Rating: 
Summary: This book, while not being the best Grimes' book, wasn't bad
Review: It had a good plot (I was able to name the murderer about halfway through, but that's not necessarily a bad thing), and had a lot of typical Melrose Plant in it.(Thank you for finally letting us know exactly why he rejected his title). Jury's character can be a little boring.However, I was somewhat disappointed, because at the end of Rainbow's End, the previous book, it appeared that Melrose would end up with a girlfriend, at last. It was not to be. It would not hurt the story if, at the end of one of these novels, we would see one of the characters NOT walking away, disappointed yet again. And let that poor girl either marry her count or come back to Long Pid and marry Melrose (or Jury). That subplot has ben dragged out too long. I would agree that the characters involved in the murder took a backseat in interest to the regulars. Why not involve them more in the murders, as in previous novels?
Rating: 
Summary: Martha Grimes...always a good mystery
Review: Martha Grimes crafts another terrific mystery novel!! Grimes' characters are clearly developed and her descriptions of the fens are almost haunting. This is an area that was drained to allow farming, and is viewed by some as a vast wasteland area, as others as a place of quiet solitude and strange beauty. This, then, is the location of the murders of two people who seem to have little to connect them. One murder victim is a well known aging, beautiful actress who had known much success in her prime. The other victim is a young girl working two jobs, one at an estate as kitchen helper, and the other at a pub called The Case Has Altered. This young girl does not possess many positive hopes for her future, she is not attractive, not especially bright and is basically what many seem to think is the flip side of the coin from the other murder victim in nearly every respect. What, if anything binds these two together, or is it in fact just a coincidence that is confusing the whole murder investigation. Colleagues Richard Jury and Melrose Plant wind their way carefully through the fens and the lies and truths laid out side by side to get to the heart of these crimes. As always the author never drops a ball while she leads the reader through this maze. The expected "side stories" are so much fun and add a wonderful sense of humor to her novel. Martha Grimes is such a pleasure to read.
Rating:
Summary: Martha Grimes...always a good mystery
Review: Martha Grimes crafts another terrific mystery novel!! Grimes' characters are clearly developed and her descriptions of the fens are almost haunting. This is an area that was drained to allow farming, and is viewed by some as a vast wasteland area, as others as a place of quiet solitude and strange beauty. This, then, is the location of the murders of two people who seem to have little to connect them. One murder victim is a well known aging, beautiful actress who had known much success in her prime. The other victim is a young girl working two jobs, one at an estate as kitchen helper, and the other at a pub called The Case Has Altered. This young girl does not possess many positive hopes for her future, she is not attractive, not especially bright and is basically what many seem to think is the flip side of the coin from the other murder victim in nearly every respect. What, if anything binds these two together, or is it in fact just a coincidence that is confusing the whole murder investigation. Colleagues Richard Jury and Melrose Plant wind their way carefully through the fens and the lies and truths laid out side by side to get to the heart of these crimes. As always the author never drops a ball while she leads the reader through this maze. The expected "side stories" are so much fun and add a wonderful sense of humor to her novel. Martha Grimes is such a pleasure to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good plot, dated characters, lacks authenticity.
Review: Martha Grimes does not impress in this book with its catchy title, supposedly the name of an English pub. Ms. Grimes, an American, fails to overcome fully the difficulty of a non-native in conveying a truly authentic picture of life in England. It's hard to imagine domestic servants in this day and age more influenced by romantic novels than by the television, but apparently in the community around "The Case Has Altered" the "telly" and soap opera have no place. Her characters seem dated. In this egalitarian era, another dilettante aristocrat doing a spot of sleuthing is at best unlikely, and the absence of the press or significant police presence after two murders associated with the household of a wealthy man positively unimaginable. The plot and its people might work better if they were centered more solidly in the post-war period, but it was difficult to determine in which decade the events of the story might have taken place. I think Ms. Grimes should find some excuse to spirit her detective, Jury, over to her own country.
Rating:
Summary: Well done!
Review: Martha Grimes paints an insightful and informatinve picture of English life. We're not reading a AAA Tour book, after all. I thoroughly enjoyed this particular novel. We're in it for the "who dunit" mystery not for the "day in the life of an average Englishman". Picking up this book is like getting a letter from an old friend. Melrose Plant is wonderful, as always. We see a different side of Jury this time. He's in love! What a terrific spin this is. He is so "by the book' that we don't think of him as the emotional character. It was so enjoyable to experience him in new territory. I would heartily recommend this to any Grimes fan or mystery reader.
Rating:
Summary: Well done!
