Audiobook narrated by Frances Matthews who I'm beginning to enjoy, in the way I prefer James Saxon reading Ngaio Marsh books.Through knowing Belle, the widow, Campion is invited to the latest unveiling of one of John Lafacdio's works - which are released at the rate of one a year after his death. The great and the good are at the unveiling, as well as some of the not so great, and during the party the lights go out (someone had failed to feed the meter). When the lights come back on, Tommy Dacre, Lafcardio's grand-daughter's fiance, is found stabbed to death with a pair of ornate scissors. Campion soon finds himself investigating not only Dacre's murder, the systematic loss of Dacre's work, another death and, ultimately, finds himself almost losing his own life after making a fool of himself in drink.Belle's house is a rather Bohemian 1930s set up - the housekeeper is one of Lafcardio's Italian models (now well in her 60s), another inhabitant is another ageing ex-model now fascinated with auras and the such like. A married couple of artists, of varying talents, live in a studio in the garden, whilst Lafardio's paint mixer lives elsewhere on the estate. The granddaughter is an early candidate as the one time fiancée, and who is ditched for another Italian model called RosaRosa.This book isnt really a "whodunnit" as Campion, the police and the reader know who the killer is fairly early on. All attempts to unmask the killer in such a way as to bring along a conviction fail at every turn. The denouement at the end means that Campion is going to be the final victim and it's luck and the police who prevent this from happening, rather that any major interaction from Campion.Once the second murder has happened and the investigation dropped off, many of the secondary characters disappear, with focus being made purely on trying to prove that the murderer did it, and why. The story is spread over several months, with large gaps in between and everything appears to be a watching and waiting game. Campion has been asked to act as Belle's proxy with regards to the paintings and in this way he manages to put himself in danger, going out to dinner on the fateful night with the murderer and being manipulated into life threatening situations. The description of Campion being drunk and going around ton, making a fool of himself, is a rather decent set of telling.Not perhaps my favourite Campion, but still has some interesting set pieces in it to change thi
I'm most eager to see how this installment of the Campion series translates to screen; my DVD should be coming today. Definitely NOT up there with the previous entries into the Campion series; here he just sort of comes in and out until the very end; none of the banter that helps to define who he is. Without checking it out to see why, my guess is that Mr. Campion is coming into his own, without the witty banter & silliness from the past, he's becoming more serious & the series is most likely taking a new turn. I wouldn't have minded that so much, but, well, it was such an abrupt change from Campion in The Fear Sign to the "new" Campion...personally, (imho) maybe there should have been a bridge somewhere between the two so the reader's prepared for what's coming.The action takes place within the realm of the art world; Campion is invited to a release of one of several paintings done by an artist who is now dead, and whose works were to be released one every year until they were gone to keep his name and work in the public. Sadly, there is a death at a reception afterwards, shortly followed by another. Campion knows who did it, and also knows he can't produce any evidence to prove so. It's just a matter of waiting him out, but this may not be easy.It will take me some time to get used to the new Campion, since I really loved the old one! Other than that, the book was okay, not one of her best, most definitely.
What do You think about Death Of A Ghost (1985)?
Probably one of the worst, most dull and moronic mysteries I've ever read. Even the title makes no sense. From start to finish, the police procedural (?) is lame and plodding. It spends too much time on the most boring characters and none on the ones who might be mildly interesting. It's marketed as a cozy: instead, it's grim and humorless.*SPOILERS* The entire half of the book you know who did it: the murderer is a stereotypical flamboyant art dealer. He is annoying. The detective is a very stupid man who allows the villain to get him drunk and almost push him under a train. He is tedious. Why so much attention and fawning over Belle, the famous painter's widow? I kept thinking at the beginning that she had done it, but, no, she just appears to have a melodramatic showdown (words only) with the villain and then sigh about it all at the end.The plot moves at a molasses pace and the dialogue is insipid. The motive is boring. If I could give it less than 1 star, I would.
—Katiekins
An absolutely fabulous story that was captured perfectly in the BBC series.Albert Campion is attending the unveiling of a new painting. Actually, the painting is very old but it has never been seen before. When the artist died, he left twelve paintings with the instructions that his family should wait ten years and then start having grAnd parties to show off one painting a year. This year, though someone dies. And, per mystery convention, there are plenty of people with motives. The answer is somewhat obscured but it's a great addition to the Campion canon.
—Jessi
In this book we see a different side of Campion - more serious and less foolish. From early in the story, the identity of the murder is known. The problem is finding evidence for a conviction. Campion plays a deadly game to deliver proof beyond a doubt. The setting is Little Venice, a residential area of London bordering a canal. I discovered it for the first time on my last trip there, so could imagine the place and the artistic enclave Allingham describes.As usual, the author makes veiled references to Campion's actual identity, but there is much about the persona he has chosen that remains a mystery, which makes him all the more intriguing and fun!
—Babette
