Judge Walden: Back in Session

I really enjoyed this book. Judge Walden is a sympathetically portrayed character who recounts fascinating tales of interesting cases at Bermondsey Crown Court.

The Judge has a way with words and is an accomplished story teller and the five short stories are full of gentle wit and humour as well as demonsrating a deep knowledge of the law.

Very entertaining and highly recommended.

Having read the previous book of the exploits of the Judge and the characters before and on the bench at Bermondsey Crown Court, I was delighted to be able to met them again and enjoy the tales of trials and the machinations that go on behind the scenes and in the corridors of the law and politic. If you miss Rumpole and "she who must be obeyed" then do not worry, Judge Walden and the Reverend Mrs Walden are here to keep you entertained.

A.P. Herbert, Henry Cecil and of course John Mortimer all wrote series of books about the going’s on in British courts. Their manner of writing, scene setting and character development seem to have been well studied by this author. If you liked them you will care for these tales set in contemporary London.

Some of the characters are described in ways similar to the manner used to portray the working classes in 1940s films so lack realism and depth as we are encouraged to laugh, sometimes wryly, at their foibles from a lofty if not smug perspective.

Lightweight and gently amusing with a sense of irony and with correct legal procedures this book has engaging if not always fully believable characters. There seems a similarity in the plots and story construction to some of the Rumpole fables by John Mortimer and Mortimer’s tales perhaps remain definitive in this genre.

These accounts from the observing perspective of a crown court judge are a tad predictable to those familiar with the genre but nevertheless a warmly enjoyable light read which could be turned into radio plays or TV drama.

Quite an enjoyable book, not as good as Rumpole, but close. The case detail were better but the rhythm and flow is not quite as good. I would recommend it to anyone who likes court room fun.

A very entertaining and enjoyable book. It was really interesting to read how the the Criminal courts system works.
The case and the characters were very interesting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd and Netgalley for the ARC

What a delightful book this is. The inevitable comparison will be to Rumpole, how could it not be, but the comparison is inadequate. Murphy is not Mortimer, and Charlie Walden is not Horace Rumpole. For one thing, Charlie is a Circuit Judge, not a barrister who only defends. For another, we see the trials from the point of view of the presiding judge, not one of the participants. But they are legal stories, and as in Rumpole we see his colleagues and the machinations of others. I think a better comparison in general, if we must compare, is to Henry Cecil; Rumpole being sui generis.

There are stories about five trials in this book, each one a little gem. I think of the five my favorite is the last one, L’Entente Cordiale, but it was hard to choose. I greatly dislike spoilers, so I am not going to give any. Each story has a satisfying ending, and following the ins-and-outs of British law is most enjoyable.

Peter Murphy is himself a Resident Judge (it seems to mean the head judge in each court building) and does not hold back in showing the reader the conflicts the judicial system has when it rubs up against politics and politicians. The other judges in the court are Hubert, Majorie and “Legless,” are fun to get to know, and the judicial staff are given their due. I might also mention the Reverend Mrs Walden, Charlie’s devoted and dearly loved vicar wife, has her part to play in the book.

I highly recommend Judge Walden. There is an earlier book, “Walden of Bermondsey,” which I have not read, but I fully intend to do so. This book was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to the continuing adventures in the Bermondsey Crown Court.

I really, really enjoyed this. It's a wry, witty take on the English court system, as seen through the eyes of a Resident Judge in charge of a small Crown Court in central London. It follows him through a series of cases, all separate and distinct, but with the machinations of the courts going on behind the scenes. The characters are fun, the cases are fun and it's all just so well put together. I find it quite hard to come up with a category for this because it's not really a mystery or a crime book so much as it is a look at life. I want more please!

Cases from a Bermondsey Crown Court Judge

Judge Walden, chief judge of the Bermondsey Crown Court, is basically satisfied with his life. He and his wife, the Reverend Mrs. Walden live in Bermondsey not far from her church of St. Althelbrugh and All Angels in Southwark. The three judges who staff the Crown Court and mostly compatible although Judge Walden occasionally has to settle spats, and his cases are satisfying since he knows the neighborhood well. The only unsettling aspect of his job is dealing with the Gray Smoothies, the bureaucrats trying save money for the public by squeezing the court ever harder.

