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Book Review of The Trials of Rumpole

The Trials of Rumpole
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Please note: The first story in this book is 'Rumpole and the Man of God' which I read as a standalone book recently; it was listed as an abridged work then.

Reading Rumpole is like putting on a pair of slightly-worn, very comfortable shoes. John Mortimer's command of the English language is impressive and he contorts French, Latin, and English phrases in new and wildly inventive ways. I look upon reading Rumpole like giving my eyes and ears a gift of melodic and inventive language. Rumpole is the king of hopeless legal cases.

Besides Rumpole having to defend a "Man of God," he gets embroiled in a murder case with stage actors. Then Rumpole does a surprising thing; he helps the leader of their chamber to keep his seat (the same seat Rumpole should have gotten after the death of his father-in-law years ago).

Rumpole takes the case of a teacher being inappropriate with a female student; he thinks it will be a slam-dunk because of his long association with a coworker who became the circuit judge of this case. Finally, Rumpole must face the clamors for his retirement from his family. Lots of fun.