Load

A number of people in the village have events in their pasts that bring them under suspicion. Unlike most English mysteries, this one has a villain with a gun. The investigation reveals a few surprises as it draws to a conclusion.

The novel has implied sexual content and some amount of violence. It is at about the PG-13 level.

For anyone new to Grimes, she is an absolutely masterful mystery writer. What sets her apart is her focus on a pair of sharp, witty, handsome and ultimately vulnerable 40 year old bachelors, Jury and Plant. Jury and Plant are so endearing in their development - as opposed to a Poroit or Holmes - that you wish you actually knew them or people like them. In fact, you feel like you do know them. Their surrounding cast of characters - Lady Ardry, Vivian, Trueblood, Scroggs, Withersby, Wiggins, Fiona, Mrs. Wasserman, Racer - all heighten your appreciation of the main characters.

In this particular book, the first in the series, you get to see Grimes set the stage with all these characters. How does Jury (an inspector with the New Scotland Yard) ever hook up with Plant (a part-time professor who gave up his titles years ago)? Why is Trueblood in Long Pidd? What is Plant and Vivian's history? How do you pronounce Ruthven? What is the deal with the names of pubs in England (a central theme for Grimes)?

The basic plotline in this book is that 2 men - strangers to the small village of Long Pidd - have been strangled and left to be discovered in very odd ways. The reason for their murders is so obscure that Scotland Yard gets brought in to help out. After Jury arrives on the scene, however, the murders don't stop. What is the connection between these random people? Will the entire population of the small town be killed off before the murderer is found? Will Jury and Plant become good friends? All these questions are answered as Grimes also masterfully laces her humorous storyline with clues and names that point to solution of these mysterious murders.

One should know that the name of this book, THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF, is the name of an English pub where part of the action takes place. This approach is taken in all of the novels in this series. (18 to date covering over 20 years of writing)

Although any one of these novels can be read in any order, this one gives more character background than any of the others. (I read it after having already read 16 others and it didn't hurt my comprehension of the others a bit.) Each novel has an interesting and entertaining plot. That said, what really distinguishes Ms Grimes' writing is the humor and local color she evokes through the antics, interrelationships, and subplots involving the various members of her cast of characters. There are over a dozen of them and each is fully realized with personalities, weaknesses and strengths, likes and dislikes, and friends and enemies.

The plot here involves the murder of strangers visiting the English town of Long Piddleton. In order to solve the mystery of the murders, it is first necessary to determine whether the murders were the random work of some madman, or if they were somehow related in a way that is not apparent. That is the gist of the plot.

The ensemble consists of 12 to 18 characters whose importance tends to vary from novel to novel. In this, and most of the others, Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury of New Scotland Yard, his assistant, the hypochondriacal Sergeant Wiggins, and his newfound friend in Long Piddleton, Melrose Plant, the former Lord Ardry are the key participants (Melrose is the former Lord Ardry because he didn't want the title of Earl and so renounced it.)

There are a great number of players at the next tier and each is important in his own right. Some provide a real touch of humor, and others contribute to the main plot, but all combine to make this book what it is.

I must digress here and give a short description of Melrose Plant's Aunt Agatha - Lady Ardry - Lady because she happened to marry Melrose's titled uncle. She is an American and is enamored of the concept of being titled. Picture, if you will, a rather rotund late middle-aged woman who wears a cape, pushing open a door with no regard as to who or what might be on the other side, wielding a silver cane, like a sword, shoving aside anyone who happens to be between her and her destination. As often as not, her destination is a tray of cakes, tarts, and other sweets which she demands as her due at her nephew's home. After eating them all, she complains because there are no more, and on her way out pilfers Melrose's late mother's diamond ring, or a precious jade carving, or some other valuable item. Later she will wear the jewelry or display the stolen object in front of Melrose with no sense of shame. How Melrose handles this with humor and a shrug of his shoulders is an example of Ms. Grimes tongue in cheek manner.

Another character we come to know and love is Cyril The Cat who loves to torment Jury's Superior (in rank only) and always outwits him.

There are more, lots more.

So if one likes mystery with a liberal sprinkling of humor THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF might be just what the doctor ordered.

I suggest checking you get a "noodle-source" before getting this book.

With bright foam water noodles, we're doing that! Creating zoodles of fun at work, we're smiling, we're happy, we're laughing and learning to work together and that of course will translate well to our callers when our customer service agents are back on the phones fresh from training. Yeah!

Of course this is now keeping me on my toes so hopefully there's a Noodles2 in the works.

Thanks and toodles!

The authors approach to each topic covered is simple and straight forward. The 10 chapters in total, prove adequate to leave you with a satisfying result and will ensure you get the most out of what it has to offer.

The order in which the chapters are analyzed is also very clever, starting from basic concepts, protocols in the lower layers of the OSI model, and then moving to the higher application layer protocols, routing, load balancing, security and finally VPNs and firewalls.

On specific chapters I read thoroughly, I wasn't able to detect any errors or incorrect information, which shows that there was obviously a lot of research done in order to produce this fine title.

This book is recommended for people who want a general overview of the subjects covered, with a hint of techinical details at certain points.