The book consists of five cases. Each case is a complete short story in which we see not only the working of the court system, but also behind the scenes to the relationships between the judges and others working at the court as well as the politics engendered by the machinations of the Gray Smoothies.

I enjoyed each of the cases. The characters, particularly the defendants, are cleverly drawn. Even some of the jurors are amusing. The plot of each case may seem straightforward, but each ends with a twist. There is no violence or hot sex, but the stories draw you in. The writing has humorous passages as well as more serious takes on the legal profession. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories about the legal profession and the court system.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

As the book is described, reading this book is very much like imaging what it would have been like to read a book about Rumpole if he had become a judge.
Judge Walden is the senior resident judge at Bermondsey Crown Court. He presides with great wisdom with his three colleagues (some wise and some not so wise...). They try to get on with their day to day work of dispensing order and justice but Judge Walden had to deal with interference from the ‘Grey Smoothies’ aka the Civil Servants.
Each chapter deals with a different case or two that are before Judge Walden, alongside the day to day dealings with the Grey Smoothies and Waldens colleagues a his wonderfully bright, funny and intelligent wife who is a vicar.
The cases are very varied dealing with (amongst others) drug smuggling, blackmail, a litigant in person defending himself against a charge of theft of a motor vehicle and a case of international importance as well as of great significance to Bermondsey Crown Court.
These are a great selection of stories which can be read altogether as a novel or picked up and put down again almost like a set of self contained short stories due to the nature of each chapter moving onto a new case.
Highly recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

although this sometimes felt overly spelled out (it is a lawyer writing and a judge's gig after all), the dilemmas were important and the vignettes were clear and enticing. in one a pink-haired prosecutor is lambasted and it gets into the paper in another, the putatively guilty party says he couldn't have done it given he has more important crime in mind. the Judge has a pastor wife who is pragmatic and helps him at home - things are never too grizzly - and the exploration of all issues - from members of the jury to the nature of how the courts work and the kind of thought that goes into it all is front-and-center - i liked that. and the judge is a tolerant worldly man. well done, very smart ...

Gentle reflections on the court chambers of Bermondsey - this is NOT a hard hitting expose and probably paints Judge Walden's world with too many pastels which can be occasionally frustrating but really not what you came for when opening this book. I enjoyed it as it reminded me a bit of the Constable series - rose colored glass reminisces of a closed community. A recommend.

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

A foray into all things British, by way of their court system and the savvy and agreeable Judge Walden. These are Rumpolean tales of cases being tried and the behind the scenes machinations. A brief but enticing example: the case of a vicar being tried for theft after he used church funds to pay off a dominatrix who he paid to deliver up close and personal penance. Lovely dry and intelligent British humor and very enjoyable. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

This book was entertaining in a charming way. To give you an idea, I would describe it as having the Old English feel. At least, that’s what I think as an outsider but I’m no expert.


We follow Resident Judge Charlie Walden as he presides over cases. Readers get to see how each case affects his life and the court. Peter Murphy’s writing feels as if someone’s telling you this story over a hot drink. Readers will feel like they want to hear more but not in ‘gripping-the-edge-of-your-seat’ way, but more like ‘Hey, what happened to that fella you told me about the last time we met?’.

Reading Judge Walden: Back in Session was a refreshing change of pace to my usual genres because I’m actually reading about someone who’s going through the motions with their job. It’s almost like job-shadowing. Peter Murphy gives readers a peek into a judge’s mind. Before this, I used to view judges as this eminent figure who has great power. As a result, judges are more humanised in my eyes and I’m able to empathise with them now that I understand more about their lives as affected by their career.

This book works excellently as a standalone. However, upon research, I discovered that Judge Walden: Back in Session is a sequel to Walden of Bermondsey.

Be warned though that this book is not for everyone because excitement happens at staggered events. If you enjoy having day-to-day conversations, then you will enjoy this book.

This was my first book by Peter Murphy, and I thoroughly enjoyed. The writing style was enjoyable, the actual storyline interesting and over the stories the characters developed - always a good sign. I look forward to reading ,ore books in this series.