The Knowledge

It's been way too long since I read a new Richard Jury book. So long that I had forgotten that all the titles in this series are names of pubs in London. And yes, this one is named after a pub called "The Knowledge". It's a little pub set up just for London's cabby population, especially the black cab drivers, who pursue their vocations as cab drivers proudly and purposefully. They know London inside and out and backwards and can never get lost in their city. These drivers practice for months before they even attempt to qualify as a black cab driver. They know all the landmarks, shortcuts, long cuts, etc. that there are to get anywhere in the city. And this little pub is perfect for them because it's on a street with no name, and show more completely impossible to find. The story starts, as do all of Martha Grimes' Jury novels, with a unique character. In this case a black cab driver by the name of Robbie Parsons who has just dropped a very stylish and obviously rich American couple named David and Rebecca Moffat at a fashionable casino/art gallery called The Artemis. They no sooner step out of Robbie's cab and they both are gunned down in the street. From this explosive beginning, Richard Jury sends his motley crew from Lands End, as well as some new quirky characters like a 10 year old waif and ball of fire by the name of Patty Haigh on a manhunt that takes two of them all the way to Nairobi and back again. And as always, the suspense and action is salted throughout with Martha Grimes' knife-edge wit. It's a laugh-out-loud powerhouse of a book that's as fresh as a mountain rainstorm. Bring on some more Martha. I can't wait. show less

A physicist and his wife are gunned down outside of an exclusive casino and art gallery by a passenger in a London taxi cab. A network of street kids courageously follows the killer to the airport, until one of them, a young girl with remarkable social engineering skills insinuates herself into the killer's company and flies with him to Nairobi. Now Detective Inspector Richard Jury must piece together a puzzle with elements spanning continents, including gem smuggling, twisted family connections, strange coincidences, and The Knowledge, a secret pub known only to London's cabbies.

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Grimes delightful cast of characters and devious plot twists, although in some respects I didn't think the writing was show more quite up to her usual standard. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't as scintillating as most of her other works. I also read this work over the course of several weeks due to time constraints. That interrupted schedule may have contributed to the effect. Regardless, I recommend this book to any mystery aficionado. show less

OTT

As far as I am concerned, Martha Grimes and Richard Jury can do anything that they want to, but I must say that this twenty-fourth Richard Jury mystery seems to be a bit of a swan song written to give all the old characters one last run. The motive for the murder is convoluted and very dark. The Africa jaunt is preposterous. The ride past the named pubs linked to old cases is pure nostalgia. The last scene at the concealed pub is plain cruelty. Regardless, though, Richard Jury is an unlikely man and that's why we like him so much.

I received a review copy of "The Knowledge: A Richard Jury Mystery" by Martha Grimes (Grove Atlantic) through NetGalley.com.

An elegantly dressed couple, the Moffits, disembark from a London cab in front of Leo Zane’s exclusive Artemis Club casino and art gallery. Out of nowhere a man emerges, shoots the couple, killing them, and steps into the cab they just vacated. Ordering the cabbie to drive, the shooter ultimately ends up at Heathrow Airport where he boards a plane for Kenya. This sequence of events happens so quickly, there is no chance to even get an APB out for him.

New Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Richard Jury reading about the murder in the news immediately jumps on the case having just met the Moffits the previous day and dined with them. David Moffit was an astrophysicist who applied his “uncertainty” theories to casino gambling show more and was a consistent winner. Could the murder be tied to gambling? Could there be other motives?

Two things are sure to appear in Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury mysteries. A colorful cast of characters and kids. This 24th entry into the series is no exception. A street urchin, Patty Haigh, was able to follow the shooter based on the cabbie’s description (apparently cabbies and street urchins have a unique bond) and board the plane to Kenya. Jury sends his friend, Melrose Plant aka Lord Ardry to Kenya to sniff out information while having his antique shop owner friend, Marshall Trueblood infiltrate the casino as a dealer.

As the story unfolds, the number of ‘irregularities’ surrounding Leo Zane increase, although motives are still scarce. Readers may have to suspend belief at various points along the way but it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the journey. Grimes has you guessing until the end.

However, beware. The plot and its resolution is a little convoluted. The colorful cast of characters is primarily Melrose Plant. The other 'regulars' play scant roles and some characters you have to dig in your memory to remember. And finally, there are no dogs to speak of in the book. So sad.

But it's been almost 3 years since the last Richard Jury book so this is a welcome read. Any hey, Ms. Grimes is 87 and going strong. show less

For years my sister has been telling me to read Martha Grimes. I always had another book on the shelf so I put her recommendation in the back of my mind and left it there. Along comes The Knowledge, the 24th in the Richard Jury Mystery series, and I am utterly and completely hooked.

