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Rumpole of the Bailey #16
Rumpole At Christmas
Rumpole at Christmas - the hilarious festive stories of John Mortimer's greatest character 'Without Rumpole, the world would be a poorer place' Daily Mail Horace Rumpole is not overfond of the rituals of turkey, tinsel and the like. But happily the festive season is not one respected by the criminal fraternity; meaning that celebrations in the Rumpole household are frequently disturbed in most-welcome ways. There's the suspicious Father Christmas at Equity's Court's festive party. The actor who goes missing from the panto on the night of a major crime. As well as the body cluttering up the health farm (where the great barrister is gloomily restricted to a diet of yak's milk and steamed spinach to please She Who Must Be Obeyed). These seven wonderful Rumpole stories show the great man at his sharpest, wittiest and best. Readers of Sherlock Holmes, P.D. James and P.G. Wodehouse will love this book.
'One of the great comic creations of modern times' Evening Standard 'There is a truth in Rumpole that is told with brilliance and grace' Daily Telegraph 'Rumpole remains and absolute delight' The Times Sir John Mortimer was a barrister, playwright and novelist. His fictional political trilogy of Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets has recently been republished in Penguin Classics, together with Clinging to the Wreckage and his play A Voyage round My Father. His most famous creation was the barrister Horace Rumpole, who featured in four novels and around eighty short stories. His books in Penguin The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole; The Collected Stories of Rumpole; The First Rumpole Omnibus; Rumpole and the Angel of Death; Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders; Rumpole and the Primrose Path; Rumpole and the Reign of Terror; Rumpole and the Younger Generation; Rumpole at Christmas; Rumpole Rests His Case; The Second Rumpole Omnibus; Forever Rumpole; In Other Words; Quite Honestly and Summer's Lease.
'One of the great comic creations of modern times' Evening Standard 'There is a truth in Rumpole that is told with brilliance and grace' Daily Telegraph 'Rumpole remains and absolute delight' The Times Sir John Mortimer was a barrister, playwright and novelist. His fictional political trilogy of Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets has recently been republished in Penguin Classics, together with Clinging to the Wreckage and his play A Voyage round My Father. His most famous creation was the barrister Horace Rumpole, who featured in four novels and around eighty short stories. His books in Penguin The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole; The Collected Stories of Rumpole; The First Rumpole Omnibus; Rumpole and the Angel of Death; Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders; Rumpole and the Primrose Path; Rumpole and the Reign of Terror; Rumpole and the Younger Generation; Rumpole at Christmas; Rumpole Rests His Case; The Second Rumpole Omnibus; Forever Rumpole; In Other Words; Quite Honestly and Summer's Lease.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
John Mortimer
269 books219 followersJohn Clifford Mortimer was a novelist, playwright and former practising barrister. Among his many publications are several volumes of Rumpole stories and a trilogy of political novels, Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets, featuring Leslie Titmuss - a character as brilliant as Rumpole. John Mortimer received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.
Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles
Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 27, 2023
I’m convinced Mortimer couldn’t write a bad book. Especially a Rumpole one. This may not be his very best, but it’s still pretty hilarious and it’s Christmas.
December 1, 2021
Reading Clinging to the Wreckage: A Part of Life, one of John Mortimer's memoirs, reminded me of Rumpole Of The Bailey. I used to watch the UK TV adaptation in the late 1970s and early 1980s when I was a teenager. I can't remember much about the programme but I know I always enjoyed it.
So it was I tried this Rumpole book.
Rumpole at Christmas is a slim collection of short stories that were originally written for magazines and newspapers. The stories are highly predictable and formulaic, and frequently the ending is obvious well before the story's end, however none of this matters as the charm is all in the Rumpole character: his personality, foibles, humour and those he meets along the way, frequently colleagues, judges and criminals, and most memorably his wife Hilda aka "she who must be obeyed".
If you're after an undemanding and entertaining seasonal read then this book has much to enjoy. I look forward to reading more Rumpole who can be classified alongside P.G. Wodehouse as a dependable comic treat.
