What do you think?
Rate this book
Walden of Bermondsey #2
Judge Walden: Back in Session
If you like Rumpole of the Bailey, you'll love Walden of Bermondsey
Judge Walden is back, to preside over five new cases at Bermondsey Crown Court.
Retired resident judge Peter Murphy takes us back to the world of criminal trials in South London for another session with Charlie Walden keeping the peace between his fellow judges – Marjorie, ‘Legless’ and Hubert – while fighting off the attacks of the Grey Smoothies, the civil servants who seem intent on reducing the court’s dwindling resources to vanishing point in the name of ‘business cases’ and ‘value for money’.
Meet the rum and memorable characters who pop into Charlie’s domain, including Lester Fogle from one of London’s Disorganised Crime Families, Arthur Swivell the one-time Bermondsey singing legend and the very unbardlike Elias Shakespeare. And you will never feel the same about ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ or the Entente Cordiale again.
Fortunately, Charlie has Elsie and Jeanie’s lattes and ham and cheese baps, and newspaper vendor George’s witty banter, to sustain him in the mornings; and in the evenings, the Delights of the Raj, or La Bella Napoli, to enjoy with the Reverend Mrs Walden.
Judge Walden is back, to preside over five new cases at Bermondsey Crown Court.
Retired resident judge Peter Murphy takes us back to the world of criminal trials in South London for another session with Charlie Walden keeping the peace between his fellow judges – Marjorie, ‘Legless’ and Hubert – while fighting off the attacks of the Grey Smoothies, the civil servants who seem intent on reducing the court’s dwindling resources to vanishing point in the name of ‘business cases’ and ‘value for money’.
Meet the rum and memorable characters who pop into Charlie’s domain, including Lester Fogle from one of London’s Disorganised Crime Families, Arthur Swivell the one-time Bermondsey singing legend and the very unbardlike Elias Shakespeare. And you will never feel the same about ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ or the Entente Cordiale again.
Fortunately, Charlie has Elsie and Jeanie’s lattes and ham and cheese baps, and newspaper vendor George’s witty banter, to sustain him in the mornings; and in the evenings, the Delights of the Raj, or La Bella Napoli, to enjoy with the Reverend Mrs Walden.
- GenresFiction
417 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2018
21 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Peter Murphy
14 books10 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Peter Murphy was born in 1946. After graduating from Cambridge University he spent a career in the law, as an advocate and teacher, both in England and the United States. His legal work included a number of years in The Hague as defence counsel at the Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal. He returned to England in 2007 on his appointment as a judge of the Crown Court. He lives with his wife, Chris, in Cambridgeshire.
Peter Murphy was born in 1946. After graduating from Cambridge University he spent a career in the law, as an advocate and teacher, both in England and the United States. His legal work included a number of years in The Hague as defence counsel at the Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal. He returned to England in 2007 on his appointment as a judge of the Crown Court. He lives with his wife, Chris, in Cambridgeshire.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 24, 2018
What a delightful book this is. The inevitable comparison will be to Rumpole, how could it not be, but the comparison is inadequate. Murphy is not Mortimer, and Charlie Walden is not Horace Rumpole. For one thing, Charlie is a Circuit Judge, not a barrister who only defends. For another, we see the trials from the point of view of the presiding judge, not one of the participants. But they are legal stories, and as in Rumpole we see his colleagues and the machinations of others. I think a better comparison in general, if we must compare, is to Henry Cecil; Rumpole being sui generis.
There are stories about five trials in this book, each one a little gem. I think of the five my favorite is the last one, L’Entente Cordiale, but it was hard to choose. I greatly dislike spoilers, so I am not going to give any. Each story has a satisfying ending, and following the ins-and-outs of British law is most enjoyable.
Peter Murphy is himself a Resident Judge (it seems to mean the head judge in each court building) and does not hold back in showing the reader the conflicts the judicial system has when it rubs up against politics and politicians. The other judges in the court are Hubert, Majorie and “Legless,” are fun to get to know, and the judicial staff are given their due. I might also mention the Reverend Mrs Walden, Charlie’s devoted and dearly loved vicar wife, has her part to play in the book.
I highly recommend Judge Walden. There is an earlier book, “Walden of Bermondsey,” which I have not read, but I fully intend to do so. This book was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to the continuing adventures in the Bermondsey Crown Court.
Thanks the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
There are stories about five trials in this book, each one a little gem. I think of the five my favorite is the last one, L’Entente Cordiale, but it was hard to choose. I greatly dislike spoilers, so I am not going to give any. Each story has a satisfying ending, and following the ins-and-outs of British law is most enjoyable.
Peter Murphy is himself a Resident Judge (it seems to mean the head judge in each court building) and does not hold back in showing the reader the conflicts the judicial system has when it rubs up against politics and politicians. The other judges in the court are Hubert, Majorie and “Legless,” are fun to get to know, and the judicial staff are given their due. I might also mention the Reverend Mrs Walden, Charlie’s devoted and dearly loved vicar wife, has her part to play in the book.
