A fruity foxy masterpiece defender of our wilting faith in mankind Sunday TimesHorace Rumpole is in a strange state that could only be described as a kind of airconditioned purgatory he has retired to Florida with his wife Hilda She Who Must Be Obeyed It is safely assumed the Old Bailey hacks wig has been hung up for good But when a rather unkempt civil servant is mixed up in the mysterious death of a minor aristocrat Rumpole seizes the opportunity to escape a life of leisure He is soon back in court via a budget airline to do battle once more with Judge Mad Bull Bullingham