RUMPOLE AND THE PENGE BUNGALOW MURDERS

Bill Wallis is brilliant as Horace Rumpole, the cantankerous hero of 12 volumes of Mortimer's Wodehousian accounts of life at the Old Bailey. In this entry, Rumpole is writing his memoirs about his long and irreverent career, beginning with his first case, the Penge Bungalow murders. (This is also the case that brought him to the attention of Hilda, aka, "She who must be obeyed.") Wallis's Rumpole sounds just as he should as he narrates his memoir: gruff, wistful, funny, sly, and infuriatingly lovable. Fans of the BBC-TV series will be pleased to learn that he sounds much like its star, Leo McKern, without trying to be a carbon copy. Wallis is also word-perfect with the wild assortment of secondary characters, from members of the British legal profession (who range from loopy to pompous) to Hilda's refined friends to the denizens of the witness box. Listeners will be sorely tempted to listen to this in one sitting and will be disappointed when it ends. R.E.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE/JULY 05]