Books

The Old Contemptibles
Murder Makes an Entree
Exceptional Clearance
Nothing But the Truth
Speak No Evil
Six Foot Under
Twisted Echoes
Tell Me No Secrets
Copy Kat
Katapult
Turtle Baby (A Bo Bradley Mystery)
Vulture (A Caz Flood Mystery)
Pearls Before Swine
The Picasso Scam (A Detective Inspector Charlie Priest Mystery)
Happy Never After (A Callahan Garrity Mystery)
Frankenstein
Unnatural Justice
Street Dreams
Stone Kiss
No Reason Murder
La Tabla De Flandes
Dying to Deceive
The Shifting Tide
El Club Dumas: La Novena Puerto
To the Nines

The Old Contemptibles (A Richard Jury Novel)

Average customer rating:

great book
Unusual
Too many plot shifts
Curry and Grimes are magic!
Outstanding!

The Old Contemptibles (A Richard Jury Novel)
Martha Grimes
Manufacturer: Onyx
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Old Silent (Richard Jury Mysteries)
Rainbow's End
The Horse You Came In On
The Case Has Altered
I Am the Only Running Footman

ASIN: 0451412133

Book Description

A passionate affair comes to a crashing halt when Richard Jury's lover is found dead. And since Jury is himself a suspect, he must send Melrose Plant to her family's Lake District home, where secrets that rise to the surface threaten to pull the contentious clan under.

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2006-07-28

This was a very interesting and good book with alot of
great mystery to it.

Unusual.......2006-06-19

I've tried to start this book about ten times before I got over the hump. This book has an interesting plot along with fascinating charachters but there are many parts where you snooze off and then it becomes rather fast paced again.

Also there are a few things in the story that are confusing. Why did the doctor kill Millie's mother? It says she did but I couldn't figure out a reason for why. Also the ending is quite far fetched compared to the rest of the book.

Too many plot shifts.......2005-06-20

The author seems to know where she is going with this story, but seems to drift about getting there. I had a hard time maintaining an interest. Part of the problem is the writing style, and references to some locations in England that I had a difficult time visualizing. Perhaps it needed a map. Part of the plot seems to revolve around possible gay relationships but, as Inspector Jury notes, does anyone in today's world really care.

The story starts out with characters from Long Piddleton who are off in Venice. The time period is about ten years after Jury made his first appearance. There is concern that a woman may marry the wrong person, and schemes are hatched to redirect the romance. Apparently you need to read a prequel to completely understand the situation.

The scene then shifts back to London with a plot involving the death of a woman Jury has just become acquainted with. From London, the plot shifts to an estate in a country village, and the various family members and associated individuals who are connected to the dead woman. A couple of previous deaths are brought into the plot.

Along the way, you get a description of driving on a bad road, which really has nothing to do with the plot, and a description of various characters at the Old Contemptibles, an Inn in the village, who don't really figure into the main plot (the author has a habit of putting various excess baggage into her stories).

It becomes a question of who has any advantage from the deaths that have occurred. It is a question of power, and the ending seemed a bit strange. The original plot reimerges briefly. Then some of the characters mete out their own form of justice, at which point the story ends.

Curry and Grimes are magic!.......2004-07-27

In #11 of the Jury-Plant mysteries, finds Jury a suspect himself! The delightfully droll British Mysteries - named after Brit Pubs - see this one taking place in the beautiful Lake District. Jury is considering marriage with a widow Jane Holdsworth. Things become complicated when son Alex finds Jane dead. At first it's deemed a suicide, but it becomes clear it was murder. Since Jury is a suspect, he sends Melrose Plant to the Lake District to suss out what he can about the Holdsworth family. The family is rich and eccentric, but four murders in one family is just a wee bit beyond the pale. The Holdsworth family is loaded with delightful, charming, if oddball characters, such as Alex, who is quite adapt at cheating at poker. Curry shines when doing 11-year-old Millie Thale (Melrose always has a soft spot for dotty children). Millie has a bond with Alex, since her mother died unexpected five years before.

Grimes once again brings such quirky characters to life with her witty prose and Curry takes those words and makes magic! A winning combination not to be missed.