Review: Martha Grimes paints an insightful and informatinve picture of English life. We're not reading a AAA Tour book, after all. I thoroughly enjoyed this particular novel. We're in it for the "who dunit" mystery not for the "day in the life of an average Englishman". Picking up this book is like getting a letter from an old friend. Melrose Plant is wonderful, as always. We see a different side of Jury this time. He's in love! What a terrific spin this is. He is so "by the book' that we don't think of him as the emotional character. It was so enjoyable to experience him in new territory. I would heartily recommend this to any Grimes fan or mystery reader.
Rating:
Summary: Sadly, this book was too easy to put down.
Review: Maybe blood is thicker than water, but even my sister agrees with me on reviewing this book. I just finished it tonight after beginning it around Christmas! I kept putting it down...not able to plod through the beginning chapters. I re-read those darn chapters over and over/over the months...but I finished. The book got better as I read on but I was able to guess the killers too easily. Good solid characters, the usual lot...Richard, Melrose, Trueblood and Fiona etc. Writing a bit too flowery at times for my taste but still enjoy every Richard Jury novel, though this one not as well as others
Rating: 
Summary: Why Bother ll
Review: Must I give this book any stars at all?I titled one of my previous reviews: "Why Bother". I know that to title another review with the same title is, probably, well, very unimaginative. However, I can't think of a better title. So, I titled this one "Why Bother II". I am not trying to be mean at all. I just feel that perhaps this is the most boring book that I have ever read in my half-century plus of living. I have been an avid reader since the third or fourth grade. I read biography, history, and fiction. Fiction tends to be more toward thriller and mystery. So, actually, I'm not a novice reader. This book is about the slowest book that I've ever read. The character development is almost non-existant, and, I must admit, I found myself lost several times. There's not much that I can say about the pacing of this novel except to say that it is at a turtle's pace. If that. Actually, a slow turtle. The character development is, like I said earlier, almost non-existant. In fact, I got the real feeling, that one must read the earlier Jury novels to really understand the characters. In most series that authors write one can read any book within the series and understand the characters. Not here. Litterally, I had to force myself to finish this book. In fact, there were times that I was completely lost and had to guess what was going on. Perhaps this was because the pacing was so slow that my mind wandered (it did several times). Perhaps this was because one had to know the characters better to get a better understanding of who was who. One must understand who was who in order to follow the plot of a book. Basically, I didn't know who was who and ended up not careing thus I got lost. Like I said earlier, I really feel that the reader of this book must read an earlier Jury novel to understand the characters. I'm now reading "The five Bells and Bladebone" by Martha Grimes. Thus far it is much better. It got my attention right away and is holding it so far. If you want to read Martha Grimes, try this one instead. "The Case Has Altered" is both a waste of time and money.
Rating:
Summary: Why Bother ll
Review: Must I give this book any stars at all? I titled one of my previous reviews: "Why Bother". I know that to title another review with the same title is, probably, well, very unimaginative. However, I can't think of a better title. So, I titled this one "Why Bother II". I am not trying to be mean at all. I just feel that perhaps this is the most boring book that I have ever read in my half-century plus of living. I have been an avid reader since the third or fourth grade. I read biography, history, and fiction. Fiction tends to be more toward thriller and mystery. So, actually, I'm not a novice reader. This book is about the slowest book that I've ever read. The character development is almost non-existant, and, I must admit, I found myself lost several times. There's not much that I can say about the pacing of this novel except to say that it is at a turtle's pace. If that. Actually, a slow turtle. The character development is, like I said earlier, almost non-existant. In fact, I got the real feeling, that one must read the earlier Jury novels to really understand the characters. In most series that authors write one can read any book within the series and understand the characters. Not here. Litterally, I had to force myself to finish this book. In fact, there were times that I was completely lost and had to guess what was going on. Perhaps this was because the pacing was so slow that my mind wandered (it did several times). Perhaps this was because one had to know the characters better to get a better understanding of who was who. One must understand who was who in order to follow the plot of a book. Basically, I didn't know who was who and ended up not careing thus I got lost. Like I said earlier, I really feel that the reader of this book must read an earlier Jury novel to understand the characters. I'm now reading "The five Bells and Bladebone" by Martha Grimes. Thus far it is much better. It got my attention right away and is holding it so far. If you want to read Martha Grimes, try this one instead. "The Case Has Altered" is both a waste of time and money.
Rating:
Summary: A Sure-Fire Cure for Insomnia
Review: On principle, I refuse to put down a book without finishing it, regardless of how dry or uninteresting it may be. This is the first book in a long time which has tempted me to break this rule, and after painstakingly having finished reading it, I wished I had spared myself the agony and shelved it after the first few boring chapters. The characters are unidimensional and dated, the plot is predictable and dull and the pace is incredibly slow. I would only recommend this book to those who are looking for a healthier alternative to Nytol. This was my first and definitely also my last exposure to Grimes' work. I will be donating my copy to the library without any regrets, but I will not do this without first entering a caveat on the flyleaf...beware of terminal boredom.
|
