Rating: 
Summary: But Polly warned us!
Review: I always enjoy the Jury books, but this one did cause me to fear the worst for our hero. To me, the end is open-we just don't know which way she'll go next. Or if there will be a next. Two elements foreshadowed the ending for me: the dedication page which says merely, "Goodbye, Blue" and the Polly incident. Another reviewer asked about why we have Polly drop in. I think that Polly is Martha and that she warns us how Martha is feeling about "mysteries." During her breakfast with Melrose on page 332 in hardback edition, Polly says, "I'm getting to loathe mysteries, including my own." She laments that if she stops writing them " . . . I'll probably have to go back to being a wallflower." I read one of her non-Jury books, Cold Flat Junction, and thought it incredible. I think Martha wants to stretch some. Well, go ahead and spread your wings, but don't forget to come back to the starting place occasionally. I really want to know the rest of this story--and I don't want let Jury (and Gemma and Benny and Melrose and Wiggins) go so soon!
Rating: 
Summary: Write to Martha Grimes Immediately!!!!
Review: Having read all of Martha Grimes' Richard Jury Mysteries, I have loved them all, but this is definitely one of the best. It opens with a dying friend of Jury's asking him to prove that a 55 yr old heiress is an imposter. This is all sparked by the excavation of some old bones beneath a bar called the Blue Last.
The site of one of the last bombing raids of the second world war sends Jury into the past in search of the truth of his own memories. There are several side issues, art forgery, another murder, Melrose Plant undercover as a gardener, two delightful children in jeopardy, even a dog who thinks! Well, if you have read Martha Grimes, none of this will surprise you-but the ending might! If you haven't read her before-don't wait! Get started. I couldn't put it down and read in two evenings. Can't tell you why you should write her without spoiling the ending, but fans-get out your pen and paper and make sure you let her know how much we're looking forward to the next Richard Jury book. Ask her to please "write fast!"
Rating:
Summary: All in all, one of her best.
Review: Well! After I finished the book last night I just sat there. As most people are wont to do, I had tried to tie some of the events together, but they all came unraveled at the end - mine, not Martha Grimes'. I do not for one second think this is the final book. It practically shrieks, "TO BE CONTINED!" Not just for Jury but also Gemma, Benny, and Sparky - and what about Liza? Could she be the person Jury might finally share his life with down the road? I thought the way Mickey Haggerty seemed to become increasingly obsessed with the case of the switched babies was just his desire to see justice before he died. And yes, Jury also noted this, but his inaction in trying to find out why Haggerty was obsessing I put down to trusting his friend completely and not wanting to cause him any more stress. Although I love Melrose I did find the subplot that had him and Trueblood traipsing all over Italy a little tiring. I enjoyed learning more about Wiggins (as did Jury) in finding out he had a sister who had died on Christmas (I'd really like to see Wiggins'character developed more). And while I find Aunt Agatha, Mrs. Wasserman and Mrs. Witherspoon endearing, Carol-anne flat out gets on my nerves. And who cares if Vivian DOES marry Count Dracula (except Melrose and Trueblood)? The character of Diane is tolerable - I like her idea of knowing "one or two things about everything." But Polly Praed? How many times has she even appeared in the series? All I know about her is she writes bad mysteries. However, we all know boring, odd-ball people and so in that sense, they do bring Jury a little bit closer to real life. I have great faith that Ms. Grimes is well on her way to tying up some of these loose ends and as for me, I'm waiting on the edge of my seat.
Rating: 
Summary: Great potential wasted
Review: Although the premise of the story had great potential, it took awhile for the story to get my full attention. I waded through all of the discrepancies and tangential story lines mentioned by the other readers and I forgave Ms. Grimes because of my deep love for her early Jury books. But by the time I was fully engaged and got to that implausible "solution" and ending, I was utterly frustrated and disappointed. Where did they come from? And where did everything else go? While reading the entire Jury series over the last few years, I have also been reading Elizabeth George's Lynley series. They are similar in many ways (handsome Scotland Yard detective, female American writer, engaging side characters, great sense of "mood," etc.). But over the years I have seen Elizabeth George's plots become more complex (admittedly, some are excessively so) and her writing is absolutely outstanding. On the other hand, the last couple of Grimes books seem rather lightweight and unsatisfying. The one about Melrose at the cliffside house is another example of recent disappointing Grimes efforts. I'd recommend the George books to Jury fans, in chronological order, as a supplement, but I'd also encourage Ms. Grimes to resurrect Jury and bring him and Melrose back in their former glory!! If she's going to end the series, she needs to provide better resolution than she did here.
Rating: 
Summary: Italian lessons
Review: While I found this book to be marginally entertaining, I found the Italian element shamefully substandard. Any basic Italian grammar, or even travel book, would note that the title "signore" loses the final "e" when used before a proper noun! "Signore" with the final "e" is used only when the word stands alone, as in "Sir." Also, the area south of the Arno River is referred to as "Oltrarno," not "Oltrano." Unbelievably lax research or editing. And why have Melrose and Trueblood continually traipse around the continent? That angle is tired out! It adds nothing to the plot. Grimes is at her best with animals. She's the best there--unbeatable!
Rating:
Summary: How about Gemma and Ben?
Review: What a disappointment this was! I was getting tired of Melrose Plant and his bunch, and Richard Jury is wearing a little thin, but I really liked Jemma and Ben. What wonderful characters. I wanted to hear more about them and see some satisfying conclusion. The ending was just plain terrible, but I recognize the style; it's called the "1000 word short story syndrome." When students are assigned a paper with a certain number of pages or words, they often make a good start, but as soon as they have enough words or pages, they wrap it all up in about two sentences and hand it in. Shame on you Martha Grimes; if you don't want to write any more, change professions, but don't leave rich characters like Gemma and Ben in limbo.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: I am a loyal reader of the Richard Jury series, but this one was the last straw. For the last few books, the character development has been poor, the storylines hard to get into. Now we have this one which is totally unfocused, no character progression whatsoever, and an ending that is so out of step with the rest of the series that I was completely disgusted. The Jury character deserves better than this - if Grimes is ready to end this series, she should at least end with a bang and tie up all the character storylines plausibly.
Rating:
Summary: The Blue Last
Review: What a disappointment. I've enjoyed all the previous books about Jury; some more than others. I'd always found them to be good entertainment though. This one was probably the worst. The sideplot was just a distraction and did not add to or tie in with the main plot at all. But, ultimately the worst part of the book was the ending. Is Jury dead? What happened to the rest of the characters. There are so many loose ends it makes me mad. Throughout the book the characters are asked "can you live without knowing". As Richard Jury answered "no". But, we have no choice in the matter.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I enjoyed The Blue Last very much. Mrs. Grimes
took an entirely new approach with Richard Jury
and those other wonderful, colorful characters
that I have come to love as much as Richard
Jury and Melrose Plant. However, I was so
disappointed at the ending of the book. Please,
Mrs. Grimes, don't let this wonderful series end
here. We must know what happens to Melrose and
Vivian, Trublood, and Agatha. I will keep reading
your Richard Jury mysteries over and over, waiting
anxiously for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: A Story Not To Be Missed!
Review: Things in this wonderful mystery get personal for Richard Jury as he tries to close a complex case for his dying friend. A story not to be missed!
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