Outstanding!.......2002-03-07

I've read every Richard Jury, and this one reaches near the top of my list. I couldn't put it down. Martha is wonderful, she keeps you guessing till the very end. By far my favorite author.

If you like Martha Grimes, you'll most likely find Jill McGowan just as delightful! I recommend checking out her first in a wonderful series, "Perfect Match"

Happy Reading!

First Ypres 1914: The Graveyard of the Old Contemptibles (Campaign)

Average customer rating:

I was disappointed
First Ypres 1914 - Publisher's Requirements
The end of the BEF
Good Campaign Narrative
Good Campaign Narrative

First Ypres 1914: The Graveyard of the Old Contemptibles (Campaign)
David Lomas
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Belgium | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Mons 1914: The BEF's Tactical Triumph (Campaign)
Verdun 1916: 'They Shall Not Pass' (Praeger Illustrated Military History)
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Vimy Ridge 1917: Byng's Canadians Triumph at Arras (Campaign)
The Ebro 1938: Death knell of the Republic (Campaign)

ASIN: 185532573X
Release Date: 1998-11-27

Book Description

In the autumn of 1914 the original British Expeditionary Force faced a heavily reinforced German drive. Field Marshal Sir John French, the British Commander-in-Chief, had sent his men north in an attempt to take the fight into Flanders, so they could fight across open ground. History tells us that this was not to be the case. David Lomas chronicles the first of the trench-warfare battles, where lines that would remain almost static for the rest of the war were established. Although the Germans failed to reach the channel ports, the death knell had rung for the BEF, which was virtually wiped out in this brave defence.

Customer Reviews:

I was disappointed.......2005-04-21

Perhaps my expectations have been raised too high by the many excellent Osprey campaign books I have read recently, but this book fell short for me. It is told almost entirely from the British point of view and can be easily summarized: the gallant Tommies hold off the German hordes despite terrible casualties. There is very little discussion of the German point of view and even less about the French, who played a key role in the battle. I give it three stars because the story is told competently, but that is all. Being a relatively early book in the series (they are now up to about 150), it does not meet the standard of the later books.

The book also suffers from having to devote a section to wargaming the battle (something dropped in the later books). The author wastes six pages on this -- wastes, as his ideas on wargaming are useless. He would have done much better to keep this section to a minimum and use the pages elsewhere -- either in more descriptions of small unit actions or to flesh out the sections on leaders and the opposing forces, which are terse to the point of being virtually useless. He does include a very detailed order of battle -- for the British. The orders of battle for the French and Germans are skimpy by comparison. In particular, the German heavy artillery, which he repeatedly mentions as having a big impact on actions, is left out completely.

The occasional detailed description of small unit actions are the high point of the book; the rest of the battle is told at such a high level (and in such a dry style) that I was not engaged. I would have happily given up some of the high level narrative for more small unit 'vignettes'. I was particularly intrigued by the author's mention of some of the more experienced German units using 'infiltration'. Since infiltration tactics are not normally considered to have been used until 1917, I would have liked to learn just what these units were doing. But to do that would have detracted from the relentlessly British focus of the book and so, apparently, would not do.

I did gain some interesting insights into this period. Although the standard image of World War 1 is the generals living in chateaus far from the front line, which they never visited, that was not true at this point. In fact, one divisional commander and most of two division's staffs were killed by a single German shell. Haig, in particular, comes across as a hero -- visiting the front lines, scraping together reserves to meet each German breakthrough and generally performing just as a good commander should. Although the author does not make this point, it is obvious that the Germans giving up the attack just when the British line was on the verge of collapse made a strong impression on him. Haig's determination to keep up attacks at (for instance) the Somme was probably based on his intention not to make this mistake; to 'out last' the Germans in the attack, as he had on the defense at First Ypres.

First Ypres 1914 - Publisher's Requirements.......2003-08-09

Given the obvious limitations imposed by the publisher, I think David Lomas has done a most competent job in this title. Anybody familiar with the Osprey Campaign series should realise that they get a basic primer - 'Look & Learn Famous Battles' as it were. Each book is less than 20000 words, has a set number of monochrome pix and an equally fixed number of colour plates. They are designed, I suspect, for a particular market and I don't doubt that the author(s) receive a specific brief - so many words on the commanders, so many words on this aspect, so many words on that angle.
Osprey's titles on some other WW1 campaigns are far worse. I don't name names but 19000 words to cover seven months bitter fighting, for instance, is a near impossibility.
Certainly I don't find Lomas' prose stilted, quite the reverse. It's a darned sight better than some of the turgid stuff that comes out of a few mid-Western universities I could name. It's clear and concise, the photographs are good and the artwork (Brits bashing Germans) is nothing to do with the author - at least if the jacket artwork of some of my books is anything by which to judge. It's the publisher's decision, dudes!
It's true the book concentrates on Ypres 1914 from the British angle. Again, I suggest editorial requirements and, in truth, there ain't the space to do much else. But it is a British publisher who turned this out, presumably for an essentially British market. I personally found the book a lot less one-sided than many similar publications penned by US authors.
Not that I get personal here but I wonder how many rejection slips some of your reviewers have received - if they've ever tried to write a book, that is. I'm not referring to this particular review but across the board. I sometimes think, psrticularly with non-fiction, that every single-issue fanatic in the world sounds off about what a lousy job the author has done. Of course, there are turkeys out there - mostly from graduates of CA Writing seminars - but no book makes it to print without editorial input. In theory, if the damned thing is unreadablr, it gets bounced. Unless, I suppose, your godfather happens to own the publisher but I don't think that is the case with Lomas.

Perhaps there should be a rule that critics should mention their own achievments. I've written 12 published books, as it happens, under a nom-de-plume and cheap fiction granted, so I do know something about what it takes.

The end of the BEF.......2001-08-23

First Ypres 1914 is a terse but very detailed study of the exploits of the BEF following the Battle of the Marne in september 1914. The main focus is on the series of battles (La Bassee, Armentieres,Givenchy and Ypres) that are known collectively as the first of the four battles of Ypres. I include the battle of the Lys in 1918 as the fourth battle. There are several important problems with the book including a very drab and stilted writing style, confusing battle maps, and frankly silly illustrations of the "brave Tommy Atkins beating up the Hun..." The book does have a tremendous amount of factual data that seems to be missing in other books of this admittedly fast paced but confusing period of the first world war. My advice is to read this book as an adjunct to other better written treatises.

Good Campaign Narrative.......2001-06-08

First Ypres 1914, David Lomas' sequel to his earlier Mons 1914, is a decent summary of the relatively neglected period of October-November 1914 in Belgium. During this period after the Battle of the Marne, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought the Germans to a standstill over a fairly small patch of Belgian mud, thereby denying the Germans access to the Channel ports. However in the process, the old pre-war British regular army was virtually destroyed. The BEF of 1914 was an elite force, but not designed for the grinding attrition warfare that was quickly developing on the Western Front.

The weakest part of this volume is the early sections on opposing commanders, opposing armies and opposing leaders. David Lomas seems to feel that he has done his duty in regard to this vital introductory sections by jotting down a few paragraphs and moving on. For example, the section on leaders barely amounts to one page of text and only comments on army-level commanders like Sir John French. Similarly, the section on opposing armies is far too brief. The Indian Corps that was dispatched to the Western Front was significantly different in training from the remainder of the BEF and this should have been highlighted in this section. Although the extensive order of battle partly covers up the deficiencies of this section, it is skimpy on the French. Opposing plans are also covered in far too brief a section.

Clearly the author has put all his effort into the campaign narrative itself, and as in his earlier Mons 1914, the operational summary is quite good. Excellent maps and photos add value to this account of First Ypres.

Good Campaign Narrative.......2001-06-04

Average customer rating:

Even for Osprey, Very Weak
Good for modelers, brief for historians

The Old Contemptibles (Elite)
Michael Barthorp
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection: 1898-1902 (Men-at-Arms)
Panama 1989-90 (Elite)
The Boxer Rebellion (Men-at-Arms)
Easter Rising 1916: Birth of the Irish Republic (Campaign)

ASIN: 0850458986
Release Date: 1989-05-25

Book Description

On 19 August 1914 Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered General von Kluck, commanding the German First Army, to 'exterminate the treacherous English and walk over General French's contemptible little Army'. The 'Old Contemptibles' adopted the aspersion like a treasured regimental title, their subsequent successes earning them a more accurate evaluation as 'the best trained, best organised and best equipped British Army that ever went forth to war'. This book examines the history, organization and uniforms of the British Expeditionary Force of the early 20th century. The text is accompanied by numerous illustrations, including maps, photographs, and colour plates.

