The Fashion in Shrouds

By: Margery Allingham

Narrated by: Francis Matthews

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

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.

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.

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.

great story

slightly slow for modern audiences but still a great classic mistery ... in interesting insight to the language and views on marriage from the early 1900's

Important volume in the series

If you are a reader of the Albert Campion series this is an important book to read. Most of the series makes very rare mention of his relatives and this one centers around his relationship with his sister, the only member of his family whom he seems to have a connection with. It reveals a little more about his family and adds dimension to his character.

In addition, this book sets the tone for Albert's love life in the books to come and is important from that aspect as well.

However, as for the actual story itself I found it to be one of my least favorites. One of the things I have truly enjoyed about Allingham's books is that the characters are generally likable and easy to connect with. In this book most of the supporting characters were little more than caricatures. Their character developments were very cliche and and without depth. Furthermore the plot had so many elements going at one time that it was very hard to keep track of what was happening, who was involved, and why you were supposed to care about it.

I also found the "lovesick" angles in this one to be a bit thick. Albert is nursing a heartache for a married woman he lost his heart to in the previous book, his sister is constantly having the man she is in love with flaunted in front of her by a "supposed" friend, and all in all it just made the plot rather annoying from time to time.

Another facet of the book that bothered me was how Albert kept referring to himself in terms of an "old" person and focusing on Amanda's youthfulness. It somehow just fell flat for me.

As for narration, it was adequate. I like Francis Matthews better as a narrator for this series than I do David Thorpe, however, sometimes his characterizations get a bit excessive.

Good

This was a good story with excellent narration. I am reading this in series order and it's my favourite so far.

You have to work a bit at this one

If I treat this as background accompaniment to my routines, I find I have go back and listen again. It’s the opposite of Traitors Purse, which grips you in anxious suspense from the first page. This one slowly develops personalities through what appears to be trivial conversation, while the crime and its causes and perpetrators slowly become evident as the horrendous but logical consequence of the very things—self-interest, triviality, ennui, cynicism—that dominate the culture of the time and place. A brilliant plot in many ways, not gripping till the end, where truth breaks out, so to speak, in response to Campion’s willingness to risk all. And of course Amanda’s courage in hanging in with him to do it.

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.