Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders

Rumpole of the Bailey #13

by John Mortimer

The Rumpole renaissance continues to build, and now the beloved barrister’s many followers have a special reason to rejoice: a sensational full-length Rumpole novel that at last relates the oft-mentioned but never revealed story of Rumpole’s first case, the Penge Bungalow affair. Looking back half a century into a very different world, Rumpole recalls a man accused of murdering his father and his father’s friend with a pistol taken from a dead German pilot. It was this trial and its outcome that put Rumpole on the map and shaped him into the cantankerous defender of justice that readers know and love. This is a must-read for every Rumpole fan and a compelling invitation to new readers.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Humor, British Literature, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2004

About the author

John Clifford Mortimer was a novelist, playwright and former practising barrister. Among his many publications are several volumes of Rumpole stories and a trilogy of political novels, Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets, featuring Leslie Titmuss - a character as brilliant as Rumpole. John Mortimer received a knighthood for his services to the arts in 1998.

Series:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rapstone Chronicles

Reviews

[Jason Koivu · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading four or five of the books and seeing a few of the tv show episodes based on them, the notoriety of London Barrister Horace Rumpole's greatest case "The Penge Bungalow Murders," much mentioned by himself, had reached legendary status. Yet, I'd never read about it. I didn't know the details, and so it took on a mysterious mythology. Unable to take the suspense any longer, I finally and joyously read John Mortimer's Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders.

This might be my favorite Rumpole to date!

It's a look back at the start of a career and a trip back in time that introduces long-known friends and acquaintances. Because the series begins in the midst, or rather in the twilight years, of Rumpole's career, Mortimer had Rumpole tell the story of his first big break via the act of writing his memoirs. That provided the reader a nice past/present reflection upon that lovable, wily and irascible lawyer.

Mortimer's writing is very smooth. His stock of character's are well-drawn, if a bit one dimensional, at least the usual supporting cast. The main players in whatever case Rumpole is working on are often dual-natured and Mortimer handles them just as capably. The plot of the typical Rumpole story, though not always a mind-bender, is crafted in a way to keep you guessing who dunnit for a decent length of time, and this one's no different. While not perfection, Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders gets an extra fanboy star from me and ranks as a topnotch entry in the series.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine that you have been accused of two murders which you did not commit.
Your legal defense is an elderly lawyer who does not want to upset the judge and so does nothing.
Then you meet the young unproven Rumpole. Can he save you?

Rumpole...
I had taken a law degree at Keble College, Oxford. As learning law in those days entailed an intimate knowledge of the Roman rules for freeing a slave and the rights of ‘turfage’ over common land (scraps of information which I have never found of the slightest use in the Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court) and as I never at Keble experienced the excitement of rising on my then young hind legs to address a jury, I turned in a fairly honorable third-class degree. It has always been my view that knowing too much law is not only no help but also a considerable handicap to the courtroom advocate. Juries, on the whole, have little interest in freeing slaves or the Roman law governing the ownership of chariots.

Rumpole's final appeal to the jury...
Soon you’ll go back to your jobs and you won’t have to think any more about the Penge bungalows and the Luger pistol, the magazine and the bloodstains in the hall. This case is only a small part of your lives. But for that young man sitting there in the dock—’ here I swung round and pointed at Simon—’it’s the whole of his life that’s at stake. And I put that young life with confidence in your hands.’

The Penge Bungalow murders was Rumpole's first claim to fame. He refers to this trial in many more of stories with only a hint about blood stains. Satisfying to learn the whole truth of his early win.

Enjoy!

[David Dowdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horace Rumpole sets about upholding justice and fair play for the downtrodden, common folk of society and leaves us laughing along the way. We want him to win and gloat because he does it for us.

We want him to make things right. We want him to dress down tyrant justices and abusive aristocrats of business and government. We want him to win with humility. He does all that and more.

Read how Rumpole made a name for himself by nudging his way to become the defender of a man in the Penge Bungalow murders. Enjoy witnessing his tact and gentle mentoring of the defendant who faces certain death in the gallows. Rejoice in his satirical wit before the judge and prosecutor.

