Customer Reviews

The Grave Maurice: A Richard Jury Mystery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I was a big fan of Ms. Grimes' earlier works, but her last few Jury mysteries have been extremely disappointing. Again, she utilizes extremely chance meetings and far-fetched links amoung strangers to produce the mystery as well as solve it. She should also re-read her earlier books and reacquaint herself with her characters. In "The Old Fox Deceived", Melrose had backflashes about participating in a cubbing (pre-season hunt) as a 10-year-old and the trauma of having the fox's blood smeared on him as part of a bizarre ritual. In addition, in the 'Fox Deceived' story, he participated in a hunt -- galloping over fields and jumping ditches and fences -- during which a body was discovered. But, in "The Grave Maurice", he was portrayed as knowing nothing about fox-hunting nor about riding a horse. I think Martha is tired of her characters; maybe she should let them fade away gracefully.

This latest from Martha Grimes was easily put down through the first half. Picked up half way through with some notion of redemtion, but the ending left a fruther bad taste in the mouth. I can't say this was poorly done, but is is not representative of the Richard Jury series, more like her other books with dispondent aimless characters. (No matter how many time the work "focused" was used, unbelievably surmised from a photograph, she was aimless through out the book). The plot did not particularly hold together well, some characters stuffed in to plug obvious gaps in the ploting. I was expecting a more fun read Grimes, had I known, I would have read it a nother time.

I've been a big fan of Martha Grimes, but this book was a terrible read! I nearly gave up after the first few chapters, but continued plodding through only because I was stuck at a horse show for a week with no other reading material. The plot is poorly done, the characters are shallow (I mean, I really didn't care anymore who lived or died or who ended up being the villian -- I just wanted to get through and done), and it just didn't meet the high expectations I had from my past experience with her books. I think I may have to go back and reread some of her previous works just to remind myself of how good she can be. And if you have never read a Martha Grimes' book, do not choose this one as an example. She can do so much better!

I sometimes wonder why Grimes's books are called the "Richard Jury" books when more and more Melrose Plant seems to be taking on the job of New Scotland Yard. And how old are these guys now anyway? 50s? 60s? If Jury was 6 or 7 in 1945, well, you do the math. Still they still have their endless string of fillies, doomed and damaged, to fall in love with, bed (even with fresh bullet wounds) who are destined to either die or wither on the vine like old Viv-viv. "The Grave Maurice" is not a Grimes masterpiece, but it is still pretty good, and altogether tidier, plotwise, than "The Lamorna Wink" which had plently plot plus and lots of Plant exposition (at least we know why Plant gave up his titles) and a bad sub-plot featuring a most unbelievable child snuff film and just way too many characters. When Grimes is good, as with children and animals, Agatha at bay and Wiggins doing his Yard/Boots the Chemists thing, she is so ... good, clever and funny you will forgive her anything, but when she has Jury send Melrose the ertswhile Earl out to buy one more expensive item as a ruse (a painting, a car, a house, a horse, whatever)or as a pseudo expert (librarian, art collector, antiques appraiser, rider to the hounds) I start wondering if someone really ought to tell DCS Racer, or at Cyril the Cat, that Jury is not on the case, again. And she really is going to have to start introducing some foresenics into her crime scenes...she's dating herself. But here, she seems to have lost control of her characters, charming as they may be.

As for the sub-plot of "Grave Maurice," the unnecessarily cruel way in which mares' urine is collected to manufacture Premarin, I am not at all certain if her diatribe was really that effective as a plot device or by being set against the foolish bumbling of Diane (who used to wear reds, remember Martha?), Trueblood and Plant in their following of the hunt and anti-hunters. I finished this book and immediately went back and re-read "Jerusalem Inn" and "Help the Poor Struggler" just to get good and Grimes-y again.

I've dipped in and out of the Richard Jury series over the years, and generally I've found Martha Grimes' books to be entertaining and well-written -- though not perfect. By contrast, "Grave Maurice" is gravely flawed. How in the world could the mere photograph of a 15-year-old girl, Nell Ryder, engender such intense feelings of yearning and passion in every grown man who sees it? When Nell appears in the flesh, she's described as lucent and luminous but actually seems one-dimensional in the extreme. Meanwhile, the plot is awash in coincidences that rob it of honesty. Face it: Melrose Plant is the one decent character -- give him his own series, Martha, and give handsome Richard Jury's bullet-riddled, bed-hopping body a little rest.

As much as anything else, "The Grave Maurice" answers the question so loudly issued in
"The Blue Last," the previous Richard Jury mystery. In that exciting and well-written episode, the
final pages closed with a bang and the readers could only wonder: will our hero survive? And now
we know, thankfully--and with really not much of a surprise--that Superintendent Jury does live and
he's on to No. l8 in Grimes' immensely popular police procedural mystery series. He's still in
hospital, but a mystery opens up to him (as Grimes says, ala Josephine Tey and "The Daughter of
Time") and he sets out to solve it, bandages, headache, scars, and all.

A 15-year-old daughter of his physician has been missing for two years and presumed dead.
Of course, the doctor and the family have not given up hope and this is where Jury, ably assisted by
Melrose Plant and the Long Pid gang, comes in. Taking all the known facts, they begin to splice,
glue, cut, and paste the parts extraordinaire into a viable, working case. The girl, Nell Ryder, was
abducted, along with a famous race horse she was attending. No clues and no ransom note either.
The scenario is intrigue for his soul (and mind) and Jury, with his Dr. Watson (Melrose) wanders
into the very lucrative business of horse racing and breeding. He is mesmerized by the personality
of Nell, who was described by one of the trainers as "a filly dressed up in a girl costume," so
complete was her love for horses. As the local police have virtually given up on the case (after all,
there were no active clues for past two years!), it appears that the effort would be futile; yet, as Jury
acknowledges, there are a few elements that don't add up.

And, of course, Grimes, through the efforts of Jury, Plant, et al., races on, heading for the
final furlong and then, finally, at breakneck speed. With the author's usual style, grace, and
timing, the book is more than a photo finish--it's a clear winner, another "winners circle"
appearance for Grimes. That said, however, "The Grave Maurice" is clearly intended for the
legions of Grimes fans. Without having read previous Jury books, treaders will quickly find
themselves somewhat confused over references to previous episodes. Grimes must know this, of
course, but this book is not a "dead cert." New readers will not find it so captivating and they can
only be urged to start at the beginning ("The Man with a Load of Mischief" and "The Old Fox
Deceived" and the best of the early Grimes "Jerusalem Inn"). Small price to pay, of course, as
Grimes is quite an odyssey--if nothing else just to see which actual pub she uses as the title of each of
these books!) "The Grave Maurice" may not be win-show-or-place, but it goes the full length. Tally
ho! ...

I was very disappointed in this latest (and apparently rushed to publish) installment by Ms. Grimes. Can't anyone be happy in her books anymore? Please, let Jury put himslef out of his misery and give Melrose a chance to shine. While the information on Premarin was interesting, there was no closure on that plot line other than the heroine coming to grief. I did like the way she portrayed the equine thoughts - that reminded me of the old Martha Grimes wit and why I so liked her earlier books.

I have been such a fan of this series of mysteries but I have to say that I will wait until her next one is out in paperback and I find it used. I can't see paying good money for the hard cover version anymore.

Did I find this hard to put down? Very, but mostly because I was hoping it would get a lot better.

This isn't my favourite Grimes but Melrose IS in it and so are lots of horses. How can you go wrong ?

A wonderful re-working of Josephine Tey's "Daughter of Time!"

Lots of Wiggins... Lots of Jury... lots of fighting over who gets the banana out of many hospital fruit baskets.

A charming way to revive Jury and get him back on track... with Long Piddletonian intervals which are, as always, pure magic!

I have read every book in the Richard Jury series, having come upon it by first buying the Blue Last. I found myself straying from reading this one on a number of occassions, unusual in that I typically read Martha's books in two days. Did Ms. Grimes actually write this book, or did she use a ghost writer? In either case, I am very disappointed.

I have been a fan of the Richard Jury series since its beginning, but this, the latest installment, was incredibly disappointing. First, and most importantly, the "mystery" is secondary to Grimes' primary goal, which is to lambaste a real pharmaceutical company. She is an avid animal rights activist, (for which I do not fault her), but this format should not be a platform for her political agenda, at least without notifying her reader of her intentions. Her attacks dominate the book. (Biting the Moon, her unabashed effort to this end, is absolutely awful.) Beyond this, the editing was erratic, with numerous misplaced quotation marks and grammatical errors. Lastly, we can only conclude that Grimes views her American audience as blissfully ignorant and uncaring of UK geography. Check the proximity of Hadrian's Wall to Cambridge. All together a dismal disappointment, especially as the denouement to Jury bleeding out in the last novel.