The Old Fox Deceiv'd
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About this ebook
In Rackmoor, a Yorkshire fishing village, the twelfth night of Christmas comes to a dramatic and disturbing end when the corpse of a young woman is discovered. Once again, Inspector Jury's assistance is required.
However, Jury finds himself struggling at the first hurdle - the girl's identity - and learns that, before he can grapple with the village's future, and even its present, he must first face confront its past which turns out to be a tangled maze of unrequited loves, unrevenged wrongs, and even undiscovered murders.
Who was this girl? Was she Gemma Temple, an impostor, or was she really Dillys March, Colonel Titus Crael's long-lost ward, returning after eight years to the Colonel's country seat to claim a share of his fortune? And who could possibly want her dead...?
Martha Grimes
Bestselling author Martha Grimes is the author of more than thirty books, including twenty-two Richard Jury mysteries. She is also the author of Double Double, a dual memoir of alcoholism written with her son. The winner of the 2012 Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award, Grimes lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
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Reviews for The Old Fox Deceiv'd
267 ratings15 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5More of Jury and Plant, thank you! Such a well written book. Well plotted, fast paced. A true delight.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another good British cozy from M. Grimes. Thought I had the murderer pinned down as I read... but the plot twisted this way and that, and lo, I was mistaken. Ah well, if I could figure it out that easily, it wouldn't be that good.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the second in Martha Grimes' Richard Jury series.A woman is stabbed to death in Rackmoor. Jury and Wiggins are called in to help investigate.The first issue at hand is the woman's identity. She goes by Gemma Temple, but bore a striking resemblence to Dillys March, a woman that disappeard some years ago. Dillys was Colonel Crael's neice. The Crael's being one of the wealthiest families in the area, Dillys would have inherited quite nicely. But, was she really Dillys? This second installment took on a slightly darker tone. A very absorbing mystery, cleverly plotted and a little atomospheric.Disappointingly, some of the charm and wit of the previous novel was toned down a bit in this one. Jury wasn't as vulnerable, although we do see glimpses of his soft side from time to time. Wiggins role was somewhat diminished as well. But what I missed the most was the banter between Melrose Plant and his Aunt Agatha. Agatha does show up in this one, but her role was cut way, way back. Other than that, this was a good solid mystery novel. Overall a B-
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Who was killed in Rackmoor on Twelfth Night? Was it Gemma Temple or Dillys March, Colonel Titus Crael's missing ward who left the manor house 15 years before? Inspector Richard Jury is called to the scene of the heinous crime to discover who the guilty party is and what secrets the residents of Rackmoor are hiding. Melrose Plant, ex-lord of Ardry Manor arrives at the invitation of Colonel Crael for the hunt and finds himself enmeshed in murder and working once again with Inspector Jury to solve the crime. Engrossing, entertaining, well written and delightful, through and through.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enjoyable read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury gets sent by Scotland Yard to investigate a murder in the picturesque fishing village of Rackmoor in the north. A young woman has been found murdered on the Angel Steps outside the Old Fox Deceiv'd pub wearing a jester costume for a 12th night gala. This woman had claimed to be the long missing Dillys March, heir to the wealthy, titled Colonel Crael, but the police have identified her as Gemma Temple, an orphan with a less than savory past. Melrose Plant, the aristocrat who met Jury in the first novel and seems to have an acuity for mysteries, arrives and stays with the Craels, whom he seems to know. Wiggins, Jury's steadfast, if hypochondriac, partner also returns and we learn, surprisingly, that he is adept at karate. Anyway, Jury and Plant manage to talk to everyone involved and get to the bottom of the mystery. This was another well-written, tightly plotted English mystery. Motives and opportunities are complex and twisted. There is also quite a lot humor thrown into the dialogue, especially involving Melrose Plant. We get to know Jury and his somewhat melancholy disposition a little better. I also enjoyed the mini subplot involving the Bertie Makepiece, the appealing young boy whose mother had left him. I definitely look forward to reading the next in the series.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It's a nice little mystery. I can't find too much to say about it. I enjoyed reading it but I didn't feel like I had to go find the rest of the series. If I happen upon them I will read them but I won't go out of my way. This has the prerequisite plot twists and red herrings and the whole whodunit thing going and it manages to throw in some humor. Not laugh out loud humor, but little smile humor. The characters are interesting enough that you wouldn't mind seeing them again. It doesn't exactly read quickly but it doesn't bog down nor is it so light and fluffy that you lose interest. It was nice while it lasted but it was nothing I would get too excited about.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Second in the Richard Jury series, originally published in the early 1980s. A costumed visitor to a remote fishing village is murdered while ascending steep outdoor stairs on Twelfth Night. To find the murderer, Jury, his sergeant Alfred Wiggins, and friend Melrose Plant must untangle the multiple hidden secrets and shames that explain the recent history of the community. The characters are all distinct and memorable, including a precocious 12 year old who appears to have been abandoned by his ne'er do well mother, an echo of the book's larger themes. Jury's latent depression gives the story depth, while Plant lightens the plot with droll humor. There's also something oddly skew about the main characters that makes the story especially appealing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5: law-enforcement, british, murder-investigation, friendship I first began this series in 1994! Guess that makes these historical? ! Well, they're fun and thought provoking and interesting all the same. The friendships, idiot relatives, odd circumstances, and unusual sleuthing make this a keeper.Steve West does a marvelous job as narrator.