I highly recommend Judge Walden. There is an earlier book, “Walden of Bermondsey,” which I have not read, but I fully intend to do so. This book was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to the continuing adventures in the Bermondsey Crown Court.
Thanks the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
May 18, 2023
This was my first book by Peter Murphy, and I thoroughly enjoyed. The writing style was enjoyable, the actual storyline interesting and over the stories the characters developed - always a good sign. I look forward to reading ,ore books in this series.
August 16, 2024
To paraphrase Oliver Wilde, the law is rarely pure and never simple. This is certainly true of the stories in Peter Murphy’s Judge Walden: Back in Session, his second collection of stories to feature the conscientious and thoroughly decent Bermondsey judge. In each story, we see Judge Walden wrestle with tricky points of law and do battle with the civil servants who constantly look for ways to cut costs to get “value for money for the taxpayers.” Best of all, these stories have a gentle humor to them that I think would make a brilliant BBC series...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
May 25, 2018
This is the second in the series of Judge Walden books to be penned by Peter Murphy, himself a retired judge. Prior to that, he wrote another series featuring Ben Schroeder, a barrister (I think that’s right, I haven’t read any of those novels). If I’m not mistaken, the Ben Schroeder novels are a bit harder hitting and serious. Judge Walden on the other hand is very much in the vein of Rumpole of the Bailey, and if you like that kind of thing, you’ll certainly like this. Don’t worry either if you haven’t read the first of the Judge Walden books, these are very much self-contained tales, indeed, the book is split into four sections, each dealing with a separate case, and constitute in effect four short stories with very little crossover between them.
The Judge Walden stories are nice little vignettes, these are light tales of the denizens that populate the Bermondsey crown court. The author pokes fun at Walden’s fellow judges, the barristers and solicitors who make representations before him, their clients. Not forgetting the Grey Smoothies – the civil servants who pop by to enforce cost savings. Another reviewer has commented that when turning his attention to the clients (defendants) – invariably drawn from the more deprived sections of the populace - this can all be a little condescending. It’s a fair comment but only to a point, certainly I’ve read worse. Rather, I feel Judge Walden means well, is paternalistic, caring for all those who appear before him. Is that patronising? Perhaps, but he gives them a fair crack at the whip which is more than can be said for some, I’m sure.
More troubling for me was that I came to this book shortly after reading a non-fiction title: Stories of the Law and How it is Broken, by the Secret Barrister. In those pages, the eponymous Secret Barrister, outlines in forensic detail how decades of cuts and ill-thought out reform have reduced the British Criminal Legal System to a shadow of its former self. According to that title and other testimony, the system is on its knees, guilty people walking free and innocents almost certainly being convicted.
In light of that title, Judge Walden felt quaint and self-congratulatory. Yes, the author does deal with the cost cutting and the civil service’s illogical diktats, yes, he does address people having to represent themselves, unable to secure legal aid and yet unable to afford to pay for representation for themselves. But it’s all done in that light, amusing and self-satisfied tone that permeates the rest of the novel and thus doesn’t do the subject justice. Of course, the author might well have retired prior to things getting truly bad, and Judge Walden is fiction; the author has set out to write a light-hearted comedic slice of judicial life, and as they say: the title does what it says on the tin.
Overall, this is a good book. While not my usual read - I tend to go for the grittier, noir side of crime fiction myself – this is a relaxing, pleasant book that’s perfect for reading on a summer’s day. In fact, the weather was nice when I read it, out in the garden in the sun, and it complemented the ambience perfectly. Not too taxing and certainly entertaining, this would be a perfect book to read on the beach
The Judge Walden stories are nice little vignettes, these are light tales of the denizens that populate the Bermondsey crown court. The author pokes fun at Walden’s fellow judges, the barristers and solicitors who make representations before him, their clients. Not forgetting the Grey Smoothies – the civil servants who pop by to enforce cost savings. Another reviewer has commented that when turning his attention to the clients (defendants) – invariably drawn from the more deprived sections of the populace - this can all be a little condescending. It’s a fair comment but only to a point, certainly I’ve read worse. Rather, I feel Judge Walden means well, is paternalistic, caring for all those who appear before him. Is that patronising? Perhaps, but he gives them a fair crack at the whip which is more than can be said for some, I’m sure.
More troubling for me was that I came to this book shortly after reading a non-fiction title: Stories of the Law and How it is Broken, by the Secret Barrister. In those pages, the eponymous Secret Barrister, outlines in forensic detail how decades of cuts and ill-thought out reform have reduced the British Criminal Legal System to a shadow of its former self. According to that title and other testimony, the system is on its knees, guilty people walking free and innocents almost certainly being convicted.
