Reviews

Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham

judyward's review against another edition

3.0

A painter left instructions in his will that a decade after his death, a collection of a dozen paintings were to be exhibited and sold at a rate of one a year. During the reception for the unveiling of the latest painting the lights suddenly go out and when they come back on, a young artist is lying dead with a set of bejeweled scissors in his heart. Albert Campion immediately contacts a friend in Scotland Yard and they attempted to discovered the murderer. Unfortunately, there is a second death and then Campion himself becomes the target.

christit11's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

j_squaredd's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Mental illness, and Alcohol

ink_and_fury's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

sajiya_khalik's review against another edition

4.0

First book I read of Margery Allingham. Her writing style reminded me a bit of Virginia Woolf, I had to read a sentence multiple times to understand the humour, and the depth of the meaning behind her words. And she writes of human behaviour so very well - like it's mentioned in most reviews, it's a howdunit and not a whodunit, we know who's the murderer quite early in the story, and there aren't any red herrings as such, but the story takes precedence, and the motive.
A pretty good read to get introduced to her writing style, and her detective, Albert Campion. Though my favourite of the characters in this book was Belle Darling! The seventy year old matriarch of the Lafcadio family.
Definitely gonna pick up more from this series!

hooksforeverything's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Brilliant, of course. A really good dowager character.

me2brett's review against another edition

3.0

I confess that I had seen the television adaptation before reading the book, so I had a hazy idea of some of the hows and whys of the plot. That did not in any way spoil my enjoyment of this Campion mystery. A nice little side view into the art world of the interwar years - and one wonders what encounters Allingham had with models to write them as such unlovely people!

lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition

Frequently when I read a Golden Age mystery I find myself partway through wondering if I have read it before. I don't know is this is because: A. I have actually read it before, or B. These books tend to be predictable and samey, so that one reminds me of others that I have read and I can't keep them straight.

I definitely had the feeling with this one; I didn't think I had read it before, but once the denouement began to unfold it began to feel so familiar.

bookpossum's review against another edition

3.0

More of a "whydunnit" than a "whodunnit", this book gives us welcome relief from Mr Campion's "silly ass" persona of the earlier books.

I have been struck as I read Allingham's books by the odd titles she gives them, and this one is no exception. At a stretch I can see a meaning in it. I don't suppose it matters one way or the other. I shall continue with the series, interspersed with other books.

michaeljrulon's review against another edition

5.0

An engaging story with memorable characters and a fast-paced story.