My general impression: recurring characters who are easy to identify, a murder happens, people running about, a cabby hijacked by a murderer, more cabbies following the hijacked cabby and murderer, children following a murderer, Scotland Yard’s Detective Richard Jury is following a murderer, they are all going in different directions at the same time.

If you have been lucky enough to visit London and had any experience with a cab driver you will realize show more that there is no other profession that requires the extent of knowledge and professionalism that is A London Cab Driver. They have The Knowledge and in more ways than the knowing of all streets, directions and locations in London.

Among the Characters are:
Richard Jury – a Scotland Yard Detective, who makes analogies to Greek tragedies. Worries about finding Patty Haigh a good home and maybe finding a murderer.

Patty Haigh, a ten year, old who haunts Heathrow, the train station and any other location where she can scent the possibility of a scam. She carries a variety of costumes in her backpack including rhinestone glasses so she can meet “any eventuality”. She can and does pinch a boarding pass and uses it to snuggle up close to a murderer. She is equally comfortable travelling with a murderer to places unknown, roaming a “godless slum”, or charming her way into a tent safari where she ultimately encounters Lord Ardry.

Lord Ardry, also known as Melrose Plant, is a peer with money, big money and a friend of Richard Jury. Plant hates people outside his circle, hates meeting new people and yet finds himself on a tent safari close up with all sorts of new people and becomes Patty Haigh’s protector.

Throw in; the victims and their relatives, Leonard Zane a suspect who is elegant, mysterious and the owner of The Artemis Club, his new croupier Marshall Trueblood, the cabbies, the rest of the kids, a few more police type people, Cyril the cat, mix with tongue-in-cheek wit, stir and you are in for several hours of enjoyable reading. And for those who require more depth, there are references to quantum physics and the uncertainty principle,

I admit to being confused much of the time I was reading this book, asking myself “What is going on here?” Never mind - it was a grand escapade. The moral is when your sister makes a recommendation listen to her advice.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for a copy show less

I just finished the latest Richard Jury Mystery by Martha Grimes, THE KNOWLEDGE.
As with all the titles in this series, The Knowledge is the name of a Pub; and only black-cab drivers know its secret, London location.
I began reading these mysteries in the 1980’s. The first title, MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF was published in 1981. The books were new, fresh, with rather eccentric characters and puzzling scenarios. Melrose Plant, Richard Jury, Detective Sargeant Wiggins, their cadre of friends - all are called upon to solve very baffling, puzzling cases; in a very tongue-in-cheek sort of way.
I became very bored of this routine and couldn’t get a grasp of the plots or endings. I was frustrated and stopped reading the series.
When THE show more KNOWLEDGE was published in the spring of 2018, I decided to give the series another go. The characters are rather likable, after all (up to a point).
I did not care for this title. The characters are too glib, too egocentric, too lazy and self-assured. They are also too rich - the whole millionaire upper-class ‘thing’ with Melrose is getting old.
I always felt like I was the only one at a party who didn’t get the joke.
The pub, The Knowledge, is absurd.
Even the villains are absurd.
A child stowing away on a flight to Kenya with a false passport/boarding pass and tickets paid for by a murderer is just too much. And walks in the dead of night through an African game /safari park by a 10 year old is even more absurd.
I feel like I am being taken advantage of - the object of a prank while reading this book. Nothing is very believable, not even the conversations.
I liked meeting up with the characters once again over a few drinks, but I don’t care to keep up the friendship. show less

"In The Knowledge, Richard Jury, the Scotland Yard detective nearly meets his match in a Baker Street Irregulars-like gang of kids and a homicide case that reaches into east Africa.

""Robbie Pearson is one of London's finest, a cabbie who knows every street, every theater, every landmark in the city by heart. In the backseat of his classic black taxi is a man with a gun in his hand -- a man who just a few minutes ago brazenly committed a crime in front of the Artemis Club, a rarefied art gallery-cum-casino, then jumped in and ordered Parsons to drive. After the criminal escapes to Nairobi, Detective Superintendent Richard Jury comes across the case in the Saturday paper and immediately recognizes one of the victims of the crime. Jury show more soon enlists Melrose Plant, Marshall Trueblood, and his whole gang of merry characters to contend with a case that takes unexpected turns into Tanznian gem mines, a casino in Reno, Nevada that's no longer in business, and a pub that only London's black cab drivers -- those who have "the knowledge" -- can find.

" For long-time fans and new readers alike, The Knowledge is prime fare from 'one of the most fascinating mystery writers today.' (Houston Chronicle)."
~~back cover

I certainly am a long-time fan -- I own all the Richard Jury mysteries, and have loved every one of them. This one is no exception: it's fast paced, filled with delicious characters, and as always, is so convoluted that you have no idea whodunit until the very end. Supremely satisfying! show less