In light of that title, Judge Walden felt quaint and self-congratulatory. Yes, the author does deal with the cost cutting and the civil service’s illogical diktats, yes, he does address people having to represent themselves, unable to secure legal aid and yet unable to afford to pay for representation for themselves. But it’s all done in that light, amusing and self-satisfied tone that permeates the rest of the novel and thus doesn’t do the subject justice. Of course, the author might well have retired prior to things getting truly bad, and Judge Walden is fiction; the author has set out to write a light-hearted comedic slice of judicial life, and as they say: the title does what it says on the tin.
Overall, this is a good book. While not my usual read - I tend to go for the grittier, noir side of crime fiction myself – this is a relaxing, pleasant book that’s perfect for reading on a summer’s day. In fact, the weather was nice when I read it, out in the garden in the sun, and it complemented the ambience perfectly. Not too taxing and certainly entertaining, this would be a perfect book to read on the beach
May 2, 2020
The second collection of cases from Bermondsey Crown Court, narrated by Charlie Walden, contains five stories of judicial experiences. Charlie is the Resident Judge of the court, the most senior judge with the assistance of Marjorie, “Legless” and Hubert. There are also the court staff who actually keep the court running, Elsie and Jeanie’s sustaining food and drink, and George’s carefully edited newspaper offerings. The most significant assistance is from clergy advisor, music loving and lateral thinker the Reverend Mrs Walden, the human resource behind the knotty problems Charlie has to face in the court. Raging from the ambitious and reputation conscious Lester Fogle to an international triumph, Charlie’s concerns are not only with the actual cases in the court, but also preserving the status quo against the cost obsessed Grey Smoothies, or the civil servants who haunt the courts with their own agendas. Truly all human life is here, love, hate, failure and success, with Charlie trying to keep the wheels running. Although the second book in the series, it stands alone as the cases are self contained and the main participants are always introduced. Funny, intelligent and sometimes moving, the characters who emerge from these tales are brilliantly described and come to life in this most entertaining book.
The first of the situations and cases in this book is the case of a representative of what Charlie refers to as one of London’s Disorganised Crime Families. Lester Fogle’s insistence on attempting to defend himself in person is slowing down the trial, especially as he takes an interest in the technical details from Archbold, the subject of much discussion among his family. The progress of this case in its humourous way is somewhat sidelined by one of the other judge’s preoccupation with a counsel’s appearance. Smoothing down ruffled egos is not made easier for Charlie as the press take an interest, and things get more challenging. Reverend Walden offers to help with a musical problem which has roots in the area from another era in the second case. The “Owl and the Pussycat” relates to dodgy shipping, and an historical artifact that attracts much interest. The dubious actions of a clergyman leads to some merriment in court among some sobering decisions, especially for bewildered fellow clergy, but a hint of danger makes everyone aware of their situation. The final case of careers and marriages under threat is heard against a threat to the very court itself, which provokes an unusual reaction.
The underlying humour of this book keeps the tone light, even though the subject matter can sometimes be very serious. Peter Murphy’s own knowledge of and background in the legal system means that every fact is correct, the cases have the ring of truth, and the whole organisation is written with real experience. The surprises that emerge in each story as people are involved are realistic, and written in such a way as to involve and convince the reader. I really enjoy these tales from Bermondsey Crown Court, and look forward to future encounters with Judge Walden.
The first of the situations and cases in this book is the case of a representative of what Charlie refers to as one of London’s Disorganised Crime Families. Lester Fogle’s insistence on attempting to defend himself in person is slowing down the trial, especially as he takes an interest in the technical details from Archbold, the subject of much discussion among his family. The progress of this case in its humourous way is somewhat sidelined by one of the other judge’s preoccupation with a counsel’s appearance. Smoothing down ruffled egos is not made easier for Charlie as the press take an interest, and things get more challenging. Reverend Walden offers to help with a musical problem which has roots in the area from another era in the second case. The “Owl and the Pussycat” relates to dodgy shipping, and an historical artifact that attracts much interest. The dubious actions of a clergyman leads to some merriment in court among some sobering decisions, especially for bewildered fellow clergy, but a hint of danger makes everyone aware of their situation. The final case of careers and marriages under threat is heard against a threat to the very court itself, which provokes an unusual reaction.
The underlying humour of this book keeps the tone light, even though the subject matter can sometimes be very serious. Peter Murphy’s own knowledge of and background in the legal system means that every fact is correct, the cases have the ring of truth, and the whole organisation is written with real experience. The surprises that emerge in each story as people are involved are realistic, and written in such a way as to involve and convince the reader. I really enjoy these tales from Bermondsey Crown Court, and look forward to future encounters with Judge Walden.
May 30, 2018
The second of Peter Murphy’s books featuring charmingly self-depreciative Charlie Walden, Judge Walden Back in Session is an absolute joy to read.
