Much Obliged, Jeeves is a book from the Jeeves and Wooster series by P. G. Wodehouse.

Plot

Written only a few years before his death, Much Obliged, Jeeves is Wodehouse's fourth and final installment of the Totleigh Towers saga (though it actually takes place at Brinkley Court, the seat of Bertie Wooster's aunt Dahlia Travers near the town of Market Snodsbury).

A heretofore unknown old school chum of Bertie's, Ginger Winship, is standing for the House of Commons in a by-election, and Aunt Dahlia has offered the use of Brinkley as a general H. Q. for the campaign. Dahlia persuades Bertie to come down to Brinkley to assist in the canvassing.

At luncheon before departing for Brinkley, Bertie discovers that Ginger is standing in the by-election on the wishes of his fiancée. He also discovers that said fiancée has kept him out of the metropolis for several years and discourages him from partaking in alcoholic stimulants. On arriving at Brinkley he discovers that this hard-hearted mystery woman is none other than Florence Cray, authoress of Spindrift and former fiancée of Percy Gorringe—and of Bertie himself. Bertie begins to muse on how he might save his friend from a life of encountering Florence Cray every morning over the eggs and bacon.

But before he can make progress on that front, he discovers that there are other guests in the party at Brinkley. Roderick Spode, 8th Earl of Sidcup has come to deliver a speech or two for Ginger, and he has brought his fiancée Madeline Bassett. Spode still believes Bertie to be a sneak-thief from the episodes of the umbrella, the silver cow-creamer, and the African curio, and has also warned Bertram that he should not expect to win Madeline back from him.

Also among the party is L. P. Runkle, a financier and collector who has visited Brinkley in order to attempt to sell a valuable silver porringer to Tom Travers (who, sensibly, has fled the premises on hearing of the invasion from Totliegh Towers). Runkle was the employer of the late father of Tuppy Glossop, and made a pile on Tuppy's father's invention, but cutting Tuppy's father—and Tuppy—out of the action. Dahlia wants to soften up Runkle and get him to unbelt, so Tuppy can have his legacy and finally marry her daughter Angela.

Ginger's chances for election (and thus his engagement to Florence) are threatened by the spectre of Bingley, a former valet of his, who has purloined the Club Book of the Junior Ganymede Club and is threatening to sell it, and its explosive tales of Ginger's past, to his opponent or the local newspaper. Jeeves finds this most disturbing, and during a social visit to his fellow valet, slips him a Mickey Finn and recovers the book.

Surprisingly, this does not please Ginger. After disappointing Florence in his performance at the Council meeting, he has realized how wrong he was to have wanted to marry her, and has fallen in love with his secretary, Magnolia Glendennon. Spode, however, is entranced by the reception he is getting at his stump speeches for Ginger, and has floated the idea of renouncing his title and running for the Commons himself. This fails to delight Madeline, who sees her Countess coronet going pfut. Spode and Madeline have words, and Madeline starts muttering darkly about resigning herself to being Mrs Wooster.

Dahlia, meanwhile, failing to convince Runkle to give Tuppy his due, has purloined the silver porringer he wished to sell to Tom. Bertie tries to set this aright by returning the porringer, but is caught, and has to secrete the object in his bureau drawer. While he muses on the four problems (returning the porringer; freeing Ginger from his honorable obligation to Florence; helping Dahlia extract Tuppy's due from Runkle; and reconciling Madeline to Spode to avoid marrying her himself), Jeeves takes matters in hand. At the candidate debate, Ginger listens to his opponent's speech, then promptly endorses her and resigns the race. Havoc ensues, in which Spode is pelted with produce. Florence breaks her engagement with Ginger, and he promptly elopes to London with Magnolia Glendennon.

Back at Brinkley, Bingley (in Runkle's employ) discovers the purloined porringer in Bertie's drawer, and Runkle accuses Bertie of the crime. On the one hand, Bertram faces an unjust stretch in durance vile; but, on the other hand, Florence quickly reverses her previous intent to renew her engagement to him, and he feels that taken all in all he has ended up the better for it. Spode realizes that he prefers the rarefied atmosphere of the House of Lords to the rough-and-tumble of the Commons and abandons his plans to renounce his title, and he and Madeline are reconciled.

Finally, Jeeves nullifies Runkle as a force by revealing secrets written about him by Bingley in the Club Book. This not only prevents him from pressing charges against Bertie, but also forces him to give Tuppy his legacy. The story ends with Jeeves revealing to Bertie that he has also destroyed the nineteen pages that he had written about him.

Criticism and Analysis

Written late in his career, this lacks the snap and madcap action of the earlier Totleigh Towers books. There are so many references to common Wooster tropes (his Scripture Knowledge prize, "if that is the word I want," etc.) that it actually is repetitious at times. And while Wodehouse is far from the first place you'd look for character development, this novel is weaker than most: Runkle and Bingley are so sketchy that they are barely there, and Florence and Madeline appear in name only, participating in none of the action except to threaten Bertram with marriage.

It is also annoying that Bingley has been renamed from Brinkley (the name under which he was introduced in "Thank You, Jeeves") apparently because of the confusion of setting this story at Brinkley Court.