Is there anyone still here who reads Richard Jury?
Or can pretend to? Because I just read the latest one (The Knowledge) and all I have to say is, it's fanfic. Or at least most of the plot is.
So there's random plot about people getting shot and stuff, which is probably the weakest plotty thing I've ever seen Martha do, to be fair.
There are the obligatory Extremely Capable and All Alone Kids which I just don't think work now the novels have somehow come screeching into the present day without anyone aging a bit. Twenty years ago they did a brilliant job of *anytime* but now in this world of cellphones the shenanigans cause me to be unable to suspend my sense of unreality. But that's an aside.
Melrose and Jury have clearly had a fight. Or Jury's snitty with Melrose, anyhow. Jury's clearly on some better meds and isn't quite the dark, mist-shrouded gothic tragic hero he usually is. But he chooses Trueblood over Melrose when Melrose questions him, tells Melrose he's "using" him (in so many words!), and then.
And then!
Tries very hard to set Melrose up with Vivian.
Hilariously, despite Jury's attempt to bludgeon Melrose and Vivian over the head with what he perceives to be the obvious, Melrose has Not One Idea what he's supposed to be doing with this at all.
Jury then tries to make it into some kind of competition over Vivian, which Melrose happily goes along with in amongst a four-course dinner for two (Melrose/Jury, naturally).
Meanwhile, as always, Melrose has instanta spent vast amounts of money and rushed about the world at the drop of a hat, I mean Jury's hat of course.
First I thought Martha was hitting back at we few slashers who had our weather eye on Melrose/Jury. But no, she's just written a nice bit of pining, angst, h/c and UST all wrapped around a nice little casefic.
(I struggled to get into this one. That's never happened before. Took me 4-5 chapters to get any headway at all)
So there's random plot about people getting shot and stuff, which is probably the weakest plotty thing I've ever seen Martha do, to be fair.
There are the obligatory Extremely Capable and All Alone Kids which I just don't think work now the novels have somehow come screeching into the present day without anyone aging a bit. Twenty years ago they did a brilliant job of *anytime* but now in this world of cellphones the shenanigans cause me to be unable to suspend my sense of unreality. But that's an aside.
Melrose and Jury have clearly had a fight. Or Jury's snitty with Melrose, anyhow. Jury's clearly on some better meds and isn't quite the dark, mist-shrouded gothic tragic hero he usually is. But he chooses Trueblood over Melrose when Melrose questions him, tells Melrose he's "using" him (in so many words!), and then.
And then!
Tries very hard to set Melrose up with Vivian.
Hilariously, despite Jury's attempt to bludgeon Melrose and Vivian over the head with what he perceives to be the obvious, Melrose has Not One Idea what he's supposed to be doing with this at all.
Jury then tries to make it into some kind of competition over Vivian, which Melrose happily goes along with in amongst a four-course dinner for two (Melrose/Jury, naturally).
Meanwhile, as always, Melrose has instanta spent vast amounts of money and rushed about the world at the drop of a hat, I mean Jury's hat of course.
First I thought Martha was hitting back at we few slashers who had our weather eye on Melrose/Jury. But no, she's just written a nice bit of pining, angst, h/c and UST all wrapped around a nice little casefic.
(I struggled to get into this one. That's never happened before. Took me 4-5 chapters to get any headway at all)