The Old Fox Deceiv'd

Another good British cozy from M. Grimes. Thought I had the murderer pinned down as I read... but the plot twisted this way and that, and lo, I was mistaken. Ah well, if I could figure it out that easily, it wouldn't be that good.

I enjoyed this book; partly for the right, and partly for the wrong reasons. This is a well worked whodunnit set in a tiny Yorkshire fishing village. It is written by Martha Grimes, an American lady who has obviously done her homework. The description of places is very good but, some of the attempts at the local dialect are on par with Dick van Dyke's cockney accent in the film version of Mary Poppins! This could have proved annoying, but I actually found it amusing and not a distraction from the story.

The plot kept me guessing right to the end but, like all good whodunnits, the explanation was just about plausible - that is not a complaint, one does not want the swarded truth of real life murders! I was also pleased to see that Martha show more scatters clues amongst the red herrings; there is nothing more irritating than to have the murderer turn up as a character not mentioned until the last chapter - fair play, the clues are there from an early stage.

I bought this book, on spec, from a charity bin, for the mind numbing price of fifty pence; what caught my eye, was the title, 'The Old Fox Deceiv'd'. I use the name 'the old fox' as my pseudonym on social networking sites (I'm a Leicester City fan - don't hold it against me!). I shall keep an eye for other titles by Martha Grimes, they are great escapism. show less

No. 2 in the Richard Jury series. I enjoyed it very much. People say Grimes let Americanisms slip into her British series, but I can't say I've noticed any...other than those introduced by an American character. In this one I especially loved the characters of 12-year-old Bertie Makepiece, who figured out a big piece of the puzzle, and his faithful dog Arnold who saved the day. I'll look forward to following the series along.
September 2016

A charming murder mystery that kept me guessing. Melrose & Jury make a likeable gentlemanly team as they investigate the murder of a mystery woman in fancy dress. And poignant warmth is added in the minor characters such as the abandoned 12-year old Bertie who takes good care of himself and his loyal dog Arnold. And the added fun is spotting the Americanisms Martha Grimes unintentionally drops into this Yorkshire tale.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury is sent to Rackmoor, a small village on the North Sea coast. It’s January, not the best season to be there, but there has been a brutal murder and they are calling for assistance from London.

The victim was a visitor to Colonel Crael, and her appearance had caused quite a stir. She was the spitting image of Dillys March, Crael’s ward who had left Crael’s home fifteen years ago and never been seen or heard of again. This woman went by the name of Gemma Temple.

Crael thinks she is the missing ward. Crael’s son thinks she is an imposter. Olive Manning, the Crael’s housekeeper who was around at the time of Dillys’ living there, isn’t sure and isn’t please pleased about it either way. She show more has her own reasons for the mixed feelings.

When Jury and his partner Wiggins show up, the crime is two days old. The location has been cleaned up, so any clues are now gone. Harkins, the local C.I.D. man has done his investigation and written the report. He isn’t happy about Jury being called in and is only cooperative as much as barely necessary. Jury is looking for more information and also impressions Harkins may have, but Harkins isn’t giving, much.

When Jury goes to Crael’s house to interview them, he finds that Melrose Plant is visiting. Plant help Jury on an earlier case and the two formed a friendship. Once again Jury puts Plant to use in collection information, as Plant is a member of the aristocracy and can as and get answers that people may not give a cop. Both find it not so easy to get information from the tight lipped villagers.

Another enjoyable read from Martha Grimes; interesting characters, subtle clues, details that aren’t always obvious. I found I did go back and re-read to catch what I may have missed the first time through. I like the pace, not too fast yet doesn’t drag on. show less

I thought #1 ([b:The Man With a Load of Mischief|25176|The Man With a Load of Mischief (Richard Jury, #1)|Martha Grimes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1423070440l/25176._SY75_.jpg|3114345]) was okay, #3 ([b:The Anodyne Necklace|25175|The Anodyne Necklace (Richard Jury, #3)|Martha Grimes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1301953969l/25175._SY75_.jpg|2572762]) much better, and now, having backtracked to #2, I think I'd have been better off just keeping the forward momentum.

In this one I was painfully aware of the characters who are not characters at all outside of a single exaggerated trait (Wiggins and his handkerchiefs and cough drops, Mrs Wasserman and her show more menacing men). I was also feeling the American-ness of the author and realized that books set in England are usually very different from books written in England by people who live there.

I did like the kid, Bertie. Too bad we can't keep him around. show less

This is the second in Martha Grimes' Richard Jury series.
A woman is stabbed to death in Rackmoor. Jury and Wiggins are called in to help investigate.
The first issue at hand is the woman's identity. She goes by Gemma Temple, but bore a striking resemblence to Dillys March, a woman that disappeard some years ago. Dillys was Colonel Crael's neice. The Crael's being one of the wealthiest families in the area, Dillys would have inherited quite nicely. But, was she really Dillys?
This second installment took on a slightly darker tone. A very absorbing mystery, cleverly plotted and a little atomospheric.

Disappointingly, some of the charm and wit of the previous novel was toned down a bit in this one. Jury wasn't as vulnerable, although we do show more see glimpses of his soft side from time to time. Wiggins role was somewhat diminished as well. But what I missed the most was the banter between Melrose Plant and his Aunt Agatha. Agatha does show up in this one, but her role was cut way, way back.
Other than that, this was a good solid mystery novel. Overall a B- show less