After nearly thirty years Sir John Mortimer's finest creation Horace Rumpole, Old Bailey hack and scourge of prosecutors and judges, is getting to be somewhat formulaic in his now all too rare appearances. He faces down numerous challenges and invitations to retire from his colleagues in his Chambers at Equity Court, who find him irritatingly old fashioned and annoyingly bent on defending the worst class of criminals. His determination to preserve legal principles like presumption of innocence and the right to a trial by a jury of one's peers frustrate various judges and politicians who want to speed up the process in order to get more criminals behind bars (regardless of their actual guilt or innocence). Worst of all, he does continual battle with his much loved but argumentative She Who Must Be Obeyed, his wife Hilda. The experienced Rumpole reader knows all of these plot elements will be found within each new story, along with other stock characters like the always on the wrong side of the law Timson clan.
Yes, these stories are formulaic, but that's what makes them great. They are always welcome because they always present a new, wry look at the state of human affairs. In Rumpole Misbehaves Rumpole takes on the Government's policy of issuing ASBOs, or Anti-Social Behavior Orders, to people who commit minor infractions unworthy of being called crimes. As always, a seemingly minor case gets caught up in several other minor cases and turns into a major issue, which Rumpole alone is clever enough to piece together. Meanwhile, his amusingly dull colleagues find themselves scotched in their latest effort to get rid of Rumpole and free up a space for a more "suitable" barrister.
This time, there are some amusing new twists. Hilda continues to have an occasional point of view, a nice little diversion Mortimer started in Rumpole and the Reign of Terror. Rumpole's old nemesis Judge Bullingham unexpectedly becomes something of a friend and ally (because he has designs on Rumpole's "happy" home, apparently). And there are a few new contortions in the tangled personal/love affairs of Rumpole's fellow barristers at Equity Court. Together, both the new and the old plot elements make for an excellent addition to the Rumpole canon. May Horace go on smoking his little cigars, eating his sandwiches and pies in Chambers, and imbibing Chateau Thames Embankment for many years to come!