Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders

By: John Mortimer

Narrated by: Bill Wallis

Horace Rumpole - cigar-smoking, claret-drinking, Wordsworth-spouting defender of some unlikely clients - often speaks of the great murder trial, which revealed his talents as an advocate and made his reputation down at the Bailey when he was still a young man.

Now, for the first time, the sensational story of the Penge Bungalow Murders case is told in full: how, shortly after the war, Rumpole took on the seemingly impossible task of defending young Simon Jerold, accused of murdering his father and his father's friend with a German officer's gun. And how the inexperienced young brief was left alone to pursue the path of justice, in a case that was to echo through the Bailey for years to come.

©2004 John Mortimer (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Loved it!

This is a terrific story, exceptionally well told. I listen on my way home from work, in my car. Made the traffic jams bearable! terrific storyline and great intelligence and wit.
I will listen to more Rumpoles from now on.

Finally, the infamous Penge Bungalow Murder!!

This is John Mortimer's beloved character's quintessence. The case Horace Rumpole did ( alone and without a leader) that was his shining star. Quite humourous at points and always intelligent, this is one of the best books in my collection.

Love RUMPOLE

Have listened to many times because of all the twists and names to remember what happened. Very good. Wish there were more RUMPOLE stories.

Best Rumpole Yet

We never hear the full story of Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe and the prawns. Nor do we get more than hints of what happened to Lord Ickenham and his nephew Pongo at the dog races. References to these elusive events play in and out of P. G Wodehouse’s stories like imps, tempting us to imagine what might have happened. Lucky for us, then, that John Mortimer, after interlarding his first twelve Rumpole short story collections with allusions to the Penge Bungalow Murders, finally decided to sit down and give us the full details.

This thirteenth installment proves the best of the series. Maybe because it is a novel; a single, sustained story arc. Or because we discover the origins of so much that is familiar: Bonny Bernard, Pomeroy’s Wine Bar, small cigars, the Timson family, Chateau Thames Embankment, She Who Must Be Obeyed and, most illuminating, the genesis of Rumpole’s passion for criminal defense. It's Trollope's dictum on the tedium of "mutton" (the necessity of backstory before we can enjoy the more enticing courses) in reverse; here the mutton tastes even better.

Though to these American ears he seems a little muddled in spots, Bill Wallis proves something of a revelation, too. Having only heard him read history and Medieval poetry, I had no idea he had so many voices inside him.

Penge Bungalow Murders

Again a wonderful listen but not his best. If you are a Rumpole fan you will have to listen to this case, often mentioned in his other works. Bill Wallis does a great job as the narrator. I highly recommend all the Rumpole books.