Richard Jury Books In Order
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The Richard Jury series is a set of 23 highly successful novels, which were published between 1981 and 2014. The series is based on the mystery and thriller genres, written by Martha Grimes. The main character of the series, Richard Jury is described as a fictional detective from the Scotland Yard. All the novels of the series revolve around the character named Richard Jury. Richard was initially a chief inspector, who later gets promoted to the post of a superintended. In all the cases described in the series, Richard is helped by Melrose Plant, who has given up all his titles and works as a part-time detective and a British aristocrat. Another character named Alfred Wiggins, assists Richard in solving the cases. Alfred is a sergeant and highly dependable. Other than these central characters, a lot of other background characters are also depicted in the series. The first novel of the series was published in the year 1981 under the title of ‘The Man With A Load of Mischief’. This was followed by the second installment titled, ‘The Old Fox Deceiv’d’. This novel was published in the year 1982. The following is the list of characters depicted in the Richard Jury series:
1. RICHARD JURY
Richard Jury is the main protagonist of the series. He works as a superintendent in the Scotland Yard. Richard is a bit moody and melancholic. He lost his parents in the Second World War and was orphaned at a very young age. He is quite handsome and kind in nature. Although he is attractive to a lot of women, his love life has been full of bad luck. Melrose Plant has always envied his good looks and his ability to win the hearts of women and children, but he too is unsuccessful in romantic relationships. Richard is 43 years old.
2. ISLINGTON NEIGHBORS
The recurring characters that are depicted in the series include the Islington Neighbors. These include Mrs. Wassermann, who lives in the basement flat. She always depends on Richard to assure her about her safety as she has survived a holocaust. Stan Keeler is a jazz guitarist, who lives in the flat above Richard’s. He is often away from home. Carole-Anne Palutski is an attractive woman having copper colored hair. She looks after the flats of Richard and Stan when they are not at home. She is romantically attracted to Richard. Stone, a well behaved Labrador belongs to Stan. It is taken care of by Carol when Stan is out of town.
3. NEW SCOTLAND YARD
The people at the New Scotland Yard include the detective sergeant Alfred Wiggins, a cat named Cyril and the Chief Superintendent named Racer along with his secretary Fiona Clingmore.
4. LONG PIDDLETON
The characters at the long Piddleton include Melrose Plant, his aunt Agatha Ardry and a husband and wife pair of Ruthven and Martha. An antiques dealer named Marshall Trueblood also lives here. Other characters include Vivian Rivington, Dick Scroggs, Mrs. Withersby, Ada Crisp and Dianne DeMorney.
In the first novel of the series, The Man With a Load of Mischief, Richard and Plant discover the dark secrets of the past while investigating a series of murders in Long Piddleton. The Long Piddleton had always been a quaint village and had newcomers visiting all the time. But, no sooner than a stranger was found dead, the village was stunned. A while later, the second murder takes place and the whole village gets wary of everyone. The pubs and inns of the village, which were otherwise very cozy and full of blazing hearth had become crime scenes. Richard and his team were asked to investigate the murders and find out the truth. They were to find the identities of the strangers as well as the murderer. The suspense of the plot remained throughout the novel until when Richard and his team were successful in hunting down the murderer. The novel was well appreciated by the readers who described it to be perfect for light reading. The characters are very interesting and entertaining. All the recurring characters are very well described by Martha Grimes, which has brought a lot of appreciation for her. The novel is believed to have an irresistible flavor which can be enjoyed reading in a relaxed environment. The novel has also been recommended by many. The interesting part of this novel is that Richard Jury is not depicted as the only pleasing character, but the other characters, including the villagers have formed an integral part of the novel.
The second novel of the series titled, ‘ The Old Fox Deceiv’d’ was published in the year 1982. This novel too had a plot full of mystery and suspense. The plot shows a village named Rockmoor, a tiny fishing ground in Yorkshire. On a Chilling and foggy Twelfth night, when the North Sea wind blows wildly, a murder takes place which disturbs the whole village. The village had a past of unrevenged injustice, undiscovered murders and unrequited loves. When inspector Richard Jury is assigned to do the investigation about the murders, he finds no easy answers. The victim is a beautiful young lady, but her identity has not been found. She is guessed to be Gemma Temple, who was an imposter or Dillys MArch, the long lost ward of Colonel Titus Crael. It was believed that she was indeed Dillys March who had returned after eight years to take hold of her share from the Colonel’s fortune.
Richard and his team believed that she was murdered because of the wealth, but her murderer was still to be caught. Jury continues the investigation and strives hard to find the truth behind the murder. This novel was highly praised for its colorful depiction of the Rockmoor village. The typical chilly weather of the village is something hat the murderer might have taken the advantage of while committing the crime. Martha has very depicted the past of the village, which is full of crimes. The village is very well described as a mix of romantic place and a crime scene. Richard Jury and his team have been described as typical investigators of crimes. The most sympathetic characters of the novel are the boy named Bertie and his dog named Arnold. Martha received great praise from everyone and this motivate her to write more novels in the series based on mysterious situations and entertaining characters.
Book Series In Order » Characters »
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Orphan girl, Zoe, with dog in “The Case Has Altered”
Orphan girl, Zoe, with dog in “The Case Has Altered”
Which is the book with the orphan boy and his amazing dog?
The Grave Maurice is the book with the boy and his amazing dog.
Benny and Sparky first appear in “The Blue Last”