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Rumpole And The Penge Bungalow Murders

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Bill Wallis, as the voice of barrister Horace Rumpole--and every other character in this Rumpole classic--sounds more like a cast of thousands than a single voice. So distinctive with his individual characterizations that the listener can tell who is speaking even without further identification, he is also surprisingly good with female voices, especially that of Hilda, she-who-must-be-obeyed. The CD is flawlessly executed, an absolute delight for audiophiles.

Here Rumpole is a young "white wig," assisting C. H. Wystan, his head of chambers, on a murder case. Idealistic and committed to providing an active defense of anyone accused of crime, Rumpole is appalled by Wystan's complete lack of interest in the case and by Wystan's attempts to get his client to plead guilty to a crime he insists he never committed. The young client, Simon Jerold, is accused of murdering his war hero father and a fellow RAF pilot with a German Luger which his father kept as a war trophy. Witnesses had seen him threaten both men when they, drunk, had taunted Simon. C. H. Wystan's "open-and-shut case" becomes far more complicated when Rumpole investigates the circumstances of the murder, the patterns of the blood stains, and the backgrounds of the two victims.

Written as if it were part of Rumpole's memoirs, this novel from 2004 includes background information to delight the seasoned Rumpole lover. C. H. Wystan's purposeful daughter, Hilda, watches Rumpole's performance in court, and begins a hilarious "courtship." Rumpole first makes the acquaintance of the Timson family of thieves, depicted in all their orneriness, for whom he continuously performs miracles in court throughout his career. His love of Wordsworth, whom he delights in quoting, is obvious here, and characters who continue throughout the Rumpole series are introduced.

Though the story is well executed and great fun to read for its plot, the satire and wry humor are what make the novel come alive. Narrator Bill Wallis conveys not only the "superiority" of the do-nothing barristers but the arrogance of the dedicated young Rumpole, who marches to his own drummer. Wallis is hilarious as he becomes Hilda, engaged in courting Rumpole. Lovers of Rumpole will delight in Wallis' fine reading and in his ability to convey not only the dialogue but the unspoken attitudes behind the words. n Mary Whipple

Murderers and Other Friends
The Summer of a Dormouse
Rumpole Misbehaves: A Novel (Rumpole Novels)

"Rumpole And The Penge Bungalow Murders" is a hugely amusing mystery, given a wonderful reading by the talented actor Bill Wallis. Mr. Wallace fleshes out the characters with a variety of voices from the gruff "Old Bailey hack" himself, to the various judges, jurists, suspects and witnesses. The actor pulls off remarkable women's voices too from Rumpole's surprising accidental proposal to "She Who Must Be Obeyed" to an overly friendly clerk who may be working against the interests of Rumpole's murder trial client. Here's an auditory symphony that brings the amusing words of the brilliant John Mortimer to life in a superb entertainment. You won't regret listening to this audiobook.