Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Melrose is such a loveable snob, and Jury just knows how to push his buttons. As always, I feel like I am visiting with old friends when I read this series.
I wasn't aware that this was a series when I picked it up, and that ended up being a problem. I had very little idea of what was going on, and there were endless side characters who weren't developed and seemed to me to serve no purpose. Usually this sort of series mystery reminds the reader what is going on, and that would have been useful here.
Other problems: I barely remember who got murdered and the solution was clichéd. I was also really confused by the talking animals. One minute I was in a supposedly realistic 'literary mystery' and the next I was reading a dialogue between a cat and a dog. Plus it was so unclear who was talking that it took me three pages to figure out that it was a cat and a dog. Don't start the series by reading this book.
Other problems: I barely remember who got murdered and the solution was clichéd. I was also really confused by the talking animals. One minute I was in a supposedly realistic 'literary mystery' and the next I was reading a dialogue between a cat and a dog. Plus it was so unclear who was talking that it took me three pages to figure out that it was a cat and a dog. Don't start the series by reading this book.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Detective Superintendent Richard Jury finds himself outside his jurisdiction when a beautiful young woman is found dead at the Black Cat pub in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.Thames Valley Police, whose patch it is, have been unable to identify the victim, whose Yves St. Laurent dress and Jimmy Choo shoes speak of wealth and privilege. No one in the village recognizes her, and the only witness to the crime is the pub's cat. Then a second, similar murder occurs in London--this time, the victim's shoes are Louboutin--and Jury has to uncover a web of identities, human and feline, to solve the crimes.
It's been a long while since I read a Martha Grimes mystery, and honestly, I don't know why. I've read them all up to and (now) including this one and enjoyed them immensely. They got me through some tough times. I'm pleased to say that Grimes has lost none of her sparkling wit and humour, nor has time dulled the nib of her mystery-plotting quill. I should have figured it out sooner--everything was there in front of me--but I did not, and I am not disappointed in that.
Jury and his partners in investigation, Sergeant Wiggins and Melrose Plant, are still entertaining. Reading a Martha Grimes Richard Jury mystery is like catching up with old friends, and frankly, for me it's been too long. I won't let that happen again.
It's been a long while since I read a Martha Grimes mystery, and honestly, I don't know why. I've read them all up to and (now) including this one and enjoyed them immensely. They got me through some tough times. I'm pleased to say that Grimes has lost none of her sparkling wit and humour, nor has time dulled the nib of her mystery-plotting quill. I should have figured it out sooner--everything was there in front of me--but I did not, and I am not disappointed in that.
Jury and his partners in investigation, Sergeant Wiggins and Melrose Plant, are still entertaining. Reading a Martha Grimes Richard Jury mystery is like catching up with old friends, and frankly, for me it's been too long. I won't let that happen again.
This book gets three stars simply because Jury manages to pull a trick on Harry Johnson. Otherwise, we've got escorts and those silly "talking" animals again. Yawn. Give me more of Melrose Plant, please, who seems to have receded into a whiny snob rather than flourished with a more multi-faceted personality. Is this really the way the Jury books will end? I hope not.
Oh man...talk about Strangers on a Train. Grimes had me hopping back and forth trying to figure out what happened in spite of all the clues she was droppin'. When Jury was solving the mystery, I finally started droppin'...my jaw...lower and lower.
And just as full of humor as ever...I kept startling the cats when I broke out laughing over and over.
Did not care for the cover. It feels so 50s/70s cocktailish. Not at all pubbish.
And just as full of humor as ever...I kept startling the cats when I broke out laughing over and over.
Did not care for the cover. It feels so 50s/70s cocktailish. Not at all pubbish.
I probably would have given it 4 stars, but it annoys me when an author expects me to remember too much from previous books, particularly in a 22-book series written over a 30 year period.
Back to on good form, this book was wonderful in the most part. I'm not sure why Harry Johnson had to be in it , but apart from that I loved it.
My friend Mindy bought me this book for my birthday because of the cat in the title. She would probably be disappointed that the dog is more of the star. But I did like Jury quite a bit. I'll have to go back and read his story from the beginning. #22! Goodness.
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No