Finally, discover how the lovable nemesis called Hilda became his wife and 'she who must be obeyed'.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Returned to an old friend as the audio book reading continues. I am a huge fan of the character of Horace Rumpole, the cantankerous old barrister who thrives on saying--under his breath of course--all the things we'd like to say to pompous lawyers, judges, and various other people that tend to act far more important than they really are.

This time around, Rumpole finally gets around to telling us about the case that put him on the map--the Penge Bungalow Murders. Longer than most Rumpole stories, Moritmer interrupts the narrative several times to tell other stories along the way, which helps pads things out a bit. It takes a little getting used to at first, but Moritmer is amazingly good at blending the storier together without making it seem like he's interrupting. In lesser hands, the digressions would have felt out of place.

Life for young Rumpole wsa a bit touch and go at first, it seems. He's stuck on lesser cases till the future She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, daughter of the head of Chambers, finds a way to get this young lawyer a chance at the big time--second chair on an important murder trial. There's only one problem--Rumpole is to be seen and not heard. This goes about as well as you might expect and soon he's in trouble with the judge, his boss, and holds the life of a young man in his hands as he's forced to go it alone. And even if he wins, which is unlikely, he's going to lose, career over before it starts. What to do?

Start cracking wise, that's what.

Mortimer deftly evolves Rumpole from an uncertain junior to a man capable of standing up to authority, growing in confidence even as he grows in girth. The only problem with this is that for a lot of the book, Rumpole is not the character we're used to, so the amount of rip-roaringly funny insults is reduced, though not completely eliminated. He's still the Rumpole we know and love, he's just a little less vocal about it.

Doing a Year One story, to borrow a comic book term, can be dangerous. But Mortimer's planned this out well and executes it just about perfectly. The seducing(?) of Rumpole by Hilda is particularly well done as are the present day cameos of the regular supporting cast. And now we know the true story of how Rumpole got to be associated with the bungling crime family, the Timsons.

I should also note that Bill Wallis did an admirable job voicing Rumpole, no small feat given that he will always be Leo McKern to just about everyone who's a fan. Changing voices like a good narrator, Wallis's gravelly Rumpole works very well and I am definitely a fan of his reading style. This is a great book, whether you read it or listen to it, for both fans of Rumpole and courtroom style adventures. (Library, 03/08)

[Mervyn Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, not one of the best Rumpole's, but still better than most of what's out there. Covering the famous Penge Bungalow Murders - Rumpole's first (proper) case - it was, ironically, one of the last Rumpole stories Mortimer wrote. There's less wit, and I'm not sure the structure works, but it's still an entertaining way to pass a few hours. And it's nice to have characters like C.H. Wystan fleshed out. It would have been fun seeing it televised. I think by the time it was written, Leo McKern had hung up his wig. And another actor would've been needed to play the young Rumpole. Anyway, glad to have finally read it. Back to the book I'm reading about the CIA...

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was aware of Rumpole. Had watched a few of the episodes. John Mortimer was a regular on the interview circuit for many years and I always enjoyed what he had to say. Inevitably an intelligent mix of pertinent observations on the world and delightful one-liners. Yet it took me until now to read a Rumpole novel. The downside is that I've missed out on a treat: here is a legal miscreant to go alongside Frost and Wexford: the upside is that I've got it all to come. A golden new seam has been opened in the deep mine of my reading. I shall exploit it ruthlessly.

That's just the reading pleasure. There are then the over-riding values of truth and justice in a world that should (but cannot) take these as givens.

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last John Mortimer has finally rewarded his fans with the case he he been teasing us with for years. The infamous Penge Bungalow Murders! How great to get a glimpse of the young Rumpole!

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regular Rumpole readers know that the crusty barrister frequently refers to this early case of his, which he won "alone and without a leader." In 2004, Rumpole (or Mortimer) finally decided to give us the details. It's a wonderful novel, as good as the best of Rumpole. It's fascinating to see how the events recounted here contribute to the formation of Rumpole's later character and habits. Highly recommended for Rumpole fans.