So it was I tried this Rumpole book.
Rumpole at Christmas is a slim collection of short stories that were originally written for magazines and newspapers. The stories are highly predictable and formulaic, and frequently the ending is obvious well before the story's end, however none of this matters as the charm is all in the Rumpole character: his personality, foibles, humour and those he meets along the way, frequently colleagues, judges and criminals, and most memorably his wife Hilda aka "she who must be obeyed".
If you're after an undemanding and entertaining seasonal read then this book has much to enjoy. I look forward to reading more Rumpole who can be classified alongside P.G. Wodehouse as a dependable comic treat.
December 25, 2021
Listened to in audio format.
I have the complete box set of Rumpole of The Bailey on DVD which I have watched again and again. I associate Rumpole with the late actor Leo Mckern, but Bill Wallis narration did not disappoint.
Rumpole at Christmas comprises of two long stories and 3 bite sized stories. If you are expecting a hard hitting legal thriller you will be disappointed in this book. Rumpole is a British defence barrister whose chambers are at Equity Court in the shadows of the Old Bailey. Rumpole thinks no one is guilty 'until 12 good minded people's decide they are'.
Rumpole gives us his pithy observations about his clients and his enemy Justice Graves (Gravestone). During his cases at the Old Bailey he likes a glass of Chateau Thames Embankment from Pumaroys wine bar.
The old favourites appear in this book his long suffering wife Hilda - She who must be obeyed. Claude Erskine Browne QC and his wife Justice Erskine Browne otherwise known as Porsha.
I think all Rumpole fans will enjoy this book.
I have the complete box set of Rumpole of The Bailey on DVD which I have watched again and again. I associate Rumpole with the late actor Leo Mckern, but Bill Wallis narration did not disappoint.
Rumpole at Christmas comprises of two long stories and 3 bite sized stories. If you are expecting a hard hitting legal thriller you will be disappointed in this book. Rumpole is a British defence barrister whose chambers are at Equity Court in the shadows of the Old Bailey. Rumpole thinks no one is guilty 'until 12 good minded people's decide they are'.
Rumpole gives us his pithy observations about his clients and his enemy Justice Graves (Gravestone). During his cases at the Old Bailey he likes a glass of Chateau Thames Embankment from Pumaroys wine bar.
The old favourites appear in this book his long suffering wife Hilda - She who must be obeyed. Claude Erskine Browne QC and his wife Justice Erskine Browne otherwise known as Porsha.
I think all Rumpole fans will enjoy this book.
December 14, 2023
A festive and funny read, perfect for Christmas.
December 13, 2010
If you are looking for a bit of humour, tales that have an outcome that involves great insight into human character and heavy doses of coincidence and a bit of humbug then this is a great book to consume against the backdrop of tinsel and fairy lights.
This collection brings together a series of seven yuletide themed stories that have not been collected together like this before. Rumpole is the old but wise barrister who manages to win cases despite most of the legal establishment being against him. She who must be obeyed, his wife Hilda, provides light relief and bosses the old boy around when he is not in the Old Bailey.
Over the course of the stories Rumpole manages to get his clients off on lighter charges, solve a murder and spend one Christmas break with a judge he can't stand.
There is some repetition that perhaps could have been edited out given that by the seventh story you know all about how the Rumpole's spend Christmas and how Hilda gets lavender water each and every year. But once you get past that repetitive scene setting theses stories, which have a recent feel about them thanks to topical references to the internet etc, do take hold of you.
If you fancy buying a Christmas book at this time of year and are open to spending time with an aging and outwardly rude barrister who has a heart of gold and a flair for solving crimes and getting justice then this is a perfect choice.
This collection brings together a series of seven yuletide themed stories that have not been collected together like this before. Rumpole is the old but wise barrister who manages to win cases despite most of the legal establishment being against him. She who must be obeyed, his wife Hilda, provides light relief and bosses the old boy around when he is not in the Old Bailey.
Over the course of the stories Rumpole manages to get his clients off on lighter charges, solve a murder and spend one Christmas break with a judge he can't stand.
