The Blue Last: A Richard Jury Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Not One Of Martha's Best
Review: I have to agree with the majority opinion that "The Blue Last" is not one of Martha Grimes' best Richard Jury novels. After a promising start, the story just meanders along, with a major side trip to Italy where Plant and Trueblood have gone to get a painting authenticated. Although Grimes tries hard to make this somehow relevant to the principal storyline of murder and deception dating back to the Blitz, it just never quite jells and seems extraneous. I also have to agree that the precocious children and sentient dogs are plot devices that Grimes is better off without.

Grimes, over the years, has increasingly tried to turn Richard Jury into her version of Adam Dalgliesh. This trend is particularly evident in this book, where the humorous antics of her Long Piddletonians runs up against Jury's agonizing over his own past and his friend Haggerty's coping with terminal illness. It's as if she's written two books that don't meld very comfortably together. Grimes just doesn't have the psychological insight into character that P.D. James brings to her writing, so I hope that future Jury novels (assuming that she continues the series) will see a return to the somewhat more light-hearted approach that made these books fun to read.

Rating:
Summary: I'll Take The Unpopular Road
Review: I loved every minute reading this book. Her humor is, as always, brilliant! British humor sparkles once again! The ending might not be popular, but then again, sometimes life's like that too. Her twists and turns are classic mystery. For those who felt they were left dangling, you must read "The Grave Maurice". The story goes on.... I personally, have never been disappointed with her work.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: I usually like Martha Grimes' Richard Jury mysteries, even if the mystery isn't all that involving, her odd-ball cast of characters is usually amusing to spend some time with. Unfortunately, The Blue Last was a disappointment. The writing was ho-hum, the plot non-existent. There is an entire section devoted to a Melrose and Marshall Florentine trip, and while the reader will be more knowledgeable about the place of Massaccio in Renaissance art, it does nothing to advance the plot or story. Shame on the editor for allowing this ego-gratifying piece of writing to remain.

I am also by now getting tired with the endless procession of precocious children who seem to pop up with regularity. While most writer's don't give children enough credit for what they see and hear, Grimes always manages to take it over the top. Plus, the ever intelligent dog-companion makes an obligatory appearance. This is another worn out device of hers that could stand to go to the dust bin.

Fortunately we don't have to spend too much time on Jury's pathetic romantic relantionships with women in this outing (huzzah!) but a promising examination of Jury's war-time memories for no discernable reason ends up going no where, much like this book. The book meandered but the ending came out of no where and made no sense, as if Grimes had suddenly woken up and said, "Gotta wrap this one up!". Ultimately a hollow book, full of tired Grimes cliches and no substance. For the die-hard Jury fan only, and only from the library.

Rating:
Summary: Blue, at last
Review: I was a fan of Martha Grimes, but gave up after her last few books, which I didn't enjoy. Since I do like the Richard Jury novels, I decide to give this one a try. The mystery was a good one, although the bit about Melrose and Trueblood traipsing through Italy had nothing to do with the main plot--just a diversion and change of pace, but I can't see the point. The ending is a true disappointment, and I found myself skimming through the book after reading the last page trying to see if I had missed something. I really hate it when the endings of books are ambiguous. Martha, please don't toy with us!

Rating:
Summary: Proof that Grimes is More than a Mystery Writer
Review: I will admit up front that I am not a hard-core mystery reader. I read them in between other projects for a bit of respite. My first choice for mysteries is Grimes because from her very first book, her clues were buried below the surface of rich characterization and commentary on life. I absolutely adore her and her characters. Well, I will say that she forces her metaphors a bit and she definitely dwells in a land of depression, precocious children and adults who aren't tied to desk jobs...but, who's perfect?

Lately, however, I sense that Grimes has been getting restless. I'm sure she loves Jury and Plant and all, but she definitely hasn't been willing on cookie-cutter formulas for her success. In this one, she opens up with the SAME chapter that I just read in 'The Man With a Load of Mischief' (her first novel). Later on she quips (though Polly Praed I believe) that you can turn in the same old stuff to publishers and they'll never notice. Her sharp, even cynical characters already show her tendency to see through the superfluous. However, here you can just see her restlessness with her own success.

For those who don't know, this particular story is involved with solving 3 mysteries to start with:
- Is the woman calling herself Maisie Tyndale the true heir to the Tyndale fortune, or was the true Maisie killed along with her mother back in a backing in WWII? If it isn't Maisie, did the nanny slip her own infant daughter into Maisie's place?
- Who killed Simon Croft? Was it someone in the closer-than-kin Tyndale family who is threatened by his research of WWII for his book?
- Is Trueblood's panel a Massachio? (No, honestly, this takes quite a bit of time.)

As usual, Grimes raises alot of red herrings and other mysteries before winding down to a close. But in her surprise ending she asks of the audience the same questions that she's been asking of her characters throughout the book. It's enough to drive a mystery fan nuts but also to leave you awed by Grimes' nerve. While everyone who loves her would love for her to keep cranking out the Jury-and-Plant song-and-dance routine, Grimes does no such thing...