"It's an honest, done-on-purpose killing for a reason."
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As talented and popular in the 1930s and 1940s as fellow mystery writers Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham is now, inexplicably, almost forgotten, except by mystery aficionados. Writing a series of novels featuring Albert Campion, a man of mysterious background who moves comfortably both in aristocratic circles and in the seedy underworld of thugs and criminals, Allingham sets up elaborate plots that cross class lines and entertain the reader with their cleverness. Campion, often aided by Lugg, a former burglar, manages to remain friendly with local police inspectors while operating as a private detective, often hired by the titled nobility with whom he associates.
This novel, written in 1938, opens with the discovery of the fully clothed skeleton of a man who disappeared three years before. A lawyer hoping for a judgeship, the deceased was the fiancé of Georgia Wells, a stage actress and seductress who married someone else just six months after his disappearance. Campion's sister Val, who runs a high fashion design house, is also involved in the mystery, as are the man she loves, who runs an aircraft company trying to sell planes to a foreign country, and Georgia's present husband, a self-important snob who works for the government. The mystery is unusually intricate, and when two more deaths occur, Campion must investigate questions of blackmail, secret relationships, drug shipments, an out-of-the-way restaurant, and characters who look like other characters. He must also deal with a former acquaintance, Lady Amanda Fitton, who has returned--and unexpectedly announced her engagement to him.
Highly entertaining and very fast paced, the novel is cleverly written and full of intrigue, populated with characters who have more substance than the cardboard characters one finds in most mysteries. Allingham's ability to incorporate details of time and place--and class--give this novel a lively sense of the atmosphere of prewar England and the attitudes of its population, not all of them admirable. Elitism, bigotry, and class prejudice are all given voice in this novel, and play a part in the mystery.
Far more literary in style than Agatha Christie, Allingham employs a good deal of humor and irony, though Albert Campion is more phlegmatic than Lord Peter Wimsey (Dorothy Sayer's detective) and less exaggerated than Christie's Hercule Poirot. Allingham, a fine writer, creates well developed plots and memorable characters, and one hopes that her work will be reprinted for a new audience. Mary Whipple
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"Murder: I think it's unethical and ungentlemanly and unkind."
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As talented and popular a mystery writer in the 1930s and 1940s as fellow writers Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham is now almost unknown, except by mystery aficionados. Writing a series of novels featuring Albert Campion, a man of mysterious background who moves comfortably both in aristocratic circles and in the seedy underworld of thugs and criminals, Allingham sets up elaborate plots that cross class lines and entertain the reader with their cleverness. Campion, often aided by Lugg, a former burglar, manages to remain friendly with local police inspectors while operating as a private detective, often hired by the titled nobility with whom he associates.
This novel, written in 1938, opens with the discovery of the fully clothed skeleton of a man who disappeared three years before. A lawyer hoping for a judgeship, the deceased was the fiancé of Georgia Wells, a stage actress who married just six months after his disappearance, a seductress who flirts with every man she meets. Campion's sister Val, who runs a high fashion design house, is also involved in the mystery, as are the man she loves, who runs an aircraft company trying to sell planes to a foreign country, and Georgia's present husband, a self-important snob who works for the government. The mystery is unusually intricate, and when two more deaths occur, Campion must investigate questions of blackmail, secret relationships, drug shipments, an out-of-the-way restaurant, and characters who look like other characters. He must also deal with a former acquaintance, Lady Amanda Fitton, who has returned--and unexpectedly announced her engagement to him.
Highly entertaining and very fast paced, the novel is cleverly written and full of intrigue, populated with characters who have more substance than the cardboard characters one finds in most mysteries. Allingham's ability to incorporate details of time and place--and class--give this novel a lively sense of the atmosphere of prewar England and the attitudes of its population, not all of them admirable. Elitism, bigotry, and class prejudice are all given voice in this novel, and play a part in the mystery.
Far more literary in style than Agatha Christie, Allingham employs a good deal of humor and irony, though Albert Campion is more phlegmatic than Lord Peter Wimsey (Dorothy Sayer's detective) and less exaggerated than Christie's Hercule Poirot. Allingham, a fine writer, creates well developed plots and memorable characters, and one hopes that her work will be reprinted for a new audience. n Mary Whipple
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Style Never Goes Out of Fashion
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One of the author’s most accomplished novels. At once an elegant and deftly-observed social satire in the manner of Thackeray and an ingeniously complicated detective story, the book is virtually flawless. Campion is in superb form throughout, both as detective pitting his wits against a superhuman Nemesis of a murderer, and as a lover (even going to the extent of throwing his fiancée in the lake during a quarrel); Lugg is as amusing as ever; and there is much interest in the character and methods of the villain, “who can set the murderous Machiavel to school,” weaving webs of a subtlety and diabolical ingenuity matched only by his creator.
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Wonderful period piece, and an intriguing mystery
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One of Albert Campion's most intriguing cases, this is a book which is more than just a crime caper. The style of writing makes it a book that flows along without feeling superficial, and the characters are well drawn; the twist added by one of the possible suspects being Campion's sister merely adds to the tension as the reader is left wondering what will happen if she indeed turns out to be the murderess. There are a couple of things that really do date this book though. For starters, virtually all of the characters smoke; a no-no in contemporary literature. Mainly though, it's the attitude towards women, and the attitudes of many of the female characters. While they are strong in their own way, their expectations make this book very much a product of the inter-war period. I've read most of the Campion books now, and this is one of the best without doubt; the story, characters and general writing quality combine to create a book that is a gem, deserving of being read by a wider audience than Crime Afficionados.
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