There is some repetition that perhaps could have been edited out given that by the seventh story you know all about how the Rumpole's spend Christmas and how Hilda gets lavender water each and every year. But once you get past that repetitive scene setting theses stories, which have a recent feel about them thanks to topical references to the internet etc, do take hold of you.
If you fancy buying a Christmas book at this time of year and are open to spending time with an aging and outwardly rude barrister who has a heart of gold and a flair for solving crimes and getting justice then this is a perfect choice.
Read
December 27, 2018Never having read, seen or heard any Rumpole, I had from somewhere acquired a vague intention to investigate further. Possibly a vague sense of him representing the comfortable certainties of the second half of the 20th century which, for all their flaws, I have been missing lately? The only one in my local library was this, which was obviously no use to me until December, but at that point becomes ideal – I'm a sucker for a Christmas story, even in a vein I wouldn't normally tap. Still, without knowing anything of peak Rumpole, it's clear that these late pieces are also minor ones, sometimes with a curdled tendency to harrumph at the modern world such as is to be expected when some were first published in the Mail or Express. On top of which, the obligation to tick off familiar bits of Rumpole-ness, fine if they're being read over the course of several years, can get a bit much once they're all in one book. But they still intermittently capture a certain laudable strain of Britishness, devious in the pursuit of fair play, of which we could use a bit more right now, ruled as we seem to be by the version which is not only cowardly and evil, but not even very good at carrying that off.
February 28, 2022
I started reading this because a) it's Rumpole, and as I discovered not long into the first novel, Rumpole is a smartarse who speaks my language, so I know I can turn to him for a chuckle and some comfort, and b) because I'd just spend a chunk of December on a Covid ward, missing some conventional Christmas reading, so it was a way of recapturing some of the festive spirit, albeit a little late.
For the most part, this collection doesn't disappoint - the stories deliver exactly what is promised on the cover: stories of Rumpole, the Old Bailey hack, the barrister who will never take a case for the prosecution but spends his pompous, often self-revolving but generally harmless life showing the fundamental goodness of his heart by working tirelessly in defence of the pre-judged - at Christmas.
As such, there's much more of an anthology feel about the collection than you get with many Rumpole novels, because necessarily, the cases and crimes have to be spread out across several Christmases.
That can occasionally leave you feeling slightly lost - the ages of the children of his esteemed colleagues, Phyllida and Claude Erskine-Brown, yo-yo throughout the collection, and the Christmas arrangements of the Rumpoles change from year to year - one at a health spa, one with Hilda Rumpole (She Who Must Be Obeyed) staying with her old school friend, leaving Rumpole to his own devices at home, etc.
I am trying to pace my progress through the Rumpole books, because I could too easily binge them and then be left bereft of fresh Rumpole to enjoy, which means I don't know if all these Christmas stories have appeared in other books.
All but one of them, I believe, were fresh to me on this reading, the only one to ring bells of memory involving Rumpole's rash act of generosity in volunteering to take the young Erskine-Browns to a pantomime.
It's perhaps peculiar that Rumpole should even HAVE a Christmas collection - he's very stuck in his ways, travelling the circuit of his life between the Old Bailey, various criminal courts, the chambers where his work is assigned, Pomeroy's wine bar, and the mansion flat in which he and Hilda, for the most part, rub along.
But if these festive stories show anything, it's that with his general inclination to bonhomie, good living, and a forgiving nature, he has enough about him that is Santa-like to succeed as our host for some Christmas fun.
There are a few stories here that subvert that jolliness though, and bring a darker, almost Agatha Christie note to the adventures of Rumpole. One set in a health spa is particularly nasty, with Rumpole on site when a murder is committed, and we hear Rumpole as Nemesis, relentless and questing in pursuit of the murderer.
If you, like me, are on a slow but steady Rumpole-athon, the anthology nature of this collection can act as a pause in the ongoing chronology of the set, as you share several Christmases with the Rumpoles.
If on the other hand, you're just looking for some festive fun with Rumpole, it delivers everything you could want, and, particularly in that health spa story, a little bit more besides.
