Customer Reviews

Felix in the Underworld (Paragon Softcover Large Print Books)

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I first fell in love with the stories of John Mortimer through Rumpole of the Bailey and Summer's Lease. His talent for writing charming, intelligent characters continues in this book. The main character, Felix Morsom, is an author of rather unexciting books. It is, however, the criticism of this aspect of his stories that begins his adventures. When a mysterious tape, a forgotten acquaintance, and a small child all come tumbling into his life, Felix has no idea that he will go from comfortable home looking at the sea to wandering the streets to reading bestselling sports-themed romance novels in jail. The plot does not disappoint, and holds its own very well. Some events, such as Felix' foray into sleeping on the street could ring false, Felix (and Mortimer), though, pull it off in the end, making even the wildest adventures believable for this mild-mannered author. However, the real gem in this novel is not the well-written plot, but the way the reader gets to know Felix Morsom. His slightly blundering attempts at seducing his publicist as well as his dogged determination and amusing observations make him an entirely sympathetic character. All in all, 'Felix in the Underworld' is an enjoyable read, again and again.

In his book The Joys of Yiddish, Leo Rosten sets out the distinction betwen a schlemiel (a fool) and a schlimazel (one prone to misfortune)thusly: A schlemiel is the waiter that trips while carrying a large bowl of soup to a table. The schlimazel is the person that ends up with the soup on his lap. Felx Morsom, the ptoagonist of Felix in the Underworld is the quintessential English schlimazel. Though not a fool, Felix plays an altogether passive role as misfortune falls upon him. The strength of Mortimer's book lies in his ability to portrary Felix in a charming, almost winsome manner while at the same time moving the story ahead in a plesant fashion. Mortimer has a keen eye for detail. The book is easy to read, amusing, and charming.

John Mortimer is the writer of many charming and wonderful books, although he is no doubt best known for his stories of Horace Rumpole, the irascible British barrister. In Felix in the Underworld, Mortimer showcases his comic and satirical talents most admirably.

Mortimer reminds me a little of bestselling Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami, in that his characters in this book are quite ordinary people who live quite ordinary lives but have the absurdly bad fortune of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The protagonist of Felix in the Underworld, Felix Morsom, is a moderately successful, quiet, sensitive novelist at Llama Books who manages to become involved, much against his will, with a man named Gavin Piercey.

Soon after meeting Piercey, Felix notices the man everywhere in his life: at book signings, during radio talk shows and, most especially, at one fateful meeting where Piercey introduces Felix to a woman named Miriam. This meeting will have serious, but hilarious, repercussions on Felix's life.

From the moment Felix meets Miriam, his life becomes one of turmoil and wild, unbelievable events. He receives a letter from an agency calling itself PROD; he is accused of a brutal murder; he becomes involved with London's homeless population.

Mortimer's handling of the plot is superb, his writing as smooth as silk and the characters, although slightly cliched, are still polished and hilarious. One of the funniest is the lawyer, Septimus Roache, the man Felix turns to in desperation when he attempts to prove his innocence in the murder. Roache is an obtuse and self-satisfied man who has little to no interest in his clients and really doesn't listen to a word Felix is telling him.

Mortimer, who himself was a successful barrister before becoming a writer, knows how to create a rollicking good murder mystery and this is part of why Felix in the Underworld works as well as it does. Another large part is Felix, himself, an engaging character we can't help but like; a man who maintains his dignity and poise even in the face of adversity of the highest, and most unexpected, order.

Mortimer calls himself a "Champagne socialist," and is a champion of the poor and the downtrodden. In this book he manages to take us on a trip through contemporary British society, especially homeless society. The book is fun, though, above all, and never sounds like polemic. We can credit Mortimer's superb writing skills for that.

The snobbish character of Simon Tubal-Smith, Felix's boss at Llama Books is contrasted wonderfully with Esmond, a homeless man who was, at one time, a manager in a supermarket. Esmond left his job and home for a life in the streets when tragedy struck. Felix, himself, spends some time as a member of London's homeless population and is reminiscent of George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London.

