dragenphly's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
me2brett's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because it's the first appearance of Albert Campion. It was a quick read, and fun in the general ca. 1920s/30s polite mystery. Allingham does manage to take the usual Country House Mystery and turn it, if not on its head, then at least sideways.
A very fun read, if nothing else.
A very fun read, if nothing else.
affiknittyreads's review against another edition
4.0
I read somewhere that Margery Allingham is J.K. Rowling's favorite golden age mystery novelist. Now there's a recommendation! I really liked this one and am interested to see how Albert Campion develops as a character.
cleheny's review against another edition
2.0
The Crime at Black Dudley is the "first" Albert Campion story, but Campion is a secondary character and one who doesn't actually twig to the central mystery of who killed Uncle Wyatt. The tale itself is elaborate and fantastical. There's a lot of implausible developments, coupled with the classic plucky English upper class characters who don't panic or betray each other to save themselves., no matter how dire the circumstances An Amazon reviewer speculated that Allingham didn't necessarily know what she had with Campion when she wrote this book, which is why her hero (George Abbershaw) is a fairly unmemorable character with the requisite not-really-believable romance.
Candidly, this one isn't really worth reading.
Candidly, this one isn't really worth reading.
sunwinter's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of people in a murder mystery. Something seems off about the plot in a sense that it doesn't feel like a murder mystery anymore.
majkia's review against another edition
3.0
Classic English Manor mystery, Albert Campion having only a bit part!
bookpossum's review against another edition
2.0
This was Allingham's first mystery. It's pretty clunky, complete with extremely villainous villains, last-minute rescues, and an explanation for why the victim was killed being something nobody could have known about, apart from the killer.
Still, it was interesting to see how she started out, and was light enough to keep my lockdown-weary mind amused for a day.
Still, it was interesting to see how she started out, and was light enough to keep my lockdown-weary mind amused for a day.
sscs's review against another edition
3.0
It's a product of its time. In many ways a classic old school English Manor murder mystery, it has some pacing issues and it does not follow some of the conventions that make a mystery satisfying to read. That said, the exit from the house in question was more fun than anything else of its type I've ever read and I feel like Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, a far superior book, owes a debt to this one.