Set in south London, where Charlie is Resident Judge of Bermondsey Crown Court, it features five stories which can be read as standalones but are better, in fact, read in sequence. Anyway, I promise you, once you dip in, you’ll want to carry on immersing yourself in the world ruled over by the Judge and his wife, the formidable Reverend Mrs Walden of the church of St Aethelburgh and All Saints in the Diocese of Southwark.
Murphy, a retired resident judge, has a deftness of touch which makes this book enjoyable reading from start to finish – and Charlie is an old-fashioned, moral judge whose encounters, in court and out, prove greatly entertaining.
Filled with distinctive characters – such as Bert Coggins, the market stallholder prosecuted for selling Archie Swivell Sings Cole Porter, Lester Fogle from a local crime family and the ‘Grey Smoothies’, the name given to the civil servants who make Charlie’s day job increasingly more difficult – the book is a sheer delight.
Hugely, hugely recommended.
http://www.theliteraryshed.co.uk/read...
This review is published as part of the Judge Walden book blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for organising it and to the publisher for supplying a review copy. All opinions are our own.
Set in south London, where Charlie is Resident Judge of Bermondsey Crown Court, it features five stories which can be read as standalones but are better, in fact, read in sequence. Anyway, I promise you, once you dip in, you’ll want to carry on immersing yourself in the world ruled over by the Judge and his wife, the formidable Reverend Mrs Walden of the church of St Aethelburgh and All Saints in the Diocese of Southwark.
Murphy, a retired resident judge, has a deftness of touch which makes this book enjoyable reading from start to finish – and Charlie is an old-fashioned, moral judge whose encounters, in court and out, prove greatly entertaining.
Filled with distinctive characters – such as Bert Coggins, the market stallholder prosecuted for selling Archie Swivell Sings Cole Porter, Lester Fogle from a local crime family and the ‘Grey Smoothies’, the name given to the civil servants who make Charlie’s day job increasingly more difficult – the book is a sheer delight.
Hugely, hugely recommended.
http://www.theliteraryshed.co.uk/read...
This review is published as part of the Judge Walden book blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for organising it and to the publisher for supplying a review copy. All opinions are our own.
May 22, 2018
This is a book that contains 5 Stories about the Bermondsey Resident Judge, Charles Walden. They are a mix of cases that are brought before the Judge and his jury as well as behind the scenes of the court and the canteen with its dubious meal of the day! The synopsis for this book is great and definitely caught my eye when I had an invite to be part of the tour.
I really enjoyed reading Walden of Bermondsey: Where There’s Smoke and it did set the scene and expectations for “”Back In Session”. It takes in the various things of Walden’s daily life, his interactions with members of the public, the jury, other colleagues and the “Grey Smoothies” or civil servants as we know them!
The cases are brought before him and I enjoyed the way they were laid out, they are not full of legal jargon and so makes it easy to follow each case. It is not all about the cases though, there are things that occur behind the scenes that give great insight into how things work and also the politics that happen. Pandering to the civil servants demands and being a little sneaky is part of the course.
Walden is a principled and somewhat old-fashioned character who likes things done right, but also in an ethical and fair way. His wife is Reverend Mrs Walden, she is the priest in charge at Parish of St Aethelburgh and All Angels in Southwark. Together they make quite a formidable couple and their lives outside court does change for one of the stories.
The cases themselves cover a mix of topics as do the behind the scenes stories. These are great for quick reads, but once you get started you will want read one after the other as they flow brilliantly into each other, and helps to build up the characters and what makes them tick. The characters are a real mixed bunch that show many various traits you find in people, some you will agree with and some will make you hmmmm over.
These are great stories that show the highs and lows of the legal system with humorous undertones and stories to capture the imagination. It is entertaining reading and one I would definitely recommend to readers who would prefer a more lighthearted read, though there are serious stories included.
I really enjoyed reading Walden of Bermondsey: Where There’s Smoke and it did set the scene and expectations for “”Back In Session”. It takes in the various things of Walden’s daily life, his interactions with members of the public, the jury, other colleagues and the “Grey Smoothies” or civil servants as we know them!
The cases are brought before him and I enjoyed the way they were laid out, they are not full of legal jargon and so makes it easy to follow each case. It is not all about the cases though, there are things that occur behind the scenes that give great insight into how things work and also the politics that happen. Pandering to the civil servants demands and being a little sneaky is part of the course.
Walden is a principled and somewhat old-fashioned character who likes things done right, but also in an ethical and fair way. His wife is Reverend Mrs Walden, she is the priest in charge at Parish of St Aethelburgh and All Angels in Southwark. Together they make quite a formidable couple and their lives outside court does change for one of the stories.
