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haf59's review against another edition
3.0
Another of Allingham's classic Albert Campion titles. I'm really torn about this series. The mysteries are complex and interesting, and the characters are ok, but there are issues. It's more than ordinarily a series of its time (this one is circa 1955, but honestly, I'd have put it quite a bit older, with some of its nonsense). There are objectionable attitudes towards various population demographics in most of her books, which, meh. Not enough to disqualify a book for me, because books are actually artifacts of when they were written, at least in part of their reality. But Allingham seems to me to write very much in the voice of her time. There are complicated in-jokes and slang, and speech patterns ... I mean, these aren't uncommon, either. I've read and gotten familiar with quite a bit of weird English - I very often understand Shakespeare's peculiarities, and I can shoulder my way through Austen without twitching. But for some reason, Allingham's voice is not so easily assimilated for me. It sets me at a distance. And I've read lots of her contemporaries - so I'm not sure what it is. I just don't feel the voice. That, and the objectionable bits ... Well, Campion is never going to be top tier for me. But the mysteries are nice and complicated, and I do quite often like bits of the side characters.
dmturner's review against another edition
3.0
The only clunker of Allingham’s I’ve read
I love the Campion mysteries and have re-read them from time to time over the years. I wondered why I hadn’t bothered with this one and now I know why. It’s mannered, cluttered, confused, and dated beyond belief. Not recommended.
I love the Campion mysteries and have re-read them from time to time over the years. I wondered why I hadn’t bothered with this one and now I know why. It’s mannered, cluttered, confused, and dated beyond belief. Not recommended.
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
Minnie and Tonker Cassands are getting ready for their annual summer party at Minnie's home, The Beckoning Lady. Unfortunately, Minnie is in serious trouble with the Department of Inland Revenue and the dead man discovered in a ditch near her house is a tax inspector. It turns out that there are a number of people who wanted him dead and Albert Campion and DCI Charles Luke have to step in to figure out what's going on. An entertaining read from a master from the Golden Age of Mystery.
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
3.0
Stina's Challenge this year includes multiple mystery-related prompts and that is giving me permission to focus on my mysteries instead of the deeper fare which I am currently reading. I snagged this one off the pile because it is labeled as being an historic or vintage or some such thing mystery.
I am counting this for the prompt of "a mystery with a bilingual detective or one set in a village" because a lot of this book felt like it was in a foreign language. Some of the slang terms were definitely specific to the time (1950s?) and place (Suffolk village in UK) and some I think rely on a prior history of reading the series. (I have read one other book in this series a few years back.) I was able to follow the plot and guess at whodunit and maintain interest to see it through to the end, but I do feel like it was more work than it would have been otherwise. The part that was the most interesting to me was the tax issues and the implications for marriage -- I know that the UK has weird rules on tax as far as inheritance and death duties and such (more so than the nonexistent "death tax" problem that Republicans go on about in the US) but from what I can tell, it is extreme and almost nonsensical. I am just glad I could follow it without having to do math. I am not sure I am entirely satisfied with the solution to the second killing, but I suppose it tracks well enough.
I am counting this for the prompt of "a mystery with a bilingual detective or one set in a village" because a lot of this book felt like it was in a foreign language. Some of the slang terms were definitely specific to the time (1950s?) and place (Suffolk village in UK) and some I think rely on a prior history of reading the series. (I have read one other book in this series a few years back.) I was able to follow the plot and guess at whodunit and maintain interest to see it through to the end, but I do feel like it was more work than it would have been otherwise. The part that was the most interesting to me was the tax issues and the implications for marriage -- I know that the UK has weird rules on tax as far as inheritance and death duties and such (more so than the nonexistent "death tax" problem that Republicans go on about in the US) but from what I can tell, it is extreme and almost nonsensical. I am just glad I could follow it without having to do math. I am not sure I am entirely satisfied with the solution to the second killing, but I suppose it tracks well enough.
bookpossum's review against another edition
3.0
Another enjoyable outing with Albert Campion. This time his wife Amanda is a participant, along with their son Rupert. Not as good as Tiger in the Smoke, but a satisfactory mystery.
verityw's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favourite of the series, but still an interesting and intriguing murder mystery. Albert Campion is a great creation and the gang around him are great too. This means even a not-as-great-as-some-of-the-others Campion is still better than a lot of things!
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
Whew. This book has a heck of a lot going on and the ending was... a little odd. I didn't read all of the books ahead of it in the series but I have read a few. I was still a little lost. There was a lot of backstory that was assumed and a lot of characters that we probably already knew.
Campion and Amanda are visiting her old homestead along with Lugg and their son. There promises to be a fantastical weekend party but the lead up is marred by the death of a friend, the local tax collector known as Little Doom. While it seemed his death would be fairly imminent, someone may have hurried him along and Albert Campion needs to figure out who.
Campion and Amanda are visiting her old homestead along with Lugg and their son. There promises to be a fantastical weekend party but the lead up is marred by the death of a friend, the local tax collector known as Little Doom. While it seemed his death would be fairly imminent, someone may have hurried him along and Albert Campion needs to figure out who.