»Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders

I picked up this volume over a collection of short stories because the title sounded appealing; I had never before read (nor seen the famed television series) Rumpole's exploits, as chronicled by John Mortimer. The story turned out dull, with the ending telegraphed from the get-go: not only the general outcome, but even very specific details, were patently obvious quite early in the narrative. The cast of characters, a hidebound British barrister's Chambers, has not quite the appeal of Sarah Caudwell's modern group of barristers. Rumpole himself is writing his memoirs in this book, and much of the action happens long in the past; this may be atypical, or too late in a series familiar to many readers, but the setup is slightly confusing, and contains altogether too many condescending remarks to his now-wife and to their relationship. These remarks may be hallmarks, rather, of the dry British wit.

The murder story itself is uninteresting, and devoid of technical details (as I, a fan of Dorothy Sayers and Conan Doyle, appreciate!) and the trial features dull repartee between the Lord Judge and the "white-wig", or newly-called-to-the-bar, Rumpole. The book was not engaging enough that I read it in a sitting, as I often do with thrillers or mysteries.