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Richard Jury #17
The Blue Last
The City, London's famous square mile, is home to merchant bankers and brokers and maintains its own police force. Chief Inspector Michael Haggerty asks his old friend Richard Jury to do him a favor: prove that the granddaughter of the brewing magnate Oliver Tynedale is an impostor and that the real granddaughter was killed, along with her mother, in the London blitz when a bomb hit a pub called the Blue Last. The pub's location was the last bomb site in London and only recently bought by a developer. Excavation turns up two skeletons -- those of a young woman and a very young child.I don't get it, Mickey; you're a better cop than I am.Maybe. But I'll be dead.Mickey has incurable cancer.Mickey also has a murder to solve in the City: Simon Croft, a merchant banker and the son of the late Francis Croft, Oliver Tynedale's business partner and one-time owner of the Blue Last.To get eyes and ears inside Tynedale Lodge, where the nanny who purportedly saved the baby's life still lives, Jury asks Melrose Plant to take on the job and the guise of undergardener. I don't do floors, I don't do flowers, I don't know the difference between a hog and a hedgerow. He does it, of course, and is accompanied on his rounds by the irrepressible six-year-old Gemma Trimm and a resourceful twelve-year-old delivery boy named Benny Keagan and his dog Sparky.Questions remain: Is someone really trying to murder Gemma? She thinks so. Was Simon Croft shot because of something he discovered in the course of writing a book about the Second World War? Jury thinks so. And is the painting Marshall Trueblood carts around Tuscany -- dragging Plant with him -- really an original Masaccio? OnlyTrueblood thinks so. The Blue last is vintage Grimes -- crowded with eccentric characters and atmospheric, humorous, and hauntingly sad.
415 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2001
190 people are currently reading
1188 people want to read
About the author
Martha Grimes
114 books1,456 followersMartha Grimes is an American author of detective fiction.
She was born May 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to D.W., a city solicitor, and to June, who owned the Mountain Lake Hotel in Western Maryland where Martha and her brother spent much of their childhood. Grimes earned her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Maryland. She has taught at the University of Iowa, Frostburg State University, and Montgomery College.
Grimes is best known for her series of novels featuring Richard Jury, an inspector with Scotland Yard, and his friend Melrose Plant, a British aristocrat who has given up his titles. Each of the Jury mysteries is named after a pub. Her page-turning, character-driven tales fall into the mystery subdivision of "cozies." In 1983, Grimes received the Nero Wolfe Award for best mystery of the year for The Anodyne Necklace.
The background to Hotel Paradise is drawn on the experiences she enjoyed spending summers at her mother's hotel in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland. One of the characters, Mr Britain, is drawn on Britten Leo Martin, Sr, who then ran Marti's Store which he owned with his father and brother. Martin's Store is accessible by a short walkway from Mountain Lake, the site of the former Hotel, which was torn down in 1967.
She splits her time between homes in Washington, D.C., and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She was born May 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to D.W., a city solicitor, and to June, who owned the Mountain Lake Hotel in Western Maryland where Martha and her brother spent much of their childhood. Grimes earned her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Maryland. She has taught at the University of Iowa, Frostburg State University, and Montgomery College.
Grimes is best known for her series of novels featuring Richard Jury, an inspector with Scotland Yard, and his friend Melrose Plant, a British aristocrat who has given up his titles. Each of the Jury mysteries is named after a pub. Her page-turning, character-driven tales fall into the mystery subdivision of "cozies." In 1983, Grimes received the Nero Wolfe Award for best mystery of the year for The Anodyne Necklace.
The background to Hotel Paradise is drawn on the experiences she enjoyed spending summers at her mother's hotel in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland. One of the characters, Mr Britain, is drawn on Britten Leo Martin, Sr, who then ran Marti's Store which he owned with his father and brother. Martin's Store is accessible by a short walkway from Mountain Lake, the site of the former Hotel, which was torn down in 1967.
She splits her time between homes in Washington, D.C., and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
August 13, 2009
I really liked this book, right up until the ending. Seriously, I was pushing the "next page" button on Kindle over and over, but nothing happened. It was done. I felt like there were several characters/relationships that needed some resolution, but didn't get it.
All the usual people are here - Richard, Melrose, Marshall, etc. It's a lot of fun, and if you're a fan of this series then you'll probably like it. I just wish the ending had been a bit more...conclusive.
All the usual people are here - Richard, Melrose, Marshall, etc. It's a lot of fun, and if you're a fan of this series then you'll probably like it. I just wish the ending had been a bit more...conclusive.
August 10, 2012
The Blue Last is the seventeenth Richard Jury novel. At this point it appears that Martha Grimes is writing for her fan base.