For the most part, this collection doesn't disappoint - the stories deliver exactly what is promised on the cover: stories of Rumpole, the Old Bailey hack, the barrister who will never take a case for the prosecution but spends his pompous, often self-revolving but generally harmless life showing the fundamental goodness of his heart by working tirelessly in defence of the pre-judged - at Christmas.
As such, there's much more of an anthology feel about the collection than you get with many Rumpole novels, because necessarily, the cases and crimes have to be spread out across several Christmases.
That can occasionally leave you feeling slightly lost - the ages of the children of his esteemed colleagues, Phyllida and Claude Erskine-Brown, yo-yo throughout the collection, and the Christmas arrangements of the Rumpoles change from year to year - one at a health spa, one with Hilda Rumpole (She Who Must Be Obeyed) staying with her old school friend, leaving Rumpole to his own devices at home, etc.
I am trying to pace my progress through the Rumpole books, because I could too easily binge them and then be left bereft of fresh Rumpole to enjoy, which means I don't know if all these Christmas stories have appeared in other books.
All but one of them, I believe, were fresh to me on this reading, the only one to ring bells of memory involving Rumpole's rash act of generosity in volunteering to take the young Erskine-Browns to a pantomime.
It's perhaps peculiar that Rumpole should even HAVE a Christmas collection - he's very stuck in his ways, travelling the circuit of his life between the Old Bailey, various criminal courts, the chambers where his work is assigned, Pomeroy's wine bar, and the mansion flat in which he and Hilda, for the most part, rub along.
But if these festive stories show anything, it's that with his general inclination to bonhomie, good living, and a forgiving nature, he has enough about him that is Santa-like to succeed as our host for some Christmas fun.
There are a few stories here that subvert that jolliness though, and bring a darker, almost Agatha Christie note to the adventures of Rumpole. One set in a health spa is particularly nasty, with Rumpole on site when a murder is committed, and we hear Rumpole as Nemesis, relentless and questing in pursuit of the murderer.
If you, like me, are on a slow but steady Rumpole-athon, the anthology nature of this collection can act as a pause in the ongoing chronology of the set, as you share several Christmases with the Rumpoles.
If on the other hand, you're just looking for some festive fun with Rumpole, it delivers everything you could want, and, particularly in that health spa story, a little bit more besides.
February 4, 2015
John Mortimer had a wonderful talent for writing short stories. Rumpole owns his irrepressible zest and poise to word-perfect timing and the assurance of knowing that it’s best not to take life too seriously.
In this volume, my favourite story is “Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder.” It says something to the credit of Mortimer that he was able to inflict an out-and-out predictable plot on his reader; yet get away with that because he executed the humour with aplomb, even delivering a copious number old chestnuts. In exactly the same manner as the jokes in Christmas crackers, this reader could not suppress a groan and a smile:
(1) Hilda: “You’re on the way to becoming obese, …” Rumpole: Is that a more serious way of saying I’m fat?”
(2) Hilda: “Minchingham Hall is a health farm, Rumpole. They’ll make sure there’s less of you by the time you leave.”
(3) Rumpole: “But I don’t need a healthy Christmas. I don’t feel ill.”
In this volume, my favourite story is “Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder.” It says something to the credit of Mortimer that he was able to inflict an out-and-out predictable plot on his reader; yet get away with that because he executed the humour with aplomb, even delivering a copious number old chestnuts. In exactly the same manner as the jokes in Christmas crackers, this reader could not suppress a groan and a smile:
(1) Hilda: “You’re on the way to becoming obese, …” Rumpole: Is that a more serious way of saying I’m fat?”
(2) Hilda: “Minchingham Hall is a health farm, Rumpole. They’ll make sure there’s less of you by the time you leave.”
(3) Rumpole: “But I don’t need a healthy Christmas. I don’t feel ill.”
December 14, 2023
2023 Update
Found it even better this year!
Original Review
I found this to be a very amusing and enjoyable set of stories. I have heard of Rumpole of The Bailey but never seen or read any until now. This book was very good and thoroughly entertained me tonight. He's such a good character and his clashes with the witnesses and Judge Graves made me chuckle. My favourite story was The Boy (I think it was titled).
All in all a short and sweet read and one that was a nice introduction to the character, a series to be added to my reading list.
Found it even better this year!
Original Review
I found this to be a very amusing and enjoyable set of stories. I have heard of Rumpole of The Bailey but never seen or read any until now. This book was very good and thoroughly entertained me tonight. He's such a good character and his clashes with the witnesses and Judge Graves made me chuckle. My favourite story was The Boy (I think it was titled).
All in all a short and sweet read and one that was a nice introduction to the character, a series to be added to my reading list.
Read
December 26, 2016When you crave some light but not brainless reading, there is nothing better than Rumpole. It's utterly predictable in the best possible way. And if you watched all the TV versions once upon a time, as I did, you can even hear Leon McKern's grumbly voice speaking Rumpole's lines... Perfect reading for a hibernating day just after Christmas.
January 23, 2016
Any Rumpole story is delightful, even these that I have read and reread in other books.
Thank you, John Mortimer, for the smiles and many hours of entertainment and another glass of Chateau Thames Embankment, please.
Thank you, John Mortimer, for the smiles and many hours of entertainment and another glass of Chateau Thames Embankment, please.
December 17, 2024
Enjoyable set of short stories
December 24, 2014
I waited to Christmas Eve to read this collection for fairly obvious reasons, and it hasn’t disappointed. While a few of the stories are on the flimsy side, both in size and in plot, they all exude what many of us really, really want which is simply our beloved Rumpole, a witty imp, resigned to everything around him except every defendant’s right to a decent defence. This collection definitely delivers on that simple need.
I know that I am not alone in feeling that Leo McKern is the definitive Rumpole, despite many fine and enjoyable performances of Rumpole on radio by other great actors, and to me this collection gives me much more Leo as Rumpole.
Yes there are many continuity errors in the stories, and one of most annoying is the change to Rumpole’s nickname for Injustice Graves. However these are really just annoyances, and if you feel that they are so horrendous as to lead you to give this collection poor reviews then I wouldn’t try reading any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories if I was you. You are not going to like them. Watson’s ever moving injury, and the Moriarty brothers’ name sharing antics are far more annoying than puzzling over Rumpole’s chambers move from 1 to 4 Equity Court.
I know that I am not alone in feeling that Leo McKern is the definitive Rumpole, despite many fine and enjoyable performances of Rumpole on radio by other great actors, and to me this collection gives me much more Leo as Rumpole.
Yes there are many continuity errors in the stories, and one of most annoying is the change to Rumpole’s nickname for Injustice Graves. However these are really just annoyances, and if you feel that they are so horrendous as to lead you to give this collection poor reviews then I wouldn’t try reading any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories if I was you. You are not going to like them. Watson’s ever moving injury, and the Moriarty brothers’ name sharing antics are far more annoying than puzzling over Rumpole’s chambers move from 1 to 4 Equity Court.
December 29, 2013
Rumpole is generally uplifting at any time of year: but festive stories, with John Mortimer's cynical view of life filtering through, are even more jolly. Beset at all sides by judges batting for the prosecution, other members of chambers trying to tidy up his act, the even less than ordinary claret served by his favourite wine bar, and his beloved wife She Who Must Be Obeyed, Horace Rumpole manages to come out, if not ahead, then at least even, and retaining a sense of wit and optimism his position as an Old Bailey hack belies.
The stories here were collected from other sources after Mortimer's death. All centre round Christmas, including Murder at a Health Farm, a dodgy Santa and a Panto Dame who is not what she seems. Rumpole is equal to all of them, solving situations and keeping his wife happy too. Recommended yuletide reading.
The stories here were collected from other sources after Mortimer's death. All centre round Christmas, including Murder at a Health Farm, a dodgy Santa and a Panto Dame who is not what she seems. Rumpole is equal to all of them, solving situations and keeping his wife happy too. Recommended yuletide reading.
December 2, 2018
I'm undertaking a Christmas reading challenge, as you do. Thankfully it's so hot this weekend that all I can do is hide in air conditioning and read. These short stories are deeply consoling. I enjoy reading about Rumpole and She Who Must be Obeyed rubbing up against each other like sandpaper. The ritual exchange of lavendar water and ties, the nicknaming of odious work colleagues, the eternal optimism of the criminal class; all are succour to the world weary.
April 28, 2022
Typical John Mortimer. Typical Rumpole. Intelligent, funny and original for its time.
January 19, 2024
I wanted an easy and entertaining seasonal read but I didn't know how this would apply to Rumpole. He's not your usual Ho, Ho, Ho, type dude. After all, I've read a few of the previous Rumpole stories written by John Mortimer and also watched Rumpole for the Defense on PBS and saw the actor Leo McKern play Mortimer exactly as I imagined him a grumpy curmudgeon who also happens to have a heart of gold and is ready to defend the downtrodden or at least represent them because no one is guilty until 12 good citizens decide whether they are guilty or not.
Rumpole doesn't want to celebrate Christmas. He just wants to stay home with Hilda (She who must be obeyed), eat his dinner, exchange the usual gifts, read his newspaper, smoke his cigar and drink his ordinary port or red wine.
But Hilda has other plans, so throughout these short stories Rumpole is forced to follow She Who Must be obeyed, to an estate, then to a health spa, a Christmas Party and a pantomime play, etc. while fortuitously different crimes crop up wherein Rumpole has to defend various characters.
The result is some outright funny dialogues and we get a peek into Rumpole's mental and moral qualities including his inclination to cheerful geniality, fondness for good living and a forgiving nature. All of these qualities fit in with the Christmas spirit and season.
Really enjoyed this entertaining book.
Rumpole doesn't want to celebrate Christmas. He just wants to stay home with Hilda (She who must be obeyed), eat his dinner, exchange the usual gifts, read his newspaper, smoke his cigar and drink his ordinary port or red wine.
But Hilda has other plans, so throughout these short stories Rumpole is forced to follow She Who Must be obeyed, to an estate, then to a health spa, a Christmas Party and a pantomime play, etc. while fortuitously different crimes crop up wherein Rumpole has to defend various characters.
The result is some outright funny dialogues and we get a peek into Rumpole's mental and moral qualities including his inclination to cheerful geniality, fondness for good living and a forgiving nature. All of these qualities fit in with the Christmas spirit and season.
Really enjoyed this entertaining book.
December 5, 2021
During the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, I read a lot of the Rumpole stories, addicted as I was to the TV series with Leo McKern as the Old Bailey barrister (that's a caricature of him on the cover of the book), and so at this time of the year I thought I'd read this festive collection.
All the old characters are featured - including his wife, Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed), Claude Erskine-Brown, his more successful wife, Phyllida Trant ("the Portia of our Chambers"), who is a circuit judge, Soapy Sam Ballard, the Head of Chambers, His Honour Judge Bullingham ("the mad bull"), and Mr Justice Graves ("Mr Justice Gravestone").
A lovely collection of short stories and a thoroughly enjoyable trip down memory lane.
All the old characters are featured - including his wife, Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed), Claude Erskine-Brown, his more successful wife, Phyllida Trant ("the Portia of our Chambers"), who is a circuit judge, Soapy Sam Ballard, the Head of Chambers, His Honour Judge Bullingham ("the mad bull"), and Mr Justice Graves ("Mr Justice Gravestone").
A lovely collection of short stories and a thoroughly enjoyable trip down memory lane.
December 7, 2019
It's Rumpole, so there's an inevitable familiarity to the style. The opening story has the characteristic pair of stories that turn on the same concept. 'Rumpole and the Christmas Break' has more than an echo of 'Rumpole at Sea'. But the stories do read well, and of course have the kind of positive messages suitable for Christmas consumption: blackmail and theft expose humanity, and there's even a country house murder.
Apart from the first story, which opens 'Rumpole Rests his Case', none of them have appeared in book form before. They all appeared in The Strand Magazine and other periodicals such as Woman's Weekly and newspapers.
Apart from the first story, which opens 'Rumpole Rests his Case', none of them have appeared in book form before. They all appeared in The Strand Magazine and other periodicals such as Woman's Weekly and newspapers.
December 14, 2022
Festive cheer?
It's laced with Christmas references but it could be without them and work just as well. I'm afraid I can't be objective in this review as I love the character of Rumpole, so as ever I enjoyed it. Very well paced and enjoyable stories.
It does seem odd for Rumpole to be more in the modern world. He doesn't exactly seem out of place but he does seem a bit anachronistic. As I said before, I enjoy reading his stories.
I'd recommend this book because it is an easy and enjoyable read. Maybe try earlier Rumpole books first and leave this till you know the main characters a bit better.
It's laced with Christmas references but it could be without them and work just as well. I'm afraid I can't be objective in this review as I love the character of Rumpole, so as ever I enjoyed it. Very well paced and enjoyable stories.
It does seem odd for Rumpole to be more in the modern world. He doesn't exactly seem out of place but he does seem a bit anachronistic. As I said before, I enjoy reading his stories.
I'd recommend this book because it is an easy and enjoyable read. Maybe try earlier Rumpole books first and leave this till you know the main characters a bit better.
February 16, 2023
"Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces" - How Rumpole/a rector 'blackmailed' an ex convict.
"Rumpole and the Christmas Break" - Rumpole vs "Justice Gravestone" in a case of a Moslem student accused of murder.
"Rumpole and the Boy" - Rumpole and a boy admirer.
"Rumpole and the Millennium Bug" - the new tech-savvy clerk.
"Rumpole and the Christmas Party" - Rumpole and Hilda at a Christmas party.
"Rumpole and Father Christmas" - a thieving Santa Claus repented.
"Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder" - Rumpole solved a murder.
"Rumpole and the Christmas Break" - Rumpole vs "Justice Gravestone" in a case of a Moslem student accused of murder.
"Rumpole and the Boy" - Rumpole and a boy admirer.
"Rumpole and the Millennium Bug" - the new tech-savvy clerk.
"Rumpole and the Christmas Party" - Rumpole and Hilda at a Christmas party.
"Rumpole and Father Christmas" - a thieving Santa Claus repented.
"Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder" - Rumpole solved a murder.
December 3, 2021
It's been a long time since I've read any Rumpole stories so these stories were a bit of a throwback to earlier days. Horace Rumple and She Who Must Be Obeyed (otherwise know as Hilda) make a brilliant double act, and the gentle humour is enjoyable. The stories do feel a bit dated, given the smoking and drinking, but that adds to the charm.
August 30, 2020
Rumpole's always good for some humor! This is a book of humorous Christmas mystery short stories in which justice is always served. Well-written and logical, yet funny. I love Rumpole's sarcastic outlook on life.
October 18, 2022
John Mortimers brilliant character rumpole the books are always worth reading, they are well written the characters are believable and we probably know people similar to them in the world, I live the rumpole character and totally admire John Mortimers talent that created them.❤️
December 17, 2022
Rating 3
Collection of seasonal short stories featuring Rumpole and assorted series characters.
Entertaining enough to pass an afternoon but not really a patch on the novels especially the early ones.
Collection of seasonal short stories featuring Rumpole and assorted series characters.
Entertaining enough to pass an afternoon but not really a patch on the novels especially the early ones.
June 17, 2018
Fabulous Rumpole.
December 6, 2018
John Mortimer never disappoints, so this collection didn't either. A delightful, charming, and witty read for the holiday season.
December 10, 2018
This was what I needed at the moment - some light, humorous stories for the Christmas season. Fulfilled some of my #cloakanddaggerchristmas prompts as well.
October 24, 2019
This isn't John Mortimer at his best, but so what. Anything Rumpole is wonderful
December 26, 2019
A fun collection of Rumpole short stories. I love John Mortimer's play with language. We got lots of laughs from this. Bill Wallis did a great job reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews