From Publishers Weekly
In Rumpole's last outing, Rumpole Rests His Case (2002), Mortimer's beloved barrister suffered a near-fatal heart attack, but as shown in this delicious new story collection, Rumpole still has plenty of life left, despite the preparations some of his blithely insensitive colleagues in chambers make for his imminent demise. In the ingenious title tale, which has been nominated for an Edgar, Rumpole is recuperating in the Primrose Path Home, until the mysterious death of an elderly fellow patient prompts him to slip back to London, where he soon figures out that there's something fishy afoot at his former rest home. The five other entries offer puzzles nearly as clever, though in one story, in which a juror turns out to know someone connected to a murder case, the apparent lack of a voir dire process for screening jurors may strike some readers as odd. As always, however, it is the character of Rumpole and his supporting cast, headed by wife Hilda ("She Who Must Be Obeyed"), that provides such pleasure, along with a perfectly crafted style that owes much to P.G. Wodehouse. If at times the bumbling Rumpole, like Bertie Wooster, must suffer one comic humiliation after another, let it not be forgot that Rumpole, unlike Bertie, is a competent professional who operates in a recognizably real and often nasty contemporary world. May he, as his wife so confidently assumes over their anniversary dinner in the uplifting final story, "Rumpole Redeemed," be back for more legal escapades next year.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
A shameful hoax is being perpetrated on the listening public! In this volume, the seedy, old (albeit brilliant) barrister of the title relates stories of six cases in the delightfully witty style for which he has become notorious. Inexplicably, the publishers allege that Bill Wallis narrates this volume, which they further claim was written by John Mortimer. By now, Rumpole's admirers are well aware that Mortimer is his nom de plume, and, upon hearing merely the first minute of this superb offering, will recognize at once the old boy's very own voice. No impersonator could counterfeit Rumpole's voice and personality so perfectly or hold forth so amusingly about his own adventures. We are not fooled, BBC Audiobooks! Do you think we Yanks were born yesterday? If you wish to hide poor Rumpole's raconteurish light under a bushel, you shall have to be more clever than this! Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The past decade has been a bit bumpy for fans of the irascible, keen-witted criminal defense barrister Rumpole. First, fans had to wait six years before Rumpole Rests His Case appeared in 2002, and then, when Rumpole suffered a heart attack at the end of the novel, it seemed that he might really be hanging up his horsehair wig for good and pleading his case before the Ultimate Judge. (The real-life death of character actor Leo McKern, for whom Mortimer designed the Rumpole stories, lent further credence to this theory.) Clearly, Rumpole fans have needed some good news, and here it is. Bring out the Chateau Thames Embankment and toast the return of the barrister from near-death and from the clutches of the Primrose Path convalescent home, back to his chambers, the Old Bailey, back to his beloved Timson crime family, to his less beloved "She Who Must Be Obeyed," and, of course, to Pomeroy's Wine Bar. These six new stories showcase everything that is great and good in this long-running series: the sly characterizations of the denizens of Equity Chambers and the Old Bailey; Rumpole's crabby take on change and his incisive wit; and Mortimer's deft plotting. Rumpole takes on a Fagin-like pickpocket on the tube, a murderous nursing-home plot, the new marketing director for Chambers, and the powerful She Who Must Be Obeyed, along with the usual unsavory criminals he loves to defend. This new Rumpole is clearly cause for celebration. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Whether you're a longtime fan of the series (either the previous 12 books or the popular PBS television series Rumpole of the Bailey) or seeking an introduction to John Mortimer's disheveled yet surprisingly perceptive Old Bailey hack, the verdict is clear: Rumpole and the Primrose Path is a winner! Six stories grace this diverting collection, including the title yarn, which was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Short Story. Effects of the heart attack that laid Rumpole low in Rumpole Rests His Case still linger as the wily old barrister plots his escape from the Primrose Path convalescent home. But a cry for help from a favorite nurse accused of deadly wrongdoing offers Rumpole his chance to return to work -- and foils his colleagues' plan to "celebrate his life" before he's finished with it. Soon a gentlemanly offer (inspired by a New Year's resolution his wife insisted he undertake) gives Rumpole a new perspective on crime in the streets. Then, though grumbling about the scarcity of cases requiring his attention, Rumpole rebalances the scales of justice, reexamines the right to privacy, locates a vanishing juror, and redeems a tarnished reputation. John Mortimer's cleverly crafted plots and irreverent observations prove Rumpole is back in top form when it comes to irritating wrongheaded judges and turning the tables on wrongdoers. Sue Stone

