This book was published before the last Rumpole I read, The Antisocial Behaviour of Horace Rumpole, and I was at first uncertain as to whether I had read it or not such is the sheer volume of Rumpole product most of which I have ardently consumed. But no, I hadn’t seen this one before and it didn’t disappoint though calling this slim large type volume a novel is a bit of a stretch. Ah well, Mortimer is always worthwhile especially when you find a remaindered hardback at $6.99. The cover is also a distinct improvement over the paperback covers.Once again Rumpole finds himself involved in a number of legal cases that are very improbably linked and once again Rumpole triumphs over a legal system set against him. The usual cast of colourful characters, most of them hopelessly misguided if not delusional, are Rumpole’s foils and Mortimer’s straw men representing all that he thinks is bad in Britain’s legal system and government. Skewer them he does and, as always, it is most satisfying. Up to date, too. His main target is the recent Labour - or New Labour as he always sarcastically describes it - anti-terror legislation. A Pakistani doctor is accused of terror offences and quite legally imprisoned without trial while a member of the reliably criminal Timson clan is accused of b and e and robbery and yes there is a connection between the two that Rumpole ferrets out with the aid of F. I. G. Newton. The fun is not in the contrived plot but in Rumpole’s jousting with the mostly familiar cast. The sad part is that we will never see Leo Mckern play out this drama. It really does make better TV than literature but it’s far better than no Rumpole at all.
Mortimer, John. RUMPOLE AND THE REIGN OF TERROR. (2006). ****.tIn this installment of Rumpole’s cases, author Mortimer has him address the current issues surrounding terrorism and its effect on the approaches to the rule of law that nations undertook. As in America, England instituted its own “homeland security” measures which obviated most of the legal systems in place that protected the rights of citizens. The case of a man unjustly accused of treasonable acts comes before Rumpole. The client was a medical doctor who had lived in England for over twenty years and become more English than your typical Englishman. However, he originally came from Pakistan, from which he had to flee because of his political activism there. In spite of what looks to be damning background activities, Rumpole manages to take the plight of his client away from the secrecy of the new governmental agencies and back into the light of normal British law. Although filled with Mortimer’s usual humor and cast of characters, there is a solid agenda in this tale – well worth reading. Recommended.
Do You like book Rumpole And The Reign Of Terror (2006)?
I've always enjoyed Rumpole whether in novel form or in the numerous short stories in "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine". This book is no exception. Rumpole is asked to defend a Pakistani citizen who has been charged with attempting to commit terrorist activities against England. In the mean time, Rumpole's wife, Hilda, known as "she who must be obeyed," is writing her memoirs, which will reveal to the world the truth about how difficult Rumpole is to live with.This is a delightful book that is a short read that will keep you smiling and turning pages.
—Nolan
Read this one straight after I am pilgrim by Terry Hayes and it was an interesting contrast. One was about the extra ordinary lengths both terrorists and law enforcement go to commit and prevent crimes and the laws that get broken in the process and then this one that has governments making laws that strip basic civil rights from citizens when they are accused of terrorist activities - to the point where the accused can be held without charge or even any knowledge of what they are supposed to have done. This story reminded me of the Dr Patel case here in Australia and I'm sure there are similar cases around all western countries that occurred in the aftermath of various terrorist bombings in the uk and us.
—Sasha
Checking out your review after someone left Rumpole and the Reign of Terror in my Little Free Library out front (where I'm planning on leaving it, even though it may be enjoyable). ...Except that I have the t-shirt.
—Petra X
