The Horse You Came In On [Import] [Hardcover]

Martha Grimes (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; First Edition edition (1993)
• ISBN-10: 0747227179
• ISBN-13: 978-0747227175
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,438,170 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

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Great Disappointment, May 6, 2002

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Horse You Came In On (Mass Market Paperback)

Martha Grimes usually writes complex, thoughtful mysteries notable for their memorable characters and atmosphere; consequently, THE HORSE YOU CAME IN ON--which finds Jury and his friend Melrose Plant visiting Baltimore, Maryland to investigate a double homocide--will be a great disappointment her many fans.

The story is at once very slight and very, very convoluted, involving both an "art" novelist who is struggling to finish her latest work and a student who may or may not have forged a manuscript attributed to Edgar Allen Poe. After a certain point, Grimes also relies upon genealogy for a plot twist--and while I grant that she certainly knows a great deal about writing novels and is at least credible on the subject of Poe, her commentary on genealogy will not pass muster with even the mildest amateur genealogist. In the process we are also treated to chunks of the book the novelist is writing and chunks of the Poe story that may or may not be an elaborate hoax, and by the time the novel winds to its rather tedious conclusion we feel we have read everything except a novel by Martha Grimes. Which is a great pity indeed.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Grimes travels well., January 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Horse You Came In On (Mass Market Paperback)

I was surprised to find that Grimes was willing to take her ensemble cast on the road and try her hand at mystery in America. Although Grimes is not always good at clearing up the loose ends that she begins, she is true to her characters. Her descriptions are vivid and accurate and her gang of do-gooders are delightfully consistent. Frankly I would be disappointed if some young lady didn't win the heart of confirmed bachelor Melrose Plant in each novel. Grimes entertains if only because her characters have a self-depracating sense of humour and a rollicking good time. I was thrilled on a trip to Baltimore, MD when I stumbled across the tavern "The Horse You Came In On." It was a piece of my world crossing Richard Jury's path.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars KEEP JURY IN ENGLAND, May 4, 2005

By 

MARGARET, PETER "LECTIODIVINABOOKS" (RIPON, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Horse You Came in On (Hardcover)

I COULD NOT FINISH THIS BOOK. I HAVE GREATLY ENJOYED THE OTHER INSPECTOR JURY MYSTERIES AND WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED.. MY THEORY IS THAT THE FAULT LAY IN TRYING TO SET AN ENGLISH MYSTERY IN THE US. THE INTERIORITY AND SENSE OF PLACE THAT SO CHARACTERIZES ENGLISH MYSTERY DOES NOT WORK IN A SETTING LIKE THE US. FROM THAT
STEM ALL THE OTHER DIFFICULTIES WITH THIS BOOK-- FLOUNDERING AND LOST - BECAUSE THE CHARACTERS ARE NOT AT "HOME". AGATHA CHRISTIE COULD PULL IT OFF BUT WHEN POIROT WAS IN EGYPT, FOR INSTANCE, HE WAS SURROUNDED BY ENGLISHMEN WHO HAD IN EFFECT "BROUGHT' THEIR PORTABLE WC'S ( LIKE THE ENGLISH DID IN AFRICA) ON THEIR "SAFARIS". (sorry about the capitals - just noticed it)