Rumpole's Return
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Rumpole's Return
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Narrated by:
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Robert Hardy
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By:
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John Mortimer
About this listen
Listeners also enjoyed...
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Rumpole of the Bailey
- The Rumpole of the Bailey Series, Book 1
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 265
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 225
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 220
Horace Rumpole, the irreverent, iconoclastic, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister at law, is among the most beloved characters of English crime literature. He is not a particularly gifted attorney, nor is he particularly fond of the law by courts if it comes to that, but he’d rather be swinging at a case than bowing to his wife Hilda, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Rambling and irreverent, Rumpole captures you
- By VW on 08-30-18
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole for the Prosecution
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 25
Horace Rumpole is back, but this one time he relates his witty tale as he now takes a turn as an Old Bailey prosecutor, one with a penchant for gin and justice. Listen to Rumpole's biting cynicism and dry humor...then become a lifelong fan!
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Quacks
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
Rumpole defends a Pakistani doctor accused of molesting a female patient. Meanwhile his colleague Phyllida suspects her husband, Erskine-Brown, of philandering. To complicate these matters even more, Rumpole is sidetracked by the romantic advances of a middle-aged ex-client.
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5 out of 5 stars
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One of his best
- By L. Swanson on 06-02-22
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole's Last Case
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 13
Here are two wonderful stories about the irrepressibly audacious Old Bailey hack Horace Rumpole, including the immortal moment in Rumpole's Last Case when, pinning his hopes on a four-horse accumulator, Rumpole decides to retire from the hallowed halls of justice, but not before first speaking his mind to the "Mad Bull" - Judge Roger Bullingham.
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Blind Tasting
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 33
Rumpole again defends a member of the Timson clan on a charge of possession of stolen goods - namely, he is caught with a garage full of expensive wine. Rumpole is concerned that Timson's explanation that he purchased the wine from some unknown individual he met in a pub will not go down well with Mr. Justice Graves, who has heard these stories many times before.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
There’s nothing like Leo McKern reading Rumpole of the Bailey!
- By Guy on 11-06-23
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's The Old, Old Story
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
After a fight with his wife, Rumpole stays with Erskine-Browns and finds that Portia is prosecuting one of his clients.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Leo McKern’s characterizations
- By Roger Dornbierer on 04-25-24
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole of the Bailey
- The Rumpole of the Bailey Series, Book 1
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 265
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 225
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 220
Horace Rumpole, the irreverent, iconoclastic, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister at law, is among the most beloved characters of English crime literature. He is not a particularly gifted attorney, nor is he particularly fond of the law by courts if it comes to that, but he’d rather be swinging at a case than bowing to his wife Hilda, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Rambling and irreverent, Rumpole captures you
- By VW on 08-30-18
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole for the Prosecution
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 25
Horace Rumpole is back, but this one time he relates his witty tale as he now takes a turn as an Old Bailey prosecutor, one with a penchant for gin and justice. Listen to Rumpole's biting cynicism and dry humor...then become a lifelong fan!
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Quacks
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
Rumpole defends a Pakistani doctor accused of molesting a female patient. Meanwhile his colleague Phyllida suspects her husband, Erskine-Brown, of philandering. To complicate these matters even more, Rumpole is sidetracked by the romantic advances of a middle-aged ex-client.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of his best
- By L. Swanson on 06-02-22
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's Last Case
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 13
Here are two wonderful stories about the irrepressibly audacious Old Bailey hack Horace Rumpole, including the immortal moment in Rumpole's Last Case when, pinning his hopes on a four-horse accumulator, Rumpole decides to retire from the hallowed halls of justice, but not before first speaking his mind to the "Mad Bull" - Judge Roger Bullingham.
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Blind Tasting
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 33
Rumpole again defends a member of the Timson clan on a charge of possession of stolen goods - namely, he is caught with a garage full of expensive wine. Rumpole is concerned that Timson's explanation that he purchased the wine from some unknown individual he met in a pub will not go down well with Mr. Justice Graves, who has heard these stories many times before.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
There’s nothing like Leo McKern reading Rumpole of the Bailey!
- By Guy on 11-06-23
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's The Old, Old Story
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
After a fight with his wife, Rumpole stays with Erskine-Browns and finds that Portia is prosecuting one of his clients.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Leo McKern’s characterizations
- By Roger Dornbierer on 04-25-24
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Age for Retirement
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Leo McKern is Horace Rumpole! Here he reads about the life and trials of the eccentric barrister, famous for his inestimable knowledge of blood stains, blood groups and forgery by typewriter. Witty and cynical as ever, Horace Rumpole will once again delight listeners with his irreverent behavior and legal triumphs. Will he and his longtime client Percy Timson both be forced to retire, one to sunny climes, the other to jail?
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole a la Carte
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 32
Rumpole unenthusiastically accompanies Hilda and her cousin to a very fashionable restaurant. Rumpole hates the ostentatious ambiance and pretentious food with its scant portions. He requests steak and kidney pudding. Jean Pierre O'Higgins, the owner, is insulted that Rumpole would expect him to prepare such low-class dishes. Suddenly, pandemonium strikes when a live mouse jumps out from the serving dish at another table. Unfortunately, the diners are Erskine-Brown with an attractive colleague that he's romancing.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Leo McKern as John Mortimer’s Rumpole is the best!
- By Guy on 11-27-23
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Summer of Discontent
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 24
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
While Rumpole defends a union activist accused of manslaughter, Hilda creates her own union and goes on strike as Rumpole's cook because of his unpredictable and frequent late hours. Rumpole is under pressure to win his case and negotiate a proper labor settlement with “She Who Must Be Obeyed”.
