Rainbow's End

Rating:
Summary: not her best
Review: I discovered Martha Grimes and her Richard Jury series about three years ago and have been slowly working my way through. Generally speaking, they are terrific, interesting reads, with a lovable, eccentric cast of recurring characters that makes you look forward to picking up the next one in the series. But this one is a disappointment, the first time in the series I've felt that. Jury heads off to New Mexico, of all places, to solve a trio of tenuously related murders. Usually when you finish a well-written mystery, you can look back and see how all the disparate elements fit together to solve the murder, but in this one, you get done, and you think back to this scene or that scene and you think, "Huh?? What was that doing in there?" And worst of all, I figured out who the murderer was about halfway through without even really trying-- which makes you think that Grimes wasn't really trying. :-)

If you're new to Martha Grimes definitely don't start with this one. In fact, I might even recommend that you skip it. She seems bored with her formula in this one. She should have taken a break and written a novel about New Mexico that had nothing to do with Jury instead of this lame effort. I still have half a dozen or so to read to catch up with the ones that she's publishing now, I sincerely hope this isn't a trend.

Rating:
Summary: Long on words, short on substance
Review: I've read the majority of Grimes' books, including several non-Jury ones and, actually I was quite disappointed with this one. It's long (over 400 pages) and tends to plod meandering between Jury, Plant, Wiggins, the inimitable Cripse family, but to me never really goes anywhere to adding to the story or, importantly, its resolution - more little vignettes of peoples lives rather than mystery tale. Naturally, there's Jury's ongoing personal dilemma of being constantly without female companionship and far too much time wasted on his self-analysis of quitting smoking, while other characters bog down the story with equal non-relevant issues.

The crimes are resolved over the final ten or so pages, with the previous text not really factoring into the story at all. I would have to say, not one of Ms. Grimes better efforts.

Rating:
Summary: Long on words, short on substance
Review: I've read the majority of Grimes' books, including several non-Jury ones and, actually I was quite disappointed with this one. It's long (over 400 pages) and tends to plod meandering between Jury, Plant, Wiggins, the inimitable Cripse family, but to me never really goes anywhere to adding to the story or, importantly, its resolution - more little vignettes of peoples lives rather than mystery tale. Naturally, there's Jury's ongoing personal dilemma of being constantly without female companionship and far too much time wasted on his self-analysis of quitting smoking, while other characters bog down the story with equal non-relevant issues.

The crimes are resolved over the final ten or so pages, with the previous text not really factoring into the story at all. I would have to say, not one of Ms. Grimes better efforts.

Rating:
Summary: 13th Grimes mystery read with panache by Curry
Review: This is the 13th Jury and Plant mystery penned by the brilliant Grimes. Once again read by the amazing Tim Curry, Rainbow's End takes up just a "few weeks" after The Horse You Came In On ended. The newest case for Scotland Yard Chief superintendent Richard Jury, sees Jury again on the wrong side of the Pond. He is there to dismiss or confirm similarities among three mysterious deaths, two are British women - one dies in Exeter Catherdral and the second in the Tate Gallery. The Third was an American, one Angela Hope, a Santa Fe silversmith, while visiting the ancient hill fortress Old Sarum. He is not able to dismiss the threads that tie the three deaths together, but becomes convinced, since all three had recently been in New Mexico, USA, they are be connected. While Jury does the foot work in the US, he has set Melrose Plant to tracking down Lady Jenny Kennington. She vanished -literally - while at Straford-on-Avon.

Once again Grimes gives you a bang-on murder mystery with sleuth Jury hot on the trail of clues, and Melrose showing, as an amateur, his is a nifty investigator, too. Grimes humor shines, and is brought to life by Curry's wonderful reading. Sheer perfection from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo!!!!
Review: This is the first book I have read by Martha Grimes. I have to say she is a very good writer. "Rainbow's End" got me hooked from the very beginning to the end. This book has a wonderful plot and the characters are believeable and hilarious! The main character is Richard Jury and he has a suspicious beleif that these three "natural" deaths are connected and they were not "natural causes." He travels from Stonehenge, England to Sante Fe, New Mexico and discovers...well you read it for yourself!!! I reccommend this book for any avid mystery reader. You will love it!

Rating:
Summary: Bravo!!!!
Review: This is the first book I have read by Martha Grimes. I have to say she is a very good writer. "Rainbow's End" got me hooked from the very beginning to the end. This book has a wonderful plot and the characters are believeable and hilarious! The main character is Richard Jury and he has a suspicious beleif that these three "natural" deaths are connected and they were not "natural causes." He travels from Stonehenge, England to Sante Fe, New Mexico and discovers...well you read it for yourself!!! I reccommend this book for any avid mystery reader. You will love it!

Rating:
Summary: Bravo!!!!
Review: This is the first book I have read by Martha Grimes. I have to say she is a very good writer. "Rainbow's End" got me hooked from the very beginning to the end. This book has a wonderful plot and the characters are believeable and hilarious! The main character is Richard Jury and he has a suspicious beleif that these three "natural" deaths are connected and they were not "natural causes." He travels from Stonehenge, England to Sante Fe, New Mexico and discovers...well you read it for yourself!!! I reccommend this book for any avid mystery reader. You will love it!

Rating:
Summary: Travelogue or Mystery?
Review: This is the second Grimes book I've read (both Richard Jury mysteries). I found the plots, with various twists and turns, to be believable and entertaining. The characters are well defined and easy to relate to, and there is good humor interspersed.

However, what I didn't like at all were the interminable descriptions of landscapes, scenes, even a cat! I also find Ms. Grimes' use of obscure/big words mildly irritating.

If all the excess verbage could be eliminated, I'd say these would be page turners. As they are, it's almost a chore to pick them up.

Rating:
Summary: Great Performance by Tim Curry!
Review: This mystery, another in the installment of books featuring Inspector Richard Jury is quite fascinating. What could an American woman found dead at Old Sarum, a wealthy British lady found dead at the Tate Gallery in London and a second English woman found dead at Exeter Cathedral have in common? At first glance not much, except that they're all dead.

Inspector Jury discovers connections to New Mexico, and travels there to discover what else connected these women. Without giving any more of the plot away, it's quite an interesting story with a few interesting twists and turns.

Since I listened to the abridged audio cassette, I must mention Tim Curry's delightful performance. He gives distinct vocal characterizations to all the players in the story, and keeps you totally engrossed in the story. The only complaint I have is that a secondary plotline is not abridged very well, and its wrap up leaves a lot to be desired.

Rating:
Summary: Great Performance by Tim Curry!
Review: This mystery, another in the installment of books featuring Inspector Richard Jury is quite fascinating. What could an American woman found dead at Old Sarum, a wealthy British lady found dead at the Tate Gallery in London and a second English woman found dead at Exeter Cathedral have in common? At first glance not much, except that they're all dead.

Inspector Jury discovers connections to New Mexico, and travels there to discover what else connected these women. Without giving any more of the plot away, it's quite an interesting story with a few interesting twists and turns.

Since I listened to the abridged audio cassette, I must mention Tim Curry's delightful performance. He gives distinct vocal characterizations to all the players in the story, and keeps you totally engrossed in the story. The only complaint I have is that a secondary plotline is not abridged very well, and its wrap up leaves a lot to be desired.