cripper's Full Review: John Mortimer - Rumpole And The Penge Bungalow Mur...
It was by pure coincidence that I stumbled upon the book Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders by John Mortimer. I was at the bookshop in the city looking at the Penguin Classics section and this book happened to be there. After reading the premise on the back of this paperback, I was immediately intrigued by the premise of the book. I have always thought that books about barristers undertaking difficult defence cases are bound to be dramatic and very suspenseful. On the back of that (and being completely unaware that this book was part of a series of books about Rumpole), I decided to purchase the book.
This book is essentially about the formative years of one Horace Rumpole, an elderly barrister currently in London, England. After spending many years as a barrister at a law office at Equity Court, Rumpole decides to write his memoirs of his first ever case at the Old Bailey (the courts where criminal law cases are held in London). After serving in the British army as a ground officer during World War II and finishing his university degree at Keble College, Oxford, Rumpole has been hired as an apprentice at a law firm in Equity Court. Rumpole is eager to set his mark at the Old Bailey but, as one would expect with apprentices, is not given many chances to set his mark on the criminal law world. However, after a chance meeting with his boss' daughter Hilda at a local dance, Rumpole has been called to be the junior of a case which his boss, C. H. Wystan, QC. The case is a double murder of two war veterans, Denis 'Jerry' Jerold and Charlie Weston at the Penge Bungalows and the suspect is Simon Jerold, the son of 'Jerry' Jerold. Wystan and Rumpole are given the task of defending the son. However everyone, including Wystan, believe that the son has killed both the veterans and should be sentenced to death for committing the murders. Rumpole is unsure that this is the case and this is where the drama in the book begins to unfold.
The book's author, John Mortimer, was a barrister prior to writing any of his books in the Rumpole series and his strong understanding of British criminal law and of British law in general shines throughout this book. Through the events in the book, Mortimer is able to illustrate what takes place in the inner sanctums of the Old Bailey to the reader. From the dressing room where the barristers put on their gowns and white wigs to the description of the courtroom and cafeteria at the top level of Old Bailey, the reader is able to develop a clear picture for those individuals that have never stepped into the Old Bailey before. Criminal law concepts are constantly reiterated in the book such as the idea of a person being innocent until being proven guilty and the importance stressed on both evidence and statements from witnesses. The multiple adjournments and administrative processes that take place in court further adds to the authenticity of the book and is unlike some of the law dramas that are not able to recreate the authenticity which is captured by Mortimer.
The story is told in a non-linear structure juxtaposing passages between the past and the present. The past is Rumpole's recollection of what actually happened in the Penge Bungalow case and also his retelling of the drama that unfolds in his personal life. As a result, it is where the majority of the book's drama takes place. In contrast, the present sees an elderly Rumpole being told by his doctor to put his leg up whilst sitting down and writing his memoirs and being told off by his wife for disobeying doctor's orders. The present time contains a lot of the story's comedy. I felt Mortimer does a great job in balancing the drama and the comedy throughout the book and, as a reader, I was never bored whilst reading the book. The dramatic aspect is never taken over by the comedy either.
However the single best thing about this book is, of course, its main character: Horace Rumpole. Told through the eyes of Rumpole, Mortimer immediately establishes Rumpole's love for his job. It is clear that even at the early stages of his professional career that Rumpole loves being a barrister. Rumpole enters the world of criminal law as an idealist. He strives to impress this idealism onto the criminal law world but soon realises that the reality is that the rest of the criminal law world does not share the same respect he has for "the finest traditions of the bar". Its not long before we see Rumpole attempting to uphold these traditions even in front of Wystan. Rumpole's love for his profession is infectious and it certainly rubbed off on me whilst I was reading the book.
Rumpole, who is not quite certain about the happenings in the Penge Bungalow case, gets to cross-examine a witness whilst C.H. Wystan is away and his cross-examining style is akin to that of Benjamin Matlock from the Matlock TV series. Rumpole's cross-examining style and length of time taken to get to conclusions ruffles the feathers of the judge. Ironically Rumpole is told by the judge and other senior individuals about how his unorthodox methods in the courtroom do not uphold these traditions. These unorthodox methods in the courtroom are part of the appeal of Rumpole and one certainly barracks for Rumpole to persuade everyone, including Wystan, to not hand down a guilty verdict on Simon as the murderer.
Mortimer is also able to impose Rumpole's wry and cruel sense of humour upon his readers. Having remained a barrister all his life and not moving up in Equity Court, Rumpole jokingly refers to Queen Counsels (QCs) as Queer Customers, he cracks jokes in the most dire of circumstances while the court is in session and his descriptions of the individuals throughout the story are also humorous (as Rumpole says early in the book, C.H. Wystan reminds him of "...some harmless crustacean, perhaps a lobster who had been snatched from a peaceful existence at the bottom of the sea and plunged into boiling water").
Rumpole's romantic life, and eventual engagement to his wife, takes place during the Penge Bungalow trial. It is interesting to see how affected Rumpole becomes over his failed relationships with two women: Bobby O'Keefe and Daisy Sampson. Bobby O'Keefe was a WAAF (now working in a bar - the one that serves alcoholic beverages not the one that Rumpole is in) that Rumpole has an affair with over the war and is eventually wooed away by another officer, Sam 'Three Fingers' Dougherty. Mortimer does a great job in expressing Rumpole's longing for Bobby and the faint hope that romance might return when Bobby contacts Rumpole is perfectly captured by Mortimer. Daisy Sampson, a law clerk at a rival firm, is taken away from Rumpole at a local dance by Reginald 'Reggie' Proudfoot, a rival apprentice at another law firm whom Rumpole has had a rivalry with since their university days (who also happens to be a junior for the prosecution team looking to ensure Simon receives the death penalty). Mortimer captures the feeling of loss Rumpole feels brilliantly as well as Rumpole's general disdain towards Proudfoot. The story of Rumpole's engagement to his wife is very, very funny and involves, as Rumpole calls them, rubber johnnies.
If there is one downside to this story, its the fact that one knows exactly what will happen. Even though this is the case, I think Mortimer does a phenomenal job in making a predictable story so suspenseful and exciting for the reader. Mortimer's ability to maintain the constant narrative through Rumpole's eyes is engaging. Mortimer is able to maintain the underlying suspense through the drama by throwing in tiny bits of bait crucial to the case for the reader to grasp onto and the book's pacing never wavers. At 214 pages, this was a quick read and I found myself struggling to put the book down as a result of the constant build-up of suspense.
Like I said, I have not read the previous books in the Rumpole series but I personally enjoyed reading Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders as a story on its own and was able to acquaint myself with the character of Rumpole well enough through the book. If you are a fan of criminal law fiction, I strongly recommend that you should read this book. You will no doubt laugh out loud at some points and be intrigued by the thrilling build-up of the story.
This full-length Rumpole novel relates the oft-mentioned but never revealed story of Rumpole's first case, the Penge Bungalow affair. This trial and i...More at HotBookSale
This full-length Rumpole novel relates the oft-mentioned but never revealed story of Rumpole s first case, the Penge Bungalow affair. This trial and i...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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