Rumpole And The Penge Bungalow Murders

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Summary: Rumpole, alone and without an equal
Review: "Do you not recall," Leo McKern would state while tilting his head back and gazing into the studio lights, "the Penge Bungalow case... which I won, alone and without a leader?" The Penge Bungalow murder case was to the Rumpole television/book series what the Giant Rat of Sumatra was to Sherlock Holmes -- an investigation referred to but never documented... until now. And not only that, but RUMPOLE AND THE PENGE BUNGALOW MURDERS also fills into a lot of the other unknowns of the Rumpole universe: how he first met the Timsons and the Molloys, how he joined Chambers, how he became an expert in the science of bloodstains, and, most unimaginably of all, how he met and became wed to the fearsome She Who Must Be Obeyed.

This was undeniably a huge risk for author John Mortimer. Revealing hitherto unknown background details often leads to disappointment, with the audience preferring the answers their imagination had provided. (Remember how disappointing it was when we finally learned Kramer's first name on Seinfeld?) Yet, Mortimer seems to have done just fine with this grand unveiling. History will decide whether the Penge Bungalow murders depicted here are worthy of the reverence bestowed upon them when they were simply vague references, but this reader was not disappointed.

The story is told as a series of flashbacks, with the great lawyer himself finally deciding to tell the tale, lest it be lost to and forgotten by the next generation. This is actually a nice compromise. The younger Rumpole is less confident in interacting with his peers, but he is presented by the voice of the older Rumpole. Therefore, the familiar grumpy, witty narrator known well from previous books is maintained. (The existence of the Rumpole television series -- and especially Leo McKern's unmatchable performance as Rumpole -- made it very difficult for me to visualize this one. It's hard to imagine a younger, slimmer Rumpole when the image of the older, plumper McKern is so unshakably fixed inside my head as the definitive Rumpole.)

The mystery itself is pure and classic Rumpole. One part deduction, one part wine-induced inspiration, and one part sheer luck (Rumpole even comments on the certainly of chance), the formula will be familiar to any previous fan of the series. But, the advantage is that it feels fresh enough that if you liked the style before, you'll like it again, but probably not be tired of it. The social commentary (a usual feature of these stories) is present again and works well at grounding the story, preventing it from being too fluffy.

Mortimer's gift of characterization is back too. Apart from the title character's appeal, he fills in a lot of the details of characters known of old: C. H. Wystan (She Who Must's father and Rumpole's Head of Chambers), Uncle Tom, Bernard the solicitor, etc. It's partly Mortimer's characters that make this such a wonderful series. Even Erskin-Brown and "Soapy" Sam Ballard, who have only extended cameos, are utterly believable -- even given that they are painted with pretty broad strokes.

This is not the book to begin exploring Rumpole if you are new to the series. You'll be wondering why some trivial-seeming elements are treated with grand importance. But if you're already fairly knowledgeable of Rumpole, then you simply cannot miss this -- a classic story and a lot of questions finally answered. I really enjoyed reading this, and I hope that the revelations are not a sign that Mortimer feels ready to leave the series.

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Summary: You Get Justice in the Next World: In This World You Get
Review: Horace Rumpole!!!! And it is a darn good thing for any defendant facing a criminal charge in London to have the rumpled, oft-scorned, and much condescended to Horace Rumpole take up your defense against all comers.

John Mortimer's latest Rumpole story, Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders takes us back to the great barrister's first big case. The story is told looking back after a conversation in chambers convinces Rumpole to write his memoirs. The story jumps back and forth between Rumpole's recollections of events interrupted only by the occasional (but highly amusing) bit of conversation with Hilda, she who must be obeyed, and his colleague in chambers.

It is the early 1950s and Rumpole is young, eager, and ready to begin his career as a trial lawyer (barrister). He has found himself working for C.J. Wystan, the head of his chambers (firm) and the father of an assertive young daughter named Hilda. Simon Jerrold has been arrested and accused of the murder of his father and one of his father's friends. Each of the deceased flew for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and this was of no small consequence for the national press. All the evidence available points to Simon as the murderer. A conviction seems a certainty to all, including Simon's lead defense attorney, Wystan. Wystan has selected Rumpole to act as a silent assistant after Hilda suggests for some unknown reason that Rumpole is a man with a future in the law. It should surprise no one that Rumpole does not bow down to the conventional wisdom concerning his client's guilt. The story takes us through the remarkable series of events through which Rumpole assumes control of the defense and takes the case through trial.

As always, Mortimer writes with wit and verve. Mortimer first describes the appearance of Wystan as one that made him think of a "lobster who had been snatched from a peaceful existence at the bottom of the sea and plunged into boiling water." Followed immediately by a slight retraction, "but I have no wish to be overly critical of my future father-in-law."

