Foul Matter

I loved Martha Grimes' early Richard Jury novels, and then, over time, they just got formulaic. This book was supposed to be "hilarious", or so the cover blurbs promised. It was one big "inside joke", that barely caused a wry smile now and then. Save your money.

This is the first Martha Grimes novel I've read, and as such will simultaneously be the last.

Unless (presumably) one is a member of the publishing fraternity, none of this meandering story will make any sense. What was Grimes thinking as she wrote this piece of literary dross. Or wasn't she thinking? No character development at any level, nobody to cheer for, nobody to really detest -- unless you count a mere 99% of the characters. An unlikely, nonsensical "plot" that Grimes must have sketched out on a beer coaster at her local pub.

I'm guessing that -- now in her seventies -- Grimes is simply padding out her retirement fund. And taking unfair advantage of innocents such as myself paying hard-earned dollars for poorly cooked tripe -- and minus the onions, at that.

I've read the entire Richard Jury series and love it! This is the first stand alone novel of Grimes' that I've read. The book does start out slow, but gains speed after the appearance of the assasins and just gets better from there. It really turns out to be a great read from a great author! Hang in there!

So many artists have condemned the terminal state of publishing imposed on creative thought by Amazon and its books by mail, electronics, and whatever . . . that it's nice to look at this tongue-in-cheek picture of the institutions that controlled ALL access to distribution prior to Amazon. Of course, this is gentle satire (and wickedly funny). But the good old days of publishing involved restraint of trade that should have been actionable. This book delights in showing some of the obsolescent pitfalls - although the happy endings take away the sting. Buy it. Read it. Give it to your friends. It will add to the supply of chuckles in the world.

This book was not a typical Grimes book. There seemed to be too much repetitive descriptions of people waiting to be published. The book seemed to plod along until the introduction of the two hit men, Candy and Karl. They provided the chuckles. The book was toted as being a spoof on the publishing business, and that it was. However, I do not think this was her best book. I enjoyed her others more.

What fun! Martha, you had me giggling, chuckling, laughing, and since I know Pittsburgh, I'll say that the scene in Shadyside is one the Keystone Cops would have savored. Ir deserves to be filmed. I have enjoyed most of the Jury novels for their mystery and wit, but this one has to be the wittiest you have ever attempted...and it was a home run!

Foul Matter turned out to be the best book I have read in a while. It was funny, entertaining and kept me interested from beginning to end. I learned much about the publishing world in this book that really is a story within a story. Well developed characters fill the pages with questions such as "Who is watching who?" I highly recommend this book.

This is my first Martha Grimes story, but not my last. She is funny and talented. She is not as funny as Janet Evanovich but certainly more talented from a literary stand point. Her twists and subplots remind me of Tim Dorsey, since your never quite sure what she is up to from one page to the next. Is she better than Diana Mott Davidson, you bet. So plop down in a comfy seat and get ready to ride the quick action.

This is my first Martha Grimes story, but not my last. She is funny and talented. She is not as funny as Janet Evanovich but certainly more talented from a literary stand point. Her twists and subplots remind me of Tim Dorsey, since your never quite sure what she is up to from one page to the next. Is she better than Diana Mott Davidson, you bet. So plop down in a comfy seat and get ready to ride the quick action.

While on a recent cruise to Antarctica, I fell ill and was quarantined in my cabin for a couple of days. So, I hunkered down with several books from the ship's library. This was one of them.

A spoof on the New York publishing industry, I found the book to be quite humorous. A best selling author decides to jump ship and go to another publisher. In doing so, the author makes a list of demands that need to be met by the new publisher, before he will sign on the dotted line. The publisher interprets those demands in such a way as to require the services of a hit man. In fact, the publisher retains the services of a pair of hit men who work in tandem. Moreover, they have an unusual set of scruples and a literary bent, to boot. They also happen to be the funniest pair of characters in this or any other book.

Having read other books by this author, it was not at all what I expected. Overall, I enjoyed this somewhat oddball, yet amusing, book.