The Five Bells and Bladebone

By: Martha Grimes

Narrated by: Steve West

When a dismembered corpse is found in the compartments of an antique secretaire a abattant, Marshall Trueblood, recipient of the precious piece of furniture, is the first to protest: “I bought the desk, not the body, send it back.” Who would want to kill Simon Lean, the greedy nephew of the wealthy Lady Summerston?
Leave it to Superintendent Richard Jury of Scotland Yard to suggest a connection to the murder of brassy Limehouse lady named Sadie Driver, found dead near Wapping Old Stairs…if that stone-cold body on the slipway is really Sadie. Not even her brother, Tommy, on a visit from Gravesend, can swear to it.

Decent story in the series

Where does The Five Bells and Bladebone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

2.5; kept losing the thread of the story

What did you like best about this story?

The premise of a double -double jeopardy

Which scene was your favorite?

When Jervis wins by default

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No it sort of meandered

Any additional comments?

Love the series and love the narrator, Steve West

Martha Delivers

Richard Jury mysteries are always complicated, intelligent and full of pathos. This title is no exception.

Good Plot

This is my favorite Richard Jury mystery for it has a masterful plot, humor and well developed characters.

Another Great Mystery by Martha Grimes!!

I am in love with Richard Jury’s Mysteries!!! I love how we get to Richard Jury, Melrose Plant, and Alfred Wiggins with each book alongside all the background characters. In this book Superintendent Jury is having quite a time trying to solve two murders, connecting them, and proving who did it is really who they say they are. We also get to see how this case is effecting Richard and taking him back to his childhood. Even at the end of the story Melrose can see his friend has not gotten over these cases. As usual Martha Grimes keeps you guessing till the very end.

A oddly convoluted story told at a very leisurely pace

As usual, I enjoyed the character-driven mystery. This one I could follow a bit better than some of the others—I could keep up with the characters.
Also, I always enjoy Melrose and Vivian, Melrose’s butler and, of course, Richard Jury.
The background storylines and decorations where laid on a bit thick, but I enjoyed the escape nevertheless.