[Robert Hobkirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Rumpole series, he is continually referring to his first murder trial where he got the wrongly accused off and cheated the hangman out of his day's pay. Mortimer always lifts my spirits with his wit and true to life characters. If you have never read John Mortimer, check him out. He's brillant as the Brits say.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a confession to make... Although I love the character of Horace Rumpole, AKA Rumpole of the Bailey, I hitherto preferred the wonderful television series starring Leo McKern to the books. This is no slight on Sir John Mortimer QC, who wrote both the screen and page versions.

During my Rumpole binge last year, I only really enjoyed the Rumpole short stories that were not TV episodes. (I have never embraced the short story genre: besides modernist fiction, such as the masterful creations of Katherine Mansfield whose writing I've long claimed to adore, too many short stories have nothing really going for them except plot.) To their credit, John Mortimer's Rumpole stories have great characters and wicked humour alongside well-sequenced plots. Unfortunately, though, Mortimer tended to adapt his scripts into prose fiction in quite a straightforward way, meaning that most of what he penned is almost identical to the TV programme, except with Rumpole's voiceover monologues and pithy asides switched to first-person narrative. Besides, these are effectively crime-fiction stories: Rumpole, the Old Bailey hack, faced with certain defeat, somehow has to find the essential detail that will free his client. They do not make for great re-reading or re-viewing. 

All of that said, the book I am reviewing had two things in its favour: it was never filmed, and it isn't a short story. This novel was published in 2004, two years after the great Leo McKern had died and a decade after he'd stopped playing Rumpole on the screen; so, needless to say, I have never seen Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders. One of only a handful of Rumpole novels, this is the first I've read.

I enjoyed it immensely and read its 215 pages quickly, in just a few hours across two days. The chapters were that perfect length (between 5 and 10 pages) to think 'I'll just read one more', which really propelled me along. 

The Penge Bungalow Murders case is famous, of course, in Rumpole legend. The protagonist frequently refers to it in other stories and throughout the TV series as one of his greatest victories. Fans will recall that it involves some keen forensic skill on Rumpole's part and that he did it "alone and without a leader!" What I didn't appreciate was that it was the barrister's very first murder case. At the time murder was still a hanging offence, so the stakes are higher than in any other Rumpole story. It is also when he met his future wife Hilda, better known as She Who Must Be Obeyed. This review doesn't include spoilers, but suffice it to say there's an important and humorous episode involving three rubber johnnies. 

I don't know but I imagine it was quite a challenge to write about Rumpole's most legendary case, gathering up all the snippets from previous texts and working them into a coherent whole that wouldn't disappoint fans.

The novel is told from the perspective of the older Rumpole sitting down to write his memoirs, occasionally interrupted by She in the 'present day'. Rumpole is still practising at the bar, at Equity Court Chambers, which has become very corporate, now boasting a Director of Marketing and Administration, as we learn on page 1. The famous Penge Bungalow Murders case has, Rumpole laments, almost slipped from living memory. The framing device and the pattern for the rest of the book are neatly set up in the first couple of pages:

"What on earth," [the Director of Marketing and Administration] asked, without a note of shame in her voice, "were the Penge Bungalow Murders?" 

[…] 

I realised it was high time I added the full story of the Penge Bungalow affair to my memoirs. So much of history is being lost. Young people nowadays are vague as to the identity of Hitler and Churchill, and although the murders at Penge were once headline material, the details of that remarkable case may have become lost in the mists of time.

We're looking back, down the long corridor of history, to the early 1950s.

Thereupon, Rumpole begins narrating his salad days as a white wig barrister in the wake of the war.

Mortimer might be accused of fan service, what with Dodo Mackintosh, Bonny Bernard, Bobby Dogherty and most of the Timson clan all making cameos, but that is forgivable given that fans had waited a long time for an account of the Penge Bungalow Murders. Charting as it does Rumpole's first cases, this book might be a good place for Rumpole novices to start, though some of the significance of these recurring characters and passing references to other favourites (Guthrie Featherstone QC MP or Phyllida Erskine-Brown née Trant, the Portia of our chambers, for example) would be lost.

