This is particularly true of stories like Rumpole a la Carte and Rumpole and the Children of the Devil. Each story is perfectly formed, entire of itself the plotting and pacing are spot on, and the character of Horace Rumpole is a wonderful creation, but the subject matter and the attitudes that John Mortimer is mocking in the stories seem to come from a world that is now lost, and the treatment occasionally heavy-handed. What surprised me most was how much the stories in this collection have the feeling of belonging to another era, although they were originally published between 19. There are a lot to be had in second hand bookshops but I picked this because it's a personal selection made by the author. It's years, decades even, since I last read a Rumpole story, but hearing and enjoying some of the recent reruns of the radio series on BBC Radio 4 Extra prompted me to keep a look out for collection.
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