Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole: Book #1
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 8 hours 27 minutes
Description
In the first of six witty short stories, 60s-something English barrister, Horace Rumpole, takes on the younger generation both at home and in the hallowed courtroom-while offending his esteemed colleagues and his draconian wife, Hilda.
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Rumpole Series

Rumpole of the Bailey
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Patrick Tull
Length: 8 hours 27 minutes
Abridged: No
In the first of six witty short stories, 60s-something English barrister, Horace Rumpole, takes on the younger generation both at home and in the hallowed courtroom-while offending his esteemed colleagues and his draconian wife, Hilda. Read more »
Learn more
Rumpole's Return
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Patrick Tull
Length: 5 hours 58 minutes
Abridged: No
After ten straight losses under the satanic Judge Bullingham, Rumpole decides it's time to hang up his wig-permanently. But when he reads of the Notting Hill Gate Underground murder, he goes from being bored with his new life, to just plain homesick. So, Bullingham notwithstanding, Rumpole makes his return. Read more »
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Rumpole for the Defence
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Patrick Tull
Length: 7 hours 39 minutes
Abridged: No
This collection of seven stories begins with the horrors of Rumpole's only son Nick's recent move to America. Read more »
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Rumpole and the Golden Thread
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Patrick Tull
Length: 10 hours 29 minutes
Abridged: No
Back in the harness after his abortive retirement to Florida, Rumpole glories in the mushroom pie, rainy day life of the Old Bailey. Here he spars with some old familiars like the venomous Judge Bullingham, and makes the acquaintance of some fresh foes. Six stories. Read more »
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Rumpole's Last Case
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Patrick Tull
Length: 9 hours 44 minutes
Abridged: No
The brilliant Bailey hack recalls some of his most extraordinary cases, including several deliciously funny courtroom spars with his arch-foe, the Mad Bull (aka Judge Roger Bullingham). Read more »
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Rumpole and the Angel of Death
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Jill Tanner & Patrick Tull
Length: 10 hours 38 minutes
Abridged: No
In this collection of six witty short stories, the courageous and corpulent barrister, Horace Rumpole takes on both animal and human rights. And for the first time, Rumpole's formidable wife, Hilda-better known as She Who Must Be Obeyed-tells a story of her own. Read more »
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Rumpole of the Bailey
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Length: 7 hours 23 minutes
Abridged: No
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,... Read more »
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The Trials of Rumpole
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Length: 7 hours 7 minutes
Abridged: No
Horace Rumpole—who never prosecutes, whose fame rests on an infinite knowledge of blood and typewriters, whose court scenes are proverbial, whose home is ruled by Mrs. Rumpole (“She Who Must Be Obeyed”)—is back on the defense, as irreverent, as iconoclastic, as claret-swilling, poetry-spouting, impudent, witty, and cynical as ever.
This time the... Read more »
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Rumpole for the Defense
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Length: 6 hours 35 minutes
Abridged: No
Whether he’s quoting Wordsworth or having words with a particularly obtuse judge, Horace Rumpole always knows what he’s doing––even if no one else does. In this delightful collection of stories, Rumpole straightens everyone out in the shocking case of a “bent copper,” gallantly teaches a professor of moral philosophy about blackmail, consults... Read more »
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Rumpole and the Golden Thread
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Length: 9 hours 28 minutes
Abridged: No
In this engaging collection of stories, Rumpole continues to deftly juggle the vagaries of law, the ambiguities of crime, and the contradictions of the human heart in his death-defying performances on behalf of justice. The irreverent, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister takes on suspect connoisseurs in the art world, journeys deep into... Read more »
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Rumpole’s Last Case
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Length: 8 hours 19 minutes
Abridged: No
Rumpole is on the job again, bringing along his taste for claret, his penchant for poetry, and his reputation for a good story. These seven irresistible stories run the gamut from simple thievery to murder and espionage. Rumpole recalls three delightful battles with his arch-enemy, the Mad Bull, indulges his knowledge of bloodstains and... Read more »
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Rumpole
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Length: 9 hours 10 minutes
Abridged: No
Here are six delightful tales featuring everyone’s favorite barrister for the defense, Horace Rumpole. Eccentric characters such as his wife, Hilda, otherwise known as “She Who Must Be Obeyed,” and his philandering colleague Claude Erskine-Brown are back as Rumpole visits a snooty restaurant where he engages in a battle of wills over his adored... Read more »
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Rumpole and the Angel of Death
By: John Mortimer
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson & Wanda McCaddon
Length: 9 hours 10 minutes
Abridged: No
Horace Rumpole, the comic, courageous, and corpulent “great defender of muddled and sinful humanity,” is joined by a winning cast of villains and victims in this collection of six tales in which wry humor and sparkling wit deftly send up the British legal system.
In Rumpole and the Angel of Death, our hero achieves new, resounding triumphs over... Read more »
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Rumpole on Trial
By: John Mortimer
Length: 3 hours 12 minutes
Abridged: No
In this collection of stories, the beloved barrister must fend off the advances of a mysterious young woman, face the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Council, and take on a group of devil worshippers. Read more »
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