This was an oddly disjointed and confusing read. While I've enjoyed previous Jury books, this one had me constantly flipping back and forth to confirm what I had previously read and who was speaking to whom. If I had not committed to reviewing this book for NetGalley, it would likely have landed in my DNF pile.

There were elements of humor I enjoyed, such as horses named Aggrieved and Aghast.

There was also a reference to Oscar Wilde as a "rent boy" which definitely gave me a chuckle.

Overall, when reading a mystery, I am usually annoyed when life gets in the way of my reading. In this case, I simply didn't care who dunnit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review

I've been away from the Martha Grimes "pub" mysteries for quite some time now and I'm sorry to say The Old Success wasn't very successful for me. This is number 25 in the series and true fans will welcome having Richard Jury and Melrose Plant back but I've been away for a while and I spent a good amount of time being confused. There are so many characters sprinkled throughout the book and a large number of them are actually nothing but names mentioned because they've evidently been added to the character list along the way. I found myself confused about how many deaths were being investigated and by whom. Evidently practically anybody was welcome to jump in the car, plane or boat and go investigating with Jury. He was the only official policeman but that didn't ever seem to matter. There was even one scene where the regular group of friends was gathered in their regular pub to do a recreation of the shooting under investigation; cardboard cutouts included for props. This was of an ongoing criminal investigation. This was also the most relaxed police investigation I think I've ever read about.

Another source if confusion for me was trying to figure out which character was speaking. With three or more in on a conversation I sometimes had to just guess or even just give up. That's not good. I read and re-read many passages trying to get the dialog pointed at the right speaker until I finally didn't care. Sadly I will not be going back to pick up the stories I've missed. In the past this was one of my favorite mystery series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an e-galley of this novel.

Martha Grimes' Richard Jury novels all have the title of a pub (one exception, Vertigo 42 is a wine bar) and a unique and eccentric group of returning characters. The mysteries focus on puzzles rather than violence, almost always have a child and an animal, humorous episodes, and witty conversations.

They are more fun if you have some familiarity with some of the secondary characters because looking forward to the brief appearances of the Long Piddleton crowd is always fun.

The main characters are Richard Jury of Scotland Yard and Melrose Plant his friend and foil. The books are usually considered cozy mysteries, but they are more literary, character-driven, and complex than most cozies.

The Old Success is not my favorite, but I wouldn't miss joining Jury and friends on any new adventure--it is always a pleasure.

In 2012, Martha Grimes was awarded the title of Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, joining such notables as Agatha Christie, John le Carre, Elmore Leonard, Barbara Mertz, Tony Hillerman, and P.D. James (and many other great mystery writers).

Read in July. Blog review scheduled for Oct. 29.

NetGalley/Grove Atlantic
Mystery/Police Procedural. Nov. 5, 2019.

A new Martha Grimes Richard jury mystery another well written multi layered mystery.Richard jury surrounded by interesting characters a wonderful story line,Really enjoyed the latest in the series.#netgalley#groveatlantic.

The Old Success reunites all the Long Piddleton regulars to solve a murder on a remote rocky coast. Longtime fans of Martha Grimes will be delighted to see that the book features the usual cast, plus the addition of a couple of new young characters who are helping out with Melrose’s horse, Aggrieved. The plot, as usual, is secondary. If you look too closely, you will start to wonder why Jury has to keep dropping everything and traveling long distances at the beck and call of Macalvie (seems kind of disorganized), or why all the non-regular characters seem to know everybody, have just the right skills and connections, and appear at just the right time. None of it makes much sense at all. I’m normally impatient with such implausibilities, but with this book I was so happy to be comfily reading a Grimes novel again that I zipped right on through it and did not mind in the slightest. The usual Grimes humor and cute turns of phrase are there (“Jury tried a winning smile. It won.”). I’d take this writing and this motley crew of eccentrics over a fancy plot any day.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

I simply adore Martha Grimes and this was no exception! Reading this was like slipping into a comfy sweater and visiting with old friends. I love the main characters and the eclectic friends; all the characters really. And this story had you thinking you knew, but then second guessing along with the characters. Delightfully amusing!

Martha Grimes returns with a Jury mystery that has most of the usual characters appearing in The Old Success. A Cornish pub this time reflects the title when Jury's called in to assist when a woman's body washes up on one of the tiny isolated Scilly Islands. This leads to lots of trips from the mainland, which seem to be accomplished with relative ease. Having visited the area, I'd take this effortlessness with a grain of salt. But no matter, help Jury does.

The plot is convoluted enough that readers won't figure it out easily at first but in the end is a slight letdown. A highlight for this reader was Melrose Plant's hiring of a young boy to upset his Aunt Agatha in the guise of a long-lost branch of the family. Butler Ruthven must have been smiling with this storyline.

