“Before you hate something you should try to understand it.”
―
Martha Grimes,
Dakota
“An idyllic childhood is probably illusion.” ― Martha Grimes, The Lamorna Wink
“Remember the great film with Bette Davis, All About Eve? There's a scene after the scheming Eve steals Margo's role through trickery & then gets this magnificent review. Margo of course is effing & blinding all over the place. And crying. Her director rushes into her house, puts his arms around her & says, "I ran all the way". That's what I want.” ― Martha Grimes, Dust
“We don't know who we are until we see what we can do.” ― Martha Grimes
“Melrose was so concerned that the [book]shop might close for lack of business, that he had suggested he would like to invest in it or even become a silent partner. "You see, books have always been a hobby of mine." Books had never been a hobby; they were a necessity.” ― Martha Grimes, Vertigo 42
“Elf made his way fuzzily back to the drawer, trying to think nasty thoughts about his tormentor (Mungo the dog) but he couldn't, as he was too little and his mind was formless and without messages.( "Elf" the tiny kitten Mungo tormented )” ― Martha Grimes, The Black Cat
“And so it continued all day, wynde after wynde, from a room beyond came the whistle of a teakettle. "Now, you really must join me. I've some marvelous Darjeeling, and some delicious petits fours a friend of mine gave me for Christmas.” ― Martha Grimes, The Man With a Load of Mischief
“If a cone had dropped on velvet needles, if a star had lain a silver track across the sky, if the dead had turned in their graves - I swear, I would have heard it, that's how silent it all was. ” ― Martha Grimes
“Losing one's mind is surely like losing one's virginity. Lose a little, lose a lot.” ― Martha Grimes, The Old Fox Deceiv'd
“Polly was a writer of many deadlines. There were the ignorable deadlines, the not-to-be-taken-too-seriously deadlines: the deadlines-before-the-deadlines deadlines, and finally, the no-kidding-around deadlines. She set these various dates, she'd told him, to fool herself.” ― Martha Grimes, Rainbow's End
“As he followed Wood, Jury thought: one disappearance, two auto accident victims, one in a mental institution, one drowned. One murdered. Rackmoor, for all its bracing sea air, didn’t seem the healthiest place in the British Isles.” ― Martha Grimes, The Old Fox Deceiv'd
“Old willows trailed veils of wet leaves across his path. Moss crawled up the headstones. The place was otherwise deserted.” ― Martha Grimes, Jerusalem Inn
“Perhaps he was fit for the life of a hermit. Give up all of his worldly possessions and go live in a hut on a shelf of rock and watch the sunrise every morning. Up before the sun! What a dreadful idea; he shuddered.” ― Martha Grimes, The Lamorna Wink
“I read somewhere that we never completely forget a thing, that there are the imprints of everything we’ve ever seen or done, all of these tiny details at the bottoms of our minds, like pebbles and weeds that never surface from a river bottom.” ― Martha Grimes, Cold Flat Junction
“Tom says to Richard: You asked what I missed about the job. And that's it. But his tone had changed. The vanished fame, the lost acclaim, the old success.” ― Martha Grimes, The Old Success
“They’re an idea of home, I think. Words are. It really is like opening a door, isn’t it, to open a book. If that’s not too sentimental to say. Books, words, stories are a kind of solace.” ― Martha Grimes, Cold Flat Junction
“Before Ernest could start walking back the cat, Melrose put in, “But isn’t it rather we who have come here, Mrs. Attaboy?” At her uncomprehending look, he plowed on. “It is their country.” “What? Africa?” “If Africa were a country, the answer would be yes.” ― Martha Grimes, The Knowledge
“It’s just,” Bobbi whispered, “not many women your age—” “Oh. I get it. It’s because I’m an old woman.” Etta had raised her voice at this so that the comment sailed up and down the table, earning Bobbi North looks that implied she had just disemboweled a baby monkey on her dinner plate. She quickly turned to the old geezer on her right, realized that was not the best choice and that she was pretty much stuck with the monkey on the plate. She asked the waiter for wine.” ― Martha Grimes, The Knowledge
“What does the absolutely final deadline apply to? What book?"If there was one book that did not cry out for a sequel, it was "Death of a Doge". "Don't you remember what an awful time you had writing that book?” ― Martha Grimes
“An idyllic childhood is probably illusion.” ― Martha Grimes, The Lamorna Wink
“Remember the great film with Bette Davis, All About Eve? There's a scene after the scheming Eve steals Margo's role through trickery & then gets this magnificent review. Margo of course is effing & blinding all over the place. And crying. Her director rushes into her house, puts his arms around her & says, "I ran all the way". That's what I want.” ― Martha Grimes, Dust
“We don't know who we are until we see what we can do.” ― Martha Grimes
“Melrose was so concerned that the [book]shop might close for lack of business, that he had suggested he would like to invest in it or even become a silent partner. "You see, books have always been a hobby of mine." Books had never been a hobby; they were a necessity.” ― Martha Grimes, Vertigo 42
“Elf made his way fuzzily back to the drawer, trying to think nasty thoughts about his tormentor (Mungo the dog) but he couldn't, as he was too little and his mind was formless and without messages.( "Elf" the tiny kitten Mungo tormented )” ― Martha Grimes, The Black Cat
“And so it continued all day, wynde after wynde, from a room beyond came the whistle of a teakettle. "Now, you really must join me. I've some marvelous Darjeeling, and some delicious petits fours a friend of mine gave me for Christmas.” ― Martha Grimes, The Man With a Load of Mischief
“If a cone had dropped on velvet needles, if a star had lain a silver track across the sky, if the dead had turned in their graves - I swear, I would have heard it, that's how silent it all was. ” ― Martha Grimes
“Losing one's mind is surely like losing one's virginity. Lose a little, lose a lot.” ― Martha Grimes, The Old Fox Deceiv'd
“Polly was a writer of many deadlines. There were the ignorable deadlines, the not-to-be-taken-too-seriously deadlines: the deadlines-before-the-deadlines deadlines, and finally, the no-kidding-around deadlines. She set these various dates, she'd told him, to fool herself.” ― Martha Grimes, Rainbow's End
“As he followed Wood, Jury thought: one disappearance, two auto accident victims, one in a mental institution, one drowned. One murdered. Rackmoor, for all its bracing sea air, didn’t seem the healthiest place in the British Isles.” ― Martha Grimes, The Old Fox Deceiv'd
“Old willows trailed veils of wet leaves across his path. Moss crawled up the headstones. The place was otherwise deserted.” ― Martha Grimes, Jerusalem Inn
“Perhaps he was fit for the life of a hermit. Give up all of his worldly possessions and go live in a hut on a shelf of rock and watch the sunrise every morning. Up before the sun! What a dreadful idea; he shuddered.” ― Martha Grimes, The Lamorna Wink
“I read somewhere that we never completely forget a thing, that there are the imprints of everything we’ve ever seen or done, all of these tiny details at the bottoms of our minds, like pebbles and weeds that never surface from a river bottom.” ― Martha Grimes, Cold Flat Junction
“Tom says to Richard: You asked what I missed about the job. And that's it. But his tone had changed. The vanished fame, the lost acclaim, the old success.” ― Martha Grimes, The Old Success
“They’re an idea of home, I think. Words are. It really is like opening a door, isn’t it, to open a book. If that’s not too sentimental to say. Books, words, stories are a kind of solace.” ― Martha Grimes, Cold Flat Junction
“Before Ernest could start walking back the cat, Melrose put in, “But isn’t it rather we who have come here, Mrs. Attaboy?” At her uncomprehending look, he plowed on. “It is their country.” “What? Africa?” “If Africa were a country, the answer would be yes.” ― Martha Grimes, The Knowledge
“It’s just,” Bobbi whispered, “not many women your age—” “Oh. I get it. It’s because I’m an old woman.” Etta had raised her voice at this so that the comment sailed up and down the table, earning Bobbi North looks that implied she had just disemboweled a baby monkey on her dinner plate. She quickly turned to the old geezer on her right, realized that was not the best choice and that she was pretty much stuck with the monkey on the plate. She asked the waiter for wine.” ― Martha Grimes, The Knowledge
“What does the absolutely final deadline apply to? What book?"If there was one book that did not cry out for a sequel, it was "Death of a Doge". "Don't you remember what an awful time you had writing that book?” ― Martha Grimes
