The American writer Martha Grimes was born on 02.05.1931, the daughter of a lawyer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

She later studied English at the University of Maryland and wrote poems. Martha Grimes is Professor of Creative Writing and Literature and has long taught at both the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and at Montgomery College in Tahoma Park, Maryland.

Her first novel about the London-based Richard Jury of Scotland Yard was published in 1981. Martha Grimes was known internationally and recognized as champion of the classic detective novel thanks to this 3000 copies novel. Since then, she continues the series about Jury, his colleague Alfred Wiggins and his friends Melrose Plant and Marshall Trueblood.

According to the author Patricia Cornwell, the novels featuring the hero Richard Jury are "pure poetry." In addition, Martha Grimes' books are often compared to those by Agatha Christie.

Like the US writer Elizabeth George, the plots of Martha Grimes’ books are set in good old Britain. In her novels, the author describes the cases of Inspector Richard Jury (later Superintendent).

Richard Jury, often depicted as a melancholic, solves his cases assisted by his hypochondriac Assistant Sergeant Alfred Wiggins and his former aristocratic friend Melrose Plant, who has dimissed his title of nobility and lives on his estate in the small and quiet village of Long Piddleton. During the Richard Jury series, the characters evolve, sparking the reader’s curiosity for further books.

Martha Grimes is an animal rights activist, and donated a portion of the revenue to the book The Girl With No Name to an animal welfare organization. Martha Grimes divides her time between Washington, DC, and Santa Fe in New Mexico. She also undertakes extended trips to England for research purposes.

Richard Jury - The Books

It is advisable to read the series in chronological order, as the books feature details about events occurring in the previous ones.

Man with a Load of Mischief (1981)

The Old Fox Deceiv'd (1982)

The Anodyne Necklace (1983)

The Dirty Duck (1984)

Jerusalem Inn (1984)

Help the Poor Struggler (1985)

The Deer Leap (1985)

I Am the Only Running Footman (1986)

The Five Bells and Bladebone (1987)

The Old Silent (1989)

The Old Contemptibles (1991)

The Horse You Came in On (1993)

Rainbow's End (1995)

The Case Has Altered (1997)

The Stargazey (1998)

The Lamorna Wink (1999)

The Blue Last (2001)

The Grave Maurice (2002)

The Winds of Change (2004)

The Old Wine Shades (2006)

Dust (2007)

The novels about Richard Jury are also available as audiobooks. Inspector Richard Jury is read by Matthias Ponnier, Melrose Plant by Felix von Manteuffel and Sergeant Alfred Wiggins by Edgar Kulow. The audio books are entertaining and illustrate the various characters consistently through the speakers' voices.