The Five Bells and Bladebone

A Richard Jury Mystery, Book 9

By: Martha Grimes

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

When a dismembered corpse is found in the compartments of an antique secretaire a abattant, Marshall Trueblood, recipient of the precious piece of furniture, is the first to protest: "I bought the desk, not the body, send it back" Who would want to kill Simon Lean, the greedy nephew of the wealthy Lady Summerston?

Leave it to Superintendent Richard Jury of Scotland Yard to suggest a connection to the murder of brassy Limehouse lady named Sadie Driver, found dead near Wapping Old Stairs - if that stone-cold body on the slipway is really Sadie. Not even her brother, Tommy, on a visit from Gravesend, can swear to it.

©2002 Martha Grimes (P)2013 Simon & Schuster Audio

Decent story in the series

Where does The Five Bells and Bladebone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

2.5; kept losing the thread of the story

What did you like best about this story?

The premise of a double -double jeopardy

Which scene was your favorite?

When Jervis wins by default

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No it sort of meandered

Any additional comments?

Love the series and love the narrator, Steve West

Good Plot

This is my favorite Richard Jury mystery for it has a masterful plot, humor and well developed characters.

Great Narration

Steve West has really captured the voice of Richard Jury and associates. This is a wonderful narration and I really hope that he continues to narrate the rest of the series.

love this series!

I feel as though all the main characters are family. Low key. Great read. wonderful.

Love em

I never get tired of these… used to have them in cassette tapes. Never get tired of listening to this narrator:-)

I just love these books!

Always fun to revisit this crew. This one threw me for loop because I did not see that coming at all. Great story!
As usual this book was made even more enjoyable by having Steve West narrating. He always has the characters down perfectly. After listening to 9 books so far, when he speaks in a particular voice I automatically know who the character is.

Always an interesting read—well done!

Another fascinating read rich with detail and the usual satisfying array of characters—which pub next..?

Another Great Mystery by Martha Grimes!!

I am in love with Richard Jury’s Mysteries!!! I love how we get to Richard Jury, Melrose Plant, and Alfred Wiggins with each book alongside all the background characters. In this book Superintendent Jury is having quite a time trying to solve two murders, connecting them, and proving who did it is really who they say they are. We also get to see how this case is effecting Richard and taking him back to his childhood. Even at the end of the story Melrose can see his friend has not gotten over these cases. As usual Martha Grimes keeps you guessing till the very end.

A oddly convoluted story told at a very leisurely pace

As usual, I enjoyed the character-driven mystery. This one I could follow a bit better than some of the others—I could keep up with the characters.
Also, I always enjoy Melrose and Vivian, Melrose’s butler and, of course, Richard Jury.
The background storylines and decorations where laid on a bit thick, but I enjoyed the escape nevertheless.

Diabolical !

What a diabolical imagination! Obfuscation all the way in this one which has a murder in the country and one in a transitional neighborhood in London that are totally connected. The happy ending part of me wishes that the orphaned brother and the totally bereft grandmother could be left together.
Steve West does a remarkable narration with this one.