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Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders (Hardcover)

by John Mortimer (Author) "'Claude Erskine-Brown told my pupil she had extraordinarily nice legs.'..." (more)
Key Phrases: Peter Benson, Jerry Jerold, Simon Jerold (more...)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Mortimer's beloved barrister, Horace Rumpole, at last tells the tale, hitherto mentioned only in passing, of the Penge Bungalow murders, the case that made his reputation as a defense lawyer decades ago. Simon Jerold stands accused of shooting his father, a bomber pilot during WWII, and an RAF buddy of his father's some hours after a quarrel in which Simon threatened his father with a German Luger. Simon appears headed for the gallows with perfunctory defense from C.H. Wystan, Rumpole's by-the-book head of chambers. Leave it to young Rumpole, an inexperienced "white wig," to see a chink or two in the prosecution's case and step up to Simon's defense, even at the risk of ruffling his supercilious superior's feathers. Subplots include the farcical circumstances that lead the romantically challenged Rumpole to become engaged to Wystan's daughter, Hilda (aka "She Who Must Be Obeyed"), and his introduction to the felonious Timson family, one of whose hapless members he defends in an unrelated burglary trial—which incidentally provides a clue to a key motive of one of the principals in the murder case. If a British airman circa 1942 committing treason in the belief that Hitler was going to win the war isn't entirely convincing, Mortimer (Rumpole and the Primrose Path) never fails to delight.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
For fans of this British crime fiction series, Rumpole is a must read. First introduced in a radio play 30 years ago, Rumpole has since populated 12 collections of Mortimer’s short stories as well as a television series. This novel-memoir (the first long piece of fiction starring Rumpole) relates the backstory of the ornery trial lawyer’s success, introduces readers to beloved characters, and answers questions about everything you ever wanted to know about Rumpole, including his predilections for wine, love, and criminal defense. "For anyone unfamiliar with this series," notes The New York Times Book Review, "here’s a charming way to begin."

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult; Second Printing edition (November 18, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670033561
ISBN-13: 978-0670033560
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #539,046 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#20 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Mortimer, John

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
'Claude Erskine-Brown told my pupil she had extraordinarily nice legs.' Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Peter Benson, Jerry Jerold, Simon Jerold, Uncle Cyril, Bonny Bernard, Barnsley Gough, Old Bailey, Uncle Tom, Reggie Proudfoot, Equity Court, Head of Chambers, Daisy Sampson, Lord Chief, Cyril Timson, David Galloway, Hilda Wystan, London Sessions, Teddy Singleton, Soapy Sam, Albert Handyside, Charles Weston, Court Number One, Harry Daniels, Sound Universe, Don Charleston

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 29 books:

Crystal Palace (Architecture in Detail) by Joseph Paxton on page 13, and page 142
Titmuss Regained by John Mortimer in Front Matter
Voyage Round my Father by John Mortimer in Front Matter
In Character: Interviews w/ Some Most Influential Remarkable Men Women Our Time by John Mortimer in Front Matter
Hock and Soda Water (Oberon Modern Plays) by John Mortimer in Front Matter

See all 29 books this book cites

2 books cite this book:

John Mortimer: The Secret Lives of Rumpole's Creator by Graham Lord on page 295, page 298, and Back Matter
Images in Law by Anne Wagner in Back Matter

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	81% buy the item featured on this page: Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders 4.5 out of 5 stars (49)
	6% buy Rumpole Misbehaves 4.3 out of 5 stars (31) $11.20
	5% buy The Third Rumpole Omnibus 4.9 out of 5 stars (13) $13.60
	5% buy The First Rumpole Omnibus 4.8 out of 5 stars (15) $13.60

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Customer Reviews

49 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (49 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Get Justice in the Next World: In This World You Get, January 19, 2005

By	Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Horace Rumpole!!!! And it is a darn good thing for any defendant facing a criminal charge in London to have the rumpled, oft-scorned, and much condescended to Horace Rumpole take up your defense against all comers.

John Mortimer's latest Rumpole story, Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders takes us back to the great barrister's first big case. The story is told looking back after a conversation in chambers convinces Rumpole to write his memoirs. The story jumps back and forth between Rumpole's recollections of events interrupted only by the occasional (but highly amusing) bit of conversation with Hilda, she who must be obeyed, and his colleague in chambers.

It is the early 1950s and Rumpole is young, eager, and ready to begin his career as a trial lawyer (barrister). He has found himself working for C.J. Wystan, the head of his chambers (firm) and the father of an assertive young daughter named Hilda. Simon Jerrold has been arrested and accused of the murder of his father and one of his father's friends. Each of the deceased flew for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and this was of no small consequence for the national press. All the evidence available points to Simon as the murderer. A conviction seems a certainty to all, including Simon's lead defense attorney, Wystan. Wystan has selected Rumpole to act as a silent assistant after Hilda suggests for some unknown reason that Rumpole is a man with a future in the law. It should surprise no one that Rumpole does not bow down to the conventional wisdom concerning his client's guilt. The story takes us through the remarkable series of events through which Rumpole assumes control of the defense and takes the case through trial.

As always, Mortimer writes with wit and verve. Mortimer first describes the appearance of Wystan as one that made him think of a "lobster who had been snatched from a peaceful existence at the bottom of the sea and plunged into boiling water." Followed immediately by a slight retraction, "but I have no wish to be overly critical of my future father-in-law."