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The six new stories in Rumpole and the Primrose Path find Horace Rumpole in classic form, despite a recent heart attack. None the worse for wear, Rumpole is back and deftly parrying everything from the admonitions of his wife, Hilda, to the vagaries of his legal colleagues and their new director of marketing, Luci. With her cell phone, corporate jargon, glossy brochures, and plans to give their chambers a new image, Luci presumes Rumpole is soon to expire and has been busy planning his memorial service. But the witty and irreverent Rumpole, sharp as ever, is far from hanging up his wig!

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

… Mortimer is delightfully playful throughout. He is instructive, too. British judges are much more active than American judges in discussing evidence with juries, to the dismay of many litigants. Mortimer, himself a former barrister, portrays most of the judges Rumpole meets as inattentive, arrogant and biased, and these depictions smell sweetly of payback. — Adam Liptak

The Washington Post

I don't know exactly what it is that makes these books so satisfying; maybe it's that Rumpole feels dismissed and under-appreciated at every turn, that his own sense of self-esteem is both so sturdy and so fragile that he so loves to tell his stories even though the attention of his listeners falters. Maybe it's that he so enjoys his office, with all its petty gossip and foiled affairs. Or maybe it's because he loves his own work with a petulant, impatient love, that he knows he's crack at what he does -- defending low-life crooks -- whether the larger world appreciates him or not. — Carolyn See

Publishers Weekly

In Rumpole's last outing, Rumpole Rests His Case (2002), Mortimer's beloved barrister suffered a near-fatal heart attack, but as shown in this delicious new story collection, Rumpole still has plenty of life left, despite the preparations some of his blithely insensitive colleagues in chambers make for his imminent demise. In the ingenious title tale, which has been nominated for an Edgar, Rumpole is recuperating in the Primrose Path Home, until the mysterious death of an elderly fellow patient prompts him to slip back to London, where he soon figures out that there's something fishy afoot at his former rest home. The five other entries offer puzzles nearly as clever, though in one story, in which a juror turns out to know someone connected to a murder case, the apparent lack of a voir dire process for screening jurors may strike some readers as odd. As always, however, it is the character of Rumpole and his supporting cast, headed by wife Hilda ("She Who Must Be Obeyed"), that provides such pleasure, along with a perfectly crafted style that owes much to P.G. Wodehouse. If at times the bumbling Rumpole, like Bertie Wooster, must suffer one comic humiliation after another, let it not be forgot that Rumpole, unlike Bertie, is a competent professional who operates in a recognizably real and often nasty contemporary world. May he, as his wife so confidently assumes over their anniversary dinner in the uplifting final story, "Rumpole Redeemed," be back for more legal escapades next year. (Dec. 1) Forecast: Rumpole's latest memoir volume is The Summer of a Dormouse (2001), which reflects some of the same concerns about aging. As usual for Mortimer, this collection will appeal as much to mainstream readers as mystery fans. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

A shameful hoax is being perpetrated on the listening public! In this volume, the seedy, old (albeit brilliant) barrister of the title relates stories of six cases in the delightfully witty style for which he has become notorious. Inexplicably, the publishers allege that Bill Wallis narrates this volume, which they further claim was written by John Mortimer. By now, Rumpole's admirers are well aware that Mortimer is his nom de plume, and, upon hearing merely the first minute of this superb offering, will recognize at once the old boy's very own voice. No impersonator could counterfeit Rumpole's voice and personality so perfectly or hold forth so amusingly about his own adventures. We are not fooled, BBC Audiobooks! Do you think we Yanks were born yesterday? If you wish to hide poor Rumpole's raconteurish light under a bushel, you shall have to be more clever than this! Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews