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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
4 1/2 stars! The best of the Campion books, in my opinion. Allingham weaves the plot like a master and when it all comes together at the end, every small detail is in place.
Enjoyed this a lot.
SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD
The amnesia take made this really different from the other Campion books I've read so far. Really fun. However, the ending was kind of laughable to a modern audience - turns out the bad guys are... trying to send out an economic stimulus check. Hahahahaha OMG. That aside, really fun.
SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD
The amnesia take made this really different from the other Campion books I've read so far. Really fun. However, the ending was kind of laughable to a modern audience - turns out the bad guys are... trying to send out an economic stimulus check. Hahahahaha OMG. That aside, really fun.
A nice twist on the usual Campion stories and as usual you're kept guessing throughout.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When, oh when will I learn to love Albert Campion?
Don't get me wrong, Peter Davison is a marvelous Albert Campion in the tv adaptation, but Campion on the page just doesn't have the same depth.
"Traitor's Purse" is a wartime story that opens with Campion in hospital. He has no recollection of who he is nor how he got there, and the nurses around him say he "slugged a policeman." All the while, Campion has the nagging sensation that he has a matter of the utmost (possibly national) importance to attend to.
The good news is that "Traitor's Purse" boasts a wonderful cast of returning characters such as Lugg (the best reformed-thief-turned butler), Amanda Fitton, and Inspector Stanislaus Oates (although, sadly, the book criminally under-uses Oates this time around). The problem is that Campion never opens up to any of these characters, which means he never opens up to the reader. We get the surface version and some of Campion's thoughts, but it's never enough.
The mystery plot is fine but feels improvised. Constant turns here and there, with convenient times where Campion gets into a car and just knows where to drive without actually knowing where he's headed. Campion also doesn't confess to having lost his memory for the longest of times, even to those he thinks he may trust. It creates tension at first but quickly seems contrived given the supposed gravity of the situation.
Recommended as one of the better Campion stories, but only if you're already familiar with the recurring characters. Gosh, now I have to try ANOTHER Campion novel and hope that one sticks.
Don't get me wrong, Peter Davison is a marvelous Albert Campion in the tv adaptation, but Campion on the page just doesn't have the same depth.
"Traitor's Purse" is a wartime story that opens with Campion in hospital. He has no recollection of who he is nor how he got there, and the nurses around him say he "slugged a policeman." All the while, Campion has the nagging sensation that he has a matter of the utmost (possibly national) importance to attend to.
The good news is that "Traitor's Purse" boasts a wonderful cast of returning characters such as Lugg (the best reformed-thief-turned butler), Amanda Fitton, and Inspector Stanislaus Oates (although, sadly, the book criminally under-uses Oates this time around). The problem is that Campion never opens up to any of these characters, which means he never opens up to the reader. We get the surface version and some of Campion's thoughts, but it's never enough.
The mystery plot is fine but feels improvised. Constant turns here and there, with convenient times where Campion gets into a car and just knows where to drive without actually knowing where he's headed. Campion also doesn't confess to having lost his memory for the longest of times, even to those he thinks he may trust. It creates tension at first but quickly seems contrived given the supposed gravity of the situation.
Recommended as one of the better Campion stories, but only if you're already familiar with the recurring characters. Gosh, now I have to try ANOTHER Campion novel and hope that one sticks.
Originally published on my blog here& in August 2000.
Traitor's Purse is one of my favourite Campion novels, notwithstanding the absurdities of the plot. Campion struggling with amnesia while trying to save the country from a sinister plot of some kind - though he can't remember what - is one of Allingham's most human creations, transcending the cold caricature of her early novels. (It is not that I don't enjoy the earlier novels, it's just that it's here that Campion becomes real.)
The novel's big problem is connected with the amnesia. It is hardly believable that Campion should refrain from telling the woman who appears to be his fiancée - whom he actually recognises as someone he knows well - that he cannot remember a thing from before he woke up in hospital. It adds to the poignancy of his situation, as he cannot remember the in jokes and shared experiences that are so important in a close relationship, yet it is an extremely unlikely situation.
There are other unlikely aspects to the novel, including the scheme that Campion is meant to be investigating. It is more a thriller than a detective story, because of the character of the investigation, yet it has a special place in the sequence of crime novels in which it falls.
Traitor's Purse is one of my favourite Campion novels, notwithstanding the absurdities of the plot. Campion struggling with amnesia while trying to save the country from a sinister plot of some kind - though he can't remember what - is one of Allingham's most human creations, transcending the cold caricature of her early novels. (It is not that I don't enjoy the earlier novels, it's just that it's here that Campion becomes real.)
The novel's big problem is connected with the amnesia. It is hardly believable that Campion should refrain from telling the woman who appears to be his fiancée - whom he actually recognises as someone he knows well - that he cannot remember a thing from before he woke up in hospital. It adds to the poignancy of his situation, as he cannot remember the in jokes and shared experiences that are so important in a close relationship, yet it is an extremely unlikely situation.
There are other unlikely aspects to the novel, including the scheme that Campion is meant to be investigating. It is more a thriller than a detective story, because of the character of the investigation, yet it has a special place in the sequence of crime novels in which it falls.
In my final semester at university, I studied an English module on the 1940s - it was amazing. It also came with a fairly hefty supplementary reading list which as a reading enthusiast I am still slowly working my way through. Traitor's Purse was one of these which I grabbed from the pile when I had a long train journey up to Scotland - a spy story set and published during the 1940s. It was a strange experience reading it now, two years post-graduation. Odd snippets from the module kept springing to mind, such as the boom in crime and specifically spy literature during the 1940s - people read a lot during this period. When you think about it, living in a world of total war, escapism would be pretty appealing.
This novel comes from the Albert Campion series, a detective hero who I have to admit I had never heard of before. This book is number 11 from his adventures which is odd because for the first part of the novel, he has no idea who he is so I imagined that this book represented his 'origins'. It's a very English sort of story with very conservative sensabilities. Now that I've finished it, I've passed it on to my Dad, it's his sort of book. I enjoyed it but I don't know if I'll be rushing out to buy more Albert Campion - he's not what you would describe as a warm and cuddly protagonist.
For my full review:
http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/traitors-purse-margery-allingham.html
This novel comes from the Albert Campion series, a detective hero who I have to admit I had never heard of before. This book is number 11 from his adventures which is odd because for the first part of the novel, he has no idea who he is so I imagined that this book represented his 'origins'. It's a very English sort of story with very conservative sensabilities. Now that I've finished it, I've passed it on to my Dad, it's his sort of book. I enjoyed it but I don't know if I'll be rushing out to buy more Albert Campion - he's not what you would describe as a warm and cuddly protagonist.
For my full review:
http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/traitors-purse-margery-allingham.html