For all this nostalgia, the result is never mawkish, however. In fact, we see Rumpole learning some bittersweet lessons. After failing to get his leg over with a solicitor's clerk, he says, directly to the reader, "I don't know what you think about being young. To me, it's a time for growing used to disappointment." But the bitterest realisation of all is that the Penge Bungalow Murders was, despite our familiarity with his succeeding long career, "perhaps the most important case [Rumpole] ever did". 

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horace Rumpole is grilled-cheese sandwich for the soul. Satisfying and refreshing. For us old Rumpolians, THIS is the story we have long waited for. I am sure most Rumpole fans read this long ago. For me, life got in the way, but I am glad I waited. Thoroughly enjoyable. My desire this year is to read books that were given to me as presents. This is the first.

[Sophie Vlaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

English tongue-in-cheek humor and a legal setting. I love.

[Michael Marstellar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audacious, witty and sparring with the biased snobbery judge barrister Horace Rumpole delights in what he states in both the TV show played by Leo McKern and in the books, I'm assuming the books (this is the first book I read/listened to of the RUMPOLE series) since Rumpole, in the show, so frequently brings-up this case as his greatest case.

The audiobook version is read by Bill Wallis who I, at first, was disappointed it wasn't Leo McKern reading the book, but my disappointment quickly changed after listening to Bill Wallis's rendering of Rumpole in which he was able to match Rumpole's voice idiosyncrasies that were in my head from seeing McKern play the role.

The book starts-out with Rumpole late in his career, as do the shows, with Rumpole writing his memoirs thereby recalling the case of THE PENGE BUNGALOW MURDERS. Rumpole takes us back to the time he was just starting-out as a young barrister and relays how the British class system and their stuffy traditions snubbed their noses at him and his brash style.

The case has it that a young man threatened and killed his father and his father's friend. The case looks to be an "open and shut case" barring the technicalities of trial, conviction and execution. Rumpole at the time is a junior to his, at the time, boss who has no intentions of questioning the witnesses with any degree of hardness in fear of rousing the jury to anger and would rather act as a "dignified gentleman" of chambers in the hopes the jury and the judge would show mercy to young Simon all-the-while knowing Simon is doomed for the gallows but would prefer Simon walk up the gallows the same as if he were taking a stroll down the promenade.

Rumpole, on the otherhand, in his burgeoning grandiloquent style in court that he is just beginning to discover will not have it, and will do anything in his power to upset the scales of justice that are so heavily weighed against young Simon.

THE PENGE BUNGALOW story is exciting not just to see if the young Rumpole can save young Simon from the gallows, but what is equally interesting and quite annoying where you root for Rumpole if you are not a Duke, Knight or "Gentleman" is seeing him have to attempt to rise in the legal world where it is not only dependant on your talent, but more importantly the station you were born into in life.

Aside from this, RUMPOLE AND THE PENGE BUNGALOW MURDERS is fun! You laugh at Rumpole's jokes. You appreciate the subtle touch of being able to hear his thoughts especially when he quotes Shakespeare. And you cheer him on as he knocks down the stuck-up snobbish judge from his lofty perch with his underhanded wit and intelligence.

I would love to have a drink of Chateau Thames Embankment with Rumpole!

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3

"'To me criminal law is all about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Civil law’s only about money, an uninteresting subject.' It was a sentence I had used in one of my examination papers to cover my profound ignorance of the rules governing bills of exchange.”

Exceeded my expectations:
- Picked this up on a whim ages ago (secondhand bookshops are absolute goldmines), I've let this lie undisturbed on my shelf for far too long.
- Rumpole is the entire circus. I love all the snarky remarks he tries so hard to keep inside.
- Beneath the very British humour, there's a lot to unpack and analyse!

