Rumpole and the Reign of Terror

RUMPOLE AND THE REIGN OF TERROR is just as as perfect as a novel can be. I feared that Mortimer might make a misstep, given the "timeliness" (actually, timelessness) of his theme (the defense of our hard-won legal rights), but the storytelling is wonderfully sure and subtle. Mortimer never tells when he can show, and he writes volumes between the lines. (What a master of understatement and informing by indirection!) All the various themes and storylines (Hilda's flirtation with divorce, Rumpole's reaction to this, the way Rumpole is viewed by others in the legal system and how he views them, the subject of terror and the law) reflect brilliantly on each other and come together seamlessly at the end. The sum is more than the parts -- a feat of novelistic magic -- and there can be no higher praise than that.

Horace Rumpole is mad as heck and he's not going to take it anymore! John Mortimer's latest offering in his Rumpole of the Bailey series, "Rumpole and the Reign of Terror", finds Rumpole at his grouchy best. His grouchiness is not directed at his usual targets: Hilda (She Who Must be Obeyed) Rumpole or his colleagues at his law chambers. Instead, Rumpole has targeted his verbal slings and arrows at anti-terror legislation passed by Parliament in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and the terror bombings in London of 7 July, 2005. Rumpole (and presumably Mortimer) believes that elements of these Acts threaten to destroy some of the civil liberties Britons have fought for since Magna Carta. Specifically, and despite his loathing for the bus-bombing terrorists, Rumpole is apoplectic at elements of the legislation that allows Britain's police and security forces to detain suspected (non-citizen) terrorists for an indefinite period without benefit of counsel or a formal presentation of charges. In other words Rumpole see a threat to two legal precepts he holds dearest: the right of any suspect to seek relief from possibly unlawful detention via the use of the "great writ of habeas corpus"; and the presumption that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty. Rumpole falls into his latest case, in this case something akin to a legal crusade, by accident. He is defending one of the Timson clan (the crime family that has provided Rumpole with a reasonable income (a claim disputed by Hilda no doubt) for his entire career on a run of the mill breaking and entering charge. One of the Timson `girls' seeks Rumpole's assistance. Her husband, a Pakistani-born doctor, has been arrested and detained on unspecified terrorism charges. The wife is convinced that her husband is innocent and Rumpole takes the case. To Rumpole's chagrin the Timson clan fires Rumpole because they are patriots and refuse to do business with anyone who helps terrorists. Rumpole is stymied at every turn trying to get a trial for his client in order to determine his guilt or innocence until he finds a bit of information about one of his protagonists that he uses to great, if not ethical advantage. To add to Rumpole's woes, She Who Must Be Obeyed is busy locked up in a room typing her memoirs. The above description of the plot may make Rumpole and The Reign of Terror sound a bit more depressing and less funny than the typical Rumpole story. Fortunately, this is not the case. Despite the fact that Mortimer has taken on a serious subject, Rumpole, Hilda and the usual suspects retain their usual eccentricities. Mortimer writes with a light touch, even on a subject as serious as terrorism and manages to pull it off even as Rumpole sputters on in a caustic fashion about Tony Blair and his `new Labour' minions. Rumpole remains a delightfully drawn character. Further, Mortimer provides excerpts from Hilda's memoir-in-progress and they serve as a humorous Greek chorus th

Since his inaugural case in the 1970's Rumpole has busily defended one or another of the Timson clan (a large and industrious family of South London thieves) on various charges. More than one of the cases Rumpole has previously chronicled involves a Timson unwisely befriending, trusting, and being betrayed by a Molloy (another large and industrious family of South London thieves). Rumpole brilliantly wins each case by convincing the jury that the Timsons and Molloys are like the Hatfields and McCoys, and that the conniving Molloy has framed the hapless Timson. This case serves up a slight twist on that old plot, with Rumpole defending a Timson who unwisely befriended another Molloy, and at the same time defending a Pakistani doctor who married a Timson and whose affairs also cross paths with the Molloys. Besides bringing Rumpole, the Timsons, and the Molloys into the 21st Century, Mortimer also manages to mix in huge doses of critique of anti-terrorism laws. He's not too heavy-handed with his criticism, and the political commentary does not detract from the story. The first Rumpole stories were complex pieces of work, with numerous subplots involving Rumpole's colleagues swirling around the main mystery. Mortimer's later efforts have been less complex, with Rumpole's chamber-mates at Number 4 Equity Court receding to the background as Rumpole's relationship with his wife Hilda (She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) receives more attention. The trend continues in this latest effort, with Soapy Sam Ballard, Phillida Erskine-Brown, Claude Erskine-Brown, Hoskins, and Henry the clerk receding into cardboard figures with little depth. Still, "The Reign of Terror" was so engaging that I read it in one sitting.

John Mortimer's "Rumpole and the Reign of Terror" brings back the champion of the underdog, Horace Rumpole, who is the oldest inhabitant of the chambers at 4 Equity Court. With his trademark frayed gown and yellowing wig, Rumpole appears innocuous enough. However, when he stands up in court, he has an arsenal of formidable weapons at his disposal: a stentorian voice, biting wit laced with sarcasm, and devastatingly effective powers of cross-examination. He frequently angers intrusive and overbearing judges, and he specializes in persuading lying witnesses to blurt out the truth. Refusing to retire from his beloved profession, Rumpole makes most of his living these days defending the Timson clan, whom he considers decent, non-violent criminals. They engage in breaking and entering, burglary, and receipt of stolen property. Unfortunately, Rumpole's relationship with the Timson clan quickly sours when he takes the case of a man accused of consorting with terrorists, Dr. Mahmood Khan. Khan left Pakistan when his anti-government protests made him unwelcome in his native land. He settled in England and married Tiffany Timson, whose family is none too happy with the match. The Timsons reluctantly withdraw their business from Rumpole when he agrees to represent Tiffany's husband. Khan's case makes Rumpole's blood boil. The new terrorism laws allow the doctor to be imprisoned without knowing the specific charges against him. In addition, Dr. Khan is presumed guilty until proven innocent, which leaves him with little legal recourse. Rumpole defies his long-suffering wife, Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed), as well as his obnoxious and condescending Head of Chambers, Soapy Sam Ballard, both of whom urge him to drop the case. On the contrary, Rumpole is determined to fight Dr. Khan's case to the finish, not just on its merits, but also because of its symbolic importance. Rumpole is steadfast in his belief that it is his duty to safeguard "civil rights ... and the basic principles of our criminal law." "Rumpole and the Reign of Terror" is a small gem. In fewer than two hundred pages, Mortimer writes a tidy mystery, and he also captures the spirit of our times. We live in an age when elderly people like Rumpole are shunted aside as being out of step, when the fear of terrorism leads to abuse of human rights, and when racial prejudice infects cities populated by large numbers of immigrants. Mortimer explores these and other themes with wit and effortless style. In this novel, the irrepressible and cantankerous Rumpole is challenged not only by outrageous decrees that threaten our constitution freedoms, but also by his rebellious wife. She Who Must Be Obeyed has one or two tricks up her sleeve to get back at her exasperating spouse. For those readers lucky enough to have seen the magnificent Leo McKern play Rumpole of the Bailey on public television, this book will be an even greater treat. It is a pleasure to imagine the great McKern as

This is one of the rare authors where I would have to say, even a "bad" Rumpole is a good Rumpole, but I have yet to read a "bad." What I find the most intriguing about this, and the last, Rumpole novel, is, who has evolved more: Horace, Hilda, or Mortimer himself? I look forward, with eager anticipation, to more of Hilda's "memoirs," and find it delightful that Bullingham (of all the horrid people!) appreciates her in the way she deserves. (Making Horace, it would seem, appreciate her, too?) As to the plot itself: DId it sound a bit familiar, as if perhaps Mortimer has used this formula before? Well, maybe it did... but who cares? It is, after all, Rumpole, and Rumpole is Mortimer at his very best.