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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enjoyable read but rather dated read, well paced it kept me interested right to the end.
This is a dark, dank, hard-edged book, and with it, Allingham completes her transformation from a simple mystery-adventure writer to a social commentator and psychoanalyst. There are occasional criticisms that her characters are too big and broad, but that just gives them room to breathe; they feel far more alive than any of those written by Agatha Christie, for example. Here, we've got Chief Inspecotr Luke, a moral man stuck in an immoral world; Canon Avril, Campion's uncle, whose saintly outlook is both a benefit and a curse; and Jack Havoc (what a name!), who can really only be called by a couple of very modern terms: serial killer and psychopath. They all get their moments in the spotlight, and their actions play out against a harsh backdrop of drippy, wet, smoggy, post-war London. The Folio Society edition looks almost tobacco-stained, with each of the illustrations cast in sickly brown and yellow tones, and that only adds to the effect. This isn't a nice place. This isn't a nice story. There is no "mystery-adventure" here.
The one element that really feels out of place is Albert Campion, and it's pretty telling that while he's present for most of the investigation, he has almost no impact on its outcome. I'm guessing that Allingham wasn't brazen enough to borrow Christie's late-stage technique (where Hercule Poirot would barely cameo at the beginning and end of several novels); she felt she needed to give the public their due if the book had "A Campion mystery!" emblazoned across the front. He really doesn't add anything, though, and Allingham's disinterest is obvious; there's a wide-open invitation to involve him in the book's denouement, and she skirts straight around it.
It's hard to say that I liked The Tiger in the Smoke. It's not an inviting book, and much of it is permeated by a sense that something awful is about to happen. It is, however, a very skillful piece of writing, all the more astonishing if you have any sense at all of where Allingham was twenty-five years earlier. This is a grown-up thriller for grown-up readers. And there are a couple of places, in particular, where it will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
The one element that really feels out of place is Albert Campion, and it's pretty telling that while he's present for most of the investigation, he has almost no impact on its outcome. I'm guessing that Allingham wasn't brazen enough to borrow Christie's late-stage technique (where Hercule Poirot would barely cameo at the beginning and end of several novels); she felt she needed to give the public their due if the book had "A Campion mystery!" emblazoned across the front. He really doesn't add anything, though, and Allingham's disinterest is obvious; there's a wide-open invitation to involve him in the book's denouement, and she skirts straight around it.
It's hard to say that I liked The Tiger in the Smoke. It's not an inviting book, and much of it is permeated by a sense that something awful is about to happen. It is, however, a very skillful piece of writing, all the more astonishing if you have any sense at all of where Allingham was twenty-five years earlier. This is a grown-up thriller for grown-up readers. And there are a couple of places, in particular, where it will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
I found this somewhat confusing at the beginning. I couldn't figure out what was happening. Way too many disparate characters doing random things. ... Or perhaps I was just kinda sleepy. Whatever, I did figure things out later on and liked the second half reasonably well.
So, it seems that Geoffrey Levett is engaged to marry Meg Elginbrodde. Allegedly, she's a war widow. But then she starts getting mysterious pictures in the mail that show a person in a crowd who looks suspiciously like her [late?] husband. So, is she being blackmailed, is he really alive after all, is something else going on? Who knows? Oh yeah, also London is ensconced in a pea-soup fog for days on end. So, everyone is walking around half blind.
Then, there's a roving band of misfits and wounded war veterans...doing something. They appear to be led by a large albino, Tiddy Doll. A notorious criminal, Jack Havoc escapes and starts knifing people around London, and eventually joins up with the misfit band. Then, there's some kind of legend about a treasure left behind on the French coast during the war. Perhaps there's an association with Maj. Elginbrodde, Meg's presumed dead spouse.
I dunno, it's all fairly confusing. Somewhere in the background Albert Campion wanders in from time to time. Apparently, he's gotten married and is no longer the roaring 20s man about town.
Well, as you can tell, the book confused the hell out of me, and I'd likely give it a - if I could, i.e. ***-, which somehow is better than **+, but I'm not sure how. Not a terrible book, but certainly one one I'd ever consider reading a second time.
So, it seems that Geoffrey Levett is engaged to marry Meg Elginbrodde. Allegedly, she's a war widow. But then she starts getting mysterious pictures in the mail that show a person in a crowd who looks suspiciously like her [late?] husband. So, is she being blackmailed, is he really alive after all, is something else going on? Who knows? Oh yeah, also London is ensconced in a pea-soup fog for days on end. So, everyone is walking around half blind.
Then, there's a roving band of misfits and wounded war veterans...doing something. They appear to be led by a large albino, Tiddy Doll. A notorious criminal, Jack Havoc escapes and starts knifing people around London, and eventually joins up with the misfit band. Then, there's some kind of legend about a treasure left behind on the French coast during the war. Perhaps there's an association with Maj. Elginbrodde, Meg's presumed dead spouse.
I dunno, it's all fairly confusing. Somewhere in the background Albert Campion wanders in from time to time. Apparently, he's gotten married and is no longer the roaring 20s man about town.
Well, as you can tell, the book confused the hell out of me, and I'd likely give it a - if I could, i.e. ***-, which somehow is better than **+, but I'm not sure how. Not a terrible book, but certainly one one I'd ever consider reading a second time.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
I just kind of think mystery and thrillers are stupid I find it very hard to like them. I thought this plot was original and clever but the portrayal of meg was patronizing and sexist and absolutely no one did any detecting this whole book. Unmemorable characters so the stakes dont feel as high as they should be
3.5★
This is only my second Allingham and is reputed to be her best work.
Based on this I may not go to any extraordinary effort to find any more of this author's works.
The beginning was quite wonderful where we are introduced to the widowed Meg and her new swain Geoffrey.
Allingham in a little note before the book begins says she means London is "The Smoke." But it certainly feels like the "pea-souper" fogs are The Smoke and it becomes almost another character in this book which is set just after World War Two.
Wonderful characters are introduced and there are many vividly written descriptive scenes, but some plot details don't make much sense and there are long periods where the story drags. I didn't have any trouble putting this book aside for days.Above all
A promising idea let down by an untidy execution.
This is only my second Allingham and is reputed to be her best work.
Based on this I may not go to any extraordinary effort to find any more of this author's works.
The beginning was quite wonderful where we are introduced to the widowed Meg and her new swain Geoffrey.
Allingham in a little note before the book begins says she means London is "The Smoke." But it certainly feels like the "pea-souper" fogs are The Smoke and it becomes almost another character in this book which is set just after World War Two.
Wonderful characters are introduced and there are many vividly written descriptive scenes, but some plot details don't make much sense and there are long periods where the story drags. I didn't have any trouble putting this book aside for days.Above all
Spoiler
even Meg's dead husband treats her like a child and, in a letter assumes she will always be a child - so patronisingA promising idea let down by an untidy execution.