A little legal rant:
- It is a travesty when the criminal justice system fails to uphold the presumption of innocence (a very basic legal principle), or when the system is so fraught with complexity and dysfunction that clients are denied the chance to have their rights supported.
- Unfortunately, in real life, sometimes people are advised to plead guilty to a charge (regardless of whether they genuinely are or not) because it's the 'easiest' or 'most cost effective' thing to do. I understand that some cases may be incredibly difficult to defend, but I don't think it's ethical to advise a client to capitulate and go against their conscience (and the truth!) just because it's more convenient to do so.
- Although I know less about this point, it is within the realm of possibility that some legal practitioners may fall into the habit of viewing their clients' cases as a means to an end (to advance their own reputation among their learned friends). When this is the case, legal proceedings would seem incredibly cold and impersonal to clients, as their needs are not being met and they are not being afforded basic respect (like in Simon Jerold's case).
- The death penalty for murder was abolished in England in 1965. This got me thinking about a debate we recently had in a criminology tutorial. At what point does someone deserve to die? What act/s would somebody have to commit to forfeit their right to life? I don't believe we have the authority to take the lives of others. And the danger of even one person being unjustly put to death is, to me, an unacceptable risk. But looking at specific recent and historical crimes, my stance sometimes wavers. I really don't have an answer yet.
- Also some interesting discussion about war vets dealing with trauma and shame, and the impact of this on their quality of life (and the people closest to them).

Closing statement:
- I'm sure Mortimer took some liberties with the legal stuff... e.g. is it even possible to accuse a witness of murder? LOL
- It's comedy, but it's given me plenty of brain food.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers of Rumpole of the Bailey, written 30 years ago when Rumpole was 68, will recall that he decided not recount his famous victory in the Penge Bungalow murders alone and without a leader. He said that he could hardly recognize that younger version of himself.

Here he relents as he approaches his centenary year, thanks to the health giving benefits of Chateau Thames Embankment, and tells the story he omitted so long ago. Not surprisingly, he actually remembers his younger self quite well and he is easy to recognize. All the characters and catch phrases of the later stories show up, and we get the bonus of reading of the first trial with the Timson family of South London villains, Rumpoles most loyal customers, and with Bonnie Bernard, Rumpole's most loyal solicitor.

If you have read many Rumpole stories, you will recognize many of the elements here including the plot. That hardly matters. This is a wonderful old song with just a slightly different orchestration and a new verse or two.

I particularly liked the new version of how Hilda got Rumpole to propose. The 1978 version suggested that Hilda had gotten Rumpole drunk at an Inns of Court Ball and after a few waltzes had put the question to him in his weakened state. The new version is much better. At his advanced age, I suppose it is too much to hope we will ever have a third version.

At any rate, this is a good visit for the friends of Rumpole and might not be a bad place for others to meet him.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rumpole is a great character, and the TV series certainly captures John Mortimer's defense lawyer to a "T." I was perfectly content with Rumpole as played by Leo McKern, and felt no need to read the stories (which in any event wrere brough to the screen practically word for word); but with McKern's death, Mortimer has written an end to screen adaptations of his character. Not so with the books and stories, however, and "Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders" is a welcome addition to the continuing Rumpole saga. It looks back to the beginning of his career and how he made his reputation, and is a complete delight to read. The only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars is that through the stories over the years Rumpole has mentioned brief snippets about the Penge bungalow murders--so there is some back story pretty firmly established, and Mortimer seems to have forgotten or ignored this and written a story that is at odds with his earlier writings on the incident.

[CQM · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Penge bungalow murders are legendary in the world of Rumpole and I approached this telling of them with a certain mild trepidation.
Would young Rumpole live up to the more seasoned defender we've come to know and love?
Would the legendary case of the Penge bungalow murders live up to the legend?
Would Rumpole be able to sustain interest in only the second of his novel-length appearances?
All questions answered in the affirmative.
It's probably just as well I came late to the Rumpole books because I can only imagine the arguments with my own "She" if I'd suggested naming our firstborn Horace...

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the twelve preceding books in this series, Rumpole has never missed an opportunity to celebrate his first big victory in the Penge Bungalow murders case. Now we get to hear that story completely for the first time.

Bravo to Rumpole for believing in innocent until proven guilty and fighting for his client all the way. About three quarters through I sort of figured it out, but thrilled to see Rumpole pull it off.

Perhaps better read later than as a first, but great nonetheless.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Rumpole looking back on his 'first' case.

It introduces you to young Rumpole - a young barrister who gets caught up in a 'hopeless' case. In the meantime he meets young Hilda - 'she who must be obeyed!' - who obviously becomes a long-term feature of the books.