The story would benefit from a tighter story line. There are long digressions as Richard Jury tries to remember his childhood during World War II. Melrose Plant, Jury's friend, also spends many pages chasing information about a painting.
Loose ends also distract from the story. Grimes introduces a restaurant owner who may be selling stolen paintings, but this never plays an important part in the story. A little girl does have an important role, but her position is never well explained. Probably the oddest loose end is a waking dream Jury has. I am not sure why it was included.
I might have overlooked some of these issues for a pleasing mystery, but the mystery was predictable. By the middle of the book I had a good idea of who did it although I didn't know why. When I was proved right, the motive was particularly unsatisfying. I think Martha Grimes recognized this because she brought the story to an abrupt end rather than deal with the consequences.
Normally I avoid long-running mystery series. This story didn't change my mind. I gave it a try because I enjoyed the first Richard Jury novel. If I pick up another, I will make sure it occurs much earlier in the series. Cautions: none.
The story would benefit from a tighter story line. There are long digressions as Richard Jury tries to remember his childhood during World War II. Melrose Plant, Jury's friend, also spends many pages chasing information about a painting.
Loose ends also distract from the story. Grimes introduces a restaurant owner who may be selling stolen paintings, but this never plays an important part in the story. A little girl does have an important role, but her position is never well explained. Probably the oddest loose end is a waking dream Jury has. I am not sure why it was included.
I might have overlooked some of these issues for a pleasing mystery, but the mystery was predictable. By the middle of the book I had a good idea of who did it although I didn't know why. When I was proved right, the motive was particularly unsatisfying. I think Martha Grimes recognized this because she brought the story to an abrupt end rather than deal with the consequences.
Normally I avoid long-running mystery series. This story didn't change my mind. I gave it a try because I enjoyed the first Richard Jury novel. If I pick up another, I will make sure it occurs much earlier in the series. Cautions: none.
August 24, 2012
This was an eminently enjoyable mystery. Like many Grimes works, she weaves in her stock cast of amusing characters, throws in a diverting tangential tale of a trip to Florence, Italy, and somehow manages to have the protagonists emerge in the resolution of a long-forgotten World War II spy story.
The twists and turns of a Grimes plot always make me dizzy, sometimes can be boring (not true in this book), but usually fascinate me. She somehow manages to find small features to bring out normally flat exchanges between character and ambiance plus is a master at using dialogue.
One must pay attention when reading a Grimes book because the stories are intricate, almost baroque in their construction. She has much to say in a unique, articulate, almost poetic style. This book is one of her best. I heartily recommend it as light well written reading, as opposed to the repetitive popular tripe currently available. If you like romance novels and mysteries, try reading some of Grimes' books. It will educate your literary palate and elevate your taste.
The twists and turns of a Grimes plot always make me dizzy, sometimes can be boring (not true in this book), but usually fascinate me. She somehow manages to find small features to bring out normally flat exchanges between character and ambiance plus is a master at using dialogue.
One must pay attention when reading a Grimes book because the stories are intricate, almost baroque in their construction. She has much to say in a unique, articulate, almost poetic style. This book is one of her best. I heartily recommend it as light well written reading, as opposed to the repetitive popular tripe currently available. If you like romance novels and mysteries, try reading some of Grimes' books. It will educate your literary palate and elevate your taste.
December 17, 2014
I've been reading my way through the Richard Jury/Melrose Plant adventures chronologically. I can't rank the Mystery part of Martha Grimes' tales very high, but her characters, her landscapes, her writing are among my favorites.
The Blue Last is typical Grimes: quaint charming villages, precocious children, clever dogs and cats, memories tumbling into the present, the inevitable pubs. Richard Jury, Melrose Plant, and their entourage are exceedingly interesting characters. The solution to the crime, or crimes, can be less than satisfying, but I read a Grimes novel for the setting and the people she winningly portrays. I'm not going for spoilers here, but The Blue Last's final pages leave us up in the air, or rather down on the bridge, so I'll be reading the next one, The Grave Maurice, sooner than I had planned in the hopes of finding out how they got off that bridge.
The Blue Last is typical Grimes: quaint charming villages, precocious children, clever dogs and cats, memories tumbling into the present, the inevitable pubs. Richard Jury, Melrose Plant, and their entourage are exceedingly interesting characters. The solution to the crime, or crimes, can be less than satisfying, but I read a Grimes novel for the setting and the people she winningly portrays. I'm not going for spoilers here, but The Blue Last's final pages leave us up in the air, or rather down on the bridge, so I'll be reading the next one, The Grave Maurice, sooner than I had planned in the hopes of finding out how they got off that bridge.
August 23, 2015
Unnecessarily complicated
While the 'B' story in a Richard Jury book is usually a trifle with the Melrose Place chums, in this book it is an overly unnecessary sidebar. The 'expertise' Place picks up is too specific for Jury's needs - clumsy. In addition, the 'A' story in itself is completely a red herring of a tale. It is not even satisfactorily concluded.
