judyward's review against another edition
3.0
I'm still deep into the genre of mysteries published in the first half of the 20th century. This one fits well since it was originally published in 1940. It's a typical country house mystery, except this time the house is in London, where a member of the family is murdered and the culprit must be someone within the four walls. In this plot, the almost 90 year old grandmother plays a significant role--that is, when she's rational. Lots of red herrings. An enjoyable read.
sarahmatthews's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Black Plumes by Margery Allingham
Read on audio, narrated by Michael Tudor Barnes for RNIB
Pub.1940
___
This book is unusual for Margery Allingham as the detective featured isn’t Albert Campion, who she developed across so many of her novels.
The action takes place in a family home, next door to their art gallery business. Recently they’ve witnessed some odd goings on including a slashed canvas and then, of course, someone is found murdered!
The story is told from the perspective of Frances, the granddaughter of the head of the family, Gabrielle, who’s in her 90s and this clash of generations is explored well throughout.
On the night of the crime (which happens at the house) several of the family were in residence. As such we have a small band of people to suspect and naturally there are plenty of family secrets to create intrigue.
We see Frances’ confusion about what she saw that night and doubts about people she thought she knew well creep in.
I don’t want to say too much more to avoid spoilers, but here’s a taste of how Allingham builds tension:
“The long brocade curtains billowed out…as a great gust came rushing through the narrow slit at the top of the tall window.Miss Dorset sprang to close the sash but not before a pile of flimsy papers had been strewn over the floor…and to the end of her days Frances was to feel a twinge of apprehension whenever a curtain should swing out suddenly in the rising wind”
I really enjoyed this mystery, which was moody and full of melodrama and had a touch of romance. The language reflects the attitudes of the time so in this edition there was some use of offensive words which I found shocking at times. While I had my suspicions, I didn’t guess the murderer or the method and was swept along to the conclusion which was entertaining.
bookpossum's review against another edition
2.0
I had never heard of this book by Allingham, but decided to give it a go. It was all a bit feverish, though I suppose a group of people thrown into a murder mystery would feel like that. I guessed who the murderer was and what the mysterious weapon was, so the elaborate denouement didn't have me on the edge of my seat.
Okay, but not as good as Allingham's later Campion books.
Okay, but not as good as Allingham's later Campion books.
verityw's review against another edition
4.0
This is a clever and atmospheric murder mystery. There are a lot of unlikeable characters in this, but also a lot of suspects – not all of whom are the unlikeable ones! You see this story mostly by following Frances, youngest of the Ivorys. At the start of the book her brother-in-law is pressuring her to marry the unpleasant co-owner of the gallery and artist and family friend, David Field, proposed a fake engagement to her as a way of getting out of it. Frances is convinced that something is wrong at the gallery but her concerns are dismissed by other members of the family – even after the murder has happened. David – whose painting is the one that is slashed at the start of the novel – is one of the only people who listens to her, but he is a bit of a rogue and some of the clues seem to point at him. I really enjoyed it – and if you haven’t read any Allingham before, this wouldn’t be a bad place to start – especially as the Campion series takes a while to settle in, which can make it tricky for people who like to start series at the beginning.
pkadams's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book for the first time back in 1991 and reread it last night. It is one of my all time favorites because it captures England between the wars better than anything I've ever read. Allingham can sketch characters better than most and make them memorable. I'm fascinated with how she creates the interactions between the 90+ year old, formidable, Victorian, matriarch (Gabrielle Ivory) and her modern, twenty-something granddaughter (Frances Ivory). Best line ever when the two have different opinions about appropriate decorum. "It was a little skirmish across a century." She also creates a believable love story that is such a side show to this gothic mystery. The mystery is of course good, being Margery Allingham, but it is her mastery of setting, character, and mood that allows so much more going on than the mystery.
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
Just a warning--Campion does not appear in this book. But it is a good, solid mystery with a lot going for it.
The action centers around the Ivory's art gallery, where a series of malicious pranks are causing problems. When a valuable painting is slashed right before an opening, things really come to a head.
There's a pretend engagement, a man come back from the dead, an unscrupulous business manager, and finally, a murder. The ending is very exciting. My only complaints are that the policeman in charge of the case is more of a caricature that a real person and that the identity of the weapon is not as much of a secret to the reader as it is to the police.
The action centers around the Ivory's art gallery, where a series of malicious pranks are causing problems. When a valuable painting is slashed right before an opening, things really come to a head.
