A Rumpole Christmas

Rumpole of the Bailey #16.1

by John Mortimer

The first ever collection of Rumpole Christmas stories, just in time for the holidays. A Rumpole Christmas is a collection of five holiday stories - never before published in book form - depicting the Old Bailey hack at his lovable best. In 'Rumpole and Father Christmas' the English barrister encounters a familiar-looking Santa who he thinks is a thief. In 'Rumpole's Slimmed Down Christmas' he goes to a new-age spa when 'She who must be obeyed' insists that he lose a few pounds. In 'Rumpole and the Christmas Break' he protects Hilda as a shady judge flirts with her while on a holiday that turns out to be anything but relaxing.

Rumpole and Father Christmas --
Rumpole's slimmed-down Christmas --
Rumpole and the boy --
Rumpole and the old familiar faces --
Rumpole and the Christmas break

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Fiction, Short Stories, Humor, Holiday, British Literature

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2009

About the author

John Clifford Mortimer was a novelist, playwright and former practising barrister. Among his many publications are several volumes of Rumpole stories and a trilogy of political novels, Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets, featuring Leslie Titmuss - a character as brilliant as Rumpole. John Mortimer received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.

Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horace Rumpole, Mortimer's most unusual barrister, is back one final time in a collection of short stories Mortimer wrote in this decade for several British magazines. It was a treat to have one more chance to experience the world through Rumpole's eyes --- from conflicts in "chambers" to the domestic duties under "she who must be obeyed."
This is only for those who have already developed a taste for the character, not for those who are just starting out.

This time I am reviewing the hardbound version rather than the CDs
Re-investing in this slim volume brings excellent returns. It's been a while since I have read any of Mortimer's stories about this self-described "Old Bailey hack." Mortimer knows how to bring a smile to the reader while blending a menagerie of London characters. In this collection, I would like to recommend "Rumpole and the Boy" as a Christmas delight ... happy ending and all.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horace Rumpole, that Old Bailey hack, is at it again, preserving the innocent and undermining the pompous with his razor wit.

A Rumpole Christmas comprises some heart-warming tales, but it's also somewhat sad to read these stories knowing they were published posthumously within the same year of John Mortimer's death. He was a busy writer in his later years, churning out an impressive Rumpole cannon.



Often the stories are very short, relative to Mortimer's average. In fact, a couple of them are mere ideas, nothing more than a scene that evokes a feeling, mostly of goodwill and Christmas cheer in the Rumpole fashion. Daft buggers like Uncle Tom and the cretant Claude Erskine Brown show up to entertain the reader and/or annoy Rumpole. Pommeroy's wine bar and "She Who Must Be Obeyed" appear or at least get mentioned in every story, as per usual. Rumpole beats the odds, often having to do battle with an unnaturally difficult judge, and - if not always victorious - gets to the bottom of the case.

The Rumple stories here-in are not classic, must-read literature, but if they strike your fancy they can provide a very pleasant diversion, and A Rumpole Christmas, while not the best of the Rumpole series, makes for a pleasant enough Christmas time read.

[Ilana (illi69) · Rating 4 out of 5]

December 16, 2018
Just finished my second listen of this earlier this evening and really enjoyed it. I have no idea what it's like EYE-reading Rumpole, having only taken him in via audiobooks so far with narrators I've dearly enjoyed previously who make the experience a big part of the fun. Another part of the fun is that I only became aware of Rumpole via a book friend on another bookish platform called LibraryThing. Paul is originally from England but lives in Malaysia with his Malay wife and always mentions her as "SWMBO" and when asked, is happy to say it's an acronym meaning "She Who Must Be Obeyed" taken from this Rumpole series, which made me of course curious to discover the hapless barrister who talks of his wife thusly, and as I'm listening to these humorous short stories about court proceedings which always seem headed for disaster, and a marriage based on mere politeness at best, I always think of Paul fondly because he clearly loves his wife very much and has a wonderful dry British sense of humour of the kind I've always enjoyed. And as I'm not in touch with Paul very often, Rumpole is my way of wishing Paul well, even though he might not know it. All quite warm and fuzzy feelings centred around a rather grumpy but after all kind old geezer of an English barrister at the Old Bailey's court. Perhaps not to everyone's taste, but I'm definitely fond of the old codger and as I don't celebrate Christmas and this is a very sad season for me which too vividly reminds me of the distance I've had to put between family and myself, it's nice to have a tradition of sorts I can return to thanks to John Mortimer and his plonk drinking fat old boy. Paul was a good one to share a heartbreaking personal story or two with here and there too... which reminds me I should probably send him a note, as it's been a while.

