Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: "The Old Silent" was my first introduction to Martha Grimes. My boss at work knew I enjoyed Agatha Christie and (after using a derrogatory comment) suggested I try something better. After getting over the sleight of Christie, I agreed to try one of Grimes' books.
So my boss brought "The Old Silent" in for me to read.
I realized that I was begining in the middle of a series, so I wasn't too put off by not knowing certain things that weren't explained (like the relationships between many of the characters in the begining).
However, even not having any Grimes experience before this book, I got a fairly quick grasp of the main characters, Jury and Plant, and enjoyed them a lot. The plot was practically non-existant through the majority of the novel, but Grimes skill in painting characters that I cared about still forced me to turn the page even when I didn't give two craps about the plot.
After reading the book, I went out to Goodwill and picked up every book I could find by Grimes and have started "Man With A Load of Mischief," to start at the begining.
The actual plot of "The Old Silent" would take 15 pages of a Christie novel (Whom I still love... despite my boss implying that reading Grimes would show me the tom-foolery of Christie). But the characters drive the book home far more that most other mystery books.
Highly reccomended for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful description, plot play, and character development
Review:
This book displays all of Martha Grimes' strengths and weaknesses.
At the top of her list of strengths is the ability to plot. This is, after all, a mystery. Plots and sub-plots intertwine well. In a cozy country inn, Superintendent Jury witnesses a wife's murder of her husband. The apparently pointless crime intrigues Jury (and us), and we impatiently wait for him to unravel the family's history. There's an old kidnapping, the death of a runaway child, and infidelity. Most of all, there's a generous helping of secrets and lies.
The author also has an ability to portray three-dimensional characters that we come to care about. Even the relatively minor characters (including lots of animals like Cyril, the office cat) are well drawn.
On the weakness side of the ledger, an obscurity often creeps into the action, causing the reader to pause in order to wonder who is talking to whom and what the heck is happening. This is due, in large part, to the liberal use of British language and esoterica.
This book builds on the running set of characters of Jury, Wiggins, and Plant and their friends, enemies, and associates. If you like well-plotted mysteries, don't pass this one up.
Rating: 
Summary: Family Secrets and Family Lies: A Good, Solid Mystery
Review:
This book displays all of Martha Grimes' strengths and weaknesses.
At the top of her list of strengths is the ability to plot. This is, after all, a mystery. Plots and sub-plots intertwine well. In a cozy country inn, Superintendent Jury witnesses a wife's murder of her husband. The apparently pointless crime intrigues Jury (and us), and we impatiently wait for him to unravel the family's history. There's an old kidnapping, the death of a runaway child, and infidelity. Most of all, there's a generous helping of secrets and lies.
The author also has an ability to portray three-dimensional characters that we come to care about. Even the relatively minor characters (including lots of animals like Cyril, the office cat) are well drawn.
On the weakness side of the ledger, an obscurity often creeps into the action, causing the reader to pause in order to wonder who is talking to whom and what the heck is happening. This is due, in large part, to the liberal use of British language and esoterica.
This book builds on the running set of characters of Jury, Wiggins, and Plant and their friends, enemies, and associates. If you like well-plotted mysteries, don't pass this one up.
Rating:
Summary: English murder mystery with wonderfully quirky characters
Review: As the only witness to a murder, Superintendent Richard Jury's fascination with the silent murderess leads him through her mysterious past to a long ago kidnapping and murder. Martha Grimes' rich cast of quirky characters follow clues all over the English countryside and into the world of rock and roll superstars. Ms. Grimes has a talent for peopling her mysteries with a cast of wonderful eccentrics that I look forward to visiting in every new book. What may be lacking in riveting suspense is more than made up for with charm and humor
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best place to start!!!
Review: Geeze! I hate to disagree with all these stellar reviews, but I have to say "The Old Silent" was a little bit of a let down. Maybe I picked the wrong place in the Richard Jury series to start - but I found it hard to care about a lot of the characters, many of whom just seemed to be "checking in" from a prior novel. In fact, this may sound like sacrilege to a lot of Grimes' fans, but I didn't even see any real need for Melrose Plant's presence. (And I'm still trying to figure out what he and his buddy we're cutting up at the table that upset Vivian so much). There was also one too many tea parties with the little girls. One too many interviews with the band Sirocco -- who don't even sound good on paper. And one too many jumps between characters (At one point we even get the perspective of the little girl's dog). Yes, Grimes has a wonderful way with words, but she also has a way of stringing things out and underexplaining Jury's actions in a misguided attempt to keep the reader guessing. Compare for example, the first chapter of "The Old Silent" with the first chapter of Anne Perry's incredible "The Face Of A Stranger" and you may understand what I mean. But as I said before, I could have started in the wrong place, so I am going to pick up Grimes' first novel, "The Man with a Load of Mischief" with the ardent hope that I'll wind up eating my words.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best place to start!!!
Review: Geeze! I hate to disagree with all these stellar reviews, but I have to say "The Old Silent" was a little bit of a let down. Maybe I picked the wrong place in the Richard Jury series to start - but I found it hard to care about a lot of the characters, many of whom just seemed to be "checking in" from a prior novel. In fact, this may sound like sacrilege to a lot of Grimes' fans, but I didn't even see any real need for Melrose Plant's presence. (And I'm still trying to figure out what he and his buddy we're cutting up at the table that upset Vivian so much). There was also one too many tea parties with the little girls. One too many interviews with the band Sirocco -- who don't even sound good on paper. And one too many jumps between characters (At one point we even get the perspective of the little girl's dog). Yes, Grimes has a wonderful way with words, but she also has a way of stringing things out and underexplaining Jury's actions in a misguided attempt to keep the reader guessing. Compare for example, the first chapter of "The Old Silent" with the first chapter of Anne Perry's incredible "The Face Of A Stranger" and you may understand what I mean. But as I said before, I could have started in the wrong place, so I am going to pick up Grimes' first novel, "The Man with a Load of Mischief" with the ardent hope that I'll wind up eating my words.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best place to start!!!
Review: Geeze! I hate to disagree with all these stellar reviews, but I have to say "The Old Silent" was a little bit of a let down. Maybe I picked the wrong place in the Richard Jury series to start - but I found it hard to care about a lot of the characters, many of whom just seemed to be "checking in" from a prior novel. In fact, this may sound like sacrilege to a lot of Grimes' fans, but I didn't even see any real need for Melrose Plant's presence. (And I'm still trying to figure out what he and his buddy we're cutting up at the table that upset Vivian so much). There was also one too many tea parties with the little girls. One too many interviews with the band Sirocco -- who don't even sound good on paper. And one too many jumps between characters (At one point we even get the perspective of the little girl's dog). Yes, Grimes has a wonderful way with words, but she also has a way of stringing things out and underexplaining Jury's actions in a misguided attempt to keep the reader guessing. Compare for example, the first chapter of "The Old Silent" with the first chapter of Anne Perry's incredible "The Face Of A Stranger" and you may understand what I mean. But as I said before, I could have started in the wrong place, so I am going to pick up Grimes' first novel, "The Man with a Load of Mischief" with the ardent hope that I'll wind up eating my words.
Rating:
Summary: One of Grimes' finest novels
Review: I have read all of Martha Grimes books so far and without doubt this one "The old Silent" is among the most mature and most fascinating of all her Inspector Jury novels. It's much longer and more elaborate compared to the other novels and you can see that in the book. The characters have more time to develop themselves and we get a deeper insight in them, they become more and more real and the reader can develop a real interest in them. The surroundings, the environment is described so well you actually want to see those places once in your life. The plot is excellent, like in all Inspector Jury novels. This is a great buy for everyone who likes the traditional who-dunnit-novels with plenty of secrets being discovered till the case is finally solved. Martha Grimes should be careful though not to emphasize the main characters clichés too much. The inability of Jury to get into a relationship over all the books involving him is getting more and more annoying and tiring for the reader. This being one of the first novels, you wont have any problems with this book... I can highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: One of Grimes' finest novels
Review: I have read all of Martha Grimes books so far and without doubt this one "The old Silent" is among the most mature and most fascinating of all her Inspector Jury novels. It's much longer and more elaborate compared to the other novels and you can see that in the book. The characters have more time to develop themselves and we get a deeper insight in them, they become more and more real and the reader can develop a real interest in them. The surroundings, the environment is described so well you actually want to see those places once in your life. The plot is excellent, like in all Inspector Jury novels. This is a great buy for everyone who likes the traditional who-dunnit-novels with plenty of secrets being discovered till the case is finally solved. Martha Grimes should be careful though not to emphasize the main characters clichés too much. The inability of Jury to get into a relationship over all the books involving him is getting more and more annoying and tiring for the reader. This being one of the first novels, you wont have any problems with this book... I can highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful description, plot play, and character development
Review: Jury is wonderful in his ability to find the smallest things in a person that tells what they are about. Writing this type of character is ingenious. The descriptions are rich and fulilling, yet are not pompous. The plot moves so well and is so hidden that I can not 'figure it out" before the characters and that is refreshing and thought prevoking.
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