Sublime
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This is Allingham at her best. The characters that she has developed through her books are relaxed and well drawn, and it is good to see Campion and Amanda back in the place they first met. The story is intriguing and the secondary characters are beautifully quirky.
Allingham never contented herself with straight and dull crime books like some of her contemporaries whose style never developed. Instead she approached the crime story from many directions during her career. Some were whodunnits, some were psychological thrillers, others were acute observations of both rural and urban life. What is more she is a highly literate writer whose novels transcend the genre.
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Dull, contorted and confusing
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This was one of those odd books in which every word is written in English, but when they are all put together, make very little sense at all. Some of the writing is good but it was difficult to work out who anyone was or what their relationships were with the other characters - despite the cast list at the beginning of the book. The characters were unreal, the scene and the actual murder were very good and well written. I am puzzled by this book because I am a big fan of detective fiction and have read a lot, but this was like trying to read a book in a foreign language that you don't know well enough ...
If you have read her other books and are 'tuned in' to her style, you may well enjoy this book immensely. If you are a newcomer, I would be interested to see if anyone else feels the same as me.
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The Beckoning Lady
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One of the worst Campion novels, to date. Peopled exclusively by characters who I assume are intended to be funny and amusing, but are irritating in the extreme. A disappointing read that I struggled to finish.
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One of Allingham's "Light" best
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Margery Allingham's books featuring Albert Campion range from early adventure novels to serious social issues. This one is witty and light with family and friends prominently on display. The late "Uncle William" is from Police at the Funeral, the town of Pontisbright has been one of her major settings, and the characters of Tonker and Minnie Cassands are so well described that I think of them as friends of mine. All in all a delightful book with a Midsummer Night's Eve feel to it.
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