Picture of author.

Martha Grimes

Author of The Man with a Load of Mischief

66+ Works 27,365 Members 478 Reviews 84 Favorited

About the Author

Martha Grimes was born on May 2, 1931 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Maryland. The idea for Martha Grimes' first British detective novel, The Man with a Load of Mischief (1981), was inspired by the name of a British pub she noticed while leafing show more through a travel book. A longtime Anglophile, she has continued to use a British pub as both the title and part of the setting in each subsequent novel in the series which features Scotland Yard Detective Richard Jury, his assistant, Melrose Plant, and Plant's interfering Aunt Agatha. The Anodyne Necklace (1983) won her the Nero Wolfe Award. Her other works include The Stargazey, The Case Has Been Altered, The End of the Pier, Biting the Moon, and Dust. Her title, Vertigo 42, made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2014. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Martha Grimes

Series

Works by Martha Grimes

The Man with a Load of Mischief (1981) 1,584 copies
The Old Contemptibles (1991) 1,113 copies
The Old Silent (1989) 1,106 copies
The Anodyne Necklace (1983) 1,075 copies
The Lamorna Wink (1999) 1,070 copies
The Five Bells and Bladebone (1987) 1,068 copies
The Old Fox Deceiv'd (1982) 1,058 copies
The Dirty Duck (1984) 1,040 copies
The Old Wine Shades (2006) 1,025 copies
Jerusalem Inn (1984) 1,011 copies
I Am the Only Running Footman (1986) 1,000 copies
The Horse You Came In On (1993) 988 copies
Dust (2007) 985 copies
The Stargazey (1998) 971 copies
The Blue Last (2001) 961 copies
The Grave Maurice (2002) 949 copies
The Case Has Altered (1997) 938 copies
Help the Poor Struggler (1985) 915 copies
The Winds of Change (2004) 900 copies
The Deer Leap (1985) 874 copies
Rainbow's End (1995) 861 copies
Hotel Paradise (1996) 654 copies
The End of the Pier (1992) 531 copies
Foul Matter (2003) 529 copies
Cold Flat Junction (2001) 436 copies
Belle Ruin (2005) 429 copies
Biting the Moon (1999) 419 copies
Vertigo 42 (2014) 367 copies
The Knowledge (2018) 340 copies
Dakota (2008) 290 copies
Fadeaway Girl (2011) 259 copies
The Old Success (2019) 236 copies
Send Bygraves (1989) 138 copies
The Way of All Fish (2014) 134 copies
Double Double: A Dual Memoir of Alcoholism (2013) — Author — 51 copies
The Price of Admission (1995) 13 copies
It's Christmas Crime (2001) 8 copies
[No title] 1 copy

Associated Works

Tagged

American (106) Britain (69) British (523) British mystery (257) crime (397) crime fiction (474) detective (285) England (768) English mystery (78) fiction (2,105) first edition (93) Grimes (136) hardcover (96) jury (132) Kindle (63) literature (79) London (162) Martha Grimes (104) Melrose Plant (351) murder (244) murder mystery (64) MYS (68) mysteries (113) mystery (5,138) novel (266) own (136) paperback (139) police (141) police procedural (249) policier (87) read (345) Richard Jury (1,581) Richard Jury series (264) Scotland Yard (256) series (234) suspense (95) thriller (69) to-read (412) UK (68) unread (108)

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1931-05-02
Gender
female
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Places of residence
Washington, D.C., USA
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Education
University of Maryland (BA)
University of Maryland (MA)
University of Iowa
Occupations
author
instructor
Organizations
University of Iowa
Frostburg State University
Montgomery College
Awards and honors
Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award (2012)
Agent
Peter Lampack
Short biography
Martha Grimes is the New York Times-bestselling author of the Richard Jury series of mysteries, as well as the novels Dakota and Foul Matter, among others. In 2012 she was awarded the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award.

Members

Reviews

Love Jury and Melrose's friendship, and Jury is such a sweetheart, odd for detectives. He's sweet and kind.
 
Flagged
majkia | 16 other reviews | Apr 11, 2024 |
Good first in Richard Jury series about a supposed serial killer who leaves the bodies in odd places at local inns.
 
Flagged
derailer | 27 other reviews | Jan 25, 2024 |
Such a sad, dreamy space, a story to get lost in.
 
Flagged
Kiramke | 10 other reviews | Jan 14, 2024 |

Lists

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Statistics

Works
66
Also by
3
Members
27,365
Popularity
#750
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
478
ISBNs
838
Languages
14
Favorited
84

Charts & Graphs