I listened to the audio which was well-read and contributed to the appreciation of the witticisms!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Rumpole book that I have read and I really liked it. It wasn't much of a "who done it", but the dry British wit more than made up for the lack of suspense. Looking forward to reading more of them.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! The whole story of the Penge Bungalow Murders is revealed. Long time fans of Rumpole will be delighted.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this case & became quite absorbed in it. The narrator Bill Wallis did a great job with the various accents.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply fabulous. So good I read it in a single day!

This is definitely a book for Rumpole fans and tells the story that begins our hero's career.

[Monica Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm normally not one for British humor, but this book had me chuckling aloud to myself several times. It's a pretty quick read, the voice is excellent, and the characters are well written. I may have to check out more stories with Rumpole.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now we finally hear the details of Rumpole's 1st successful case; the case which introduced him to "She Who Must Be Obeyed" and to Pomeroy's Bar. It was romping good time!

[Bill Plott · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first exposure to Horace Rumpole. A delightful character and a a very readable mystery story. I will seek out more of these.

[Mercedes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to as an audio book with Benedict Cumberbatch as the young Rumpole. Witty, dry and amusing, so well delivered and paced, loved it and look forward to hearing mire.

[Helen Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of the Rumpole TV series, I enjoyed the tongue in cheek style of writing by John Mortimer. A light and enjoyable read.

[John Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book was first released 12 - 15 years ago, it put everything in perspective, especially why the case to which Horace refers time and again over the years was so important to him and his future in the law. I've just reread a couple of the Rumpole tales and had a good chortle over much of their content, but will concentrate solely on this, The Penge Bungalow Murders, because it's arguably the most important of all (well, certainly to the man we see nowadays as a character who looks remarkably like a roly-poly Leo McKern, the Australian actor who made Rumpole his own.)

It's the case of a young man, Simon Jerold, accused of murdering his father and another man not long after the end of WW2, when they teased him about never going to war (an utterly specious point, as he was too young). There is a serious side to it, as there must always be in the story of a murder investigation, but the writing of John Mortimer - himself a barrister, so therefore familiar with the world in which his (anti?) hero lives and works - is humorous and frequently tongue-in-cheek. 

Even as I say that, and no matter how well written the stories, I must admit the scriptwriters of the television series, Rumpole Of The Bailey, and the performances of McKern, are at least a match for the originator, but it still remains a joy to read the greater detail in the books.

Back in the day, the old boy's network that operated so greatly by inference or unwritten rule - "It's just not done, my boy..." - meant much of what went on in courts of law might actually work against the accused. In this case, the leader, or senior barrister, and the judge were of the opinion that time spent cross-examining witnesses was a waste of time. In fact, the judge liked to knock off in good time, especially on Friday nights, to get home to his pig breeding hobby. The junior barrister, the 'white wig', was told specifically, in his leader's unavoidable absence, not to upset either judge or jury by questioning prosecution witnesses. Rumpole did, and by so doing saved the life of the accused man he represented.

I doubt anyone who appreciates the very subtlety and nuance of British humour will fail to enjoy this or others in the Rumpole series of books. 

I feel I must offer a little spoiler about one of the deliciously humorous passages from the book. Hilda, who will become She Who Must Be Obeyed has her eyes set on Rumpole. She convinces daddy to take him on as junior for the case. She and the young Rumpole are in a cafe when he opens his wallet and out fall three 'rubber johnnies,' bought a few nights earlier for an assignation with another lass that never eventuated. Hilda sees them and is far from shocked. She says something along the lines of, "Oh we must never use them before we are married." Sharing them with her was not something that had ever actually entered the young barrister's mind, so he agreed. By such divergence of meaning did they become engaged.
 

