The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 16 books · 1978 to 2009 · Set in London

John Mortimer

Crime and mysteryThriller and suspenseCosy and comicLegal thriller

Horace Rumpole, defender of the Old Bailey's unfortunates, quotes Wordsworth, drinks cheap claret at Pommeroy's and goes home to Hilda, She Who Must Be Obeyed. Mortimer was himself a barrister.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. Most Rumpole books are collections of linked stories. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders tells his first case, from the 1940s.

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Who appears in which book

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John Mortimer books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Rumpole

16 books · Set in London · story order differsLegal thrillerCosy and comic
  1. 1Rumpole of the Bailey1978With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Trials of Rumpole1979With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Rumpole's Return1980With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Rumpole for the Defence1982With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Rumpole and the Golden Thread1983With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Rumpole's Last Case1987With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  7. 7Rumpole and the Age of Miracles1988With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  8. 8Rumpole à la Carte1990With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  9. 9Rumpole on Trial1992With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  10. 10Rumpole and the Angel of Death1995With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  11. 11Rumpole Rests His Case2001With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  12. 12Rumpole and the Primrose Path2002With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  13. 13Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders2004With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  14. 14Rumpole and the Reign of Terror2006With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  15. 15The Anti-Social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole2007With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon
  16. 16Rumpole at Christmas2009With Horace RumpoleBuy on Amazon

Characters

5 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Equity Court chambers