The cases themselves cover a mix of topics as do the behind the scenes stories. These are great for quick reads, but once you get started you will want read one after the other as they flow brilliantly into each other, and helps to build up the characters and what makes them tick. The characters are a real mixed bunch that show many various traits you find in people, some you will agree with and some will make you hmmmm over.
These are great stories that show the highs and lows of the legal system with humorous undertones and stories to capture the imagination. It is entertaining reading and one I would definitely recommend to readers who would prefer a more lighthearted read, though there are serious stories included.
June 9, 2018
As the book is described, reading this book is very much like imaging what it would have been like to read a book about Rumpole if he had become a judge.
Judge Walden is the senior resident judge at Bermondsey Crown Court. He presides with great wisdom with his three colleagues (some wise and some not so wise...). They try to get on with their day to day work of dispensing order and justice but Judge Walden had to deal with interference from the ‘Grey Smoothies’ aka the Civil Servants.
Each chapter deals with a different case or two that are before Judge Walden, alongside the day to day dealings with the Grey Smoothies and Waldens colleagues a his wonderfully bright, funny and intelligent wife who is a vicar.
The cases are very varied dealing with (amongst others) drug smuggling, blackmail, a litigant in person defending himself against a charge of theft of a motor vehicle and a case of international importance as well as of great significance to Bermondsey Crown Court.
These are a great selection of stories which can be read altogether as a novel or picked up and put down again almost like a set of self contained short stories due to the nature of each chapter moving onto a new case.
Highly recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Judge Walden is the senior resident judge at Bermondsey Crown Court. He presides with great wisdom with his three colleagues (some wise and some not so wise...). They try to get on with their day to day work of dispensing order and justice but Judge Walden had to deal with interference from the ‘Grey Smoothies’ aka the Civil Servants.
Each chapter deals with a different case or two that are before Judge Walden, alongside the day to day dealings with the Grey Smoothies and Waldens colleagues a his wonderfully bright, funny and intelligent wife who is a vicar.
The cases are very varied dealing with (amongst others) drug smuggling, blackmail, a litigant in person defending himself against a charge of theft of a motor vehicle and a case of international importance as well as of great significance to Bermondsey Crown Court.
These are a great selection of stories which can be read altogether as a novel or picked up and put down again almost like a set of self contained short stories due to the nature of each chapter moving onto a new case.
Highly recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read
May 19, 2021The Second of 3 (so far) collections of short stories about a judge based in south London, Judge
Walden not only has to battle and win against the cost conscious civil service but take on international relations and diplomacy, a post brexit world and a post 50 shades of grey world. To assist him he has his loving wife who supplies much good common sense, a somewhat stereotyped and reactionary judge and a post feminist lady judge.
Not quite so helpful are the barristers and 1 solicitor advocate who appear before him and of course the defendants, one of whom would make an excellent lawyer himself were he not so dedicated to moving up the list of local villains, a vicar who is not all he seems and a young and sexy complainant.
As this is about a judge, there's a bit more law than in Rumpole( who has a strong distaste for law as opposed to the practice of criminal law) but the application of common sense saves a lot of trouble.
I particularly enjoyed this book as I've served on juries in a court not too far from Bermondsey. I had a close relative who was a crown court judge and he told me the daily life of such a erson is not too dissimilar from his experiences as a crown court judge
Walden not only has to battle and win against the cost conscious civil service but take on international relations and diplomacy, a post brexit world and a post 50 shades of grey world. To assist him he has his loving wife who supplies much good common sense, a somewhat stereotyped and reactionary judge and a post feminist lady judge.
Not quite so helpful are the barristers and 1 solicitor advocate who appear before him and of course the defendants, one of whom would make an excellent lawyer himself were he not so dedicated to moving up the list of local villains, a vicar who is not all he seems and a young and sexy complainant.
As this is about a judge, there's a bit more law than in Rumpole( who has a strong distaste for law as opposed to the practice of criminal law) but the application of common sense saves a lot of trouble.
I particularly enjoyed this book as I've served on juries in a court not too far from Bermondsey. I had a close relative who was a crown court judge and he told me the daily life of such a erson is not too dissimilar from his experiences as a crown court judge
May 23, 2018
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.When I read a novella last year which introduced me to Judge Walden and all the others connected to Bermondsey Court I found it to be very entertaining so I was thrilled to be asked if I would like to read this collection.
It was like being back amongst old friends, with Charlie having to sort out all the problems that each of his trials brought as well as various other situations that occurred in the other judges courts.
There are five cases, none of which feature murder. These are the more everyday situations, robbery, smuggling and blackmail are just some of the situations we read about.
My favourite character, the Reverend Mrs Walden appears again and as before helps Charlie in a few different ways, including offering advice on battles between judges and lawyers and entertaining officials from other countries.
Very refreshing light-hearted fun and I want to read more. Still don’t fancy the daily specials though.
It was like being back amongst old friends, with Charlie having to sort out all the problems that each of his trials brought as well as various other situations that occurred in the other judges courts.
