Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Help The Poor Struggler
Richard Jury Mysteries

By Martha Grimes

     Help The Poor Struggler is from Martha Grimes' bestselling Richard Jury series, and the story takes place near Dartmoor. This mystery centers around the murder investigation of three young children who are brutally murdered. The motive is unknown and the killer is at large. Richard Jury of Scotland Yard is on the case along with Wiggins, his counterpart. Also present is Brian Macalvie, who assists with the investigation. Although Macalvie's abrasive personality is often an irritant to Jury and several others, Macalvie's intelligence and talent for solving cases makes him worth the trouble. Jury, Wiggins and Macalvie serve as an interesting trio of characters as they unravel these mysteries and shocking murders.

     The prologue begins the story in the hamlet of Clerihew Marsh, where Rose Mulvanney has been murdered and her five-year-old daughter calls the operator to report that her mother is dead. Several years later, the murders of the children occur and Jury, Wiggins and Macalvie begin their investigation. The victims are Simon Riley, the son of a butcher, Davey White, the grandson of a vicar, and Angela Thorne, a lonely girl found murdered by a mysterious woman named Molly Singer, who wraps the young girl in a cape but does not bother to report the murder. Macalvie has his theories about Molly Singer although there is a rather long, uncertain list of potential suspects that needs to be sorted through before the murder investigation is complete.

     Help The Poor Struggler has a pleasant blend of British atmosphere and coziness while having a gritty side to it, at times, which will equally satisfy fans of "cozy" and "hardboiled" mysteries. I highly recommend Help The Poor Struggler, which was a nice slice of escapism for me after a long day at the office, and I look forward to reading the rest of the Richard Jury series.

The Book

Onyx Books / Berkley / Penguin Putnam
February 28, 2005
Mass Market Paperback
0451411730
Mystery / British
More at Amazon.com 

Excerpt

NOTE:

The Reviewer

Shannon I. Bigham
Reviewed 2005
NOTE:
© 2005 MyShelf.com