The obviously telegraphed non-mystery that initiates the book is clumsy. The identity of the killer and the typical need of said killer to to pontificate? Even clumsier.
Finally, the assumptions our detective makes when puzzling out the case as to the motivations of key characters is troublesome. Does he actually know real human people? This book is very flawed.
While the 'B' story in a Richard Jury book is usually a trifle with the Melrose Place chums, in this book it is an overly unnecessary sidebar. The 'expertise' Place picks up is too specific for Jury's needs - clumsy. In addition, the 'A' story in itself is completely a red herring of a tale. It is not even satisfactorily concluded.
The obviously telegraphed non-mystery that initiates the book is clumsy. The identity of the killer and the typical need of said killer to to pontificate? Even clumsier.
Finally, the assumptions our detective makes when puzzling out the case as to the motivations of key characters is troublesome. Does he actually know real human people? This book is very flawed.
March 20, 2015
I have to downgrade my rating after finishing the book. We all know by now that another Richard Jury mystery follows this one, so what I want to say--is how on earth could a cop MISS at close range when he intends to kill someone--and has several shots to do it in? Come on! There were other issues, but I am not much of a reviewer, so...I liked reading the book while I was reading it. I didn't like the how the scene played out with Maisie aka Erin, her mother, and Gemma. It just didn't make sense. Was Gemma being left to die? Could the mother/daughter team really be so vile?
April 19, 2022
There is something about this author that just grabs me. I loved this one. Loose ends and an ending that is not all tied up in a bow don't bother me overly much in this series. There is a certain nebulous quality that captivates me somehow.
With this author I believe I read mostly for the enjoyment of the various recurring characters and the mood that the author sets, which I'd describe as longing, haunting, murky, shadowy - with witty humor showing up at just the right times.
With this author I believe I read mostly for the enjoyment of the various recurring characters and the mood that the author sets, which I'd describe as longing, haunting, murky, shadowy - with witty humor showing up at just the right times.
April 4, 2015
Hated how it ended
July 31, 2016
The story didn't appeal to me. The writing seemed forced. Not one I would recommend.
Read
January 23, 2016It had been a long time since I read a Martha Grimes mystery featuring Richard Jury and Melrose Plant, and this one, published 2001, seemed promising. Like her early ones, it’s named after a pub; unlike those, this pub was destroyed in the Blitz. As I read, I realized that I have apparently come to expect more realism in detective fiction than I used to. Melrose and his friends are fun but improbable, and his involvement in Superintendent Jury’s police activities is implausible too. Another unbelievable character, Jury’s neighbor Carole-anne, sums up what had been bothering me when she tells him, “Mysteries don’t have anything to do with life! They’re completely unlife; they’re nonlife. There’s no relation to reality at all.” So it’s even more surprising that the ending breaks with mystery convention. Several times in the novel, characters are asked if they can live with not finding an answer, and they always continue to search, as detectives in fiction are expected to do. Readers, however, don’t get the answers they expect in the end, and I feel cheated.
June 7, 2023
Who doesn't love Martha Grimes for the way she interweaves the lives of Melrose Plant and the Long Piddleton group with that of Scotland Yard's Richard Jury? The stories are always complex, with this one delving into the history of Jury's childhood and what may or may not be true in his memory. I am always interested in novels touching on true events in Britain in World War II and this did not disappoint. Although I was quite confused with Benny was introduced (was it our current year or the 1940s?), I soon sussed it out and move onto enjoying the boy's independence. The journey that Melrose and Trueblood go on to search out a painting's history is another intriguing adventure (and anything that takes me back to my few days in Florence is always appreciated!). The end is one of the biggest cliffhangers that Grimes has left us readers with...which means I've already ordered the next book.
March 21, 2012
This is far from polished, I'd say, with some wildly convenient coincidences and amazingly implausible plot turns. But the characters are engaging, and as soon as the main detective found himself enjoying a night in the pub with Shakespeare, John Donne and Chaucer I knew I was going to enjoy reading this as much as the author clearly enjoyed writing it.
There's lots and lots packed in here. Lots of atmosphere, nostalgia, landscape, what I think of as kind of lifestyle porn, by which I mean aspirational sensual detail like soft linen sheets and lavishly described aristocratic interiors. Humour, lots. A big, rambling cast of entertaining characters. The aforementioned wild and silly plot twists. A couple of interesting ideas, even - surprisingly piercing insights in one or two cases - and even some twinges of melancholy.
Great, rich read.
There's lots and lots packed in here. Lots of atmosphere, nostalgia, landscape, what I think of as kind of lifestyle porn, by which I mean aspirational sensual detail like soft linen sheets and lavishly described aristocratic interiors. Humour, lots. A big, rambling cast of entertaining characters. The aforementioned wild and silly plot twists. A couple of interesting ideas, even - surprisingly piercing insights in one or two cases - and even some twinges of melancholy.
Great, rich read.
May 31, 2011
Another superb Richard Jury novel. This one is a bit of a cliffhanger, but I won't spoil it by telling you much about that!
This one delves into Jury's past as an orphan of the Blitz, and his memories, suppressed and otherwise, of his sad childhood. He becomes involved in solving both a murder and a decades old case of stolen identity.
The usual suspects are not as evident in this book, except for the always present Melrose Plant. Even his partner, Wiggins, isn't seen very much. There is an addition with the engaging characters of two young orphans, Gemma Trimm and Benny, and Benny's dog Sparky.
There's an interesting side case involving early Renaissance art - Masacchio, to be precise.
This one delves into Jury's past as an orphan of the Blitz, and his memories, suppressed and otherwise, of his sad childhood. He becomes involved in solving both a murder and a decades old case of stolen identity.
The usual suspects are not as evident in this book, except for the always present Melrose Plant. Even his partner, Wiggins, isn't seen very much. There is an addition with the engaging characters of two young orphans, Gemma Trimm and Benny, and Benny's dog Sparky.
There's an interesting side case involving early Renaissance art - Masacchio, to be precise.
March 28, 2009
A very interesting story begun in war-torn England with far reaching consequences. Confusion reigned at the time and what was done in innocence of a sort at the time changed several future lives. I read this book some time ago, so I'm a bit sketchy on the evolution of the story but I found it entertaining mystery, cover-ups, with a brief bit of wartime history thrown into the bunch. I enjoyed the book, it was my first foray into Martha Grimes writing and apparently the 17th in the series! I must get my hands on some of those earlier books and enjoy some more!
Read
December 16, 2014I didn't finish this book for two reasons: 1) It was due back at the library. 2) It was confusing and uninteresting, possibly because I was reading it in French, possibly because I haven't read any of the other Richard Jury books and therefore don't know the characters.
May 14, 2015
Wow, that was a good one. Didn't see that ending coming, loved the primary and all secondary et al storylines, totally got caught up in the emotions. Truly hate that real life is about to get in the way of me moving on to the next one immediately!
August 22, 2011
I was really surprised by the ending here - it leaves my hanging. I'm hoping the kids are carried over to another story in the series.
July 16, 2025
Although it is #17 in a series, I gave it a whirl as my first Martha Grimes; can't beat 50 cents at the library book sale. I started in May and it seemed to take forever to get going. That's the peril of joining an established series. Then just as I was enforcing "after work reading time" and starting to get into it this week, there was a whole section with different characters and a new plot set in an entirely different country.
It's lucky it was there because the writing seemed to get exponentially better and I was hooked at last. The other characters got folded into the story - it's so helpful to have people with unlimited funds and time to assist - and it felt like they might actually get to the bottom of the mystery.
I was at the edge of my seat until the very last page. Will definitely go back and try to find the earlier books.
It's lucky it was there because the writing seemed to get exponentially better and I was hooked at last. The other characters got folded into the story - it's so helpful to have people with unlimited funds and time to assist - and it felt like they might actually get to the bottom of the mystery.
I was at the edge of my seat until the very last page. Will definitely go back and try to find the earlier books.
August 9, 2018
Absolutely fantastic - both plot and writing. Unfortunately, there is something of a cliffhanger ending, but it is not a middle-of-the-action type where you don't know how the characters are going to act next. In this situation, you simply don't know --- spoiler alert --- if the main protagonist has died as he breathes out the last written line of the book.
While this device (published in 2001) has not been the usual way for Martha Grimes to end her novels, it is not structured like the current spate of cliffhangers flooding the market, authors believing that this is a cool literary device (no!) and a way to sell the next book (not!). This ending seems to be structured more as an immediate end to the current murder plot and a massive turning point in the emotional plotting of the series, should Jury survive.
While this device (published in 2001) has not been the usual way for Martha Grimes to end her novels, it is not structured like the current spate of cliffhangers flooding the market, authors believing that this is a cool literary device (no!) and a way to sell the next book (not!). This ending seems to be structured more as an immediate end to the current murder plot and a massive turning point in the emotional plotting of the series, should Jury survive.
April 13, 2019
The best in the series so far! Plant is still the best. Such a cool dude. Lol.
Gemma, Benny, and Sparky grabbed my heart.
Several subplots are going on while Jury helps his dying friend and policeman to solve an old mystery of possible switched babies.
But the ending!!?!? So many unanswered questions! So glad I already have the next book checked out!
Gemma, Benny, and Sparky grabbed my heart.
