Reviews

Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham

silkmoth's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Once more Campion appears in the role of sleuth, being a friend to the accused. Again we see small sections of the narrative delivered from his perspective, and we get to know a little of him. But most of the book is delivered from the perspective of the other protagonists. 

As in Death of a Ghost, Campion has identified the killer and the motive and is trying to find evidence that would convince others. But the plot plays out in a very different way. The ending has a small element of surprise and feels satisfactory.

lulumoss's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to like this more than I did. A publisher is dead, his wife might be having an affair with his cousin, a friend of the family investigates. So far, so good. But then in the last few chapters... zing... what?... zap... huh?... pow! I don’t want to put any spoilers in, but everything gets crazy there at the end. Be prepared.

rebeccaiross's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

teresac's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

melissa_who_reads's review against another edition

3.0

Enjoyable for the most part. I found some of the coronor's proceedings a bit overdone - but once it was past that, it moved a long at a good clip to the fairly satisfying end. All mysteries are solved, even (and perhaps most importantly) the 20-year-old disappearance of Mr. Tom Barnabas into thin air.

When is cousin is murdered 20 years later, the clues point to another cousin ... until Mr. Campion ferrets out the extenuating circumstances that point in quite a different direction.

mumsie_2's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

littletaiko's review

3.0

One of the Golden Age mysteries featuring Albert Campion. The mystery focuses on a family publishing firm and the mysterious disappearance of one of the relatives. When he is found dead in a locked basement, the family turns to Campion to sort out the problem. Interesting enough book but not a series that I think I'll pursue. Never quite warmed to Campion particularly when he was interacting with his servant.

laurareadsdaily's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

ssejig's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

In London, there is a family publishing firm, Barnabas.  There are a number of people working there including cousins: Mike (who always just misses the next big thing,  Ritchie (handsome but intelligent) and Paul (a known liar and bragger who is currently missing but no one seems concerned.There are also some other assorted family members: John (irascible), Miss Curly (seems to know the people she works with rather well), Gina (Paul's American wife) as well as one or two others. Peter Riggett who becomes a witness for the court though he knows more than he was telling. 
One of the cousins is found dead in a locked room. The problem is that the body has been dead for several days; he was not in the room the night before. And it is that point that gets one of the other cousins arrested for murder. It will be up to Campion to solve the mystery. 
This was a well crafted story that was a little convoluted but highly enjoyable. 

sajiya_khalik's review against another edition

5.0

Why isn't Albert Campion more famous than Poirot? He deserves to be. And Allingham should be read more, much more than Christie. With Christie, I find the prose is almost always interesting, but there's the hint of racism in her language, and while there's the trend of separating the work from the artist, I find it difficult to overlook the human being behind the work. And Allingham wins me over there, same as P.D. James, or Donna Leon, their stories touch upon human psych, and the motives behind the horrible act are always relatable.
This particular story kept me guessing since the beginning, the fantastical start of a man vanishing in thin air was perfect to introduce the characters. And what a cast, why isn't this an adaptation?
Allingham writes in third person which is the perspective I relate to the most, and all her characters get highlight in the course of the story, and we understand them as humans, how they look, the way they speak, all of them have a different way of speaking, and that's easily understandable through her writing, it never feels as if you're reading! And that's why I feel Margery Allingham should be counted amongst great writers, and not just Mystery geniuses, mysteries are as much a study of human nature, as any other fiction/non-fiction.
Well, I loved this story and the ending made a lot of sense to me!