The Crime at Black Dudley

by Margery Allingham

Book Overview

A house-party with a glittering guest-list. An imposing country estate with endless shadowy staircases and unused rooms. The breathless period between the two world wars. It's the ideal setting for the classic English murder mystery, and bringing it to perfection is the introduction - in a supporting role, for the first and last time - of Albert Campion, the consummate (if compulsively quipping) Gentleman Sleuth. The guests take some time to be grateful...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140007709
• ISBN13: 9780140007701
• Release Date: September 1950
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Introducing Albert Campion

At a houseparty, that activity so familiar to mystery readers, a group of bright young things has come together. Some are known to one another and others are not. One odd young man doesn't seem to be known to anyone, even his host. And thus enters Albert Campion, though that is only one of his aliases, of the owl like spectacles, saying and doing the most extraordinary things, into the ranks of Hercule Poirot, Lord Peter Wimsey and other detectives from the Golden Age of Mysteries. THE CRIME AT BLACK DUDLEY proceeds on fairly conventional grounds, the house party in the rather isolated location, an old family legend, an international gang of thieves led by a Master Criminal, a murder and of course 'all is not how it seems'. The plot has many interesting twists and turns, punctuated by some comic scenes that border on farce. Those who already know Campion from later books in the series or the tv series will probably be a bit disappointed with this one since Campion is only a secondary character and is not quite 'himself' yet. Fans will not want to miss this first appearance, however brief; nor it is not a bad place to begin reading the series. Overall this series will appeal to those who are fans of the mysteries written during the Golden Age of the twenties and thirties. Fans of Lord Peter Wimsey, the Saint or Tommy and Tuppence will be delighted with the light hearted adventures of the mysterious Mr. Campion (not his real name)

Campion's first

I bought this first Albert Campion mystery after being wowed by Mystery Mile. Sadly, Albert isn't the main character in this story, though it's his first appearance, so I'm glad I read it. The Crime at Black Dudley is an English country house mystery. There's an odd assortment of guests at Black Dudley, and during the evening, they decide to reenact an old ritual game involving an odd family heirloom--a sinister dagger. The lights get extinguished, the servants are all banished, and the idea is to wander around the mansion in the dark while the dagger passes from hand to hand. Well, it's pretty evident what's going to happen in a case like this: somebody will be stabbed to death. It turns out to be the host's uncle, a wheelchair-bound invalid who wore a mask to cover severe scarring. Except that the guests are initially told that he's just been taken ill, until one, a young new doctor, is asked to falsify a death certificate citing natural causes. He refuses, but the hero of the story, Dr. George Abbershaw goes along with it until the authorities can be notified. Unfortunately for everyone, the murder only complicated things. Albert Campion was at the house party to retrieve a set of secret plans from the uncle, but Dr. Abbershaw found them and burned them, prompting one of the guests, who turns out to be a criminal mastermind, to hold the entire party hostage until the plans are returned to him. There are wonderful twists and turns and even a sweet romance. Secret passages, spies, uneasy alliances, entertaining and eccentric characters, a decrepit-looking old car hiding a Rolls Royce engine under the hood... er, bonnet... Just a nice, complex yet light mystery with a surprise ending. I wasn't nearly as impressed with Campion in this book, but then again, he wasn't the star. I'm sure he'll acquit himself admirably in the next one. It's on my to-be-bought list.

My favorite mystery novel ever (so far)

As a fan of Agatha Christie and the golden age of british mystery i have recently began expanding my list of authors and stumbled upon this book. I read the plot and it sounded right up my alley, but i figured it couldnt possibly be as good as it sounded, but for once it was actually as good as i hoped. The book is perfectly set up, and i never got to a part where i wanted to quit reading. The author manages to avoid the boaring inquest and still solves the crime. I havnt been so happy with a book in years, and this is only the first of the series. If you love an old fashioned mystery, and love a little cheese, and humor mixed in with a murder like i do ... this book is for you.

The First of the Campion Series

I've recently been inspired to reread my Margery Allingham books. It's been some 30 years and I've clean forgotten all the plots. I haven't forgotten how much fun they were, though.Margery Allingham is one of the grand dames of British mystery fiction, usual ranked with Sayers, Marsh and Christie. Pretty heady company!! Allingham has, for the most part, a lighter style than the others. Her hero, Campion has much in common with Lord Peter, but he lacks Whimsey's total perfection and flaunts his heritage (and education) a bit less. Initially cast as a 'zany', he has a great deal of fun in him. In later novels he will gradually mature into a genuinely remarkable character.The Black Dudley Murder was the first novel in which Campion appears. Written in 1928 when she was 23 (and just recently married) the book is quite a bit different from later volumes. Campion is only sketched in. While an important character, he is by no means the central hero of the plot. And the story is very youth oriented, composed primarily of post-war (WW I) youth vs. villainous older male criminals. The first time I read this book I was of an age with the younger half of the cast. It was something of a shock to read it when I had more in common with the crooks.The plot is the purest of British mystery confections. A group of young folk are invited to a gloomy, desolate mansion for a week-end frolic as the request of the uncle of one of their number. During a strange game of hide and seek played with an ancient dagger the uncle is murdered. Campion has wormed his way into the party to recieve a set of plans from the old man, which he promptly misplaces, only to have them destroyed by the real protagonist of the book George Abbershaw. One of the uncles compatriots turns out to be a German master criminal. He wants the plans very badly. badly enough to take the young folks prisoner and demand that they turn over the documents or else. To complicate matters more, Abbershaw has destroy the plans in a fit of what can only be described as British ethicality.Without fail, the plot thickens. Before the book is over you will have crawled through endless secret passages, been rescued by a fox hunt, and chased a cleverly disguised Rolls Royce across England. There is perhaps a little too much silliness going on, but I have begun to suspect that Allingham is pulling our legs straight thru the somewhat melodramatic ending.All in all a good read. Certainly The Black Dudley Murder is not Allingham's best, but it foreshadows many of the novels to come. In her early work Allingham has a bright and distinctive approach to the problems and pleasures of the young men and women of post-war Britain. This gave her a tremendous and well deserved readership that grew up along with her and her erratic hero. Seventy years later she is still wonderful entertainment!

A Good Read, But Not Her Best

Margery Allingham has a wonderful way with words, and weaves a mystery with all the red herrings, dark crimes and hidden motives that anyone could hope for, all done with a light and humorous hand. Her hero is the somewhat unlikely Albert Campion, man of mystery and well-hidden talents. The time is between the First and Second World Wars in England.In the Black Dudley Murder, Campion is part of a house party at the forbidding Black Dudley mansion, where murder is committed during an after-dinner game. And there could be no better setting for the crime than in the Black Dudley, where secret passageways abound, few of the players are what they seem, and rescue comes from the least expected sources...If you have never read an Allingham mystery, then this is a wonderful introduction, and will encourage you to buy more of her work. If you have read other Campion stories before, then you may be a little disappointed that Campion plays a more cameo role than usual.If you like a very English tale of mystery, with wittily described characters, an urbane hero, and a happy ending, then read this book.