The Fashion in Shrouds

De: Margery Allingham

Narrado por: Francis Matthews

Both the skeleton and the corpse have died with suspicious convenience for Georgia Wells, a monstrous but charming actress with a raffish entourage. Georgia's best friend just happens to be Valentine, a top couturière and Campion's sister. In order to protect Valentine, Campion must unravel a story of blackmail and ruthless murder....

©1938 Margery Allingham (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Hard to like

The plot wanders about going nowhere in particular. The central female characters are mostly so self involved and/or preoccupied with each other’s relationships that none are likable in the least. Albert doesn’t really shine at all. Amanda is in there for no good reason that I could see. Not much left to enjoy.

Overall an Enjoyable Read

I love Albert Campion, so I enjoyed this book. However, many of the remarks about the nature and roles of women are offensive; I don’t remember that from the other books. The book includes racial and class characterizations that can be put down as dated; the characterizations of women are also that, but strangely exaggerated. That said, the fiendishly complicated plot, worthy of Allingham, and the reappearance of Amanda Fitton make it a worthwhile read, especially if you’re committed to the whole series.

Not one of my favorite Campion

I enjoy Albert Campion but this was not one of my favorite. I found him more morose and moody in this one and not his usual jovial self. He was not as quick in the uptake as he usually is. I guess infatuation does that sometimes.

Great!

I’m generally partial to the David Thorpe-narrated narrated Campion novels, but this one is excellent.

Intriguing Mystery

A few years ago the fiancé of Georgia Wells, a famous actress and femme fatale, disappeared. She married another and continued with her career. Now, however, the missing man's body has turned up, bringing with it just a hint of sordid shadow. When another man in Georgia's life dies somewhat mysteriously, Georgia sees it as fate's helping hand, while others aren't so sure. Campion's sister Val, a brilliant and successful clothing designer, has her named linked to that death through an amusing anecdote shared by Georgia, making him decide that he must unearth the truth of Georgia's men to save Val's reputation.

The story is clever and interesting, with nicely fleshed characters and an intriguing mystery. Amanda Fitton, from Sweet Danger, makes a reappearance, and adds greatly to the charm of the novel. Campion's underemphasized courage and audacity feature nicely, and his success as a detective and adventurer are plain.

I need to note that modern readers will have to ignore the horrible outlook on rape, and some quite dated attitudes toward women. While not typical of all Golden Age mystery authors, these views do crop up in all artforms of that time occasionally, and have to be overlooked. The rest of the book is quite nearly a five-star read, and I certainly recommend it.

The narrator is excellent and perfectly voices Campion.

The Fashion in Shrouds

Narration was spot on! Excellent. Francis Matthews is subtle, humorous and expertly expressive. So happy to have discovered him and look forward to listening to his other narrations.

Nothing but dialogue most of the time

Not the best of this engaging series. There is truly very little except astonishingly boring dialogue till Chapter 16. I do love the narrator’s expression of Georgia’s character, dahling!

good mystery

narrator is awful - laughing is creepy and annoying. Repeated laughter too often for all characters

Mindbogglingly Misogynist

Decent mystery. But the hero's offer of marriage to Campion's sister is an offer to become a concubine in a gilded cage, with no power, no input into the relationship, no career, no autonomy of any sort. He is to be all to her, but she's just an adjunct to him. And she--a wildly successful career woman--jumps at it. It's appalling. It's also a recipe for a disaster of a marriage. Allingham says she needs it because she needs to be "shielded from her own femininity". ???? The whole book (and all her others) is profoundly anti-woman. It's a period-piece, of course, but also written at the same time as Sayers, who is deeply respectful of women and their various choices, in spite of being a deep-dyed political conservative. Makes me wonder what kind of perverted psychology Allingham, a career woman herself, must have had.

Wonderful performance, dated story

I loved Margery Allingham's mysteries as a girl - such style and elegance. While the narration of The Fashion in Shrouds is pitch perfect and a delight, sadly the writing and the social attitudes in the book are terribly dated. The prose now seems mannered and overly fussy and I found myself impatient at times. But the scenes with Albert Campion's valet, Lugg, are so brilliant that I always went back for again, hoping to hear more of that rasping voice croaking out his sly and cynical zingers.