The Man with a Load of Mischief (1981)

This isn't the first that I've read in this series, but it has been a long time, certainly before this blog was started. There is a Golden Age, almost antiquarian flavour, to the novel, and murders abound. It is the first novel in the series and introduces D.I. Richard Jury and dilettante Melrose Plant, and a range of other interesting characters. The action is set in some colourfully named pubs.

An enjoyable read particularly if you are looking for a series with a Golden Age flavour. ( )

This is the first book in the Richard Jury mystery series.

It is winter in Long Piddleton, England. A man is found murdered in the cellar of the Man With a Load of Mischief pub. He has been strangled, then placed hanging out of a beer keg with his head submerged in the keg. Shortly after, another man is found dead at the Jack and Hammer pub. He is hanging from the beam of the pub’s sign.

Scotland Yard sends Jury out to solve these murders. The men are no locals and no one knows either of them. Are the murders related and if so how?

While Jury is investigating these first murders, two more pub murders happen. The residents of Long Piddleton wonder who among them is the guilty party. They all have secrets to hide. The only exception is Melrose Plant, a local who has long links to the area. Plant has other ideas and shares them with Jury as they become friends.

This is where Jury and Plant connect, which is nice to know, as I’ve read other books in the series. I have more books to read, which makes me happy. ( )

murder 16 years ago causes 4 more in pubs, 1st in Jury/Plant series

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Martha Grimes - The Man with a Load of Mischief: Richard Jury is a hoot, but the characters seem awfully dated for a 2003 mystery. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

humor, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, friendship

Meet the characters who defy the labels usually assigned to them. The murders are weird and so is the town, no wonder that this series stands the test of time.
Steve West is the best narrator for this madcap bunch. ( )