Five Bells and Bladebone (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Martha Grimes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1988 | Series: Thorndike Press Large Print Basic Series

In this ninth Richard Jury novel, a beautiful antique offers more than its market value when dealer Marshall Trueblood unwittingly discovers a corpse stuffed inside the rosewood desk he has just haggled out of a wealthy estate owner. "(Grimes) best . . . as moving as it is entertaining . . . a laudable achievement."--USA Today. HC: Little, Brown.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury, visiting his friend Melrose Plant in Long Piddleton, looks into the murder of Simon Lean, whose body is discovered stuffed into an antique secretaire a abattant. Working with help from the usual cast of zany characters, Jury goes about his business in his customary leisurely and self-assured manner and pieces together a very strange tale of greed, jealousy, and murder. The careful reader will have solved the mystery long before the ending. But this ninth in a series, though not Grimes's best, is a welcome addition and sure to be popular. BOMC alternate. JV
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Thorndike Pr; Lrg edition (February 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896211258
• ISBN-13: 978-0896211254
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,981,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martha Grimes is the bestselling author of twenty-one Richard Jury novels, as well as the novels Dakota and Foul Matter, among others. Her previous two Jury books, The Old Wine Shades and Dust, both appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing and Unusual, April 16, 2002

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Five Bells and Bladebone (Mass Market Paperback)

Antique dealer Marshall Trueblood is delighted when he coaxes Lady Sommerston into selling her secretaire a abattant--at least until it arrives at his shop and vents forth the severed head of a man with more enemies than even Superintendant Jury of Scotland Yard can count. And the ensuing investigation proves problematic in more ways than one.

As usual, Martha Grimes writes beautifully, presenting us with a host of likely and unlikely suspects ranging from an eccentric romance novelist to a near-hysterical book dealer to a woman who greatly enjoys her dubious reputation--and considerable humor in the form of Aunt Agatha, a plaster pig, a bicycle, and chamber pots. But fascinating as her prose is, the sheer complexity of her story seems to run away with her in this particular novel, which piles character upon character and event upon event in a truly dizzying sort way.

Perhaps more to the point, this particular work deals with the thematic thread of to what degree we actually know people as individuals, the plot relies heavily upon coincidence, and Grimes juggles a great many balls to conceal the killer's hand. Whether or not readers feel these balls all fetch up together in logical order is a matter of opinion; clearly some consider this one of her most spectacular finishes while others find it frustratingly vague. For myself, I found the novel requires more concentration than one expects of a murder mystery, and while I thought the device was very clever I felt the conclusion lacked drama and consequently doesn't entirely come off. While I do recommend the novel to long-time Martha Grimes fans, I would hesitate to recommend it to newcomers, who might find BLADEBONE's deliberate ambiguity a bit off-putting.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The bells toll for thee in this Grimes thriller!, May 7, 2000

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Five Bells and Bladebone (Mass Market Paperback)

Of all the Richard Jury-featured novels, I think that "The Five Bells and Bladebone" if by far my favorite.

How can one resist such an opening when Martha Grimes launches us into her ninth Jury episode with this sentence: "What else could you think of but getting your throat slit?"

Grimes' penchant for landscape and atmosphere holds true in this book. "It was a twenty minute walk from the flat in Limehouse to the Town of Ramsgate, and she was irritated that they'd decided on what he called a `dress rehearsal....hadn't they been over it and over it? And she didn't dare tell him that Tommy was coming in tomorrow night. He'd have killed her."

Is this the quintessential narrative hook or not? And Grimes doesn't let up until the final pages.

Marshall Trueblood (one of Grimes' recurring characters and resident antiques dealer in Long Pidd) discovers a dismembered corpse in an antique desk. Superintendent Jury soon establishes a connection between this death and the murder of a Limehouse lady named Sadie Driver. With his faithful Sergeant Wiggins, Jury begins to do what he is best known for: solving crimes. And no Jury book would be complete without close friend Melrose Plant, the aristocratic and (de)titled Peer, whose insight, connections, wealth, good wit (he does the London Times crossword in record time, whether the answers are correct or not!), and his Aunt Agatha, is of immense aid to Jury. Grimes titles her Jury books with names of actual pubs. If you track this one down (there's a good map in the book), be careful! It really is in a section of London that should make you think twice before going--I chose noon on a Sunday and STILL was intimidated, getting my pint, quickly swallowed, and OUT of there! (Actually, it is an unassuming pub with lots of character--it's just that the locals NEVER cotton to outsiders, especially foreigners! But the ale was good! Grimes told me last October, however, that the pub had actually undergone some renovation!)

Regardless, for the many fans of Grimes/Jury, "The Five Bells and the Bladebone" is not one to miss. It's my cup of tea (or pint of ale!).

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The most confusing of all M. Grimes books., November 20, 1997

By 

Elizabeth Bridgham - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Five Bells and Bladebone (Mass Market Paperback)

I am an avid M. Grimes reader but The Five Bells and Bladebone has me stumped. I cannot figure out who was who as far as the murderer and the two women are concerned. Very unclear ending for readers.