When the body of a French woman washes up on a wild inlet off the Cornish coast, Brian Macalvie, divisional commander with the Devon-Cornwall police is called in. While Macalvie stands in the Scilly Islands, inspector Richard Jury-twenty miles away on Land's End--is at The Old Success pub, sharing a drink with the legendary former CID detective Tom Bronwell, a man renowned for solving every case he undertook. Except one. In the days following the mysterious slaying of the Parisian tourist, two other murders take place: first, a man is shot on a Northhamptonshire estate, then a holy duster turns up murdered at Exeter Cathedral in Devon. Macalvie, Jury and Bronwell, with the help of Melrose Plant set out to discover whether these three killings, though very different in execution, are connected.
The 25th book in the series will not disappoint fans of Richard Jury and Melrose Plant. These books are as much about relationships as they are about mysteries. The book is packed with characters from previous books and silly plots to drive Melrose's aunt Agatha crazy.

While I thought the basics of this mystery, which involves a recent murder and a suspicious death in the past, were ok, I felt like I was dropping into a conversation in progress between several very close and insulated friends. Not having read Grimes's other books in this series, I'm certain that I missed out by not knowing some of the references in the book or the series's underlying arc. This installment, though, was not quite enjoyable or interesting enough to convince me to go to the beginning of the series and read the rest of the books. The characters aren't particularly interesting to me, their processes rely heavily on connections and power rather than personal investigation, and the predominance of male characters in power over female characters in less powerful roles or as victims didn't help.

Martha Grimes distinguishes herself from other writers by sticking with a kooky but interesting cast of characters while adding some new and interesting ones into the mix. Initially, this book opens with the discovery by two young girls of a dead woman submerged in water near one of the Scilly Isles, a group of islands off the southwestern tip of England.

Richard Jury, the lead character in this long series of procedurals is called to assist, arriving by helicopter. The plot moves around geographically to encompass Jury's friend, Melrose Plant. Plant and his group of locals spend much of their time at a pub gossiping and exchanging barbs while Plant does his best to avoid his aunt by marriage, Agatha. Plant has a new neighbor, Flora Flood, who is a guest of the owners while she recovers from an injury sustained in a car accident. Shortly after making her acquaintance, Flora may or may not have killed her estranged husband.

Jury is assisted in his investigations by a retired detective, Tom Brownwell, who is still mourning the apparent suicide of his only daughter. This plot is wide ranging as no sooner is one crime committed than Jury finds himself investigating another. Eventually, the threads come together and, of course, Jury solves the mysteries. These stories are amusing and easy to read.

Richard Jury made his first appearance in 1981, and it seemed plausible that he was a 40-something police detective who had lost his parents in WW2. Jump ahead nearly 40 years, and he still seems to be a 40-something police detective, but somehow the series no longer seems as plausible to me. It is almost as Jury, Melrose Plant, and the rest of the assorted Long Piddleton crew are trapped in a time warp--they stay the same while the world around them has changed. I had a difficult time getting into The Old Success (and I have read at least 20 of the preceding 24 entries in the series), and couldn't muster enough interest to finish. If you are a die-hard Richard Jury fan (as apparently I am no longer) or new to the character, you will probably enjoy this (Martha Grimes can tell a good story). However, if you are like me and unable to reconcile the Jury of the 21st century with the character from the 20th, proceed with caution. I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.

It pains me to write this but I have to say I struggled with MUCH of this latest instalment in Martha Grimes' Richard Jury / Melrose Plant series.

I've written before about my love of this series. Indeed, if someone was to give me a week to binge-read an entire series (and not have to write reviews) I'd choose Martha Grimes or Sue Grafton. Familiar, comfort reads. Generally reliable reads.

I commented in my review of The Knowledge (https://www.debbish.com/books-literature/the-knowledge-by-martha-grimes/ - not embedding link as unsure that works on NG), that I have often been frustrated by the love interests introduced for Jury as he has spectacularly bad taste in women. (As does Melrose I guess.) But I usually enjoy the plots and love the characters. Generally Grimes also does a great job with the children's characters as well. (And I should mention she seems to have a thing for cats.)

Anyhoo, 'most' of the usual players feature in this latest version though some seemingly just there as if they're contracted to play a role or something (thinking of Wiggins and Carole-anne here).

Sadly for me this book was just all over the place. Not only did it not make sense that the cases linked (I couldn't understand how the ex-cop... the likeable Tom) suddenly appeared in Jury's life at the same time as a new case that ENDED UP being linked to his daughter's death. Perhaps he went looking for Jury to ask him to investigate... at least that would have made their encounter less obscure, but.... the huge leaps in deductions often made no sense here.

And I wasn't sure if the editing was off. Had chunks been cut and moved, I wondered? There's early reference to Macalvie wanting Jury to stay on Bryher Island (when he arrives) to interview two girls. But... I waited for that (as I usually like the bits involving kids) he didn't. Instead it happened a long time later. And - related to that was seemingly a confession. But it apparently wasn't. (Not to mention a double-up comment made about accessing a gun!)

And then Jury references something Melrose is reading (p 71) saying his offsider Wiggins was reading the same book. But... Wiggins only comes into the plot later and it's then he's reading the book (p 170).

I note that someone else in Goodreads pondered if this copy (via NetGalley) was an early version so was going to be tidied significantly before its release in several months time. Perhaps. Or hopefully. Though I did note it's released in some places on 20 August, hence my early review.