*****

This review is from December 2015, with a few recent edits. I'll be picking up this audiobook again this month to celebrate the seasonal spirit (snerk!). A Rumpole Christmas is quite short and very much bittersweet with an emphasis on the bitterness and very little sweetness please, just as I like it. lol

I'm a recent fan of "GRumpole", having just discovered him for myself a week ago, with the first book in the series, Rumpole of the Bailey, with Patrick Tull narrating on the version I listened to. I thought no one else could possibly do Rumpole quite as briliantly as Tull did, with his rumbly old mariner who'se possibly tippled heavily all his life kinda voice, but must say I enjoyed Bill Wallis's performance as the hapless yet sympathetic barrister tremendously as well.

Rumpole is no great fan of the Christmas season, which every year brings him a new tie from She Who Must Be Obeyed (aka his wife Hilda) and a yet another bottle of lavender water to said unbending and unappreciative wife, who drags him from one Christmas engagement he can little look forward to to yet another worse engagement, with the finale being a stay at a "health farm" where the best he can hope for finally takes place: a murder suspect to defend and to finally take him away from insipid health food and miserable company. A very entertaining holiday read that I'll be sure to return to regularly during the Christmas season, to take me away from all that tediously fake good cheer while I'm inevitably going through seasonal depression, just like most people who have health issues and or/no small children and/or no sane or welcoming families to celebrate with.

GRumpole to the rescue! 😁

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spirit of true confession: I have never read anything by John Mortimer before.

I've had him recommended by a number of people, I've heard of Rumpole of the Bailey, but never really thought that much about it. Then I recently realized that Emily Mortimer is his daughter, and I don't know why that intrigued me, but it did. Also, one of the best stories in Betsy Burton's THE KING'S ENGLISH is about Sir John Mortimer and the time he came to the King's English for a signing. (Spoiler: he was delightful.) So this Christmas I was looking for something new to read, and I realized that there was a Rumpole Christmas collection, and saw that it was actually recommended as a sampler for Rumpole beginners, and I thought Why not?

Well, what took me so long? These were delightful! I loved Rumpole, and his wife, She Who Must Obeyed, and I loved the way he described his fellow barristers and the judges and everything. A couple of the stories were clearly a bit of filler or fluff for Rumpole fans, but several were well-plotted mini mysteries in their own right. This is a great little collection, fun for Christmas, whether or not you've read John Mortimer before!

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these; I love Rumpole. Many of the stories were She Who Must Be Obeyed booking them into a hotel for Christmas and then disaster striking (a dead body at one, a fellow jurist at another) but Rumpole always manages to solve the riddle at hand.

I love the language: describing Old Gravestone (Mr. Justice Graves) he says "had a deep, sepulchral voice and the general appearance of a man waking up with an upset stomach on a wet weekend."

Or "it wasn't Skimpy Simpson's fault that he was born with thin lips and a voice which sounded like the rusty hinge on a rusty gate swinging in the wind."

I enjoyed his description of a good British Pantomime (which really has to be experienced) and the many good breakfasts he ate. The mysteries were surprisingly good and quirky although the stories seem to spend much of the time with Rumpole going about things in the most difficult way, he always seems to get there in the end.

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of short stories all set at Christmas. Light, easy reading and fun for getting in the holiday mood.

[Angie Shere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this little holiday treat for 25 cents after it got weeded from our library. Year's ago, my husband and I enjoyed watching 'Rumpole of the Bailey' on our local PBS channel. This was an enjoyable trip back in time to those days. I love Rumpoles "voice" and his nicknames for others---"she who must be obeyed", "gravestone". I found this a very comforting read.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rumpole character is amusing in a British way. I liked the stories, but the mysteries were not very thrilling. Enjoyed the book and will probably pick up some other Rumpole stories when I want something light and silly to read.

[Matthew Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randomly found this book on a shelf at my office and it ended up being amazing. Really funny and a super easy read. Great for the holidays.