Customer Reviews:

Even for Osprey, Very Weak.......2002-08-29

Osprey books are, by their very nature, a compromise between the wide scope of their subjects and the detail they attempt to bring to uniforms and appearance of their subjects. They often serve as a very good introduction to a military subject and provide insight otherwise unavailable to an interested reader. Readers who know Osprey understand and accept this compromise -- especially in a 64-page volume.

"The Old Contemptibles" (TOC), however, accomplishes neither a broad overview nor pointed detail. It addresses the British Expeditionary Force (BEF)of 1914 and it precedent years beginning in 1902. Its scope is so broad that it only mentions the highlights of the 1902 Army and it reforms, the overseas Army, the home based reserves, and the planning for and creation of the BEF.

The BEF's actions in France and Belgium are essentially addressed in a one-line chronological list of actions. Several examples of brigade level actions follow, but they are placed in almost no context. The BEF Order of Battle is not mentioned and there is no feeling of the committment and grinding destruction of what may have been Britian's finest fighting force. The author often mentions the quality of the BEF and does provide some background in the genisis of that quality, but its base in the regimental system in scarcely addressed.

The uniform plates are adequate. Again, they cover 12 years of evolution and the entire globe in geography and barely scratch the surface. Once more, context is nearly absent.

I conclude that the scope of the volume was simply too wide for the standard Osprey approach. The subject would have been much better served as two or even three volumes. With the exception of the color plates and several excellent B&W photographs, I cannot recommend TOC as an introduction to the BEF. The text certainly does not meet any reasonable standard.

Good for modelers, brief for historians.......2000-05-26

From the point of view of a modeler, this book is a great source on all details about the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) in WWI. It has plenty of (black and white) photos as well as the usual Osprey center color plates, with complete explanations at the end. For historians, it's a bit too thin, but for modelers it comes out great.

You could add Osprey's "MONS 1914" for a more complete view of the BEF.

Average customer rating:

The Old Contemptibles
Martha Grimes
Manufacturer: Ballantine 1992
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GZCDV8

Average customer rating:

Old Contemptibles
Robin Neillands
Manufacturer: John Murray
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Ypres: The First Battle 1914

ASIN: 0719556465

The Old Contemptibles: A Photographic History of the British Expeditionary Force August to December 1914

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The Old Contemptibles: A Photographic History of the British Expeditionary Force August to December 1914
Keith Simpson
Manufacturer: Unwin Hyman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

8 Titles By Martha Grimes - The Man with a Load of Mischief - Dirty Duck - Jerusalem Inn - The Old Contemptibles - Grave Maurice - Winds of Change - Five Bells and Bladebone - The End of the Pier

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8 Titles By Martha Grimes - The Man with a Load of Mischief - Dirty Duck - Jerusalem Inn - The Old Contemptibles - Grave Maurice - Winds of Change - Five Bells and Bladebone - The End of the Pier
Martha Grimes
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KJZDOY

Product Description

8 mass market paperbacks Titles By Martha Grimes - The Man with a Load of Mischief - Dirty Duck - Jerusalem Inn - The Old Contemptibles - Grave Maurice - Winds of Change - Five Bells and Bladebone - The End of the Pier

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OLD CONTEMPTIBLE: HARRY BEAUMONT.
A E. Clark-Kennedy
Manufacturer: The Adventurers club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HFKGWU

Farewell, Leicester Square: The Old Contemptibles, 12 August-19 November 1914

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Farewell, Leicester Square: The Old Contemptibles, 12 August-19 November 1914
Kate Caffrey
Manufacturer: Wm Collins & Sons & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

MEN AT WAR 1914-1945: THE OLD CONTEMPTIBLES

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MEN AT WAR 1914-1945: THE OLD CONTEMPTIBLES
Unknown
Manufacturer: DEL PRADO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SAPBI8

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