Someone also commented in Goodreads they struggled with all of the characters introduced. There are usually a few thanks to Melrose's life in Long Piddleton. It's probably still the fictional place I'd most like to live, but that aside, there were a few ring-ins here that I didn't remember from previous books.

There's an early mention of the hotel on the remote Bryher Island, The Hell Bay Hotel and its manager (etc), so I expected it to feature. But it didn't. (As an aside, I would have preferred the book be named after that hotel and centre more around it and the role of people on the island in the death/s.)

The only saviour was the continued humour, likability of Jury and my love of Melrose's (and his friends') eccentric-ness. I'm loath to rate this 2.5 stars so will bump it to 3 because I'd still recommend it but I am disappointed as this has been one of my 'go-to' series (comfort reads) for decades.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

New Scotland Yard DCI Richard Jury is called in to consult on a case when a dead woman is found on a beach of an island off the coast of Cornwall. During the investigation, two other mysterious deaths happen and they seem to be linked in some manner. Jury and two fellow officers, one a local detective and one a former detective, must find how these cases are all linked together.

Good, old-fashioned, police work help the team solve the mystery, as well as clear up an unsolved case, thought to be a suicide.

The Old Success is the latest Richard Jury novel centering around the death of a French tourist off the English coast, which may have links to several (seemingly unrelated) deaths. Jury is joined by his unofficial sidekick Melrose Plant and fellow policeman Brian Macalvie, as they search for connections to the deaths. The pacing and the camaraderie between the investigative team is charming, and the intermittent cameos of the band of eccentric inhabitants of Long Piddleton bring their own sense of levity to the narrative.

One fantastic quality about Grimes' storytelling is how memorable her characters are - years ago, I once spent an entire summer reading all her novels in order, relishing the character development and intriguing cases. References to previous stories are sprinkled about in this story (none of which contain any spoilers) and while it's been years since I read the earlier works, I remembered the context of the reference without having to reread said previous novel.

Another great mystery with interesting characters- highly recommended.

I started reading Martha Grimes in the 1980s and her books have consistently entertained and engaged me. It is hard to believe she is an American author writing so authentically about British characters and culture. The Old Success does not disappoint. There may be a few instances confusing to readers not familiar with the series but it is a minor issue.

3 and 1 / 2 stars

How disappointing. I've been reading the adventures of Richard Jury for many, many years. Although the “gang” is back, this story just doesn't seem to hold together very well. I enjoy spending time with Jury, Trueblood, Diana and the others but this book was either trying too hard or not hard enough. It seemed like a bunch of disparate stories that were loosely tied together. (Are we sure Ms. Grimes wrote it?)

I thought that the murder investigation was done well, but there were many subplots that took off in different directions. I found them to be distracting and wished that the story would get back to the search for the killer.

When it finally did come, the identity of the murderer came as a surprise. I said to myself, “Huh.” I did enjoy the parts of the book that tied the threads together.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for forwarding to me a copy of this fairly good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I have been reading this series since book one many years ago and love Richard Jury and Melrose but this outing had a hard time keeping me involved. There was so much going on. So many plot lines that I could not keep them straight. I was hoping it would all tie together in the end but sadly it just didn't. Under all the confusion lies a good story and I wish the author would have stuck with that. Like another reviewer I stuck with it because I needed to know whodunit. In spite of this I am still looking forward to the next Richard Jury book which I hope comes soon. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

The Old Success follows last year's The Knowledge, a book that I really enjoyed. The Old Success is not quite as good but will still be welcomed by fans of Richard Jury and his eccentric circle of friends. Old readers, for example, will probably love Melrose's latest attempt to get at his aunt. You do not have to have read all the books in the series to pick this up but it may help to know a bit about the cast.

In this novel, there are three murders. One takes place in the Scilly Islands, one in Exeter Cathedral and one on a family estate. Are they linked, and if they are, what is the connection?

As usual, there are characters who are children and essential to the story. In this case, the reader meets Zillah and Zoe. What did they witness? What is their connection to the bigger mystery surrounding the deaths?

The title of the book comes from the name of a pub, as is usual for Martha Grimes. Those in the pubs are witnesses and friends, including a retired police officer who solved all his cases. There is also his granddaughter who is talented at working with horses. Quite a mix.

Of course, all is solved. I read this book quickly. I rate it at 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance read in exchange for an honest review. The book publishes in November.

I have been a fan of Martha Grimes for many years and enjoy the twisted mysteries that she always presents, although I haven't read on for quite awhile, I found myself falling pretty well in step with the story. My only issue is that if one is not familiar with her style of writing, one is apt to get a little lost with the characters and assumed knowledge.
I really enjoyed this books, modern in ways, yet not violent or brash. A good mystery.

This book is a jumble of plots and characters whose stories intersect and collide like the pieces of a kaleidoscope but do not form a cohesive image. I am a fan of Richard Jury and Martha Grimes but this novel failed to engage or interest me. It was a haphazard failure. I feel less is often better and Grimes had to delete some plot lines and embellish others without jumping from one venue to another with such abandon. Not being a Brit, there were many references I could not follow and some language as well. I was disinclined to finish but of course had to know “ whodunit “.