3rd read - this has become one of my favorite books. The stories never get old

[Amy Roebuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mortimer's Rumpole stories are so enjoyable. My parents liked them--and the television series--and I do, as well. Yes, I can tell 'whodunnit' early in the reading, but there are other attractions.
Rereading for a seasonal chuckle in 2025.

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love a Christmas-themed mystery. However, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed these short stories. My FIL watches Rumpole of the Bailey, so I was expecting something more old-fashioned (even roll-your-eye type humor). That’s not what it is. Rumpole is tongue-in-cheek funny, frequently says something of value, and Mortimer‘s mysteries are fairly clever.

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

a gentle Christmas cozy. I'm not familiar with the series, but you get a pretty clear picture of the characters quickly. each story contains some of the same elements (Rumpole's favorite pub, nickname for his wife, and the rote exchange they make every year), so it becomes familiar right away. then each story ends with some heartwarming type of scene, or the spirit of christmas is saved, etc. full of seasonal details.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read any other Rumpole stories and haven't seen the show for a long time, so I'm sure many of running jokes were lost on me, but I still enjoyed these light Christmas-themed mysteries.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of good humor and festive crime.

[Jim Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun.

[Leslie Fitzwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect light diversion for the rush of December.

[Tony Moisan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasant read. Liked it quite a bit. Should find more about the fun character.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barrister Horace Rumpole, defender of the criminal class, loves his work. Fortunately, work finds him even during the Christmas holidays, as readers will discover to their delight in this collection of five Rumpole stories.

In "Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces," the barrister recognizes an old client who had run an exceptionally successful blackmailing operation. Now discovering him with a new name and assumed respectability at a country church event, Rumpole "suggests" that he make a sizable donation for church repairs, something Rumpole himself was asked to do.

"This is bloody blackmail!" Dicko Perducci, now known as Donald Compton, said.

"Well," I told him, "you should know."

Author John Mortimer, himself a former barrister, became a hugely successful novelist and playwright. His Rumpole character is funny, wry, always looking for an excuse to pour a glass of Pommeroy's Chateau Embankment, even when such behavior has been banned in his offices, and eager for his next case. When his wife, Hilda, books them into a health farm over Christmas, it is Rumpole's good fortune to help discover the true murderer of one of the guests who had been locked into the steam room.

In "Rumpole and the Christmas Break," the best story in this collection, the barrister has to defend a young Muslim student who wrote a death threat to a university instructor, who was found murdered the night the student was in the building. An impossible case?

Not for Horace Rumpole, whose alert eyes and ears, fearless arguing with the judges who always seem to side with the prosecution, and behind-the-scenes detective work make even the most hopeless cases turn on their heads, leaving Rumpole victorious, if still denied the privilege of being named as a Queen's Counsel.

These books are terrific reads, funny and engaging.

[Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

One fun part of reading popular books that are no longer popular is being able to dismiss them so easily. Rumpole was a tv shows popular with the PBS crowd in the eighties which led to several books either based on the episodes or cut from the same cloth. I found this book in a thrift store and read it thinking I'd get a dose of holiday cheer as well reminisce about the old days. Unfortunately, I did neither as this slim volume of Rumpole "stories" are not very good and make no more effort to evoke Christmas than to throw out a line about carols in the air or the exchange of gifts. They are also very British in the way that makes them droll but not funny. sigh.

[Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Mortimer created in Horace Rumpole an enduring figure of British literature that I consider on par with some of the better known characters in their memorability and capacity to entertain.

In this slim volume featuring five short tales all sharing the central theme of taking place during Christmas readers will find Rumpole, his wife Hilda (known to him as She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed), and the other occupants of his Chambers at 3 Equity Court, London all make an appearance.

The stories range from the short and sentimental, to slightly longer Rumpole type mysteries and I find them all in good form. They were previously published in magazine but I doubt many American readers would have had access. It was a joy to find new Rumpole stories that I hadn't read.

This is the sort of short book that would serve as a good introduction to Rumpole if the tv series was unavailable.

(As an aside' having watched the series of Rumpole of the Bailey numerous time I cannot read a Rumpole story without the voice of Leo Mckern in my head...and this is a good thing).

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although listening to this in May is definitely out of season, I had a good time with Rumpole. He and "She who must be obeyed" are interesting characters and the cases in this collection were lots of fun. I am glad I picked this up while I was waiting for my next talking book.

