≡ PDF Dust Martha Grimes John Lee 9781415926123 Books

Dust Martha Grimes John Lee 9781415926123 Books

Download As PDF : Dust Martha Grimes John Lee 9781415926123 Books

Dust Martha Grimes John Lee 9781415926123 Books

20 years ago, Martha Grimes was my favorite writer. Her staple characters, from Jury and Plant, to the fun side characters such as Wiggins and Aunt Agatha, were fun. And whenever a side character threatened to become a caricature, Grimes either developed them more fully, or (in the case of Agatha) backed off and left her mostly in the background. So far, so good.

There are two problems that kill this book. The first is that if you have a running series, it needs to be either noted, or so noteworthy that no one can miss what is occurring. Did anyone ever doubt that Tolkien was going to just leave the world hanging after the second book in his trilogy? But Grimes does neither. You end the book peering at the next page, suspicious that the book is defective and a page is left missing. It isn't suspenseful, it is just weird.

The larger problem is all of the massive time wasted on Henry James. (I can see why one of the reviewers of another of her books--which she persuaded me not to buy--asks whether a ghost writer is doing some of the work here. It's either that, or Grimes has lost her touch.)

The plot is slowed, and those of us who are NOT James fans are bored to infinity while Grimes, or someone, shows off every tiny bit of esoteric knowledge to be gained about that novelist. If I were that intrigued by James (and I am a literature teacher, so if this doesn't grab me...?), I would just read and re-read James. I found myself wondering whether the book had been written, discovered to be under-length, and then badly padded with irrelevant material.

I have, in years past, considered Grimes a master of the craft. If I had her in my classroom today, I'd send her back to do some editing, cut out the filler, and bring me the kind of lean (though amusing, at times) page-turner she used to produce.


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Dust Martha Grimes John Lee 9781415926123 Books Reviews

One of the reasons I love Grimes is the way she handles references to American movies and/or British or American literature. She does not get into long drawn out explanations of background. Either you know and read or saw the movies or not. The effect is an appreciation for the intelligence of the reader to instinctively understand. This way if you see the connection the reader has more understanding of whatever she is dropping into the plot. If not then nothing is lost because in the end it becomes understandable.
Melrose is a character who is so entertaining and witty. His difficulties with children are priceless.

That housekeeper Jessup was more like a Nazi than British. The paintings were almost like a side show but great layering to add to the characters in the plot.
Martha Grimes is adept at limning likeable male characters, like Melrose Plant and Brian Macalvie. In almost every novel, Grimes pays homage to our beloved four-legged friends in a fashion that rivals Betty White; children are often multi-faceted individuals who are forces with whom to be reckoned. The Anglophile can enjoy the Jury/Ardry-Plant series... unless said Anglophile is TOO pedantic to ignore an occasional elision. I do not foresee that I will stop reading this series, as I believe many dogs and cats and kids have the style and capacity to move the world; they are certainly treated respectfully in the Grimesian universe. However, if most of her adult human characters seem born to imbibe, remember that many of them are less complex than the cocktails they swill. The masters (Agatha & Erle Stanley) have suggested a certain "minimalist aura" should envelop the protagonist and regular characters of the successful mystery series. If one has an imperfect memory and a flowing pen, annoying contradictions WILL tend to emerge. For example, on which side of the closet door will one find Marshall Trueblood? Similarly, Dr. Freud would have the proverbial "field day" with the Oedipal issues which veritably ooze from "lady-killer" Richard Jury...or alternatively, Cartaphilus meets Dante Aligheri. All in all, the Jury/Ardry-Plant series is worth the time and effort; but, even the earlier breezy romps are superior to the more recent convoluted tangos. If Martha Grimes is "going to the dogs", then I will follow Sparky and Bertie and Bennie and Mungo and Schrodinger, happily into the mist.
I have read all of the Richard Jury books by Martha Grimes. This one was the only plot that I couldn't figure out a major clue at the end - I won't give it away - but there is one point close to the end where Jury teases Melrose and Wiggins about a key incident in the past, and I can't figure out who he is talking about. Otherwise a very good read.
I think that the author had a great idea for a story, but didn't feel like fleshing it out as well as it should have been before writing and sending it to the publisher. Maybe on a deadline and just couldn't get it done? It feels very much like after reading it, like many of her author protagonists, she threw in a sex scene here and there, wondering if this publisher was the one who allowed nudity or not. Not whether the scene fit the story. And she appears to look down on her readers, the 'Polly Praed' pushing Henry James on them, because she's a fan of James, and maybe a bit of a literary snob making fun of her readers who aren't?
If you are a fan of Martha Grimes, this book does not disappoint. It's even a more "raw" than usual. I would have liked more involvement of her "usual" characters (Viv, Diane, Carol-anne, etc.), but Richard Jury's role, with the some support from Melrose Plant, makes for pretty a strong story.
20 years ago, Martha Grimes was my favorite writer. Her staple characters, from Jury and Plant, to the fun side characters such as Wiggins and Aunt Agatha, were fun. And whenever a side character threatened to become a caricature, Grimes either developed them more fully, or (in the case of Agatha) backed off and left her mostly in the background. So far, so good.

There are two problems that kill this book. The first is that if you have a running series, it needs to be either noted, or so noteworthy that no one can miss what is occurring. Did anyone ever doubt that Tolkien was going to just leave the world hanging after the second book in his trilogy? But Grimes does neither. You end the book peering at the next page, suspicious that the book is defective and a page is left missing. It isn't suspenseful, it is just weird.

The larger problem is all of the massive time wasted on Henry James. (I can see why one of the reviewers of another of her books--which she persuaded me not to buy--asks whether a ghost writer is doing some of the work here. It's either that, or Grimes has lost her touch.)

The plot is slowed, and those of us who are NOT James fans are bored to infinity while Grimes, or someone, shows off every tiny bit of esoteric knowledge to be gained about that novelist. If I were that intrigued by James (and I am a literature teacher, so if this doesn't grab me...?), I would just read and re-read James. I found myself wondering whether the book had been written, discovered to be under-length, and then badly padded with irrelevant material.

I have, in years past, considered Grimes a master of the craft. If I had her in my classroom today, I'd send her back to do some editing, cut out the filler, and bring me the kind of lean (though amusing, at times) page-turner she used to produce.