Amazon.com: "Richard Jury is back in The Case Has Altered, but--as usual--his sidekick Melrose Plant steals the show. Set in the fens of Lincolnshire, Jury must investigate two murders in which his true love, Jenny Kennington, is a suspect. But while Jury deals with the evidence, Melrose uncovers the local color, interviewing everyone from uncommunicative pub owners to chatty cooks. Even murder seems a little less grim with Melrose Plant around."
From Library Journal: "Poor Dorcas, dead in a ditch in the fens. And she's not the only one. Vera Dunn, the manipulative ex-wife of Max Owen, master of the local estate, Fengate (where Dorcas was a servant), is also dead. Enter Grimes stalward Richard Jury, who's not officially on the case but who gets involved anyway because Lady Kenningston, a woman he cherishes, has been accused of doing in Dunn, with whom she has been seen quarreling. Jury gets pal Melrose Plant to pose as an antiques dealer so that he can snoop around Fengate, then goes off to do some investigating on his own. Naturally, there are puzzles, e.g., why was Dorcas out on the fens that night? Why didn't Lady Kenningston come clean on her relation with nasty Verna? The result is a delicious ebb and flow of tension first, we get a trial for Lady Kennington, then more twists and turns as the real killer is finally, surprisingly revealed. In the process, there's beautifully rendered atmosphere and perhaps a bit too much of Melrose's litigious aunt." Barbara Hoffert, Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal: "Poor Dorcas, dead in a ditch in the fens. And she's not the only one. Vera Dunn, the manipulative ex-wife of Max Owen, master of the local estate, Fengate (where Dorcas was a servant), is also dead. Enter Grimes stalward Richard Jury, who's not officially on the case but who gets involved anyway because Lady Kenningston, a woman he cherishes, has been accused of doing in Dunn, with whom she has been seen quarreling. Jury gets pal Melrose Plant to pose as an antiques dealer so that he can snoop around Fengate, then goes off to do some investigating on his own. Naturally, there are puzzles, e.g., why was Dorcas out on the fens that night? Why didn't Lady Kenningston come clean on her relation with nasty Verna? The result is a delicious ebb and flow of tension first, we get a trial for Lady Kennington, then more twists and turns as the real killer is finally, surprisingly revealed. In the process, there's beautifully rendered atmosphere and perhaps a bit too much of Melrose's litigious aunt." Barbara Hoffert, Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
One of her best works. Second only to "The Wrong House"
Very good. Another winner for Martha Grimes
Timeless, peaceful, and remote, the watery Lincolnshire fens seem an unlikely setting for murder. But two women - a notorious actress and a servant girl - have been killed there in the space of two weeks. The Lincolnshire police are sure the murders are connected - and they think a friend of Richard Jury is responsible. Jury is anxious to clear Jenny Kennington's name. But the secretive suspects and tight-lipped locals are leading him nowhere. And with the help of his colleague Melrose Plant, he must struggle to navigate a series of untruths in the hope of stopping a very determined killer. (from back cover)
Victoria P. (Novella) reviewed The Case Has Altered (Richard Jury, Bk 14) on + 143 more book reviews
Martha Grimes is one of the best writers of suspense-old fashioned fun.
Stephanie S. (punkinema) -
This is the second book I have read from this author and I really am a fan now! Although the book seemed to drag a bit in the beginning and there were so many characters and two main plots, once I got past that, it was riveting and I ended up feeling impatient to find out what was going on and by whom! I would recommend it but it is long so maybe take it on a cruise or something? I gave it 4 stars. I learned more about the main character, Richard Jury, and I really should get the first book of the series before I read any more.
Quirky characters help Scotland Yard's Superintendent Richard Jury solve murders (and entertain along the way).
I almost always enjoy Grimes' books, and this one was no exception, because I like the humor, the good mysteries, and the fact that the reader is spared painful and gruesome details of the murders that get solved. I also appreciate the lack of detailed sex scenes such as those some publishers see fit to allow in the hopes of finding more readers.
After the first scene, the book was a bit slow getting going, and I was bored by the parts about Grace Owen, but the main thing that bothered me about this book was Jury's complete cluelessness about a Jenny K's personality, in spite of his appearing to be more than half in love with her. I guess I wanted to think he was more intelligent than that. After all, being a smart detective usually entails being good at deciphering the feeling of others, doesn't it? I guess we are just expected to excuse Jury on the grounds that love can make fools of people. But he strikes me as impossibly adolescent in this book. I liked Melrose Plant better than Jury, this time.
By the way, I am too busy to go back and reread, and I read this book in bits and snatches, but I want to warn potential readers to pay more attention than I did when "the Red Last" starts coming up. It was intriguing, and a whole section bears its name, but I still don't know exactly what, if anything, it has to do with the solving of the mystery.
After the first scene, the book was a bit slow getting going, and I was bored by the parts about Grace Owen, but the main thing that bothered me about this book was Jury's complete cluelessness about a Jenny K's personality, in spite of his appearing to be more than half in love with her. I guess I wanted to think he was more intelligent than that. After all, being a smart detective usually entails being good at deciphering the feeling of others, doesn't it? I guess we are just expected to excuse Jury on the grounds that love can make fools of people. But he strikes me as impossibly adolescent in this book. I liked Melrose Plant better than Jury, this time.
By the way, I am too busy to go back and reread, and I read this book in bits and snatches, but I want to warn potential readers to pay more attention than I did when "the Red Last" starts coming up. It was intriguing, and a whole section bears its name, but I still don't know exactly what, if anything, it has to do with the solving of the mystery.
Dena (Suzie) C. (DsuzieC) reviewed The Case Has Altered (Richard Jury, Bk 14) on + 159 more book reviews
Martha Grimes is one of my favorite writers.
very good
Quick, easy summer read.
