Rating: 
Summary: Certainly Not the Strongest Grimes!
Review: I didnt' think this book was as bad as some of the other review stated, but it isn't Martha Grimes' strongest effort. I still enjoyed the story. The story was a little different since there was really no crime to solve at first, and when a murder did happen it wasn't integral to the story. Then somewhere about 2/3 of the way through the book, stuff starts happening, but again there is no real mystery, as there is no intended murder. Anyway, the book is still good because Ms. Grimes is such an accomplished author. I would have liked to see more hilarious antics of Melrose Plant and his eccentric Long Piddleton crew, but maybe next time.
Rating: 
Summary: hardly vintage Grimes
Review: I find myself agreeing with the first few reviewers about "The Grave Maurice" -- it was not a very engrossing or compelling a read. The first few chapters were very well done. Martha Grimes sets up the premise for the mystery-plot beautifully: Richard Jury is in hospital (The London Royal Hospital) recovering from having been seriously shot in "The Blue Last." Bored and restless, his interest is somewhat piqued when his friend, Melrose Plant, tells him of a conversation he overheard at the Grave Maurice (a pub near the hospital). Apparently Jury's surgeon, Roger Ryder, suffered a tremendous loss a couple of years ago when his fifteen year old daughter, Nell, went missing. Coincidentally, Ryder decides to confide in Jury as well, and to ask for his help in resolving the issue of his missing daughter. It turns out that Ryder's father owns a very prestigious stud farm in Cambridgeshire, and Nell, who was completely horse mad as well as possessing a rather magical empathy with horses, was living with her grandfather when she was abducted. The strange thing was that there was no demand for a ransom. And in spite of the fact that it's been almost two years, none of the Ryders have ever given up hope that Nell will return to them one day. And what Roger Ryder wants from Jury to take a fresh look at Nell's case and to see if there are any new avenues that the investigation could take. And with some alacrity Jury agrees. But the discovery of the body of a mysterious murdered woman on the Ryder Stud Farm soon throws a spanner in the works. Who was she? Why was she at the farm? And could her murder have anything to do with Nell's kidnapping? These are the questions Jury has to find answers to if he is unlock the secrets that the Ryder farm holds.As I noted earlier, the novel opens well, but after the first few chapters, the book suddenly seems to loose focus. There is plenty of atmosphere. Though I'm still not sure about the bits where we read what the horses actually think/feel -- it didn't really advance the mystery plot and just seemed to get in the way of plot development even though it did (I suppose) lend itself to the feel and mood of the plot. And there is a lot of character development. And again I wondered about this -- some of the characters just didn't need to be fully developed as secondary characters at all as they were not at all essential to the plot. Grimes, however, spared nothing in fleshing them out properly. And again I felt as if this did get in the way of the smooth flow of the mystery plot. I did a lot of FLIPPING and SKIMMING while reading this novel. And again we have the usual characters (Vivianne, Aunt Agatha, Trueblood, Carole-anne, etc) that put in an appearance even though they have very little to do with the main plot, as well as episodes that had nothing at all to do with the mystery proper -- like the bits that dealt with fox hunting. How exactly it contributed to the storyline at hand still puzzles me. I found all these extra bits to be distracting and really irritating. And while I did appreciate Martha Grimes's salute to Josephine Tey, this novel did not at all compare well to "The Daughter of Time" in that that book was a totally engrossing read that really sucked you into the mystery at hand. Sad to say, "The Grave Maurice" was not a very satisfying Richard Jury/Melrose Plant murder mystery. There have been better Richard Jury/Melrose Plant mystery novels, and might I suggest that time would be better spent rereading any one of them?
Rating:
Summary: Depressing
Review: I have been a fan of Jury and company since the start of this series, but when I turned the last page of this book, I only felt depressed. Even with the delightful schemes that Melrose undertakes to keep Agatha away from Ardry End I found that this is one book I will not keep on my book shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Veiled motivations
Review: I have been a fan of the Richard Jury series since its beginning, but this, the latest installment, was incredibly disappointing. First, and most importantly, the "mystery" is secondary to Grimes' primary goal, which is to lambaste a real pharmaceutical company. She is an avid animal rights activist, (for which I do not fault her), but this format should not be a platform for her political agenda, at least without notifying her reader of her intentions. Her attacks dominate the book. (Biting the Moon, her unabashed effort to this end, is absolutely awful.) Beyond this, the editing was erratic, with numerous misplaced quotation marks and grammatical errors. Lastly, we can only conclude that Grimes views her American audience as blissfully ignorant and uncaring of UK geography. Check the proximity of Hadrian's Wall to Cambridge. All together a dismal disappointment, especially as the denouement to Jury bleeding out in the last novel.
Rating:
Summary: Did Martha write this?
Review: I have read every book in the Richard Jury series, having come upon it by first buying the Blue Last. I found myself straying from reading this one on a number of occassions, unusual in that I typically read Martha's books in two days. Did Ms. Grimes actually write this book, or did she use a ghost writer? In either case, I am very disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The Grave Mistake
Review: I have read most of Martha Grimes' books. The End of the Pier remains one of my all-time favorites. This offering, however, is pathetic. After the cliff-hanging end of the last Richard Jury book we find Jury alive and surprisingly well after being shot three times. He is, in fact, well enough to go to bed with one of the suspects, his injuries being no impediment to sexual prowess. There is kidnapping, horse-napping, rape, murder; comic relief provided by a hermit; the usual gang hanging out at the Jack and Hammer; and a bizarre connection to Premarin, the estrogen replacement pharmaceutical produced from pregnant mare's urine. The book does not hang together, is not well plotted, is difficult to follow, and is not worthy of Mz.Grimes usual workmanship.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good.........but.........
Review: I liked this book a lot.....I just wish it had more of Melrose and his hilarious antics in it....his part just kind of fizzled away this time....too bad. But, other than that....it was a very good book, in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Grave Booboos
Review: I love Grimes' books and have looked forward to this one since Jury was left in the wounded lurch. But so much of this book is distracting: why does she seem to take such a cavalier attitude towards the very commendable AA programs? And why is her evident animosity towards the pharmaceutical company producing Premarin (news, Martha, from one who knows: it ain't just for hot flashes) so all consuming in this novel? And who the heck did the editing - p. 311 ..."she brought out a bottle of RED wine....'special occasion, Puligny-Montrachet.' Grimes' tendancy to assume that every reader knows every nuance of all prior novels is especially irritating in this one. I started wth "The Old Silent," and figured my way back into the characters. But the last chapter here, with Gemma, would mean nothing to me had I not been addicted previously. Guess all authors have contracts and deadlione to meet - not up to par at all.
Rating:
Summary: A Grave Failure
Review: I love Martha Grimes I went straight out and bought this book and was so disappointed. The many plots drag and the usual characters are less than sprite. Even Melrose is lacking in his usual charm. And after leading the story for the first half of the book, she just drops and forgets about him. Jury who I have never found that charming makes his usual depressing mistakes. Jury has seen his day, it's time Melrose had his chance!!!
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite Martha Grimes books
Review: I love the Richard Jury series - but, like everyone else, some books more than others. This one is one of my favorites. Exciting with excellent character development, it really kept my interest. One and only one complaint -- what happened to happy endings? Looking forward to the next....
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