Customer Reviews

The Old Fox Deceiv'd (Richard Jury Mystery)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Old Fox Deceiv'd, by Martha Grimes, is the second in the series of this exceptionally well writted series featuring Richard Jury and Melrose Plant. The reparte between the two primary characters and their growing friendship is really the best part of this series. If you are new to the series, than congratulations... you have found an excellent series by a very witty and gifted author. Some of the books - like any series - are much better than others. In this novel, the style of having Melrose essentially sent on assignment is made, with excellent results. Reading along as Melrose plays jr. detective is very funny. The mystery here is just nifty enough to make this a 4 star read. For those of you new to the series, here are the books in order:

The Man with a Load of Mischief
The Old Fox Deceived
The Anodyne Necklace
The Dirty Duck
Jerusalem Inn
Help the Poor Struggler
The Deer Leap
I am the only Running Footman
The Five Bells and Bladebone
The Old Silent
The Old Contemptibles
The Horse You Came In on
Rainbow's End
The Case has Altered
The Stargazey
The Lamorna Wink
The Blue Last
The Grave Maurice
The Winds of Change
The Old Wine Shades
Dust

A beautiful woman lies dead, her blood covering her party costume, and smearing her Harlequin face paint. She is a stranger, so not only do people wonder who killed her, but why kill a stranger? Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury and his pal Melrose Plant are sharing a pint at the local pub The Old Fox Deceiv'd, when this came swirling with danger and deception touches them. Foxes are abound - the pub carries one in the name, Jury and Melrose find the only way to trap a foxy
killer is to ride to the foxes.

It's typically Grimes all the way, the humor dry and droll, and brought to life by the ever-so-talent Tim Curry. I just cannot imagine anyone but Curry reading Grimes. He brings all the characters to life. While my preferred medium is reading in print, I cannot resist all the Curry-Grimes tapes. They are just too perfect!

If you love British Mysteries, you cannot pass on these tapes. If you are a Curry fan, you simply need to hear him doing Aunt Agatha and Gwendolyn! This was the second in the Jury-Plant series.

Anticipating more of the humor and eccentricities that characterized the first in this series, The Man with a Load of Mischief, I was disappointed to find much of it missing in this second book, The Old Fox Deceiv'd. The plot is as intelligent and intriguing as all of Grimes' stories in the Richard Jury series, but I prefer it balanced with the charm and delightful characterizations of the denizes of that English village Long Piddleton. While Richard Jury is Grimes' hero in this series, the character of Melrose Plant is the one that makes me keep returning to these books for more.

I've started reading the Inspector Jury books again from the beginning. Used book, great condition, not much money. Would buy again.

Finally i got to read something close to good old Agatha - wonderful book. Reminded me of "Peril at End House" " Mirror Cracked", of course, but in my case it's not a bad thing! Very charming characters, good story, atmospheric location- what else do you need from a mystery!I can't wait to read the next one!

This is the second in the Chief Inspector Richard Jury murder mysteries, and this time Scotland Yard sends him off to assist in investigating a murder in the cliffside fishing village of Rackmoor, in darkest Yorkshire. A young woman who might be the returned prodigal ward of a wealthy landowner has been killed on a foggy night and there are way too many suspects. As it happens, Melrose Plant, who developed a taste for detecting last year, and who has becomes friends with Jury, was recently invited to visit said landowner, so he takes the opportunity to involve himself as well. Fortunately for Jury, Plant is a very bright guy with hidden resources and a wry sense of humor, and his assistance is welcome. As in the first book, the roots of at least one of the murders in Rackmoor (you knew there would be more than one) stretch far back into the past. The characters are nicely done, especially young Bertie Makepeace, who has had to do for himself with the aid of his faithful canine companion, Arnold.

I have all of the Ms. Grimes' book and they are very entertaining. Once you start reading them you can't stop.

As the previous reviewer said, I enjoyed The Man with a Load of Mischief largely for the humor, and that was provided by the characters of Melrose Plant and his Aunt Agatha and by the setting of Long Piddleton. I was relieved to find Plant eventually turning up in this plot as well, but only through a farfetched coincidence. The overall tone was gloomier than in the first book, which was disappointing, since I get plenty of gloom from Elizabeth George's wonderful, but depressing, books. I'm also waiting to see (I haven't read any other books in the series yet) if the character of Jury is ever developed more fully. We're told that he tends to get depressed, he wonders if he's a good policeman, and he likes to make tracks in fresh snow -- and as far as I can remember, that's about it. Almost every character in the book seems to have more of a distinct personality than Jury does. I will keep reading the series but will hope for more Aunt Agatha and less fog.