The Stargazey

Richard Jury, Book 15

By: Martha Grimes

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Saturday night. It was not a night to be spending alone, riding a bus. When he was a teenager at the comprehensive, Saturday night without a girl, without a date, without at least your mates to raise hell with, Saturday night alone would have been shameful. One wouldn't want to be seen alone on a Saturday night…. Who are you kidding? That was never your life, Jury, not yours.

©1998, 2013 Martha Grimes (P)2014 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Steve West does it again

I am saddened that this is the final performance of Ms. Grimes ' sexy and wonderful Scotland Yard Chief Superintendent. I have all the series in print but never had the opportunity to read them one after another. Using these audiobooks a a respite from horrible traffic jams, I have completed one after another, never minding my yucky commute. Mr. West's inspired performances and all the voices (my favorite is White Ellie, closely followed by Sgt Wiggins) make these treasured books even more memorable. This book was great, loved the children and Bea Slocum and Simeon Pitt.

Perfect narration

I'm a fan of the Richard Jury series. The Stargazey is one of Martha Grimes' best. All her great characters make an appearance and the plot is excellent.

Entertaining and well thought-out.

Where does The Stargazey rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Can't place it I've listened to over 200!

What other book might you compare The Stargazey to and why?

Can't say, I've read far to many books to start comparing.

What about Steve West’s performance did you like?

One the best performers/narrators that I've listened to. I will actually try books just because he is narrating. On of the best female voice portrayals for a male performer so far. Steve West and Simon Prebble are my favourite male narrators.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I've enjoyed this whole series with the exception of the Deer Leap, The Lamorna Wink, and Dust. The first two I mention I found upsetting, and Dust was just all over the place; made very little sense. (The talking animals were a bit much!)

The most entertaining Grimes novel I've heard

I stumbled on the Richard Jury books and found they had very entertaining if odd characters. Each character that continues from book to book seems to get deeper, funnier and better developed with each. This is the most entertaining of all the Jury books I've listened to, and I will likely go for the entire series. The narrator does a lively and excellent job of injecting humor and nuance into a vast variety of voices.

Too much ruminating

theft, law-enforcement, art-fraud, art-theft, murder-investigation, friendship

Trimmed down, the mystery is good. However, there is so much extraneous rumination by both Plant and Jury as well as appearances by odd characters and more red herrings than a large tin of kippers that the reader wants to use a poker on them to get to the end. Which is outstanding, by the way.

Intrigue and humor

In addition to the intricate plot line one comes to expect from the author, there are some delightful laugh-out-loud (for me at least) intervals involving Melrose Plant and a discussion of 'art.'

Stargazey may be one of the best by Martha Grimes

What made the experience of listening to The Stargazey the most enjoyable?

Many aspects: the prose, the originality, the reader, the characters, the plot. It simply does not get much better than this. I should say this is my second time of reading this book. I first read it when I could still read a print book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Stargazey?

Melrose Plant and the Cripps' family for sure. Carol Anne another. There are many.

Which scene was your favorite?

I could not name just one. Perhaps the initial encounter by Plant with the Cripps children as well as the scenes in the Borings Club.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Not relevant to me.

Any additional comments?

This reader is fantastically good. I eagerly anticipate the remainder of the Grimes books being available on Audible. She is a real master of this genre and always good for more than a single read.

Really good!

Keeps you engaged and waiting for the next turn! The characters are very believable, too bad they never catch the bad guy!

The Stargazey

I promise to spoil alerts. Richard Jury is in a depressed mood still thinking about Jennifer Kensington wondering what went wrong. Sadly Richard again is dealing with finding out you can’t judge a book by its cover. He always succumbs to the looks of a woman which always seems to be blonde thin blue eyed. As he rides a bus late one night in deep thought about this another woman in a fur coat and blonde comes on the bus and gets his attention. So starts our mystery with twists and turns, laughs, sad moments, some sweet moments, and quite a surprising end.

I love these Richard Jury Mysteries and all the familiar characters. And most of all I love the narrator Steve West who bring Martha Grimes books to life like no one else can.

If you haven’t taken a listen to these books you’re missing out on some well written stories and getting to know and love the most charming and fun loving characters. If you enjoy British mysteries as I do you won’t be disappointed I promise. ❤️❤️❤️

I love the Audible App.

Fill the drive time beautifully. Also enjoy listening in front of the fire on a cold winter night.