*Starred Review* One of the longest-running jokes in series fiction has been Horace Rumpole's oft-repeated reference to his triumph in the Penge Bungalow case, which he defended in the Old Bailey "alone and without a leader." Fans long tantalized by references to the great legal case of the postwar years now can have a novel-length bath in it. Rumpole, shocked that the newbies in chambers have never heard of this case (they are even a little vague about the identity of Churchill, he feels), commits it to memoir. Mortimer thus gives us two Rumpoles here: the singularly acerbic old Rumpole, still moving through Chambers and the Old Bailey, but also wryly commenting on young "white wig" Rumpole--acerbic, fond of quoting Romantic poets, yes; but also ambitious ("craven," old Rumpole calls it); and very nervous. A lot of mysteries are cleared up along the way: for example, how the criminal family, the Timsons, first fell into Rumpole's lap; how his wife, Hilda ("She Who Must Be Obeyed"), first darkened his door; and the origin of the term "Chateau Thames Embankment." The Penge Bungalow case itself is a rip-snorter: two RAF fliers living next to each other in bungalows right after World War II are both murdered with a German pistol; the accused is the son of one of the victims. Masterful characterization and a spellbinding plot, filled with the arcane lore and intrigues of the Old Bailey, make this one a special treat for devoted Rumpoleans. Connie Fletcher
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Review
"A brilliant piece of work." —The New York Times Book Review"Ambitious and substantial... cleverly conceived and highly satisfying." —Los Angeles Times
About the Author
John Mortimer was the author of the Rumpole series, many of which formed the basis for the PBS-TV series Rumpole of the Bailey. The first book featuring his most famous character, Horace Rumpole, was published by Penguin in 1980. His work also includes many novels and plays and three acclaimed volumes of autobiography. A former barrister, Mortimer, who was knighted in 1998, lived in Oxfordshire, England. He died in January of 2009.
Bill Wallis has performed in over two hundred radio series and plays, while among his numerous productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company are "The Alchemist", "The Master Builder", and "Twelfth Night". He is also a prolific film and television actor, having made numerous appearances in such productions as "Keep the Aspidistra Flying", "Midsomer Murders", "Bad Girls", "Doctors", "Poirot", and as Dr. Nick MacKenzie in "Dangerfield".
Bill Wallis is brilliant as Horace Rumpole, the cantankerous hero of 12 volumes of Mortimer's Wodehousian accounts of life at the Old Bailey. In this entry, Rumpole is writing his memoirs about his long and irreverent career, beginning with his first case, the Penge Bungalow murders. (This is also the case that brought him to the attention of Hilda, aka, "She who must be obeyed.") Wallis's Rumpole sounds just as he should as he narrates his memoir: gruff, wistful, funny, sly, and infuriatingly lovable. Fans of the BBC-TV series will be pleased to learn that he sounds much like its star, Leo McKern, without trying to be a carbon copy. Wallis is also word-perfect with the wild assortment of secondary characters, from members of the British legal profession (who range from loopy to pompous) to Hilda's refined friends to the denizens of the witness box. Listeners will be sorely tempted to listen to this in one sitting and will be disappointed when it ends. R.E.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