By taking us back to his first case as a callow, slender youth Mortimer has invigorated and fleshed out (no pun intended) Rumpole considerably. We first came to know Rumpole as an aging overweight, hen-pecked curmudgeon who adheres to obsolete concepts of justice and the presumption of innocence when all around him expediency and decorum prevails. Mortimer shows us flashes of this in Penge Bungalow. We see the character traits: the wit, sarcasm and sense of fair play in its formative stages. We also find out how the young Ms. Hilda Wystan became the infamous she who must be obeyed. It is clear that once Hilda set her mind on something she is not easily denied.

The beauty of the Penge Bungalow Murders is our glimpse of Rumpole as a young man. His character is immediately recognizable. His body may have changed but his inner-self has remained constant. As one of Rumpole's favorite authors once said in Merchant of Venice, "I never knew so young a body with so old a head."

Rumpole and Penge Bungalow Murders is an excellent book and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars terrific Rumpole legal thriller , October 31, 2004

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Horace Rumpole looks back to just after graduating from Oxford to work his first legal case. Five decades ago Rumpole bit his acerbic tongue to defend a client Simon Jerold accused of a double murder, that of his father and a friend using a pistol taken from a deceased World War II German aviator. The evidence seems overwhelming and the legal fraternity shies away from defending the accused as no money can be made. Stunned by the reaction of his peers Rumpole dives into the defense with idealistic zeal.

Rumpole quickly learns that the jurisprudence system is a haven for corrupt barristers trying to squeeze pounds out of helpless and at times innocent criminals. He drops the gloves applying his saber wit on opponents as he defends his client with his belligerent in your face manner. He will use that technique for the next five decades defending the downtrodden against powerful opponents except Hilda Wyston who he has just met through her father and quickly becomes known as "She Who Must Be Obeyed".

This is a terrific Rumpole legal thriller that fans of the series will fully treasure due to the documenting of his first case referenced in many of the short stories. The deep support cast consists of "felons" from all sides of the legal systems, family members, and lest we forget the client. Though newcomers will feel aspects of the case and the protagonist's background seem missing (a tendency to rely on references in other books), readers will find pleasure with the character driven case that fans have wanted for seemingly almost as long a time as the hero looks back.

Harriet Klausner

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rumpole Remembers, November 25, 2004

By	George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

In the 1970's Horace Rumpole made his debut as an elderly, battle-scarred barrister on the verge of retirement. He has tottered on the brink of retirement for the past 30 or so years, until in the last few Rumpole books it strains credulity that he could still be kicking around. In my review of "Rumpole and the Primrose Path" I expressed the wish that future opuses come from Rumpole's youth. Finally, Mortimer has given us a story of the youthful Rumpole.

Rumpole earned his wings and made his reputation just after WWII by trying and winning the infamous Penge Bungalow Murders. I believe that Rumpole has made passing references to his famous victory at least once in every Rumpole story. In this work he not only makes a passing reference, he tells the full story.

Rumpole is attending a chambers meeting when he once again mentions his famous victory. Sadly, the younger barristers haven't a clue as to what he's talking about. He undertakes to inform them. Rumpole-aholics (and newcomers to the series) will be delighted with the results.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Must buy
If you are already a Rumpole fan, you simply must buy this book, because it not only talks about the Penge Bungalow Murders (PBM), it talks about his first days at the chambers... Read more

Published 2 months ago by John B. Goode

5.0 out of 5 stars Rimpole Penge
Delightful presentation of Rumpole's first case and story behind marriage to Hilda (not first love, but destined to be "She . . .").

Published 2 months ago by rumpolephile

5.0 out of 5 stars Where It All Started
Thinking about the recent death of John Mortimer these last few days made me want to revisit grumpy old Horace Rumpole and I chose the audio version Mortimer's 2004 prequel... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Sam Sattler

5.0 out of 5 stars Rumpole on the rise
The seminal case of Rumpole's career! Rumpole's long association with bloodstains, the Timson clan of villains, C.H. Read more

Published 10 months ago by yogiken

2.0 out of 5 stars Mistake
The book is a mistake. The Penge Bungalow Murders have been made legendary in the Rumpole universe. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Jason M. Fitzmaurice

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!!!!!!!!!
The Rumpole books are great!! My father and I adore Horace!!! We look forward to reading them when they are published!!
We also enjoy the tv series of this character! Read more

Published 14 months ago by Sassy girl

5.0 out of 5 stars Rumpole prequel, Comic British Courtroom Mystery
John Mortimer has written a long-running series of comic British courtroom mysteries starring a curmudgeonly barrister named Rumpole. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Mark E. Baxter

5.0 out of 5 stars Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
This is a classic. For those of you who are fans of the TV program series, this book will fill in the gaps in Rumpole's work history. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Dodger's Dad

5.0 out of 5 stars "The best man I've ever known on bloodstains."
Horace Rumpole is a young "white wig," when he has his first chance to assist C. H. Wystan, his head of chambers, on a murder case. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Mary Whipple

5.0 out of 5 stars "Looking back down the long corridor of history."
Horace Rumpole's greatest triumph came a mere eighteen months after he was called to the bar, when he represented the defendant in the Penge Bungalow Murders, "alone and without a... Read more

Published 19 months ago by E. Bukowsky

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