Horace Rumpole, the irreverent, iconoclastic, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister-at-law, is among the most beloved characters of English crime literature. He is not a particularly gifted attorney, nor is he particularly fond of the law by courts if it comes to that, but he'd rather be swinging at a case than bowing to his wife, Hilda—"She Who Must Be Obeyed."
In this first title of the popular series featuring Rumpole, all of the major characters who occupy the Rumpole stories make their introductions: the sneaky, slightly effeminate Erskine-Brown; the bumbling Guthrie Featherstone; and various and sundry other lawyers and clerks whose lives weave in and out of these stories. These six stories include "The Younger Generation," "The Alternative Society," "The Honorable Member," "The Married Lady," "The Learned Friends," and "The Heavy Brigade."
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"A nice read, although it's impossible to envision Rumpole any differently than as portrayed in the Mystery! series.Short stories joined together by a loose thread of details. Very nicely done.I regret not picking up a few other volumes at the thrift store. "
— Frank (4 out of 5 stars)
" Whether he's on the telly or in a book, I just love Horace Rumpole. "
— Lesa, 11/22/2010" I read these, only to grasp my utter lack of understanding of the British legal system. Still: these are basically charming. "
— Cait, 9/5/2010" Lots of fun if you like, say, Wodehouse-style British humor. "
— Tom, 4/20/2010" One of the truly great characters in mystery fiction. "
— Art, 3/14/2010" The writing is light and fun. Rumpole is quite loveable. "
— Carol, 12/18/2009" Not much point to this, really -- just reworkings of the TV episodes, which are much more entertaining by themselves. "
— doug, 5/19/2009" Funny. Charming. And the legal stuff is insightful and done with an extremely light touch. This is the first of 15 story collections or full-length novels. I will be reading more of these ... "
— Shawn, 5/17/2009" Very fun book. I look forward to picking up another Rumpole when I need something light with sarcasm. "
— Sarah, 2/18/2009" Ahh ya gotta love this curmudgeon...Well read by Robert Hardy. "
— Daniel, 1/20/2009" Fun little stories about a sour old barrister. "
— Kristin, 9/21/2008" Great English detective mystery. Good read with some twists "
— Warner, 9/14/2008John Mortimer (1923–2009) was a playwright, novelist, and barrister. He wrote many radio, film, and television scripts, including the British television series Rumpole of the Bailey, and won the British Academy Writer of the Year Award in 1979. He retired from the bar in 1984 and was knighted in 1998.
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.