Death of a Ghost (Albert Campion, 6) MP3 CD – MP3 Audio, September 13, 2016

Book originally published in 1934.One of the treasures for Kindle users is the large run of Margery Allingham mysteries. She was among the best of that outstanding group of writers in Great Britain (and Ngaio Marsh, born in New Zealand) who were Masters of the Classic Mystery. Some readers will be familiar with Allingham from the fine British television series starring her literary hero, Albert Campion, which is well worth seeing if you have not done so.This is a good one. Campion appears without his man-of-all-work and former criminal assistant, but with his good friend, the Scotland Yard detective.The setting is mostly the home of a now deceased 'Great Artist', who has arranged for a dozen unseen paintings by him to be shown, one at a time, for twelve years, beginning a decade after his death. Mr. Campion is at the annual affair at which one of the new paintings is to be shown for the first time when murder strikes. Mr. Campion rallies to the aid of the widow of the artist, being a good friend of the family, and of the artistic entrepreneur who manages the business end of the release of these pictures and their sale. What is distinctive in this, as compared to her other books, is that Campion is convinced of the identity of the murderer rather early on, but neither he nor the police can find any evidence supporting this contention. Will the Killer strike again? Why kill these particular people? Will he ever make a mistake such as would allow the police to charge him with a crime?As always, I found an Allingham book to be eminently satisfying: stylistically she shows a fine mordant wit and superior style, the story is interesting, the key characters well developed, and the whole reflects a high degree of professionalism and command of her materials.

The first murder occurs at a showing of a painting by a dead artist of hig repute. John Lafcadio arranged for a series of his paintings to be shown a year at a time after his death, to keep his fame alive. The great man haunts this book like a ghost, inspiring all sorts of bad behavior, from mere silliness to murder.A second murder keeps the investigation going, but brings Inspector Oates of Scotland Yard no closer to finding the killer. Only his friend, amateur sleuth Albert Campion, begins to see a pattern...There are a variety of interesting characters in the story, among them a charming and intelligent old lady. And the plot is unconventional in revealing the killer before the usual last minute.I enjoyed Death of a Ghost, though not quite as much as some earlier mysteries. However, I love the series.

First published in 1934, "Death of a Ghost" is the sixth in the popular Campion mystery series by English author Margery Allingham. I actually discovered the series when it was on "Mystery" on PBS about a decade ago. Campion, a brilliant sleuth with a mysterious past, appears to be a foppish, unremarkable socialite in horn-rimmed glasses. Reading them in order from the first one, I have enjoyed the Campion series. Interestingly, I discovered that P.D. James also believed this to be Allingham's best Campion novel as I do to date."Death of a Ghost" centers on famous artist John Lafcadio. Before his death, he selected12 of his paintings and left instructions that they were to be revealed and offered for sale starting five years after his death, one a year to keep his name and work in the public. The action takes place within the realm of the art world; Campion is invited to the annual posthumous exhibit of Lafcadio's work at his wife's home. Here, this art gala turns deadly when the lights go out and a young artist is murdered. Campion and the reader are now both caught up in solving this artistic mystery."Death of a Ghost" is cleverly written depicting a cat-and-mouse game between Campion and the increasingly daring killer. Although Allingham's plot and prose style is a bit stand-offish and slow to develop at times, this story is smooth, well-paced, and gives just enough clues to keep the reader engaged. The plot is carefully crafted and quite clever; while one can eventually guess the murderer, the ending is still tense and a bit of a surprise. Her characters are well developed and interesting, especially our hero, Campion. I have enjoyed these stories, but it is the insights into human frailties and the hypocrisy of aging models and failed artists that elevate this book to one of her best.

This mystery was written about 1930 and takes place then. Unlike modern novels, the author here takes some time to set the scene and develop the characters, so it does feel a bit slow at first. But once a murder happens, the pace quickens and it becomes interesting and absorbing. The hero of Allingham's mysteries is an amateur "celebrity detective" whose name may or may not be Albert Campion. He seems to be highly connected to proper society and possibly uses a false name, possibly to hide a noble family connection. He's a smart detective but not infallible, almost getting beaten by the villain. An interesting aspect of this book is that about half-way through, Campion figures out who the murderer is so the story becomes not a who-done-it but a how-done-it and a why-done-it. This was an okay book but not a great read. A question I have: Why aren't some of Allingham's books not in the public domain, considering how old they are?

A fun read with some interesting twists.

I love these books but this is my least-liked so far. There was just no fun in it like there usually is. Lugg didn't even make an appearance. It's well-written, as usual, but just kind of dark and depressing.

Brilliant, nuanced, simple and yet complex, this book is like a breath of fresh air, painting the pictures of the protagonists even more than the artist she has talked about!What a glorious era, with wizards like Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Dorothy L Sayers and Ngaio Marsh vying in the same space!

book arrived before the date expected and was as advertised!! very pleased!!

The basic mystery plot ok although the ins and outs of all the paintings and painters confusing. I find myself now needing to check Wikipedia to get a handle on the ending chapter and Belle's references. This will be my first and last Allingham book.

nice deal.

i thought I was not going to like the book but it got better as the story progressed.