Rumpole and the Angel of Death — John Clifford Mortimer

The irascible but always entertaining Rumpole is back, this time in a series of short stories that have him facing the usual assortment of human detritus at the Old Bailey. Rumpole's delightful compatriots--the determined and politically correct Miz Liz Probert, Mr. Injustice Graves, the beleaguered Claude Erskine-Brown, and, of course, She Who Must Be Obeyed--are once again in evidence, as are Rumpole's inadvertent humor, his keen understanding of the criminal and not-so-criminal minds, and his wily defenses of some of life's biggest losers. Here the barrister must defend, among others, an animal-rights activist accused of murder and a wife-killer whose dedication to teaching wins him a dangerous friend.