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christinecc's review against another edition
3.0
50th book of the year! Woo! ... ok so not the 50th from the list I was supposed to stick to, but small victories.
Allingham's Albert Campion series is clearly a good investment for mystery fans. Campion still needs some fleshing out, in my opinion. Compare to Sayers's Peter Wimsey series. The Campion books before this one gave me enough to start caring about the main sleuth/adventurer character, just as the first Peter Wimsey books did. Now we need a book that puts the character in a home setting, not just an external setting where he plays the hero. Where are the people who truly know him besides the artifice? (Except for his trusty butler/ex-burglar Lugg) "Clloud of Witness" by Sayers was one of the best of the series because it happened on Wimsey's family estate and we got to see Wimsey interact with his sister, mother, brother, sister-in-law, neighbors, etc.
But another thing this series desperately needs right now is RECURRING CHARACTERS. Seriously, where are they? There should at least be a policeman whom Campion works with at this point. I just need ONE person besides Lugg to serve as a more experienced person where Campion is concerned. (As I understand it, there are some recurring characters incoming... soon. Any minute now. I know for a fact that ONE character from this book returns. Let's hope for more.)
I recommend this book, even if Allingham is not as good as Sayers in the character development department at this point in the Campion series. Still reading the next installment.
Allingham's Albert Campion series is clearly a good investment for mystery fans. Campion still needs some fleshing out, in my opinion. Compare to Sayers's Peter Wimsey series. The Campion books before this one gave me enough to start caring about the main sleuth/adventurer character, just as the first Peter Wimsey books did. Now we need a book that puts the character in a home setting, not just an external setting where he plays the hero. Where are the people who truly know him besides the artifice? (Except for his trusty butler/ex-burglar Lugg) "Clloud of Witness" by Sayers was one of the best of the series because it happened on Wimsey's family estate and we got to see Wimsey interact with his sister, mother, brother, sister-in-law, neighbors, etc.
But another thing this series desperately needs right now is RECURRING CHARACTERS. Seriously, where are they? There should at least be a policeman whom Campion works with at this point. I just need ONE person besides Lugg to serve as a more experienced person where Campion is concerned. (As I understand it, there are some recurring characters incoming... soon. Any minute now. I know for a fact that ONE character from this book returns. Let's hope for more.)
I recommend this book, even if Allingham is not as good as Sayers in the character development department at this point in the Campion series. Still reading the next installment.
aliibera's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favorites in the Campion series, less gangsters and more of an actual mystery. Love Allingham's 1930's British slanguage and the introduction of Amanda Fitton as a character who adds a level of active purpose to Campion's determinedly oblique actions.
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