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book; partly for the right, and partly for the wrong reasons. This is a well worked whodunnit set in a tiny Yorkshire fishing village. It is written by Martha Grimes, an American lady who has obviously done her homework. The description of places is very good but, some of the attempts at the local dialect are on par with Dick van Dyke's cockney accent in the film version of Mary Poppins! This could have proved annoying, but I actually found it amusing and not a distraction from the story.The plot kept me guessing right to the end but, like all good whodunnits, the explanation was just about plausible - that is not a complaint, one does not want the swarded truth of real life murders! I was also pleased to see that Martha scatters clues amongst the red herrings; there is nothing more irritating than to have the murderer turn up as a character not mentioned until the last chapter - fair play, the clues are there from an early stage.I bought this book, on spec, from a charity bin, for the mind numbing price of fifty pence; what caught my eye, was the title, 'The Old Fox Deceiv'd'. I use the name 'the old fox' as my pseudonym on social networking sites (I'm a Leicester City fan - don't hold it against me!). I shall keep an eye for other titles by Martha Grimes, they are great escapism.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Martha Grimes uses the names of pubs as the title of her mysteries. This book is one of the many featuring detective Richard Jury and many of his cohorts such as Melrose Plant, Sergeant Alfred Wiggins, and Lady Agatha Ardry. The story is set in England, as Plant and Jury traipse over the English countryside solving crimes, with very faint hints towards Holmes and Watson. This story has many twists and turns, and false clues. Grimes goes into detailed description of the scenery and characters. One remarkable character is Bertie and his dog, Arnold. Bertie's mom has left to start a new life with her new husband, but has not told Bertie the truth. She has left Bertie in the care of neighbors. I enjoy reading Grimes for all the detail and the presentation of interesting data. This is not a quick read, but a book to explore and ponder.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The second in the Richard Jury series.Always the object of Chief Superintendent Racer's malice,again out of the order of the rota, Racer sends Jury and Wiggens to Rackmoor, a fishing village on the North Sea, to assist in the investigation of the bizarre murder of a young woman who may or may not be the long-missing stepdaughter of a local baronet, Sir Titus Crael. The victim, Gemma Temple, is costumed in black-and-white, including her face, one half of which is black, the other white. She has been stabbed, but the wounds are puzzling--no one can determine what the murder weapon was.By chance, Melrose Plant has been invited to the Crael house as well. For the second time, he teams up with Jury and Wiggins in a murder investigation. Along with the murder, there is the case of Bertie Makepiece, a an intelligent, practical 12 year old boy whose mother has been on an extended, suspicious visit to northern Ireland, supposedly to attend a sick granny. Bertie is not alone, however; he is accompanied by his terrier, Arnold, who is quite possiby the smartest character in the whole story. Bertie and Arnold play crucial roles in the solving of the crime.The plot is a solid one. The writing is typical Martha Grimes in the series, with distinctive characterizations. As usual, the major humor centers around Melrose Plant, especially in his relationship with his aunt, Lady Ardry. Jury himself is by no means lacking in humor, but it is of a quieter, more ironic kind; Plant's interactions with his aunt are many times nothing short of laugh-out-loud (or at least giggle).The climax is well done. The book is not a page-turner but in many ways, a well-plotted police procedural that allows Grimes freedom to play with characters for whom she obviously has great affection and to add a great deal of local color in the form of believable and entertaining characters as well as setting and customs. As usual, a child (or children) features prominently in the story; Grimes clearly loves and respects children and handles them deftly.Grimesism: "To have her around would be like always having a sore throat".Highly recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A charming murder mystery that kept me guessing. Melrose & Jury make a likeable gentlemanly team as they investigate the murder of a mystery woman in fancy dress. And poignant warmth is added in the minor characters such as the abandoned 12-year old Bertie who takes good care of himself and his loyal dog Arnold. And the added fun is spotting the Americanisms Martha Grimes unintentionally drops into this Yorkshire tale.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Richard Jury appears again to help solve a mystery in a small English village. A young woman is found murdered, dressed in a mummers costume, having apparently not made it to a party being hosted at a local manor. She is suspected of being in the village, playing the part of a long-lost heiress coming to collect her inheritance. The truth is different, however, and one of the most unsuspecting people turns out to be the murderer, someone who has been there all along.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No. 2 in the Richard Jury series. I enjoyed it very much. People say Grimes let Americanisms slip into her British series, but I can't say I've noticed any...other than those introduced by an American character. In this one I especially loved the characters of 12-year-old Bertie Makepiece, who figured out a big piece of the puzzle, and his faithful dog Arnold who saved the day. I'll look forward to following the series along.September 2016