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5 out of 5 stars
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sickkk
- By Dean on 09-26-18
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Man of God
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
Known as “The Bailey Hack” for his chain smoking, the irrepressible Rumpole is engaged to defend a church vicar who is accused of theft and whose only defense for now is “divine intervention”. Meeting up with old friend George Frobisher for after-work drinks, Rumpole can't help but notice that George's female companion looks suspiciously familiar.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Leo is rum pole!
- By jennifer booth on 07-16-21
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Married Lady
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 48 mins
- Abridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 21
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 15
Rumpole takes on a divorce case. He represents a Mrs. Thripp, who accuses her husband of unbearable conduct since he has not spoken to her for at least three years and communicates with her in their home only via written notes. But at home, Rumpole finds his wife, Hilda, in a horrid temper, since their son, Nick, has moved to Florida. When his client telephones him at home, Hilda eavesdrops on Rumpole’s conversation and thinks that Rumpole is now in the throes of an affair. Will Rumpole now have to find a divorce lawyer for himself?
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Alternative Society
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 47 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 11
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
Our Horace Rumpole, the most traditional of traditionalists, defends a hippie-like schoolteacher on a drugs charge. Quite unexpectedly, he finds himself attracted to her and to her unusual lifestyle.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Mortimer/McKern Pleasure
- By G Fred on 10-13-10
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Younger Generation
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 14
Rumpole must now defend a young member of the Timson family, an extended clan of petty thieves who are otherwise decent South London rogues. Adding to Rumpole’s anxiety, his own son now appears to be acquiring some of the less respectable Timson family traits.
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: The Penge Bungalow Murders and other stories
- Three BBC Radio 4 dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch, Timothy West, full cast, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 419
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 378
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 375
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders: It is the '50s, and two war heroes have been shot dead. Defending the suspect is deemed hopeless, so the case is handed to a novice. But the novice's superiors didn't count on the tenacity and wit of the young and hungry Horace Rumpole.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fun to read
- By Frances Rouse on 07-17-18
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: On Trial & Going for Silk
- Two BBC Radio 4 dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Timothy West, full cast, Prunella Scales
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 17
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
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Story5 out of 5 stars 15
Timothy West takes on the role of Rumpole in these two thrilling dramas featuring the wily magician of the Old Bailey at his implacable best. Rumpole takes up the cause of young Bertie Timson, whose sole ‘crime’ seems to be playing football in the street. As he endeavours to defend our ancient freedoms, he becomes uneasy about exactly what his wife Hilda is up to in her continuing friendship with a high court judge.
By: John Mortimer
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Clinging to the Wreckage
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Creator of the mysteries starring the beloved English barrister, Horace Rumpole, John Mortimer paints a spirited portrait of his own colorful life in his quirky autobiography, Clinging to the Wreckage. With wit and style, he takes you from his austere childhood in a 1930s British boarding school to his successful dual career in law and writing during the 1980s. Raised on his barrister father’s sordid tales of divorce cases, young John Mortimer grew up to view the world with an acute sense for the absurd.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Narrator
- By Mark Holmgren on 01-24-22
By: John Mortimer
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Paradise Postponed
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Paul Shelley
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Story4 out of 5 stars 29
When Simeon Simcox, a socialist clergyman, leaves his entire fortune not to his family but to the ruthless, social-climbing Tory MP Leslie Titmuss, the Rector's two sons react in very different ways. Henry, novelist and former 'angry young man' turned grumpy old reactionary, decides to fight the will and prove their father was insane. Younger brother Fred, a mild-mannered country doctor, takes a different approach, quietly digging in Simeon's past, only to uncover an entirely unexpected explanation for the legacy.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Too little plot
- By Diane-in-Colorado on 11-13-20
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: The Teenage Werewolf & Other Stories
- Four BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Timothy West, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 23
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Story5 out of 5 stars 23
Timothy West takes on the role of Rumpole in this collection of cracking court cases, including Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf, Rumpole and the Right to Privacy, Truth Makes All Things Plain, and The Past Catches Up with Us All....
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5 out of 5 stars
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This was WONDERFUL! ❤️
- By R. Perrault on 08-03-20
By: John Mortimer
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Rumpole's Return
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bookworm
- 09-06-22
A+ jewell whodunit, whydunit you should discover
Top Rumpole novella runs circles around rival crime lawyer fiction with top quality writing, many themes, plots, dimensions, characters,, trademark sardonic humor of likable octogenarian Oxford English lawyer Hugh Rumpole. Rumpole runs circles round all opponents by his greater brains, savvy, ingenuity, courage moral and other, despite old age, infirmity, retirement. Actor Robert Hardy's readings are jewells as well - for the ear - delicately nuanced, understated.
Previously, I'd thought McKern's Rumpole acting (BBC TV series) terrific. But now, I hear the much more sensitive, cultivated Hardy inhabit Rumpole.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adayam mirsky
- 12-05-23
So much cynicism
Love John Mortimer’s writing. Very interesting plot. Nice to meet old friends. Great narrator. I recommend it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mr kieran j murphy
- 04-11-18
a long form rumpole book
This book is different as it only follows two cases that Rumpole is in rather than a series of short stories my favourite narrator does the reading.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben Goodchild
- 05-31-23
A lovely change
For once, Rumpole is constrained to two tales rather than the typical handful and it is a rather lovely change of pace. The audio quality is just a few marks off where it should be but the performance is sound. Recommend heartily.
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