There's a pretend engagement, a man come back from the dead, an unscrupulous business manager, and finally, a murder. The ending is very exciting. My only complaints are that the policeman in charge of the case is more of a caricature that a real person and that the identity of the weapon is not as much of a secret to the reader as it is to the police.
vdyej's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in December 1999.
Allingham's novels which are not about Albert Campion tend to have a dark and eerie atmosphere. Black Plumes is one of the best of them, and is almost totally mystifying as a detective story. The point of view from which it is written is to a large extent responsible for this, because the central character is one of the witnesses, who has almost no idea of what is going on. Allingham uses Frances Ivory to convey something of the fear and confusion which must surround becoming involved in a murder investigation, placing the story on a more human footing than is often the case with novels following the detective at work.
Frances belongs to an old London family, owners of a private art gallery and art dealers. In recent times strange things have begun to happen: a series of attacks on the gallery, strange behaviour by the head of the business, Frances' brother in law Robert Madrigal, and his encouragement of the obnoxious Henry Lucar. Then Madrigal's body is discovered, Lucar having disappeared, seemingly the obvious (and welcome) suspect.
Characteristically, Allingham populates the novel with grotesques. As well as Lucar, there is the redoubtable ancient Gabrielle Ivory, Frances' grandmother, applying the standards of a forgotten erat; Frances' invalid stepsister, Phillida; and the hearty explorer Godolphin, rescued from the Tibetan prison where he has lain for years, believed dead.
And a comment I posted on this review on re-reading the novel in April 2012:
Re-read this recently, and one word jumped out at me. The witnesses tell the police that they saw a dark skinned man running away from the scene of the crime, and at one point the policemen are discussing it and use the n-word. This is clearly appropriate, in that it would in 1940 be casually used in conversation, but to a modern reader it is jarring in a way that it was never intended to be by Allingham. This is perhaps an argument for censorship, albeit not for the usual reasons: language usage has changed sufficiently that this word effectively no longer has the meaning it did in 1940.
Allingham's novels which are not about Albert Campion tend to have a dark and eerie atmosphere. Black Plumes is one of the best of them, and is almost totally mystifying as a detective story. The point of view from which it is written is to a large extent responsible for this, because the central character is one of the witnesses, who has almost no idea of what is going on. Allingham uses Frances Ivory to convey something of the fear and confusion which must surround becoming involved in a murder investigation, placing the story on a more human footing than is often the case with novels following the detective at work.
Frances belongs to an old London family, owners of a private art gallery and art dealers. In recent times strange things have begun to happen: a series of attacks on the gallery, strange behaviour by the head of the business, Frances' brother in law Robert Madrigal, and his encouragement of the obnoxious Henry Lucar. Then Madrigal's body is discovered, Lucar having disappeared, seemingly the obvious (and welcome) suspect.
Characteristically, Allingham populates the novel with grotesques. As well as Lucar, there is the redoubtable ancient Gabrielle Ivory, Frances' grandmother, applying the standards of a forgotten erat; Frances' invalid stepsister, Phillida; and the hearty explorer Godolphin, rescued from the Tibetan prison where he has lain for years, believed dead.
And a comment I posted on this review on re-reading the novel in April 2012:
Re-read this recently, and one word jumped out at me. The witnesses tell the police that they saw a dark skinned man running away from the scene of the crime, and at one point the policemen are discussing it and use the n-word. This is clearly appropriate, in that it would in 1940 be casually used in conversation, but to a modern reader it is jarring in a way that it was never intended to be by Allingham. This is perhaps an argument for censorship, albeit not for the usual reasons: language usage has changed sufficiently that this word effectively no longer has the meaning it did in 1940.
nce14210's review
3.0
A good quick mystery. I did have a little trouble with the passage of time at the beginning. It seemed like someone had just walked to the next room, but in fact it was several days later. I suspected the culprit early on, but enjoyed the journey to the solution.
badcushion's review
5.0
This is a delightful pre-WWII English mystery novel, with bodies in cupboards, devious fiances, and a whipping wind that lends just the right edge to the creepy atmosphere. The feel of the book is so perfectly autumnal that I kept wanting to put it down and save it for reading in brisk October - but that would have meant not reading it right away! The characters are indeed characters - from the narrator, Frances, a young woman drawn into a complicated web of lies, to her grandmother Gabrielle, who even at an advanced age, has all the manipulative power of a grand Victorian. The plot twists, the people scurry, and the eerie vibe of the book makes the reader want a cup of tea. Highly recommended!