Several subplots are going on while Jury helps his dying friend and policeman to solve an old mystery of possible switched babies.
But the ending!!?!? So many unanswered questions! So glad I already have the next book checked out!
May 25, 2021
Jury is called on to help a terminally ill old friend solve a personal mystery dating back to the WW II bombing of London- which baby survived- the heiress' or the nanny's? WHen one of the principals is murdered the case becomes more complex. Most troubling is the ending, when the old friend shoots Jury, leaving readers unsure whether he's been rescued or died .
February 28, 2020
Das war mal eine meiner Lieblingsserien, aber mittlerweile finde ich den Stil einfach nur noch fürchterlich langatmig.
October 14, 2024
Richard Jury #17. One of Jury's old police coworkers and friends is ill and asks Jury's help in solving a murder. Ms. Grimes is a very fine author and this book has a very complex plot and great characters. Very well done English mystery which I very much enjoyed until the ending which I hated. So 4 stars instead of 5.
January 30, 2025
Interesting Jury and Melrose Plant story mixed with other interesting characters - is the person whom they say they are OR were they switched as a baby when the bomb exploded - many characters written into this story - good reading to the end And then left with a cliffhanger????
January 12, 2020
Start this series from the beginning. Too many characters if not. Horrible ending.
November 25, 2015
All the usual Martha Grimes ingredients are here: precocious and charming children; clever cats and dogs; quirky villages and villagers; memories of World War II; quaintly named pubs, of course; in London, Richard Jury, Wiggins, Cyril the Cat, Carole-Ann, and Mrs. Wasserman, and in Long Piddleton, Melrose Plant, Marshall Trueblood, Aunt Agatha, and all the other villagers we've come to know and expect. And, naturally, there is the typical convoluted Grimes plot that bobs and weaves and circles back on itself. In Grimes books, it is always the journey itself that is most satisfying; often, the conclusion is less so. That is the case with this book.
A friend of Jury's in the City of London police asks his assistance in solving a mystery. Some bones have recently been uncovered on the site of a pub, "The Blue Last," that was destroyed in the blitz during World War II. They are the bones of a woman and child. Ostensibly, they are the bones of the daughter of a wealthy family and a child who was the daughter of that family's nanny. Jury's friend, however, believes that the child was actually the daughter of the woman who died there. The nanny, who survived, he believes, substituted her own baby for the baby of the wealthy woman who died. That baby, now grown up, stands to inherit millions upon the death of the family patriarch.
An additional mystery is added to the plot when a man who is close to the family, and who is researching a book about the period in which the pub was destroyed, is murdered. Jury's policeman friend was also a friend of this family and he often visited the man who was murdered. Jury suspects that his murder was somehow related to the book that he was planning to write, but his manuscript and all his notes as well as his laptop were all taken at the time that he was killed. No one seems to know just what was in the book.
Adding even more confusion, the nine-year-old girl who is a ward of the family patriarch believes that someone is trying to kill her, and, indeed, there was a shot fired into the greenhouse while she was there. It's all a real muddle and there don't seem to be any obvious suspects.
Once again, Jury calls upon his friend Melrose Plant to go undercover to help with the investigation. This time he is to pose as the undergardener on the family's estate and gather information as to what's really going on with these people. As usual, Melrose has several scenes with the precocious child on the estate, as well as her friend and his dog, and, as usual, these scenes are a delight.
We also have a subplot with Marshall Trueblood, the Long Piddleton antiques dealer, who believes he may have an authentic Renaissance masterpiece, and persuades Melrose Plant to accompany him to Italy to consult experts who may be able to confirm the artwork's authenticity. Their trip is a lark worthy of Grimes.
One reads Grimes' novels for their settings and their characters and her use of language in describing them. The intricate plots are sometimes difficult to follow, and, as in The Blue Last, the endings are not always satisfying. But her characters have such winning personalities that one keeps coming back for the pleasure of interacting with them once again.
Overall, this was a fun read. I debated about whether I should award it three stars or four stars. In the end, I decided to be generous, even though the cliff-hanging ending truly left me hanging and unsatisfied. I guess I'll just have to read the next book in the series to find out what happened.
A friend of Jury's in the City of London police asks his assistance in solving a mystery. Some bones have recently been uncovered on the site of a pub, "The Blue Last," that was destroyed in the blitz during World War II. They are the bones of a woman and child. Ostensibly, they are the bones of the daughter of a wealthy family and a child who was the daughter of that family's nanny. Jury's friend, however, believes that the child was actually the daughter of the woman who died there. The nanny, who survived, he believes, substituted her own baby for the baby of the wealthy woman who died. That baby, now grown up, stands to inherit millions upon the death of the family patriarch.
An additional mystery is added to the plot when a man who is close to the family, and who is researching a book about the period in which the pub was destroyed, is murdered. Jury's policeman friend was also a friend of this family and he often visited the man who was murdered. Jury suspects that his murder was somehow related to the book that he was planning to write, but his manuscript and all his notes as well as his laptop were all taken at the time that he was killed. No one seems to know just what was in the book.
Adding even more confusion, the nine-year-old girl who is a ward of the family patriarch believes that someone is trying to kill her, and, indeed, there was a shot fired into the greenhouse while she was there. It's all a real muddle and there don't seem to be any obvious suspects.
Once again, Jury calls upon his friend Melrose Plant to go undercover to help with the investigation. This time he is to pose as the undergardener on the family's estate and gather information as to what's really going on with these people. As usual, Melrose has several scenes with the precocious child on the estate, as well as her friend and his dog, and, as usual, these scenes are a delight.
We also have a subplot with Marshall Trueblood, the Long Piddleton antiques dealer, who believes he may have an authentic Renaissance masterpiece, and persuades Melrose Plant to accompany him to Italy to consult experts who may be able to confirm the artwork's authenticity. Their trip is a lark worthy of Grimes.
One reads Grimes' novels for their settings and their characters and her use of language in describing them. The intricate plots are sometimes difficult to follow, and, as in The Blue Last, the endings are not always satisfying. But her characters have such winning personalities that one keeps coming back for the pleasure of interacting with them once again.
Overall, this was a fun read. I debated about whether I should award it three stars or four stars. In the end, I decided to be generous, even though the cliff-hanging ending truly left me hanging and unsatisfied. I guess I'll just have to read the next book in the series to find out what happened.
January 28, 2025
MY RATING GUIDE: 1 or 2 Stars had I not known what I was in for. Since I had an idea (I read reviews), it’s 3 Stars, with the hope that GRAVE MAURICE provides a decent ending to this “oddity.” I dropped an entire point for the cliffhanger - just not a fan (and there are more coming in future books).
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= NOPE; NOT FOR ME; 3) THIS WAS OKAY > BUT I WAS HOPING FOR MORE (like an Ending!); 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= I Loved this; it was great! (I SELDOM give 5 Stars).
THE BLUE LAST ~ Just prior to Christmas, December, 1995.
Two long-deceased skeletons turn up during a developer’s new excavation of the last bomb site existing in London (from WWII). An old detective friend of Jury’s, Chief Inspector Haggerty, is pulled into the puzzle of those dead bodies. Believing himself unable to completely resolve the mystery successfully, Haggerty asks Superintendent Jury to contribute effort, around the holidays, as a favor to an old friend (and to refer anyone to him if questions are asked by Jury’s boss). Soon afterward, a man possibly connected to the deceased bodies is murdered.
In THE BLUE LAST, Superintendent Jury is forced to consider certain lost (& tragically blurred) childhood memories - those regarding his young life which changed significantly following a London blitz attack around the year of 1944 when Jury’s family was killed and he was suddenly an orphaned toddler (?)
Quotes ~
> He was sitting in a patch of sunlight and when the sun wavered, he sparkled. Why would he bother with live wires, being one himself.
Jury ponders, regarding Cyril, the golden-colored office cat, Jury’s boss’s nemesis. ;)
Comments ~
I am currently rereading this series. Overall, I find it incredibly inconsistent. I have truly enjoyed certain titles (bks1-3, 5-7, 11, 24, 25) - the character development & interaction, certain plots and the occasional humor - but other titles (the darkest, and those overfilled with disjointed ramblings and those with terrible or non-endings) not so much (bk8, 17, 20&21 ). Each book can either be quite entertaining or a total waste of time. ;/
1) The BLUE LAST, bk17 of 25 in Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury Mystery series, was published in 2001. Certain comments indicate the passage of time (technology, culture) but otherwise it has held up quite well.
2) I wouldn’t recommend reading THE BLUE LAST as a standalone book or before reading the earlier books. This series contains a sizable secondary cast of characters who surround and support each new mystery. The characters’ antics are seldom understandable but less so if the reader hasn’t been introduced to them from the beginning.
3) THE BLUE LAST deals a lot with Jury’s very young childhood - the death of his mother, his sudden orphan status through the loss of Jury’s family and home following a London blitzkrieg attack of 1944. Jury’s memories following the bomb attack are sketchy, seemingly repressed, and Grimes really hasn’t addressed his (supposed) traumatic background much in previous books. In TBL, considerable space (sections of several chapters) are given to this period of Jury’s past. Yet (this being a Grimes novel), Jury’s past actually still remains incredibly sketchy, blurred.
4) The regular, secondary cast of characters (both from Long Piddleton and from Jury’s current neighborhood again play either important or fleeting roles in THE BLUE PAST. (Melrose Plant, has an important role. Street-wise children (orphans) and a dog, Sparky, also play major roles in THE BLUE LAST.
5) POSSIBLE SPOILER: One reviewer advised, “Don’t get attached to anyone in this book.” Another said “this book ends unfinished - with a definite cliffhanger!”
I appreciated knowing both pieces of advice in advance, and pass it along.
6) IMO, the Superintendent Richard Jury novels sit somewhere between Contemporary British Mysteries and Grisly Thrillers - depending on the particular title. A few books in the series have been quite dark. Often a tone of weariness, nostalgia and perhaps a sense of noire leaks through - but without much joy or contentment (which tends to be true throughout this series). I would never consider these Cozy reads. THE BLUE LAST also contains this almost despondent undertone.
7) The Richard Jury mysteries don’t end with HEAs - Richard Jury’s life is simply too complicated and the tone of the series too somber. I continue reading Grimes’ novels mainly because I enjoy the well developed and friendly personal relationships between the characters. I will quit reading the series (again) when I feel the overall dark tone overshadows everything else. Although I keep hoping Jury and Plant will get their personal lives (and Jury’s career) sorted out - so there might be joy somewhere - with this author, it’s not likely.
The Jury series is quite popular with certain readers. I recommend it to those who enjoy:
> British Mysteries.
> Seasoned characters.
> An abundance of colorful secondary characters (like a village or two).
> Character-driven novels.
> Police Procedurals.
> Mysteries not entirely focused on the case alone.
> Novels/Mysteries with dollops of humor mixed in with content, characters, irrelevant data, and descriptions.
> Novels that often drift off into unusual lines of thinking which occasionally help solve the case or build character background (such as confusing dreams, forgotten memories, day dreams, “talking dogs and dolls” with the ability to solve problems/bk 17, etc).
> Novels generally not ending in HEAs (can handle bad with the good).
> Novels occasionally not ending at all (bk8) or not ending until a second or third title - cliffhangers (bks 17>18, bks 20>21>22).
I have reviewed each book separately (mentioning those that fell into the non-ending or particularly dark categories).
READER CAUTIONS ~
PROFANITY - Yes. Both blasphemy & strong language is used.
VIOLENCE - Yes. This is a murder mystery, definitely not Cozy, yet descriptions are not dark or graphic.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - None.
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= NOPE; NOT FOR ME; 3) THIS WAS OKAY > BUT I WAS HOPING FOR MORE (like an Ending!); 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= I Loved this; it was great! (I SELDOM give 5 Stars).
THE BLUE LAST ~ Just prior to Christmas, December, 1995.
Two long-deceased skeletons turn up during a developer’s new excavation of the last bomb site existing in London (from WWII). An old detective friend of Jury’s, Chief Inspector Haggerty, is pulled into the puzzle of those dead bodies. Believing himself unable to completely resolve the mystery successfully, Haggerty asks Superintendent Jury to contribute effort, around the holidays, as a favor to an old friend (and to refer anyone to him if questions are asked by Jury’s boss). Soon afterward, a man possibly connected to the deceased bodies is murdered.
In THE BLUE LAST, Superintendent Jury is forced to consider certain lost (& tragically blurred) childhood memories - those regarding his young life which changed significantly following a London blitz attack around the year of 1944 when Jury’s family was killed and he was suddenly an orphaned toddler (?)
Quotes ~
> He was sitting in a patch of sunlight and when the sun wavered, he sparkled. Why would he bother with live wires, being one himself.
Jury ponders, regarding Cyril, the golden-colored office cat, Jury’s boss’s nemesis. ;)
Comments ~
I am currently rereading this series. Overall, I find it incredibly inconsistent. I have truly enjoyed certain titles (bks1-3, 5-7, 11, 24, 25) - the character development & interaction, certain plots and the occasional humor - but other titles (the darkest, and those overfilled with disjointed ramblings and those with terrible or non-endings) not so much (bk8, 17, 20&21 ). Each book can either be quite entertaining or a total waste of time. ;/
1) The BLUE LAST, bk17 of 25 in Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury Mystery series, was published in 2001. Certain comments indicate the passage of time (technology, culture) but otherwise it has held up quite well.
2) I wouldn’t recommend reading THE BLUE LAST as a standalone book or before reading the earlier books. This series contains a sizable secondary cast of characters who surround and support each new mystery. The characters’ antics are seldom understandable but less so if the reader hasn’t been introduced to them from the beginning.
3) THE BLUE LAST deals a lot with Jury’s very young childhood - the death of his mother, his sudden orphan status through the loss of Jury’s family and home following a London blitzkrieg attack of 1944. Jury’s memories following the bomb attack are sketchy, seemingly repressed, and Grimes really hasn’t addressed his (supposed) traumatic background much in previous books. In TBL, considerable space (sections of several chapters) are given to this period of Jury’s past. Yet (this being a Grimes novel), Jury’s past actually still remains incredibly sketchy, blurred.
4) The regular, secondary cast of characters (both from Long Piddleton and from Jury’s current neighborhood again play either important or fleeting roles in THE BLUE PAST. (Melrose Plant, has an important role. Street-wise children (orphans) and a dog, Sparky, also play major roles in THE BLUE LAST.
5) POSSIBLE SPOILER: One reviewer advised, “Don’t get attached to anyone in this book.” Another said “this book ends unfinished - with a definite cliffhanger!”
I appreciated knowing both pieces of advice in advance, and pass it along.
6) IMO, the Superintendent Richard Jury novels sit somewhere between Contemporary British Mysteries and Grisly Thrillers - depending on the particular title. A few books in the series have been quite dark. Often a tone of weariness, nostalgia and perhaps a sense of noire leaks through - but without much joy or contentment (which tends to be true throughout this series). I would never consider these Cozy reads. THE BLUE LAST also contains this almost despondent undertone.
7) The Richard Jury mysteries don’t end with HEAs - Richard Jury’s life is simply too complicated and the tone of the series too somber. I continue reading Grimes’ novels mainly because I enjoy the well developed and friendly personal relationships between the characters. I will quit reading the series (again) when I feel the overall dark tone overshadows everything else. Although I keep hoping Jury and Plant will get their personal lives (and Jury’s career) sorted out - so there might be joy somewhere - with this author, it’s not likely.
The Jury series is quite popular with certain readers. I recommend it to those who enjoy:
> British Mysteries.
> Seasoned characters.
> An abundance of colorful secondary characters (like a village or two).
> Character-driven novels.
> Police Procedurals.
> Mysteries not entirely focused on the case alone.
> Novels/Mysteries with dollops of humor mixed in with content, characters, irrelevant data, and descriptions.
> Novels that often drift off into unusual lines of thinking which occasionally help solve the case or build character background (such as confusing dreams, forgotten memories, day dreams, “talking dogs and dolls” with the ability to solve problems/bk 17, etc).
> Novels generally not ending in HEAs (can handle bad with the good).
> Novels occasionally not ending at all (bk8) or not ending until a second or third title - cliffhangers (bks 17>18, bks 20>21>22).
I have reviewed each book separately (mentioning those that fell into the non-ending or particularly dark categories).
READER CAUTIONS ~
PROFANITY - Yes. Both blasphemy & strong language is used.
VIOLENCE - Yes. This is a murder mystery, definitely not Cozy, yet descriptions are not dark or graphic.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - None.
August 11, 2008
First book I picked up by Martha GRimes, so some of her characters I was picking up in the middle, as it were, but that did not hinder my appreciation of the book. I loved this mystery, which was somewhat low key rather than a thriller, but the characters and humor kept me not wanting to put it down. Word of warning though - not knowing Martha Grimes' style I was really livid when I got to end of book and was left somewhat hanging.......for those who want to know it all at the end and have everything nicely wrapped up and all characters livin happily ever after, you will be left wondering. Still I would not have missed this read.
January 9, 2017
I have wondered how books by a particular author are arranged in the Goodreads lists. Not by publication date, obviously, and not alphabetically.
It must be by the number of reviews a particular book has gotten. Or at least this book, number 17 in the series, is particularly outstanding and appears fourth on the listings, right after numbers one, two, and three.
It features not one but two appealing and self-sufficient young people; smatterings of Renaissance art history and WWII code breaking; a move between two people who have obviously found each other appealing for book after book, and finally, a cliff-hanger ending.
Go read it. After the previous 16 of course.
It must be by the number of reviews a particular book has gotten. Or at least this book, number 17 in the series, is particularly outstanding and appears fourth on the listings, right after numbers one, two, and three.
It features not one but two appealing and self-sufficient young people; smatterings of Renaissance art history and WWII code breaking; a move between two people who have obviously found each other appealing for book after book, and finally, a cliff-hanger ending.
Go read it. After the previous 16 of course.
May 28, 2010
I thought it was me. That trying to read a mystery and raise a baby meant that I just was distracted and the book seemed disjointed as a result. Then I started to read other reviews. IN part because my book, purchased second-hand ended with a word and not a sentence. I think this is what it does for everyone.
The book is disjointed, I had a hard time following what was going on. This is usually not a problem with me. I am so disappointed I cannot begin to articulate it properly.
Only read this if you are huge fan of anything she does or of this series.
The book is disjointed, I had a hard time following what was going on. This is usually not a problem with me. I am so disappointed I cannot begin to articulate it properly.
Only read this if you are huge fan of anything she does or of this series.
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