Vertigo 42: A Richard Jury Mystery by Martha Grimes

[Smokey]

Vertigo 42: A Richard Jury Mystery by Martha Grimes (Scribner, 2014)

It's been a long wait for a new Martha Grimes Richard Jury book, and it is good to see the series back. Vertigo 42 is not, however, the best of the lot. The plot wanders, lacks focus at times, and is disappointingly sparse when it comes to including Melrose Plant and some of the other quirky and beloved characters featured in Grimes' previous novels. Scenes that do include Carole-anne, Vivian , Melrose, or some of the other well known characters seem inserted as a hasty nod to their existence.

The story begins promisingly enough when Jury, on vacation from the Yard, is asked by an old acquaintance to look into the long ago death of the wife of one of his friends, Tom. Tom is a sympathetic enough character, and his wife's "accident" ambiguous enough to raise questions about what really happened. Jury's probe leads to more questions about another death, that of a young girl who was attending a party at the couple's country home several years prior to Tom's wife's death. Jury travels to and from various locations, including Melrose Plant's estate, during the investigation. He interviews a number of adults who were children and present when the country house death of the girl and who may have killed her. He calls on his colleague, Wiggins, for assistance. The portrayal of Wiggins is lackadaisical.

Readers who've never read this series will do well to start at the beginning -- or at least with an earlier volume -- to experience Grimes and Jury et. al. at their best. This is a wonderful series worth reading.

Although Vertigo 42 is not up to Grimes' usual standards, it was good to spend some time with the cast of characters who have all too long been absent from the mystery scene.

[gali]

I have read a few of the series and liked it. I don't think I will read this book.

Thank you for the lovely review and for the warning!