Rumpole Misbehaves

by: John Mortimer

Published by: Viking

Reviewed by Vanessa Lee

The so-called crime of a young boy playing football on a quiet residential street, and the murder of a prostitute, don’t seem at all related. But when Horace Rumpole is called in to represent the defendants in both cases, he finds the strangest connections.

Young Timson’s Anti-Social Behavior Order (ASBO) seems ridiculous. Weatherby’s murder charge seems unbeatable. Rumpole is facing an ASBO of his own – for eating, drinking, and smoking in chambers – and he’s not likely to be awarded the silk he covets. And to top it all, She Who Must Be Obeyed is playing bridge with a judge and thinking of reading for the bar herself.

Rumpole blunders through the pages with the grace and charm of a drunken elephant, but readers will find him strangely endearing, and root for him against the evils of Political Correctness, Good Nutrition, and Government.

Mortimer’s writing might be a little confusing for those unfamiliar with the British legal system – barristers vs. solicitors and different types and levels of robes – there is nothing so confusing it cannot be puzzled out from context clues or a quick Internet search, and the idiosyncrasies give the novel a certain exciting flavor. Readers familiar with Rumpole’s world will slide right in and new readers will find a comfortable spot with a little effort.

Rumpole Misbehaves is a new-fangled book – complete with social commentary and environmental activism – with old-fashioned charm and style. Occasionally modern technology seems out of place as Mortimer’s writing hearkens back to the heyday of the private detective novel, but generally the merge is seamless, transporting you to a world that is not quite this one but rings very true nonetheless.

Fans of cozy mysteries and older detective novels will enjoy Rumpole Misbehaves. The book’s old world charm meshes with the main character’s modern brashness in just the right way to provide a funny, engaging, and somehow thoughtful novel.

Armchair Interviews says: If you love cozies, and especially British mysteries, check this out.