There are five cases, none of which feature murder. These are the more everyday situations, robbery, smuggling and blackmail are just some of the situations we read about.
My favourite character, the Reverend Mrs Walden appears again and as before helps Charlie in a few different ways, including offering advice on battles between judges and lawyers and entertaining officials from other countries.
Very refreshing light-hearted fun and I want to read more. Still don’t fancy the daily specials though.
August 2, 2018
The copy that I read has a message on its front cover stating “If you enjoyed Rumpole of the Bailey, you’ll love Walden of Bermondsey”. It certainly caught my attention and I read it in order to test the truth of this statement. To be fair, it’s not far from the mark; one simply needs to change ‘enjoyed’ to ‘loved’ and ‘love’ to ‘enjoy’. Walden does not match the peerless Rumpole and Murphy hasn’t quite the skill of Mortimer. Nevertheless, this is a really good read. It strikes me as being a very old fashioned book, styled more like Cronin than more modern fiction. Murphy creates a totally believable, very civilised and humane world and Walden is a fully rounded and interesting character. A real find - and all thanks to a potentially hyperbolic cover note.
May 19, 2018
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****
I really, really enjoyed this. It's a wry, witty take on the English court system, as seen through the eyes of a Resident Judge in charge of a small Crown Court in central London. It follows him through a series of cases, all separate and distinct, but with the machinations of the courts going on behind the scenes. The characters are fun, the cases are fun and it's all just so well put together. I find it quite hard to come up with a category for this because it's not really a mystery or a crime book so much as it is a look at life. I want more please!
I really, really enjoyed this. It's a wry, witty take on the English court system, as seen through the eyes of a Resident Judge in charge of a small Crown Court in central London. It follows him through a series of cases, all separate and distinct, but with the machinations of the courts going on behind the scenes. The characters are fun, the cases are fun and it's all just so well put together. I find it quite hard to come up with a category for this because it's not really a mystery or a crime book so much as it is a look at life. I want more please!
May 30, 2018
https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...
This book was a delight to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The plot was great and I really enjoyed getting stuck in to see how it would all develop. The characters were great and whilst I read a lot of crime fiction books, I loved that this one was slightly more traditional in its style and it was a welcome change for me, this is a light read that flows really well. I would love to see this made as a series, it is highly entertaining and Judge Walden is a treat to read about!
Five stars from me, a brilliant read and very highly recommended!!
This book was a delight to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The plot was great and I really enjoyed getting stuck in to see how it would all develop. The characters were great and whilst I read a lot of crime fiction books, I loved that this one was slightly more traditional in its style and it was a welcome change for me, this is a light read that flows really well. I would love to see this made as a series, it is highly entertaining and Judge Walden is a treat to read about!
Five stars from me, a brilliant read and very highly recommended!!
September 16, 2018
A foray into all things British, by way of their court system and the savvy and agreeable Judge Walden. These are Rumpolean tales of cases being tried and the behind the scenes machinations. A brief but enticing example: the case of a vicar being tried for theft after he used church funds to pay off a dominatrix who he paid to deliver up close and personal penance. Lovely dry and intelligent British humor and very enjoyable. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.
May 16, 2018
I received this from NetGalley and had never heard of this author before. The book is comprised of individual court cases that judge Walden presides over and it is told in first person from his perspective. I found this a pleasant read along the lines of Law & Order but from a judge's perspective entirely. I learned a little about the British court system too. I wouldn't mind reading another if the author decides to write more about Judge Walden.
June 14, 2018
Gentle reflections on the court chambers of Bermondsey - this is NOT a hard hitting expose and probably paints Judge Walden's world with too many pastels which can be occasionally frustrating but really not what you came for when opening this book. I enjoyed it as it reminded me a bit of the Constable series - rose colored glass reminisces of a closed community. A recommend.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2018
Peter Murphy has written a book that has entertained and enlightened the reader. I found it very interesting to discover how the British court system works. The story has numerous characters and unexpected twists that keeps the reader wanting to know more. I highly recommend this to & will be eager to read other books in this series.
May 15, 2018
For fans of Rumpole of the Bailey this book is perfect for you.Judge Walden is an entertaining character with a wife to match.His thoughts on his day the characters and cases in his courtroom will keep your attention have you laughing.
October 24, 2023
This was a fun satirical read. It was an interesting look into the world of the law. There were quite a few points reading it I did burst out laughing out loud. I be going back to read the first in the series, to get another fix.
January 3, 2019
Another enjoyable collection of cases from Bermondsey's resident judge.
June 9, 2019
A good idea for a book and very well written. I enjoyed it. Would happily recommend this author and their books.
