A long-time Anglophile, it was her first poem in
Send Bygraves
that inspired her to turn from poetry to mystery novels. Martha Grimes sent
the novel “over the transom” (sans agent) to several publishers. In 1979
an editor at Little, Brown, Inc. found the book in the “slush pile”
(where unsolicited manuscripts are dumped for editorial assistants to
read) and offered to publish
The Man with a Load of Mischief with a first printing of 3,000 copies.
The Man with a Load of Mischief was published in 1981, and from there Martha Grimes has published a book (sometimes two) every year for the past 25 years.
By her fourth and fifth books Martha received major review attention
that not only lauded her ability as an American to write authentic
British mysteries, but also to merge the conceits of the British form
with the tone and atmosphere of the American. “
Help the Poor Struggler is rather an American novel, with brooding and cynical overtones of Raymond Chandler” (Time magazine, 7/15/85). In 1987
The Five Bells & Bladebone was her “breakthrough” book, landing on the New York Times bestseller list. Her next two books,
The Old Silent and
The Old Contemptibles, were also New York Times bestsellers in both hardcover and paperback. Of
The Old Contemptibles,
The New York Times Book Review said: “The author keeps us enthralled
with the rich interior and exterior lives of her characters in this
emotionally stormy family saga.”
In 1992, with the publication of
The End of the Pier,
Martha departed from her beloved cast of characters in the Richard Jury
series to write a contemporary novel based in Western Maryland that
combined a serial killer murder mystery with a poignant story of the
problems in a mother and son relationship. The book established her as a
writer of merit outside of mystery fiction — “
The End of the Pier
is two books in one: a juicy mystery novel and an exploration of human
behavior that few readers will forget” (San Francisco Chronicle,
2/7/92). The second book in the series —
Hotel Paradise
— was published four years later and was praised by the critics as “A
place not unlike the novel itself: outside of time, almost unbelievable,
utterly engaging” (Washington Post, 5/26/97) and “Meandering and
atmospheric, the novel reads with the ease of daydream … the author
proves herself a writer of delicate sensibility whose work is notable
for its delightfully quirky details, insightful perceptions into human
relationships and graceful prose (Los Angeles Times, 5/26/96). ).
Cold Flat Junction (2001) and
Belle Ruin
(2005) continues the adventures of twelve-year-old detective, Emma
Graham. “A tour de force-cobwebby mystery,” according to Kirkus, “
Cold Flat Junction
melds classic mystery with a coming-of-age story in which the young
protagonist must face the hard and often shocking realities of adulthood
as she uncovers good and evil in their many guises and tries to set the
past at rest” (Baltimore Sun, 1/28/01).
In 1993, with the release of
The Horse You Came in On,
Martha brought Richard Jury and Melrose Plant to America for the first
time to the pub of that name in Baltimore, Maryland. It was such a
success and fan reaction was so positive (the Mayor of Baltimore gave
her the key to the city and declared August 12, 1993 as “Martha Grimes
Day”) she brought Richard Jury over again in
Rainbow’s End to investigate a mystery that leads him to Sante Fe, New Mexico
In 1997, Martha returned Richard Jury and Melrose Plant to England in
The Case Has Altered.
The New York Times Book Review applauded the book’s “enchanting
additions tot he Grimes gallery of eccentric characters,” and it was
named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
The Stargazey, the fifteenth Richard Jury novel,
published on November 5, 1998, become an instant bestseller and USA
Today praised, “Like good British Tweed, Martha Grimes’ wintry new
mystery envelops the reader in all the comforts of a serviceable English
whodunit.”
The publication of
Biting the Moon on April 15,
1999, marked a departure for Grimes, the first book a new series of
books focusing on the prevention of animal abuse and featuring two
teenage heroines. She donated two-thirds of her royalties to animal
abuse organizations across the country, and said, “I do not believe that
people are indifferent to the welfare of animals, possibly, the exact
opposite is true – people are so affected by stories, pictures, accounts
of animal abuse that they simply do not want to know.”
With the publication of
The Blue Last in September,
2001, Ms. Grimes found herself back on the New York Times Bestseller
list for the first time in a decade. She received more fan mail than for
any other book by distraught fans worried about the “death” of Richard
Jury. Her following four Jury mysteries,
The Grave Maurice (2003),
The Winds of Change (2004),
The Old Wine Shades (2006) ,
Dust (2007) and
The Black Cat (2010) were also New York Times best sellers.
 |
Vertigo 42 is the latest Martha Grimes novel and the 23rd book in the bestselling Richard Jury mystery series.
Inimitable Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury returns in
another “literate, lyrical, funny, funky, discursive, bizarre” mystery,
now with a tip of the derby to Alfred Hitchcock’s famous movie,
‘Vertigo’. Martha Grimes’ greatly anticipated Richard Jury mystery, Vertigo 42, is on sale June 3. Luckily you don’t have to wait until then to read the first chapter. |
From
http://www.marthagrimes.com/authors/biography/