By taking us back to his first case as a callow, slender youth Mortimer has invigorated and fleshed out (no pun intended) Rumpole considerably. We first came to know Rumpole as an aging overweight, hen-pecked curmudgeon who adheres to obsolete concepts of justice and the presumption of innocence when all around him expediency and decorum prevails. Mortimer shows us flashes of this in Penge Bungalow. We see the character traits: the wit, sarcasm and sense of fair play in its formative stages. We also find out how the young Ms. Hilda Wystan became the infamous she who must be obeyed. It is clear that once Hilda set her mind on something she is not easily denied.

The beauty of the Penge Bungalow Murders is our glimpse of Rumpole as a young man. His character is immediately recognizable. His body may have changed but his inner-self has remained constant. As one of Rumpole's favorite authors once said in Merchant of Venice, "I never knew so young a body with so old a head."

Rumpole and Penge Bungalow Murders is an excellent book and I have no hesitation in recommending it.


Rating:
Summary: Rumpole deserves more than 5 stars!
Review: I am great fan of Rumpole - nobody can turn a phrase like John Mortimer. Having read all of the Rumpole books, I had heard about the Penge Bungalow Murders numerous times, but did not know the details. What a treat this small book is! Not only do we get the story of Rumpole's triumph "alone and without a leader", but, by far, the best read I've had in a long time. I couldn't put it down and afterwards felt like cheering. It's so refreshing to read a truly great book from start to finish. The only criticism I would have is to have it go on for at least 1000 pages. I can never get enough Rumpole. Thank you, John Mortimer!

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Summary: Ah, The Joys of Rumpole
Review: I can't think of anything better to do then to curl up in front of the fireplace on a cold winter's night, and read the latest Rumpole novel. Here Rumpole is back writing his memoirs about his first success at the Bar many years ago. Throughout this series of books Rumpole has dropped hints about the Penge Bungalow murder trial that he conducted in his youth, 'alone and without a leader'. In this newest Rumpole novel we get the details of this celebrated Rumpole case. We see Rumpole as a young man getting his feet wet in Chambers. We also meet the Head of Chambers, C.H. Wystan, father of She Who Must Be Obeyed, and learn how Rumpole won Hilda's hand in marriage. Periodically Rumpole is brought back to the present moment as various characters such as Dodo Mackintosh, Claude Erskine Brown, and Soapy Sam Ballard stop off and interrupt Rumpole in his writing.In fact Soapy Sam bans Rumpole from writing in chambers, until Sam is given a bigger part in the forthcoming book.

The mystery as to the identity of the Penge Bungalow killer is entertaining. But as in all the other books in the Rumpole series characterization and dialogue are king.

A sheer delight. John Mortimer, please keep the Rumpole stories coming.

Rating:
Summary: Three Cheers for Rumpole
Review: I have been a lawyer for almost 25 years. Rumpole has been a friend for most of that time. He is one of the great English eccentrics. He will only ever Defend. He drinks Chateau Plonk at Pommeroy's Wine Bar in Fleet Street. He has no respect for judges or other lawyers but great respect for the Timpson family - a dynasty of villains who have been in his care for generations. His knowledge of law comes a long way behind his knowledge of bloodstains and gunshot wounds.

In almost every story we are reminded of his greatest triumph - The Penge Bungalow Murders - but never know the full story, before now. John Mortimer takes us back in time, to the early days of Rumpole's career to tell us what we have all waited to hear. And he does not disappoint. Rumpole is at their very best in this entertaining murder mystery. All of the favourite characters are here including the wonderfully archaic British Legal system. For Rumpole fans this is a must. For any new readers I will guarentee a delightful read that will send you on a journey through the whole back catalogue.





Rating:
Summary: Rumpole at His Fnest!
Review: It's great to see John Mortimer finally reveal the details of the case to which Rumpole proudly refers in all the other Rumpole tales. Here Mortimer paints a picture of the young, brash, and totally confident Rumpole we would come to love in later stories and the PBS series. He also fills in the empty parts of the canvas about how Rumpole and She Who Must Be Obeyed were first united--I won't be giving much of the plot away to say that she pretty much wore him down.

The real joy here, though, is watching the craftsmanship with which Mortimer builds Rumpole's defense in an apparently hopeless effort to defend his client, the juvenile male accused killer of his father and another man in the Penge Bungalow section of London. Rumpole is constantly frustrated by his head of chambers' (Hilda's father)insistence that Rumpole conform his conduct to the "highest standards of the bar" and his trial judge, who interferes with Rumpole's defense at every opportunity. Needless to say, he does some spirited fact-finding and gets past all the obstacles and right to the heart of the case. After that, it's fun to watch the master at his craft.

For those of us who enjoyed the PBS series, we can see the characters in this story with the actors faces, voices, and mannerisms and that makes it all the sweeter. For those who are new to Rumpole and John Mortimer, start with this book and build your own visions of these richly drawn characters in subsequent stories. None of us will be disappointed with Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders.

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Summary: Rumpole's Most Famous Case, At Long Last
Review: Long time readers of the memoirs of Horace Rumpole as John Mortimer has provided them know that the Penge Bungalow Murders was the case that made Rumpole famous and established him in his career as defender of the defenseless at the Old Bailey and other British courts. Rumpole refers to the Penge Bungalow Affair throughout his reminiscences of other trials, but up until now we have not known exactly what happened and why it made Rumpole so famous.