December 9, 2019
Good reading if you like law
I have enjoyed this book and will follow it up with the next in the series. I am within our legal system my self and enjoyed the case studies
I have enjoyed this book and will follow it up with the next in the series. I am within our legal system my self and enjoyed the case studies
May 6, 2020
Brilliant insight!
This is a witty insight into the workings and personnel in the court. An enjoyable read, leaving me wanting to read more of the author's books.
This is a witty insight into the workings and personnel in the court. An enjoyable read, leaving me wanting to read more of the author's books.
June 21, 2025
This is a great read; thoroughly entertaining. I am surprised that this series of books is not more well known.
March 16, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Judge Walden is a sympathetically portrayed character who recounts fascinating tales of interesting cases at Bermondsey Crown Court.
The Judge has a way with words and is an accomplished story teller and the five short stories are full of gentle wit and humour as well as demonsrating a deep knowledge of the law.
Very entertaining and highly recommended.
The Judge has a way with words and is an accomplished story teller and the five short stories are full of gentle wit and humour as well as demonsrating a deep knowledge of the law.
Very entertaining and highly recommended.
September 27, 2018
This book was entertaining in a charming way.
We follow Resident Judge Charlie Walden as he presides over cases. Readers get to see how each case affects his life and the court. Peter Murphy’s writing feels as if someone’s telling you this story over a hot drink. Readers will feel like they want to hear more but not in ‘gripping-the-edge-of-your-seat’ way, but more like ‘Hey, what happened to that fella you told me about the last time we met?’.
Reading Judge Walden: Back in Session was a refreshing change of pace to my usual genres because I’m actually reading about someone who’s going through the motions with their job. It’s almost like job-shadowing. Peter Murphy gives readers a peek into a judge’s mind.
Be warned though that this book is not for everyone because excitement happens at staggered events. If you enjoy having day-to-day conversations, then you will enjoy this book.
Thanks to Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd for providing me with a copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and are based on the uncorrected reader’s proof version.
Read full review on Bookmarks & Blue Light
We follow Resident Judge Charlie Walden as he presides over cases. Readers get to see how each case affects his life and the court. Peter Murphy’s writing feels as if someone’s telling you this story over a hot drink. Readers will feel like they want to hear more but not in ‘gripping-the-edge-of-your-seat’ way, but more like ‘Hey, what happened to that fella you told me about the last time we met?’.
Reading Judge Walden: Back in Session was a refreshing change of pace to my usual genres because I’m actually reading about someone who’s going through the motions with their job. It’s almost like job-shadowing. Peter Murphy gives readers a peek into a judge’s mind.
Be warned though that this book is not for everyone because excitement happens at staggered events. If you enjoy having day-to-day conversations, then you will enjoy this book.
Thanks to Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd for providing me with a copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and are based on the uncorrected reader’s proof version.
Read full review on Bookmarks & Blue Light
August 27, 2018
When you like the tv series "Judge John Deed" you probably will like this novel about a judge as well
Like in "Judge John Deed" Judge Walden is presiding over several cases that are told as a series of short stories. I understand that plans are in progress to turn this novel and it's predecessor into a tv-series as well.
Judge Walden is the RJ (the presiding judge we would call that in The Netherlands, the legal boss of the court) of a small court in a not so wealthy part of London. With three other judges he has to rule on all kind of cases while in the meantime being annoyed by "the grey smoothies" from the government who hassle him about costs and have the most brilliant but unworkable ideas. Charles Walden is married to the reverent mrs Walden and over dinners with supermarket wine they discuss their days.
For someone who is a lawyer and who worked herself at a district court, some of the things mentioned are "a feast of recognition" as we would say in my country. The red tape, the money problems, the brilliance of some lawyers, the judges having lunch at the "judges table". As the novel is written by someone who was a judge and counsel at the Yugoslavia Tribunal I trust the stories are legally accurate.
There are some style elements resurfacing in each story: The lunch that is 'an oasis in a desert of chaos', the hated but always mentioned 'dish of the day', the always mentioned dinner flooded with supermarket wine that is described as if it is a real old vintage dug up from a wine cellar.
But some of the humour is hidden in a very British way. Like during the case around a vicar who visited a dominatrix a lot of the words used also have a link to BDSM.
For me it took quite a while to finish the book. Maybe because after a day of legal work a book about court proceedings is less diverting than a bodice ripper or a time travel adventure when I am reading in bed. But it is also the effect of the novel being in fact a series of short stories: after finishing one I put the book away for something else to return to it when I had finished the other book. The stories might even work better as a weekly tv-series.
Nevertheless a good read if you like courtroomdrama's or have an interest in legal matters.
Like in "Judge John Deed" Judge Walden is presiding over several cases that are told as a series of short stories. I understand that plans are in progress to turn this novel and it's predecessor into a tv-series as well.
