annieb123's Review of The Knowledge (Richard Jury Mystery, #24)

by Martha Grimes

In the new mystery in the bestselling Richard Jury series, MWA Grand Master Martha Grimes brings London's finest and "the Filth" together on a double-homicide case that involves Kenyan art, rare gems, astrophysics, and a long-fermented act of revenge

With their signature wit, sly plotting, and gloriously offbeat characters, Martha Grimes's New York Times bestselling Richard Jury mysteries are "utterly unlike anyone else's detective novels" (Washington Post). In the latest series outing, The Knowledge, the Scotland Yard detective nearly meets his match in a Baker Street Irregulars-like gang of kids and a homicide case that reaches into east Africa.

Robbie Parsons is one of London's finest, a black cab driver who knows every street, every theater, every landmark in the city by heart. In his backseat is a man with a gun in his hand--a man who brazenly committed a crime in front of the Artemis Club, a rarefied art gallery-cum-casino, then jumped in and ordered Parsons to drive. As the criminal eventually escapes to Nairobi, Detective Superintendent Richard Jury comes across the case in the Saturday paper.

Two days previously, Jury had met and instantly connected with one of the victims of the crime, a professor of astrophysics at Columbia and an expert gambler. Feeling personally affronted, Jury soon enlists Melrose Plant, Marshall Trueblood, and his whole gang of merry characters to contend with a case that takes unexpected turns into Tanzanian gem mines, a closed casino in Reno, Nevada, and a pub that only London's black cabbies, those who have "the knowledge," can find. The Knowledge is prime fare from "one of the most fascinating mystery writers today" (Houston Chronicle).

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

There are a handful of authors whose mysteries are almost guaranteed to be wonderfully crafted, entertaining and beautifully written. Martha Grimes is one author on my list of 'auto-buys'. The Knowledge is the 24th Richard Jury novel and he returns with a cast of familiar characters and an ensemble group of new ones.

Like the previous books in the series, the title comes from the name of a pub. In this case it's a mythical pub known only to the cab drivers of London. Along with a ragtag bunch of incredibly savvy street kids, there are cab drivers, gem smugglers, and a healthy helping of murder, jealousy and corruption.

I have been with this series since the first book and look forward to each and every one. The Knowledge might suffer a bit by comparison with the others, though it's still absolutely top notch. I also wouldn't recommend this book as an entry point into the series. There are an awful lot of casual in-jokes and assumed background knowledge of the characters. I continue to adore Jury and Plant and co. Wonderful, even if it's a bit more whimsical than the usual Richard Jury mystery.

368 pages, available from Grove Atlantic in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats.

Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

The Knowledge (Richard Jury Mystery, #24)

by Martha Grimes

Reviewed by annieb123 on May 4, 2018

Reading updates