed to this very minor flaw and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

4 out of 5 stars I'm new to Rumpole: very very British.......2007-01-02

I've never read any of the Rumpole stuff before, though I think I've seen one or two of the shows on PBS. John Mortimer has done a number of these: they've essentially made his reputation in mystery circles. There is one thing that makes Mortimer stand out from other mystery writers: as far as I know, up till this book, as far as I know everything's been short stories. My criticism of this book essentially boiled down to it being the embodiment of Ambrose Bierce's sardonic definition of a novel his book "The Devil's Dictionary": a short story padded. If ever anyone wrote a short story, and then padded it until it could stand alone as a novel, this would be it.

Apparently the Penge Bungalow murders are something that Rumpole, in his other books, speaks of as if he were the best defense lawyer ever, citing this case as proof. In reality, the case is rather mundane, the plot pretty simple, and the characters pretty much what attracts you to the story. The young Rumpole is fun, whether he's trying to make time with a young lady friend (and failing) or clumsily talking to the boss's daughter (and inadvertently proposing to her, successfully), whether he's sparring with the prosecutor's junior assistant, or arguing with the judge. The whole thing is very British, and very very fun. I enjoyed it a great deal, and other than the plot being rather thin, think it a great book.

3 out of 5 stars A bit Disapointing.......2006-11-07

I'm always glad to read a new Rumpole story. This one however seemed very lightweight to carry a book. Rumpole always boasted of his great early success in winning "the Penge Bungalow murders" alone and without a leader. There had also been many allusions to his expertise with "bloodstains" displayed in the case. The actual story seemed too simple and did not hinge on bloodstains. I also began to wonder if Mortimer is losing his grip when he awarded C H Wystan, Rumpole's father-in-law, a posthumous QC. Previous stories have alluded to the fact that Wystan had never quite measured up to that achievement. Rumpole at one time fibbed to Hilda, that the lord chancellor had decided to award "daddy" that honor, but he'd had died before they could do so. Perhaps as head of chambers, Ballard and Wystan have become confused in both Rumpole's and Mortimer's minds.

5 out of 5 stars Five Stars Anyway.........2006-04-12

July 2002 was the saddest month of all. Leo McKern -- the quintessential Rumpole -- had died after a long illness and was survived one day by Maurice Denham who played Rumpole on BBC radio. So it seems that the possibility of a revival of visual episodes of has declined to almost zero. Nonetheless, there was always the hope that Sir John Mortimer would pen the story that launched the whole series..

..and, after two collections of stories, it finally appeared.

So it was with some sadness that I took to Reading "The Penge Bungalow Murders" realizing it would probably be the last Mortimer would do for old Rumpole. My sorrow was compounded only slightly because it appears to me that Sir John phoned this one in. As others have pointed out, this episode seemed a somewhat flat and rather perfunctory effort; seemingly a work where all of the questions were being answered and the loose ends were being tied up.

We see how Rumpole became involved with the Timpsons. How he and Hilda became entwined (she played a far more important role in Rumpole's success and chambers' affairs than we could ever imagine), what an insufferable, doddering dolt her father and head of chambers, C. H. Wystan, was and how Horace developed his acerbic wit and contempt for the mediocrity passed off as "the finest traditions of the bar".

Why the five stars?

Because I cannot bear to rate it less. A Rumpole yarn, whether on or off, is a damned good read.

Like they say, the worst day fishing is better than the best day at work.

It was a marvelous run and sad that it probably has come to an end.

The Trials of Rumpole
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The Trials of Rumpole
    John Clifford Mortimer
    Manufacturer: DH Audio
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Audio Cassette

    UnabridgedUnabridged | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Formats | Books
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    Similar Items:
    1. Rumpole's Return
    2. Rumpole of the Bailey (Rumpole)
    3. Rumpole's Last Case (Rumpole)
    4. Rumpole and the Angel of Death
    5. Rumpole a la Carte (Rumpole)

    ASIN: 0886461189
    The Trials of Rumpole
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		The Trials of Rumpole
      John Mortimer
      Manufacturer: Penguin
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Mass Market Paperback
      ASIN: B000GRESZ0
      Trials of Rumpole, The counter display
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Trials of Rumpole, The counter display
        John Mortimer
        Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Unknown Binding
        ASIN: 014779675X
        THE TRIALS OF RUMPOLE
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		THE TRIALS OF RUMPOLE
          John Mortimer
          Manufacturer: Penguin Books
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback
          ASIN: B000GQU4MC
          Rumpole on Trial
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		Rumpole on Trial
            John Mortimer
            Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback
            ASIN: B000OJ7MD0
            First Rumpole Omnibus: Rumpole of Bailey, trials of Rumpole & Rumpole's Return
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              		First Rumpole Omnibus: Rumpole of Bailey, trials of Rumpole & Rumpole's Return
              John Mortimer
              Manufacturer: Doubleday
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000K78GKO
              RUMPOLE ON TRIAL.
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                		RUMPOLE ON TRIAL.
                John. Mortimer
                Manufacturer: BCA
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover
                ASIN: B000HI3X0E

                Books:

                1. The Last Ealing Comedy
                2. What We Keep
                3. Orlando: A Biography
                4. Rumpole on Trial
                5. Billy Budd and Other Stories: Bartleby;the Piazza;the Encantadas;the Bell-Tower;Benito Cereno;the Paradise of Bachelors;the Tartarus of Maids;Bily Budd,Sailor (Penguin Classics)
                6. When the Emperor Was Divine
                7. Frankenstein (Penguin Classics) [AUDIOBOOK]
                8. Aurora Floyd (Oxford World's Classics)
                9. The Sex Files (Blaze S.)
                10. Slippery When Wet (Blaze Romance S.)

                Books