Customer Reviews

The First Rumpole Omnibus

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Horace Rumpole, the Old Bailey hack, shines in this collection of John Mortimer's stories. Rumpole is the master of acerbic wit and keen observation. Donned in a wig and robe, he thrusts and parries his way through the English criminal justice system, soldiering on for his mostly shady clients. One of Rumpole's rules is "never plead guilty." He also stands fast on the principle that hearing the truth from one's client can be dangerous. It usually puts the lawyer in an awkward position. Rumpole fortifies himself with an ample supply of little cigars, modestly priced claret, and an old copy of the "Oxford Book of English Verse," from which he quotes Wordsworth and others from memory. Amidst an hilarious ensemble of reappearing supporting characters, Rumpole goes forth daily to fight the good fight and also keep the legal fees and refreshers coming in to the Rumpole bank account. He fears only She Who Must Be Obeyed. His wife, Hilda, who rules their home in Froxbury Court with an iron hand. Written with humor, affection, and intelligence these stories are pure delight. The stories vary in length, but average 40-50 pages. Take Sherlock Holmes and P. G. Wodehouse, mix with Mortimer's background as a barrister, flavor with amusing vernacular and chatty first-person narrative, and you have good lite reading. Especially recommended for busy readers in the era of weighty tomes that populate popular fiction. ;-)

"[I]t's crime which not only pays moderately well, but which is also by far the greatest fun."--Horace Rumpole.

The problem with most lawyer stories, even those written by lawyers, is that they bear little resemblance to reality. John Mortimer makes Horace Rumpole as real as any fictional lawyer can be, and in the process, Mortimer perfectly captures the joys and woes of trial practice, giving it all a good leavening of humor--something essential to a trial lawyer's retention of sanity.

Mortimer entertains and enlightens. Not only do you get satisfying mysteries told with just the right amount of humor, you also get insight into the foils and foibles of trial lawyers and judges. The book abounds with dead-on insights into the mechanics of trying cases. Any lawyer would benefit from reviewing Rumpole's maxims of trial practice. A few examples:

"As for me, I'm not sure that I like cast iron alibis. They're the sort that sink quickest, to the bottom of the sea."

"A bit of delay, I have found it an infallible rule, never does any harm to the defense."

"It's no help to the defense in an obscenity case to have anyone actually read the works in question."

Mortimer tries to include at least one lawyerly aphorism in each short story in the collection, and part of the joy I find in reading and re-reading the stories comes from searching for these little nuggets of wisdom.

John Mortimer's Rumpole is so satisfying that this is my second copy - I wore the covers off the first SET of the three omnibuses (or is it omnibusi?) I've read every Rumpole story in existence, as far as I know. While there are tiny inconsistencies in the names of characters and small subplot variations from story to story (that only a committed Rumpolean would notice), Rumpole remains a literary sustaining gulp of claret and a warm and fuzzy blanket on a cold foggy night. Long after the belly laughs passed and every crime and misdemeanor was committed to memory, I've still enjoyed the comfortable reek of Rumpole's small cigars and the warm memory of Leo McKern in the title role of "Rumpole of the Bailey."

I have read all three Rumpole Omnibuses several times. I ordered an additional set for my mother, a former probate judge. What I find remarkable about John Mortimer's work, is that Rumpole is as engaging at the end of the series as at the beginning. I have also enjoyed Mortimer's three autobiographical books. I read and reread these stories, not as mysteries, but as a series of one act plays, where the dramas are spun out of the interaction of stock characters in the style of commedia dell'arte. Rumpole himself plays the part of the buffoon as barrister: fat, vain, self-centered, addicted to greasy food and cheap wine; but also extremely intelligent, perceptive, and compassionate. As I read more of the stories, Rumpole became less of a stock character and more of actual human being. Unlike Perry Mason, Rumpole does not necessarily win all of his cases. When Rumpole loses, we get to see him go down to cells beneath the Old Bailey, with all of the sounds and smells of prison life, to say goodbye to his former client. The stories are often very funny, but occasionally poignant and even sad.