This would not be the book to start with if you have not read any of the Rumpole stories. However, if you have been missing John Mortimer's writing and some how missed this, you should listen as soon as possible.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone's favorite cantakerous lawyer is back for more glasses of Pomeroy's finest, carping at judges, and winning most of his cases. In this collection, Rumpole puts up with Helga's changing plans for Christmas, resorts to a bit of arm-twisting for a good cause, and has a productive trip to the theater. This story collection is a delight for the Rumpole enthusiast, but doesn't really do much new. As always, Bill Wallis brings the collection to delightful life.

[Gary Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable book. I have never read Rumpole of the Bailey stories and I thought I`d try this one. John Mortimer is a very good story teller and I like Rumpole alot. I think this will lead me to read more of his stories. There are 5 stories in this book but I liked the last one most of all. Good book.

[Judy Gehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of fluff. I guess this book proves that short stories are not my favorite. I do adore Rumpole. A couple of the stories were good, a couple more were only so-so. I think it's probably very difficult to write a mystery as a short story.

[Maughn Gregory]

I thought I'd read every Rumpole story and novel before John Mortimer died, so imagine my delight to come across this little gem at Sam Weller's Bookstore in Salt Lake City! Only to be enjoyed with a glass of your local, not-so-fine plonk.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, how I love Rumpole.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of Rumpole mysteries....great stuff

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When all else fails, there's Rumpole. I never read a Rumpole that I didn't like. First story in this collection was one I had read in another. Never mind.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's my turn to choose one or a series of titles for my mystery group's discussion in June so I went with books by the late former barrister turned dramatist and author John Mortimer, in his well-known series from television, radio and print, "Rumpole of the Bailey."
One of the books I read was "A Rumpole Christmas," a compilation of short stories featuring the veteran defense attorney during the holiday season. In "Rumpole and Father Christmas," Horace Rumpole watches in amazement as the spirit of Christmas works its magic in the most unexpected way.
In "Rumpole's Slimmed-Down Christmas," Rumpole's wife Hilda (or as he refers to her out of earshot, "She Who Must Be Obeyed") has broken from the usual holiday celebration at home to take the Old Bailey hack to a health spa in a converted ancestral family home in hopes that he loses a few pounds, when the spa's daily routine of unappetizing meals and unwanted exercise and meditation are disrupted by murder.
In "Rumpole and the Boy," the grizzled old barrister finds a fan in the young son of his current client, while "Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces" has Rumpole's past shaking hands with the present.
Finally, the book ends with a corker of a tale in "Rumpole and the Christmas Break," which the embattled defense attorney looks forward to a brief respite from his current trial where a Muslim college student is on trial for the murder of a professor and everyone stands ready to condemn as a terrorist, including Judge Gerald Graves whom Rumpole refers to as "Old Gravestone," but the respite is short-lived when the barrister finds Graves staying at the same holiday resort… and becoming much too familiar with his wife Hilda.
Mortimer's stories are great fun, showcasing Rumpole's dry wit and keen skills as a detective and advocate for the accused, all while doing battle with judges, prosecutors, police, witnesses, his own clients, his fellow attorneys in chambers and, of course, She Who Must Be Obeyed.
Naturally, due to my familiarity with the TV series, I will always hear the voice of Leo McKern, who was born to play the part of the argumentative, cigar-smoking, Pommeroy wine-drinking barrister Horace Rumpole. I look forward to reading more in the series.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful collection of Christmas stories told from Rumpole of the Old Bailey perspective in which his wife, colleagues,, superiors and ex-clients who show up when least expected. Thanks to the efforts of She Who Must Be Obeyed, Rumpole learns he will not be celebrating Father Christmas as he has traditionally done.
"Christmas was not usually much of a "do" in the Rumpole household. There is the usual exchange of presents; I get a tie and Hilda receives the statutory bottle of lavender water, which seems to be for laying down rather than immediate use. She cooks the turkey and I open the Chateau Thames Embankment, and so our Savior's birth is celebrated."
" I have booked us this year," Hilda announced, "into the Cherry Picker's Hall. You look in need of a rest, Rumpole."
" What was this place she spoke of? A retirement home? Sheltered accommodation? "I'm in the middle of an important murder. I can't pack up and go into a home."

These stories have been most cleverly crafted not unlike any of the others in the series. Having seen the video version courtesy of PBS also available on MHZ, I have become a diehard fan that will not stop reading until all books have been read. I give this one one of my highest recommendations.