Die Erben und die Gier: Jury lernt Jane kennen, stürzt Hals über Kopf in eine Liebesgeschichte mit ihr und hat vor, sie zu heiraten. Aber Jane wird tot aufgefunden. Zwar vermutet niemand ernsthaft, dass Jury etwas damit zu tun hat, aber vorsichtshalber wird er suspendiert. Aus diesem Grund schickt Jury seinen adligen Freund Melrose in den Fall, denn Jane hatte jede Menge übelsinnende Verwandte, einen Sohn, der einmal den fast 90jährigen Urgroßvater beerben wird, und einige ungeklärte Todesfälle in der Vergangenheit.Mit dem ersten Kapitel nach dem Prolog wissen nur Jury-Kenner etwas anzufangen: Melrose und Trueblood fliegen nach Venedig, um Vivian (mal wieder) von ihrer Hochzeit abzubringen. Wie bei allen Serien mit abgeschlossenen Romanen ist es auch hier problematisch, soviel Kenntnis über den Protagonisten und sein privates Umfeld vorauszusetzen. Neue Leser könnte es abschrecken.
Dennoch: Die Handlung gefällt. Alles so wunderbar "englisch" (auch wenn die Autorin Amerikanerin ist). Ein Herrenhaus in einem englischen Dorf, das eine verzweigte Familie beherbergt mit schrulligen Charakteren, gegenseitiger Feindschaft, Dienstpersonal und etlichen Leichen im Keller. Vier als Selbstmord oder Unfall deklarierte Todesfälle. Der reiche Urgroßvater im Seniorenstift für Begüterte ist putzmunter, macht sich über die Gier der Verwandtschaft lustig und hat eine kleptomane Freundin. Der verarmte Cousin, ein Maler, überschätzt sein Talent, wohnt im Pförtnerhaus und im Pub, usw. Martha Grimes bedient jedes Klischee und serviert damit jedem Fan eine Menge Lesespaß. Ich war überzeugt, 4 Sterne zu geben.
Aber dann die Lösung: Ist schon die Aufklärung von Janes Tod weit hergeholt (der Plan enthält zuviel Unwägbares für einen solchen Entschluss), ist die Entlarvung des Täters und sein Motiv noch hanebücherner. Mir scheint, als hätte die Autorin in ihr Konsortium von Verdächtigen und Verwickelten geblickt und nach alter Tradition einen herausgepickt, den man nicht vermutet, und ihm ein Motiv gebastelt. Soviel Tod für einen Plan, von dem man nicht einmal ahnen kann, ob er letztlich funktioniert? Und all die losen Enden: Was tut eine besagte Person tatsächlich an Janes Todestag vor ihrem Haus? Wer bezahlte denn nun Jurys Anwalt?
Nach dem Vergnügen, dieses Buch zu lesen, war der Schluss eine große Enttäuschung für mich. Ich werte es als Ausrutscher und freue mich auch weiterhin an Jury, Melrose und ihrem gesamten Anhang.

Intriguing mystery, with members of a household getting picked off one by one and attributed to accident or suicide, but I'm just not a fan of this series. I get awfully tired of the ubiquitous precocious children. In this one, an 11-year-old girl is working as a cook, living in the household after her mother's death instead of going to live with her aunt, so she can investigate her mother's death. Uh-huh. If you go by this series, English children pretty much run things, and all the adults are idiots or obsessed by weird things or otherwise unworldly. Except for Richard Jury, of course, who sees all, knows all, and is irresistible to all women. Like I said. I just don't like the series. ( )

The woman that Richard Jury is dating is found murdered and he is a suspect and suspended for awhile from the force. He gets his friend Melrose Plant to go to the her in-laws estate as an undercover librarian to help with the investigation. ( )

#11 in the Richard Jury/Melrose Plant series, in which a woman Jury has been dating is found dead, at first believed a suicide, but upon further investigation, it’s found that there were a few people with motive to see her dead. Jury is suspended and even a suspect for a while, and he enlists his friend Melrose Plant to go undercover at the country manor home of the dead woman’s in-laws as a librarian and to keep his ears to the ground for vital information. Grimes was back on track with this entry in the series after the previous effort (The Old Silent) which was quite bloated and convoluted. I enjoyed this one a lot and it was good to see Plant and Jury back in form. ( )

No. 11 in the Richard Jury series.

Jury, in Camden Passage with Carole-anne Palutski, his beautiful (if maddening) upstairs neighbor more or less loafing around while Carole-anne shops for antique costume jewelry and other items, meets as if by accident an attractive and intriguing widow, Jane Holdsworth, also shopping in the open-air market. They go off together for a drink at a pub and then, almost as an afterthought, find themselves in Jury’s flat, where they become lovers. Within two weeks, Jury is convinced that he is in love with Jane, and intends to ask her to marry him.

Meanwhile, Jane’s son Alex has been sent down from school for gambling. However, when he enters his home, to his shock he finds his mother dead, and reports his discovery to the police. Logically fearing that the Social will send him to his grandparents, whom he detests. he manages to escape from the house undetected, eludes the pursuit, and makes his way to his grandparents’ place in the Lakes District—but to see his great-grandfather, Adam Holdsworth.

Jury, to his stunned disbelief, receives a call from a London police inspector notifying him of Jane’s death. Because he was the last to see Jane alive and there is a question of unnatural death, Jury becomes the prime (and only suspect) for the potential murder.

Because he can’t leave London, Jury, desperate, enlists the help of Melrose Plant, asking him to pose as a somewhat down-at-the-heels librarian in order to apply for a job at Tarn House, the Holdsworth family seat. Melrose, just back from a trip to Venice with co-conspirator Marshall Trueblood in their ever-lasting quest to delay if not totally deter Vivian Rivington’s wedding to an Italian count by any means necessary, manages to tear himself away from Long Piddleton long enough to assist Jury.

This installment is one of the better in the series. It’s well plotted, with the usual cast of not-to-be-forgotten characters, especially Lady Cray and old Adam Holdsworth. Alex Holdsworth is yet another of Grimes’ legion of intelligent, unorthodox children whose unusual circumstances—usually although not always involving the death of one or more parents—inspires precocious behavior, especially under stress of survival. Another welcome addition is Pete Apted, Q.C., who is not your stereotypical English detective story advocate.

Naturally, the Long Piddleton crew with their eternal cabals against Count Dracula, Vivian’s long-time finance, provide most of the humor. Cyril the Cat makes another appearance with his usual aplomb even under dire circumstances.

The climax is startling for a Richard Jury mystery and manages to resolve the story and yet leave it hanging in thin air as well, no mean feat. All in all, well written, page-turning and well worth reading. Highly recommended. ( )