Finally, John Mortimer is one of the masters of modern English prose. Just read a few paragraphs of any airplane novel (preferably one that has "Code" in the title), and then read a few paragraphs of any Rumpole story, and you will see what I mean. And nobody, including Raymond Chandler, does dialog better than John Mortimer.

Horace Rumpole presents himself as just an Old Bailey hack doing run-of-the-mill burglary defenses and the odd car-heist case. In reality he defends the best in the Anglo-American legal traditions against modern forces (for example, the presumption of innocence) - and this was written 20+ years ago!

Rumpole is the lovable defender of the average man and foe to all stick-in-the-muds. His motto "Never plead guilty." It could just as well be comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Hilarious, warm, human, touching, self-effacing and ever-ready to pierce the pompous gasbag - that's Rumpole of the Bailey. Start with the First Rumpole Omnibus and work your way through the rest.

Guaranteed to tickle your funny bone and warm your heart.

Of course, I have a distinct distaste for anything which uses the word 'omnibus' which is not in fact ALL, but for Rumpole, I shall gladly make exception. Omnibus of course requires all three omnibus volumes, and they are all worthy of reading, but the first is by far the best.

Here is where we are introduced to Rumpole, ever defender of the downtrodden criminal element, most successful of course when these minor villians have been wrongly accused, at least in the latest particular incident. As Rumpole said once during a defence, the English nation when it is long gone will be remembered for three things -- the English breakfast, the Oxford Book of English Verse (the Quiller-Couch Edition), and the presumption of innocence.

Even in the later story of Rumpole for the Prosecution, in which Rumpole is hired to conduct a private prosecution, he manages to provide through his searching for the truth the best defence for the defendant. Rumpole, it seems, will never be anything but the champion for the defence.

Mortimer is intimately familiar with the legal court setting about which he writes in the Rumpole series; judges such as Bullingham and Graves take their character from amalgamations of actual judges, and Mortimer once let it be known in a television interview that if he saw particular miscarriages of justice done, he would have no choice but to work it in to the plot of an upcoming Rumpole story.

One wonders if Hilda, Rumpole's wife, affectionately referred to as 'She Who Must Be Obeyed', is modeled on anyone specific in Mortimer's life. Other characters in chambers and in the dock seem very true to form, while also remaining interesting exaggerations of real persons. One might ask for a bit more character development in some, but largely, they serve their purpose as bit players on the stage.

So, sit back with your favourite glass of red wine (Chateau Fleet Street comes highly recommended) and wander into a London which is a blend of the thoroughly modern and practically medieval.

I keep this volume at my bedside and have read it several times. The thing about Rumpole is that one never quite tires of him. The stories are totally refreshing and captivating each read.

One of the great pleasures in life lies in enjoying one of John Mortimer's "Rumpole" books. Indeed, it's difficult to say which is better -- watching Leo McKern's letter perfect portrayal from "Mystery" or leafing through one of his print adventures. Suffice it to say that, if you haven't already familiarized yourself with the adventures of Mr. Rumpole, you should definitely allow yourself this pleasure!

Reading this work by John Mortimer was like having a fine bottle of vintage port. I didn't want it to end, and I felt in need of more when the last drop went out with the tide, and the last page was turned.

Whether you are an old Rumpole fan, or are picking this book up for the first time, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Rumpole is a crusader for the poor, the downtrodden and the hopelessly defenseless. His motivations for defending the poor and downtrodden may not be admirable (funding his claret drinking), nor his methods sound (pulling at the heartstrings of the jury rather than legal prowess), but one thing that you can't say about this less than mediocre lawyer is that he isn't exceptional :/

I may not agree with all of Mortimer's earthly moralizing, but I do appreciate his humor. Read this book for a good laugh.