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rumpole and The Penge Bungalow Murders by John Mortimer, author of Charade http://realini.blogspot.com/2021/12/f... and Titmuss Regained http://realini.blogspot.com/2019/03/t... both included on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read List

9 out of 10





This reader is not particularly inclined to indulge in detective books, but notwithstanding that, there are some magnum opera that make the expedition worthwhile, given that Umberto Eco has opened our eyes to the potential eternity involved in reading - “The person who doesn't read lives only one life…The reader lives 5,000…Reading is immortality backwards’- why not try to navigate through the lives of criminals (and detectives) to see what it is like to be a thug for a change – assuming readers are just like me, noble, innocent, god fearing humans – besides, you can find some extraordinary facts from such novels, take The Daughter of Time by Josephine Fey http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/10/t... for instance and the revelation from it…



William Shakespeare has made the world (well, we need to wonder how many know of him today, never mind read his masterpieces) know Richard III http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/r... as the epitome of Evil (with a capital letter, to throw one of the favorite mannerisms, the hyperbole) while the investigation in The Daughter of Time makes plain that this was just…myth, or what might be called ‘fake news’ in the lingo of the present, for Richard III had not killed his nephews and alas, he will be known by most as a monster, when he was if not a good man, then just ordinary…

John Mortimer combines in the Penge Bungalow Murders humor (both Charade and Titmuss Regained belong to the Comedy section on the list of the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read List) with drama, for we have two murders in the plot, two bomber pilots that have flown in World War II missions are shot dead and the son of one of them is accused, arrested and put on trial for the killings, while the hero of a series, Horace Rumpole, is assisting in the case to begin with, then becomes the sole defense of Simon Jerold.



The two bomber pilots are killed during the night, but in the prior evening they have met for a small celebration, during which Simon’s father has started to promote some martial ideas and attacked his son for his unwillingness to fight, show desire to participate in wars, a more than awkward position given what we will find out (spoiler alerts) and his dejection during the World War II, which at one stage he had become sure that Hitler is going to win, and it is pointless to keep fighting, better see the inevitable

This will be an important part of the defense plan of the young Horace Rumpole, albeit at the start, he has a leader, CH Wystan, he has to work under, only this barrister does not show an interest in the saving of Simon, he is sure the young man will be sentenced, ad executed in those days, and it is therefore in his interest to avoid annoying the court, his strategy is anyway one that keeps decorum at all costs



Hilda, or She Who Must Be Obeyed, is the daughter of the leader and will play a crucial role in the narrative, however less she participates in some schemes than she declares, for she does promote Rumpole, then tells him and the readers about her intention to get married, does encourage the aspiring Horace Rumpole, but her support, their dialogues are marred by her imperial perspective, she will force the young man to accept her desire, even if that concerns one of the most important decisions one can take

Seeing that he is not defended by the leader, CH Wystan, Simon Jerold tells him he does not want him for the defense anymore, and he will choose Rumpole instead, because it had been evident that the latter wants to save the client, while the leader is really concerned with other matters, given that this is a lost cause anyway, everybody knowing that it is the young man who did it, so we have a Face Off here.



When his father has been determined to push around the too pacifist son, Simon had taken a gun and said something to the effect of ‘if you are so bloody minded to push others to war, see if you can take this, I will shoot anyone of you who approaches me’…the older men had been keen to rough the son around, but this stopped them and later on, it was the clear ‘evidence’ that the young man had wanted to kill the father, then his pal, and other circumstantial proof was summoned to make a shut and closed case…

Nonetheless, Horace Rumpole has seen that the boy is innocent and is going to try to make sure he is acquitted, he finds more about the defeatism of the dead father, then a witness provides key testimony, having heard from the bathroom a dispute – when the two pilots returned from a Nazi prison camp, they claimed that the third man of the team had died in the fire, when the plane was shot down, only there are witnesses that had seen a dead officer, shot next to a laded plain and that sheds a different light.



It looks as if the bomber pilots with a wish to abandon the fight (one critic says this is improbable, and we have to agree) could not convince their navigator (was he that, maybe this is a mistake) to join them in their surrender and treason, so they had shot him dead, then pursued their goal of seeing the sitting the rest of the war from the safety of a Nazi prisoners of war camp, however, when they returned, one of their air force mates, present on the evening of the murder at the small party, has had his suspicions.

Those doubts became a conviction that they had killed their navigator, he confronts the killers (it does look as if they had done it) and talks about execution and treason, something heard from the bathroom, this and other facts pieced together by brilliant Horace Rumpole might win the day and save the innocent Simon Jerold, something for which the leader might try to take credit, the way privileged fellows do…

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