[.ca] The Man with a Load of Mischief (ISBN 0451412524)

the very first Melrose and Plant mystery:
The first Inspector Richard Jury and Melrose Plant mystery deals with dark secrets that haunt the village of Long Piddleton, where a series of murders have taken place. More over, this is where you get to meet all the lovable characters of Grimes delightful British Mystery series, all named after Brit pubs. Jury is super investigator, but he must deal with the political side of his job, which he doesn't handle in the same deft fashion as he does solving cases. You also meet Melrose Plant, a mutli-titled Peer of the Realm, who has recently given up his titles, a spot on detective himself, though amateur. His dotty, social-climbing American Aunt Agatha Ardry, determined to be British by osmosis - leaching off her dear, long suffering nephew while eating all the faerycakes. Ruthven, the ever-efficient butler (who never did it!). Grimes loads the tale with a stable of supporting characters, and enough red herrings to make a lunch! Curry is the perfect narrator to bring Grimes prose alive. All her books can be stand alone, but you enjoy them so much more if you start with this one and work your way through.

The First Richard Jury Novel!:
Lately it seems when I've started reading a mystery series I've started in the middle or at the end of things. I was quite pleased when I came across this book, helpfully labelled "The First Richard Jury Novel!", and decided to turn over two new leaves: starting a new series and beginning at the beginning for a change. I found the first couple chapters a bit of tough sledding. Grimes, an American author intent on establishing the setting and tone of an "English Mystery" lays on the Anglicized idioms a bit thick. By about a third of the way through, though, either she laid off or I started to roll with it because I was fully into the story at that point. If you've read her later books, you can probably eliminate quite a few of the suspects on the grounds that they show up later with no mention of being homicidal maniacs. As a first-time-reader I spent a lot of time guessing whodunit (or, rather, hoping someone hadn't done it - "Oh, don't let it be him" and "Oh, don't let it be her"). The ending relies on the knowledge of a bit of English geographic trivia (well, I suppose it's not trivial to the people who live there), but there are a few other clues that savvy sleuths can use to get the job done just as well. While Richard Jury isn't a Poirot, Wimsey, or Dalgliesh (at least not in his first outing), he still is a first-rate literary creation. If you're looking to start a new series of detective fiction, this is a good place to begin. After the first book, I know I'm hooked.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Thing...:
I have read maybe 10 or 12 of Grime's Jury/Plant mysteries in no particular order, and I loved every single one of them. However, I was quite surprised this year that I have been able to reread 2 of them so far ("The Old Silent" and "Man With a Load of Mischief") and enjoy them as much as the first time! The humor and her perfect timing are as fresh the 2nd time around, and I had honestly forgotten many of her subtle clues. For anyone new to Grimes, she is an absolutely masterful mystery writer. What sets her apart is her focus on a pair of sharp, witty, handsome and ultimately vulnerable 40 year old bachelors, Jury and Plant. Jury and Plant are so endearing in their development - as opposed to a Poroit or Holmes - that you wish you actually knew them or people like them. In fact, you feel like you do know them. Their surrounding cast of characters - Lady Ardry, Vivian, Trueblood, Scroggs, Withersby, Wiggins, Fiona, Mrs. Wasserman, Racer - all heighten your appreciation of the main characters. In this particular book, the first in the series, you get to see Grimes set the stage with all these characters. How does Jury (an inspector with the New Scotland Yard) ever hook up with Plant (a part-time professor who gave up his titles years ago)? Why is Trueblood in Long Pidd? What is Plant and Vivian's history? How do you pronounce Ruthven? What is the deal with the names of pubs in England (a central theme for Grimes)? The basic plotline in this book is that 2 men - strangers to the small village of Long Pidd - have been strangled and left to be discovered in very odd ways. The reason for their murders is so obscure that Scotland Yard gets brought in to help out. After Jury arrives on the scene, however, the murders don't stop. What is the connection between these random people? Will the entire population of the small town be killed off before the murderer is found? Will Jury and Plant become good friends? All these questions are answered as Grimes also masterfully laces her humorous storyline with clues and names that point to solution of these mysterious murders.

Fun Book !!:
The Man With a Load of Mischief is a fun book. I quickly connected with the main characters. The action was fast and the plot kept me entertained throughout.

A Must For The Grimes Collector:
I must have read 5 or 6 Richard Jury Mysteries before I came into a copy of ...Load Of Mischief. This, being her first, is a must for fans of Martha Grimes. This is where her reoccurent characters meet! It's a wonderful, weaving mystery, filled with webs of deception and her marvelous blend of humor. This is a must mystery!