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rjleamon11's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed The Black Cat after a long break from Martha Grimes's Richard Jury novels. As usual, Grimes provides an odd combo of murder, detection, personal demons, quirky characters, and what really feels like complex inside jokes. I read The Old Wine Shades three? two? years ago and enjoyed/was frustrated by Grimes's deliberate refusal to solve the mystery/punish the bad guy/explain anything, and The Black Cat (there are actually three black cats--and three dogs--and they do communicate telepathically) follows the same m.o. by referring to characters and events from that same book, but with no real explanation or clarification. To explain: that means that one whole plot line of this later book all refers, in a "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" manner, to a completely different book that was almost completely opaque even when one was reading it firsthand. THANK GOD that was only one plot line. The other plot line dealt with women living double lives, and I have to admit I got DeeDee/Kate/Chris pretty muddled up for most of the time as well. However, that plot line did have a whole "murderer confesses in detail" scene that tied everything up.
Oh, and Jury's love life is continuing in its usual disastrous way. His former love is in a coma, Carole-Anne is as immature and frustrating as ever, Polly shows up once, the call girl he meets is a floozy, not a stunner. . . .
However, I did enjoy the book! It feels that Martha Grimes couldn't give a damn that probably 1/3 of her readers want a straight police procedural, 1/3 of them want a cozy mystery driven by zany characters, and 1/3 want something challenging that involves particle physics and probability (maybe I should rearrange those percents)--and then there's the whole population that likes stories "written by" animals! She seems to be having a wonderful time writing what she wants to write, slamming around from inside jokes to high fashion to string theory and back. It's like watching YoYo Ma, in cutoffs and a tee shirt, sit in a lawn chair and play some of his favorite tunes, top 40 and otherwise. The Black Cat would not be a good first Martha Grimes book, but I think it's a very good 12th (or whatever number it is).
Oh, and Jury's love life is continuing in its usual disastrous way. His former love is in a coma, Carole-Anne is as immature and frustrating as ever, Polly shows up once, the call girl he meets is a floozy, not a stunner. . . .
However, I did enjoy the book! It feels that Martha Grimes couldn't give a damn that probably 1/3 of her readers want a straight police procedural, 1/3 of them want a cozy mystery driven by zany characters, and 1/3 want something challenging that involves particle physics and probability (maybe I should rearrange those percents)--and then there's the whole population that likes stories "written by" animals! She seems to be having a wonderful time writing what she wants to write, slamming around from inside jokes to high fashion to string theory and back. It's like watching YoYo Ma, in cutoffs and a tee shirt, sit in a lawn chair and play some of his favorite tunes, top 40 and otherwise. The Black Cat would not be a good first Martha Grimes book, but I think it's a very good 12th (or whatever number it is).
writingweb's review against another edition
1.0
The Jury novels have lately become noticeably formulaic, particularly now that Jury is obsessed with Harry Johnson and Mungo. I think this is the third book in a row? It's completely interfering with whatever mystery might be going on, to the point where this book didn't actually make much sense.
kathrynmunro's review against another edition
2.0
Grimes seems to be writing by formula. The asides and thoughts and angst and silliness ... Even the rhythm of the story is the same.
vtbaej's review against another edition
4.0
Martha Grimes is one of my favorite mystery writers. I always enjoy her books and recommend them if you like a good, Agatha-Christie-type book.
trashpanda2's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
katibruneau's review against another edition
2.0
I gave up around page 65 ... it just wasn't holding my attention. No hard feelings, Martha Grimes.
beckmank's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this Richard Jury mystery more than the last few Martha Grimes has published. The murder and investigation were interesting - an unidentified woman is found dead, wearing a designer dress and shoes. Who was she? As the mystery unfolds other women are murdered. Jury is sure they are connected, but how?
In a typical Jury mystery we usually have a nice (funny) secondary story involving Melrose Plant and the Long Pidd crew. Melrose shows up (although his sideline doesn't get going until the latter half of the book), but the Long Pidd gang only gets one very small chapter - maybe 3 pages if I remember correctly. This was my great disappointment in the book. Melrose and his friends usually have a humorous storyline going on which adds color and fun to the seriousness of Jury's investigation. Instead, Melrose get's paired up with 3 cats and Harry Johnson's dog Mungo. By the end it was humorous, but I really missed the Jack and Hammer crowd. They left a great hole in the story.
Instead of the usual crowd, Harry Johnson is present again in this book. (For backstory, read The Old Wine Shades.) I didn't feel he added much, except for bringing along his dog. A lot of the side story was dedicated to Mungo and three cats.
Otherwise, a good mystery. Next time I hope she leaves the animals at home and brings back Melrose & Co!
In a typical Jury mystery we usually have a nice (funny) secondary story involving Melrose Plant and the Long Pidd crew. Melrose shows up (although his sideline doesn't get going until the latter half of the book), but the Long Pidd gang only gets one very small chapter - maybe 3 pages if I remember correctly. This was my great disappointment in the book. Melrose and his friends usually have a humorous storyline going on which adds color and fun to the seriousness of Jury's investigation. Instead, Melrose get's paired up with 3 cats and Harry Johnson's dog Mungo. By the end it was humorous, but I really missed the Jack and Hammer crowd. They left a great hole in the story.
Instead of the usual crowd, Harry Johnson is present again in this book. (For backstory, read The Old Wine Shades.) I didn't feel he added much, except for bringing along his dog. A lot of the side story was dedicated to Mungo and three cats.
Otherwise, a good mystery. Next time I hope she leaves the animals at home and brings back Melrose & Co!
shosh0427's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the twist at the end. But I really wish she would kill off Harry.