The dialogue is pure Mortimer and always fun. When Felix is temporarily residing in jail, his cellmate is a man named Dumbarton who allegedly beat another man to death. "You killed him?" Felix asks. "Thoroughly," Dumbarton replies, quite satisfied with what he did.

Felix is both self-effacing and hilarious as he attempts to cope with unhelpful lawyers who do just as much to convict as help him, as he tries to sort out the mystery behind PROD, as well as develop his budding relationship with Brenda Bodkin, his publisher's publicity agent.

Although this book is a little formulaic at times, the formula works and works well. Maybe that is because Mortimer is a master who never lets us down. Felix in the Underworld is a first-rate murder mystery, a comedy of errors and a satire of the British class system. It is always delightful and filled with surprises up until the very last page.

There are many things to like about this book, most of which are described well by the other reviewers. What really struck me about this book (perhaps because I listened to the unabridged tape) was how so much of the plot turned on what happens when a writer is less than precise with language. Mortimer does a masterful job of creating Felix, a writer who doesn't even realize that his misstatements are misstatements or the trouble those statements cause.

Overall, it took me a while to warm up to the book but by the end I was rooting hard for the truth to emerge. The actual ending was a little corny but ok. It's a book filled with a fun assortment of characters. More than a few humorous jabs are made at the modern publishing world and modern society in general. Not a laugh out loud book but one that made me chuckle to myself.

A New York Times notable mystery in 1997 - for those who are fond of books with credentials.

Written in 1996, this "non-Rumpole novel" by John Mortimer stars not a barrister but a writer. Felix Morsom, who is probably in his late thirties but who seems decades older, is a quiet widower once nominated for the Booker Prize. His latest book is not selling, however, perhaps because his books, like Felix, are so sedate, mannered, and precise. His attractive publicist tells him that he needs more drama in his life and work, but though he tries to persuade her to engage in a wild dalliance with him, she demurs, telling him that he needs to get out more.

Before going to his next book-signing, Felix listens to a tape sent to his house, detailing the brutal prison rape of man jailed for non-support of a child. When Felix later meets this same man and a woman at his book-signing, they claim that Felix is the real father of her ten-year-old son, and threaten him with jail for non-support if he does not pay up. When the man is murdered, Felix is the prime suspect, having left an ambiguous message on the man's answering machine and his fingerprints all over the murder scene.

Though the plot here is not unique--famous man accused of fathering a love-child by couple bent on blackmail--Mortimer endows the novel with unique descriptions and odd characters (from the homeless people with whom Felix eventually beds down under Blackfriars Bridge to his barrister, Septimus Roach). Proper Felix finds his life filled to the brim with unexpected activity as fate takes him by the scruff of the neck and forces him to become engaged in real life, much of it seamy, instead of simply observing the world at a distance. The characters in general are more a function of plot than fully drawn individuals, though Felix does grow and change as his situation becomes more dire.

Filled with the dry humor and word play which makes Mortimer's Rumpole series so popular, this novel is a more leisurely foray into a murder investigation than the Rumpole mysteries, and it does allow for some limited character development and some stunning ironies. Felix is not a barrister, and his inexperience with the world forces him to follow dead ends and to make tactical mistakes as he tries to find the supposed victim and stay out of jail. An amusing take on the writing life which also includes some classic court scenes between Felix and his counsel, it is easy to see that author/lawyer Mortimer had great fun writing this one. n Mary Whipple

A hapless middle-aged midlist author gets embroiled in the British legal system when he is accused of fathering a child and not paying support. You may need a certain amount of anglophilia and interest in the literary scene to fully appreciate it. The only fault I could find was that it's too short. I hate finishing books in one night before I fall asleep.

I was a little weary of this at first, not knowing much about the author or his numerous works. However, I was quickly and easily enjoying the fullfilling story. Has a bits of everything all innertwined with an interesting and not too complex plot. Will read this author again, no doubt. I would receommend this book to anyone wanting an enjoyable read.