More reading and a bit of whimsy

[nuranar]

I read Margery Allingham's The Crime at Black Dudley yesterday and today. It's the first Albert Campion book, published in 1929, and I really enjoyed it.  It's far more a thriller than a mystery novel, I was pleased to discover.  Now I really want to read the next one.

I'm in the midst of arranging The Great Nero Wolfe Book Deal on PaperBackSwap, so of course I must read all the books before they go in the mail.  I'm extremely fast, but upwards of two dozen still take me a while.

With so many to choose from, I've been able to go in something like chronological order.  I'm enjoying the 1930s Archie Goodwin very much.  He's a bit more whimsical and even outrageously funny in his narrative, less mellow than the 1960s version I've read from the library.  His devices for either goading or merely irritating Wolfe are delicious.

I need to re-arrange my workspace so I can prop up my feet on a desk drawer. Especially when said feet are clad in fully-fashioned stockings and peep-toe shoes. *purr*

I also need to put my wastebasket somewhere where I can kick it over deliberately, when I'm in a bad mood.  Too bad I don't have a fat companion who will be annoyed when I do so.

Comments

[sakka.livejournal.com]

I may have to try out Margery Allingham. Is it anything like Agatha Christie? My favorite books of hers were early ones-- like Tommy & Tuppence!

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Hmm... Let me explain how difficult a question that is!

The Crime at Black Dudley was Allingham's third book, and her first with Campion. Campion became her main character, but he was not the main character in this one. Since I haven't read the rest, I can't say if her style changes much after "adopting" him, but I've heard it's always more thriller-style than mystery-style.

So the CaBD is not like a typical Agatha Christie, since she was foremost a mystery writer. Her plots are detailed and very carefully worked out, with all the clues available. CaBD was more like an adventure story, like a Saint book, since the action just moves along and the reader isn't really asked to solve anything. It had elements of both.

And yet some of Agatha Christie's earliest books, like The Secret Adversary & Partners in Crime (both Tommy & Tuppence), The Man in the Brown Suit, The Secret of Chimneys, and The Seven Dials, are really very close to CaBD. Although she's still conscientious about giving the reader all the clues, they're more properly thrillers and not mysteries.

So judging from CaBD, Allingham is not really like typical Christie, but *is* like atypical young "thriller" Christie.