The Blue Last

Richard Jury, Book 17

By: Martha Grimes

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

In The Blue Last, Richard Jury finally faces the last thing in the world he wants to deal with - the war that killed his mother, his father, his childhood. Mickey Haggerty, a DCI with the London City police, has asked for Jury's help. Two skeletons have been unearthed in the City during the excavation of London's last bombsite, where once a pub stood called the The Blue Last. Mickey believes that a child who survived the bombing has been posing for over 50 years as a child who didn't. The grandchild of brewery magnet Oliver Tyndale supposedly survived that December 1940 bombing...but did she? Mickey also has a murder to solve. Simon Croft, prosperous City financial broker and son of the one-time owner of The Blue Last, is found shot to death in his Thames-side house. But the book he was writing about London during the German blitzkrieg has disappeared.

Jury wants to get eyes and ears into Tynedale Lodge, and looks to his friend, Melrose Plant, to play the role. Reluctantly, Plant plays it, accompanied on his rounds of the Lodge gardens by nine-year-old Gemma Trim, orphan and ward of Oliver Tynedale; and Benny Keagan, a resourceful 12-year-old orphaned delivery boy.

And Richard Jury may not make it out alive.

A stolen book, stolen lives, or is any of this what it seems? Identity, memory, provenance - these are all called into question in The Blue Last.

©2001 Martha Grimes (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Good story

Although the end was pretty much revealed from the beginning, I like this story very much. Grimes has a sense of melancholy that I find so enchanting.

I often find myself reading an Editor's summary and thinking, okay this could be good, but what the summary usually fails to inform the reader of is tone.

Grimes has a light hand with humor, a little heavy with symbolism, and just right with melancholy.

Great Richard Jury Mystery.

I am a Martha Crimes fan, especially the Richard Jury mysteries . Did not disappoint.

Awful lot of bad language.

I really wish authors and seemingly educated people could use adjectives that are not vulgar. Why blame God,? And why use the F word? It seems that the language is getting progressively worse in each of this author"s books. It's a shame, as she is talented and those vulgarisms are unnecessary and certainly not wanted.

Another tax deduction

This is another book Martha Grimes used to make a trip (to Italy in this case) tax deductible.

Convoluted plot

It would have been a much better story if there were less diversions. This plot became ridiculously convoluted after a promising start. The only redeeming factor is the impeccable narrator Steve West. This is my 5th and probably will be the last Richard Jury book.

Enthralled throughout !

So many great characters,, so little time. And Steve West’s voice is fantastic for each of them. It’s amazing how one man’s voice can paint Richard Jury so sexy, and Aunt Agatha so annoying, and children so wonderful.

Martha Grimes does it again

It's been a while since I've read a Martha Crimes book and now I'm wondering why. Thoroughly enjoyed this recording! Onto the next in the series!

What A Mystery!!!!

Richard Jury is asked by an old friend and fellow policeman for help. A construction company unearths human remains where a pub once stood near the end of World War ll and was bombed during The Blitz. Two wealthy families, two young women, and two infant girls are involved. One infant is dead and other other lives. But could one of the women switched the identities of one baby girl for the other for the inheritance? That is what Richard Jury must find out with the help of his best friend Melrose Plant.

We have the entire gang of familiar characters in this story including lots of laughs. We also, get a glimpse into Richard Jury’s past. As usual we are in the month of December near Christmas time. A time of year Richard hates due to the fact it make him face his loneliness not having his own family.

I understand that some fans of Martha Grimes get a bit irritated by Richard Jury’s moment of depression and melancholy. But I feel Martha Grimes puts some realism into her characters. We need to remember that R.J. was just a little tot at the end of WWll his parents both died and after an Uncle dies he spends the rest of his childhood in a home. I can only imagine what effects it would have on one as they became an adult and the rest of their life. Facts show during Christmas more people become depressed and become suicidal. So allowing those feelings and emotions displayed in R.J. make sense, at least to me.

I enjoyed every minute of this book!! As usual Steve West was marvellous!!! He is the best part of Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury Mysteries. Love him to death. No pun intended. 😉😁

Wow

As always great books. Love the characters. Heartbroken by the end. Must start the new one. And as always Steve West is excellent.

The narration makes it come alive

I’ve enjoyed all the Jury mysteries immensely, and this has to be one of the best. But it’s Mr.West’s narration that makes it marvelous. It’s captivating how he can do so many different voices and keep them all straight, and put just the right feeling into them. The emotional impact of the climactic ending is so believable!