Judge Walden is the RJ (the presiding judge we would call that in The Netherlands, the legal boss of the court) of a small court in a not so wealthy part of London. With three other judges he has to rule on all kind of cases while in the meantime being annoyed by "the grey smoothies" from the government who hassle him about costs and have the most brilliant but unworkable ideas. Charles Walden is married to the reverent mrs Walden and over dinners with supermarket wine they discuss their days.
For someone who is a lawyer and who worked herself at a district court, some of the things mentioned are "a feast of recognition" as we would say in my country. The red tape, the money problems, the brilliance of some lawyers, the judges having lunch at the "judges table". As the novel is written by someone who was a judge and counsel at the Yugoslavia Tribunal I trust the stories are legally accurate.
There are some style elements resurfacing in each story: The lunch that is 'an oasis in a desert of chaos', the hated but always mentioned 'dish of the day', the always mentioned dinner flooded with supermarket wine that is described as if it is a real old vintage dug up from a wine cellar.
But some of the humour is hidden in a very British way. Like during the case around a vicar who visited a dominatrix a lot of the words used also have a link to BDSM.
For me it took quite a while to finish the book. Maybe because after a day of legal work a book about court proceedings is less diverting than a bodice ripper or a time travel adventure when I am reading in bed. But it is also the effect of the novel being in fact a series of short stories: after finishing one I put the book away for something else to return to it when I had finished the other book. The stories might even work better as a weekly tv-series.
Nevertheless a good read if you like courtroomdrama's or have an interest in legal matters.
May 24, 2018
I was delighted to return to the behind the scene court chambers of Bermondsey in this the second book of the series. I had already got to know the basics of who did what to keep the courts working smoothly but there are some interesting and unusual elements that disrupt the normal day-to-day life in this ‘session’. Among all the disruption daily life tries and mostly succeeds to carry on be it at times very noisily.
Charlie Walden is a cracking character that has dismissed the stuffy, boring and head in the clouds image that I had set in my mind of a man in his postion, before reading these books. He comes across as a wise and thoughtful man who doesn’t pre-judge the people in his court. He does have the ear of a confidant, his lovely wife, the Reverend. She is definitely his third eye to find solutions that he at times struggles with.
There are five unique court cases that I was privy to hear. I really loved playing judge and jury myself as to if I thought the people in the dock were guilty or innocent. There are a very mixed bunch of cases, from ones that made me giggle to the more serious. I held on to every word. Loved the market trader one, super touch at the end! What I really liked was the whole experience not only from Walden’s home life to court cases but also the backroom scenes of stubborn judges that stick to traditional methods to up and coming young lawyers determined to stand their ground. It makes for fascinating reading.
There was only one thing I hated about this light and entertaining book and that was I finished it. It would make for super Sunday evening TV viewing. So looking forward to more of this series.
Charlie Walden is a cracking character that has dismissed the stuffy, boring and head in the clouds image that I had set in my mind of a man in his postion, before reading these books. He comes across as a wise and thoughtful man who doesn’t pre-judge the people in his court. He does have the ear of a confidant, his lovely wife, the Reverend. She is definitely his third eye to find solutions that he at times struggles with.
There are five unique court cases that I was privy to hear. I really loved playing judge and jury myself as to if I thought the people in the dock were guilty or innocent. There are a very mixed bunch of cases, from ones that made me giggle to the more serious. I held on to every word. Loved the market trader one, super touch at the end! What I really liked was the whole experience not only from Walden’s home life to court cases but also the backroom scenes of stubborn judges that stick to traditional methods to up and coming young lawyers determined to stand their ground. It makes for fascinating reading.
There was only one thing I hated about this light and entertaining book and that was I finished it. It would make for super Sunday evening TV viewing. So looking forward to more of this series.
November 17, 2020
Enjoyed this just as much as the first one. British humour, court conundrums and bureaucratic bafflegab.
However, a couple passages made me wonder if the author gets out much and into the world at all. He apparently doesn't know the correct difference between a hijab, burqa and niqab. I suppose I could excuse it if it was just European women's clothing he was confused about - many men are. But to not yet have sorted women's clothing that has had court cases and constitutional challenges over it bodes ill for a judge. He also doesn't seem to realise the 'Rom' is an acronym, as in CD-ROM and needs to take capital letters.
And I do worry about the poor man's health with his diet.
However, a couple passages made me wonder if the author gets out much and into the world at all. He apparently doesn't know the correct difference between a hijab, burqa and niqab. I suppose I could excuse it if it was just European women's clothing he was confused about - many men are. But to not yet have sorted women's clothing that has had court cases and constitutional challenges over it bodes ill for a judge. He also doesn't seem to realise the 'Rom' is an acronym, as in CD-ROM and needs to take capital letters.
And I do worry about the poor man's health with his diet.
August 20, 2018
Quite an enjoyable book, not as good as Rumpole, but close. The case detail were better but the rhythm and flow is not quite as good. I would recommend it to anyone who likes court room fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews