From Publishers Weekly
Mortimer's beloved barrister, Horace Rumpole, at last tells the tale, hitherto mentioned only in passing, of the Penge Bungalow murders, the case that made his reputation as a defense lawyer decades ago. Simon Jerold stands accused of shooting his father, a bomber pilot during WWII, and an RAF buddy of his father's some hours after a quarrel in which Simon threatened his father with a German Luger. Simon appears headed for the gallows with perfunctory defense from C.H. Wystan, Rumpole's by-the-book head of chambers. Leave it to young Rumpole, an inexperienced "white wig," to see a chink or two in the prosecution's case and step up to Simon's defense, even at the risk of ruffling his supercilious superior's feathers. Subplots include the farcical circumstances that lead the romantically challenged Rumpole to become engaged to Wystan's daughter, Hilda (aka "She Who Must Be Obeyed"), and his introduction to the felonious Timson family, one of whose hapless members he defends in an unrelated burglary trial—which incidentally provides a clue to a key motive of one of the principals in the murder case. If a British airman circa 1942 committing treason in the belief that Hitler was going to win the war isn't entirely convincing, Mortimer (Rumpole and the Primrose Path) never fails to delight. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
For fans of this British crime fiction series, Rumpole is a must read. First introduced in a radio play 30 years ago, Rumpole has since populated 12 collections of Mortimer’s short stories as well as a television series. This novel-memoir (the first long piece of fiction starring Rumpole) relates the backstory of the ornery trial lawyer’s success, introduces readers to beloved characters, and answers questions about everything you ever wanted to know about Rumpole, including his predilections for wine, love, and criminal defense. "For anyone unfamiliar with this series," notes The New York Times Book Review, "here’s a charming way to begin." Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* One of the longest-running jokes in series fiction has been Horace Rumpole's oft-repeated reference to his triumph in the Penge Bungalow case, which he defended in the Old Bailey "alone and without a leader." Fans long tantalized by references to the great legal case of the postwar years now can have a novel-length bath in it. Rumpole, shocked that the newbies in chambers have never heard of this case (they are even a little vague about the identity of Churchill, he feels), commits it to memoir. Mortimer thus gives us two Rumpoles here: the singularly acerbic old Rumpole, still moving through Chambers and the Old Bailey, but also wryly commenting on young "white wig" Rumpole--acerbic, fond of quoting Romantic poets, yes; but also ambitious ("craven," old Rumpole calls it); and very nervous. A lot of mysteries are cleared up along the way: for example, how the criminal family, the Timsons, first fell into Rumpole's lap; how his wife, Hilda ("She Who Must Be Obeyed"), first darkened his door; and the origin of the term "Chateau Thames Embankment." The Penge Bungalow case itself is a rip-snorter: two RAF fliers living next to each other in bungalows right after World War II are both murdered with a German pistol; the accused is the son of one of the victims. Masterful characterization and a spellbinding plot, filled with the arcane lore and intrigues of the Old Bailey, make this one a special treat for devoted Rumpoleans. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Now more than ever, thousands of readers delight in the adventures of Horace Rumpole, but despite the publication of more than one hundred stories, his early years have remained shrouded in mystery—until now. In Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders, John Mortimer tells the story of Rumpole’s very first case. Looking back a half 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 began to shape him into the eccentric and cantankerous defender of justice and reciter of poetry readers know and love. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders is a must read for every Rumpole fan and a compelling invitation to new readers to get to know Mortimer’s addictive barrister.

About the Author
John Mortimer is a playwright, novelist, and former practicing barrister. During World War II he worked with the Crown Film Unit and published a number of novels before returning to the law. He has written for film, stage, radio, and television. Mortimer is the author of many novels, including the bestselling Paradise Postponed and twelve collections of Rumpole stories.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Fans of British crime fiction have delighted for years in stories of Rumpole of the Bailey, from his first appearances in John Mortimer's masterful short stories (there are now 12 collections) through the long-running television series inspired by those tales.Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders marks two exciting firsts in the Rumpole saga. It is the irascible barrister's first novel-length appearance, and it's also the much-referred-to but never-before-told story of the landmark murder case that was the earliest triumph of Rumpole's illustrious career.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Often mentioned but never before revealed, it's high time Rumpole committed to paper his memories of the Penge Bungalow affair. It would be an affront to history if the details of such a famous case were lost in the mists of time." "Horace Rumpole was a novice at the Old Bailey when the murders at Penge Bungalow first hit the headlines: two war heroes who'd flown numerous sorties together over Europe, apparently shot dead after a reunion dinner by the son of one of them, young Simon Jerrold." Young he might have been, but in those dark postwar days, Simon Jerrold was facing the ultimate punishment. There seemed little he could hope for since the evidence was so incriminating. Even old Wystan - head of Chambers, father of Hilda and conducting Jerrold's defense - seemed to have given up the game. But not Rumpole. There was something about the evidence that bothered him and, though he was only Wystan's junior in the case, when the time came for him to seize the initiative, he did it triumphantly.

FROM THE CRITICS

Patrick Anderson - The Washington Post

The Rumpole books are perhaps best suited for readers who are older and more reflective than most, readers who are students of life's ironies and the foibles of human nature -- readers more interested in smiling than in being shocked. They are closer to Dickens than to Dennis Lehane, and I'll swear I heard a few echoes of Larry McMurtry in Mortimer's wry portrayal of the human comedy. If you are the right sort of reader, the Rumpole books will delight you, and we must wish Sir John good health, good luck with his socks and many happy returns.

Marilyn Stasio - The New York Times

To read Horace Rumpole's account of his first court case, in John Mortimer's Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders, is to know how archaeologists felt when they clapped their eyes on the Rosetta Stone. All those tantalizing mysteries about how the grumpy sage of the Old Bailey got his start as a young barrister are revealed here, along with answers to questions we never thought to ask … For anyone unfamiliar with this series, here's a charming way to begin.

Publishers Weekly

Mortimer's beloved barrister, Horace Rumpole, at last tells the tale, hitherto mentioned only in passing, of the Penge Bungalow murders, the case that made his reputation as a defense lawyer decades ago. Simon Jerold stands accused of shooting his father, a bomber pilot during WWII, and an RAF buddy of his father's some hours after a quarrel in which Simon threatened his father with a German Luger. Simon appears headed for the gallows with perfunctory defense from C.H. Wystan, Rumpole's by-the-book head of chambers. Leave it to young Rumpole, an inexperienced "white wig," to see a chink or two in the prosecution's case and step up to Simon's defense, even at the risk of ruffling his supercilious superior's feathers. Subplots include the farcical circumstances that lead the romantically challenged Rumpole to become engaged to Wystan's daughter, Hilda (aka "She Who Must Be Obeyed"), and his introduction to the felonious Timson family, one of whose hapless members he defends in an unrelated burglary trial-which incidentally provides a clue to a key motive of one of the principals in the murder case. If a British airman circa 1942 committing treason in the belief that Hitler was going to win the war isn't entirely convincing, Mortimer (Rumpole and the Primrose Path) never fails to delight. Agent, Michael Sissons at Peters, Fraser and Dunlop. (Nov. 22) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Having sold more than a million copies of Rumpole mysteries, Mortimer returns to Rumpole's first case. Mortimer lives in Oxfordshire, England. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews