This was one Martha Grimes novel that I had difficulty following. I couldn't keep the characters straight and never understood who was who. This is unusual for Grimes' stories. Part of this story line was that there was a case of stolen identity, but I never quite understood who killed who and the motive?? anyone else had trouble? ( )

#9 in the Richard Jury series.

Marshall Trueblood has scored a coup--he has purchased a valuable secrétaire a abbatant from Lady Summerston, along with a near-priceless Ulysses, signed by both Joyce and Matisse, the illustrator. At least, it's a coup until Melrose Plant and Richard Jury, visiting Northants, find the body of Simon Lean, local philanderer, stuffed into the desk. And the Ulysses missing as well, possibly more upsetting to Trueblood than the discovery of the corpse.

Because chief superintendent Racer cannot resist the thought of interrupting Jury's vacation--something, anything that might annoy or discomfit Jury--he "loans" Jury to the Northampton constabulary to assist in the investigation. The investigation leads to London and a possible case of double identity with intent to defraud old (but still sharp) Lady Summerston of her millions.

But much of the action by necessity takes place in Long Piddleton, giving plenty of opportunity for wit and humor at the expense of one of the village's least favorite residents, Melrose's Aunt Agatha. Agatha, having managed to drive her car up onto the sidewalk in front of Jurvis' butcher shop, colliding with a large ceramic pig, has brought suit against Jurvis for damages in a great subplot. Also, Grimes introduces yet another of her unforgettable characters, Diane Demorney, with her all-white house interior and total self-absorption. Change has come to Long Piddleton in the form of a new pub, the Blue Parrot with its faux Arabian decor and questionable Lebanese food, run by Trevor Sly who is giving Dick Scroggs a run for his custom. Theodore Wrenn Browne makes a larger appearance in this book, doing his best to give Aunt Agatha a run for her reputation as the pettiest of villains. We also meet those most relentless of competitors, Alice Broadbent and Lavinia Vine who give no quarter in their very own War of the Roses and ask none.

All the old London gang are back if only for brief appearances--Carole-ann, Mrs. Wasserman, Fiona Clingmore, and, of course, Cyril.

Grimesism: "So far she had withstood this onslaught, but she had become more palsied than ever, twitching down the High Street as if she were plugged into an electrical outlet."

While not the most absorbing of Grimes' books in the series, it's still an excellent read. Highly recommended. ( )

A flawed but entertaining novel with a very clever ending. The author has the tendency to introduce numerous characters and spell out ALL their names even though they would not ever show up again and has no significance at all in the novel. The writing is slightly above average for the genre, but the plot doesn't keep one interested throughout. In fact, I was rather bored half-way through the novel. The ending saves it, however. I was impressed. Not a bad read. ( )