A review by badcushion
Black Plumes by Margery Allingham

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!