Now we have the full story at last. Not only did the Penge Bungalow Murders lead to Rumpole's illustrious career, it also led to his introduction to She Who Must Be Obeyed: his future wife Hilda, daughter of Rumpole's Head of Chambers C.H. Wystan. Furthermore, the case itself is a most satisfying little mystery that will leave you guessing up to the very end. I hope that other early Rumpole triumphs will soon follow.

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Summary: At last, Rumpole's first case revealed
Review: Over the years Horace Rumpole, criminal barrister of the Old Bailey, has often mentioned, but never explained, the Penge Bungalow Murders. Now that the reference is getting more blank looks than nods from the upcoming young people in Chambers, he has decided it's time to add it to his memoirs. "So much of history is being lost."

It was the 1950s and Rumpole's first case - a young man accused of killing his war-hero father and one of his father's soldier friends. No one had any doubt of the boy's guilt - except his young lawyer - but Rumpole was too green and was seconded to old Wystan, head of Chambers and father of Hilda, Rumpole's future wife, affectionately known as "She Who Must Be Obeyed." Wystan is offended the boy would even dream of a "not-guilty" plea.

Nevertheless, ignoring his elder's instructions, Rumpole continues to investigate. Dogged and scrappy even then, defying propriety and custom for the sake of justice, Rumpole embarks on his career of winning the hearts of criminals and affronting his stodgy colleagues, exposing hypocrisy and stupidity wherever he finds it.

Fans will find the case well worthy of Rumpole and will enjoy his first meeting with the prolific Timson family as well as the steps which led the clueless barrister to the alter. New readers will find this a perfect introduction to Rumpole's dry, sly wit and Mortimer's crisp, graceful prose.

Rating:
Summary: Impossible to put down!
Review: Throughout his long and distinguished career, John Mortimer's most famous character, Horace Rumpole, has mentioned his early and crowning victory of "the Penge Bungalow Murders." And now, after all these years, Rumpole has decided to write his memoirs, and tell of his great victory.

When two war heroes are found murdered in their nearby homes, the son of one of them becomes the prime suspect. Everything looks bleak for the young man, until fate decrees that his junior counsel should be a young, untried lawyer, Horace Rumpole. Rumpole's leader, C.H. Wystan, QC, plans to involve himself as little as possible, and lose with dignity. But, if there is one thing that Rumpole is not about to do, it is to lose with dignity. The main question is, if the accused didn't commit the murder, then who did? That is the question that Rumpole must answer if he is going to save the seemingly doomed young man.

My wife and I have been fans of Rumpole of the Bailey for years, both the television shows and the books, and we both greatly enjoyed this book. It is every bit as entertaining and thrilling as the earlier Rumpole stories, and is impossible to put down! Even besides the court case, my wife and I loved the peak into Rumpole's past - his meeting with Hilda (later "She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed"), and his first defense of a member of the Timson clan.

Heck, even if you have never heard of Rumpole, if you like a good mystery, then this book is for you. It is very well written, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. My wife and I both love this book, and highly recommend it to you!


Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Rumpole Stories Yet!
Review: Whether you enjoy the books or only know of that dishevelled, curmudgeonly, cheroot-smoking Old Bailey barrister from the television/video series starring the late Leo McKern, you are in for a real treat with this, the latest in the Rumpole series by author John Mortimer. After all, is there any fan out there who has not wondered about the story behind the immortal "Penge Bungalow Murders" to which Rumpole is always referring--the case he did "alone and without a leader" whilst still a junior? Well, here it is, in all its glory--and what an enjoyable story it is!

The novel takes place in the present day with the story of Rumpole's most famous case being told through the pages of his memoirs, which he has decided to write for the sake of posterity. In addition, we are privy to Rumpole's introduction to the famous Timson clan (whose career of petty crime has kept Rumpole busy over the decades) and their archenemies, the Molloys. There's also plenty of humour here, as one would expect--particularly as this memorable chapter in Rumpole's life coincided with the meeting of his equally memorable wife-to-be, Hilda (whose daddy, C.H. Wystan, was head of chambers at the time)! We also, perhaps a little surprisingly, get a glimpse into Rumpole's pre-Hilda love-life! As for the main story, it is engrossing enough to draw the reader right in. Personally, I couldn't put the book down and gave up trying. One reason it is so good is that there is only the one primary story so Mortimer has had enough time and space to develop it more fully than is often the case.

I've said nothing about the actual story--the "murders"--because I don't wish to give anything away. Suffice it to say that if you've enjoyed the Rumpole series (whether on television or in print), this novel is a must read. It's a short one (my hardcover version is only 214 pages of fairly large print), but it's one that is a pleasure to curl up with, and it's certainly one that I will be rereading down the road. It is as good as any Rumpole story, but because it's so unusual, what with John Mortimer taking us back in time to that famous case--as well as the meeting of She Who Must Be Obeyed!--I have to say it's my personal favourite.

Very highly recommended!