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  • The Crime at Black Dudley

  • An Albert Campion Mystery
  • By: Margery Allingham
  • Narrated by: David Thorpe
  • Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (416 ratings)
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The Crime at Black Dudley

By: Margery Allingham
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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Summary

When George Abbershaw is invited to Black Dudley Manor for the weekend, he has only one thing on his mind - proposing to Meggie Oliphant. Unfortunately for George, things don't quite go according to plan. A harmless game turns decidedly deadly and suspicions of murder take precedence over matrimony. Trapped in a remote country house with a murderer, George can see no way out. But Albert Campion can.

About the author: Margery Allingham was born in London in 1904. Her first novel was published when she was 17. In 1929 she published The Crime at Black Dudley and introduced the character who was to become the hallmark of her writing - Albert Campion.

©2013 Margery Allingham (P)2013 Audible Ltd

What listeners say about The Crime at Black Dudley

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Campion's first appearance...

Any additional comments?

Dr George Abbershaw has gone down to Black Dudley Manor to join a house party for the weekend. The house is owned by George's friend, Wyatt Petrie, but is occupied by Wyatt's uncle by marriage, Colonel Coombe. The elderly wheelchair-bound colonel likes the company of young people, so often asks Wyatt to bring a group of his friends down for the weekend. George, though, is there mainly because he's fallen in love with a girl who is also a guest, Meggie Oliphaunt, and he hopes to find an opportunity to propose to her. Colonel Coombe has also invited a few friends of his own.

In the evening, talk turns to old legends and Wyatt reluctantly tells of the ritual of a dagger that hangs prominently on the wall. The ritual involves turning off the lights and running around the house in the dark, passing the knife from person to person. What jolly fun! However when the lights come up Colonel Coombe is found dead. His friends tell the assembled company that his death was expected as he was very ill, and hasten to get a cremation certificate signed and hustle the body off the premises, so as not to spoil the weekend (!). But it soon becomes obvious to George that there's something fishy going on (!) – and when something goes missing, suddenly the young people find themselves the prisoners of the Colonel's friends...

This is apparently the book in which Allingham's regular 'tec, Albert Campion, makes his first appearance, although in this one, George is the main focus and Campion is a secondary character. George is a sensible young man, but Campion appears to be a foolish fop, like Bertie Wooster, only with fewer brains and a falsetto voice. He does develop a bit more depth as the book progresses, but it's a strange first outing.

There is much running to and fro through secret tunnels, which are nearly as complex as the convoluted plot involving criminal gangs, mysterious papers and suchlike. Despite the darkness of the plot, and some episodes of viciousness on the part of the baddies, the general tone is light and fun. George and Meggie are both likeable characters, and their romance is handled nicely, not overwhelming the story but giving the reader something to care about amidst all the mayhem. Campion adds a lot of humour to the story, partly laughing with him and partly laughing at him. He's shrewder than he first appears, but in the end it's down to George to solve the puzzle of what it is the colonel's friends are looking for, and who killed the colonel. And of course to engineer the escape from the baddies. In fact, Campion more or less disappears towards the end and plays no part in the final denouement – presumably at that point Allingham didn't see him as her central character.

I listened to the audiobook version, and I have to say I felt David Thorpe's narration was great! I've seen some critical reviews of it, mainly from Campion fans objecting to the falsetto voice he uses for Campion and for the foolishness Thorpe puts into his character. But this is how he is written in the book and I felt Thorpe was paying attention to the words of this one, rather than basing his characterisation on how Campion develops in later novels. Thorpe brings out all the humour in the story, but also does an excellent job with the darker sections. He held my attention throughout, which doesn't always happen with audiobooks. A 5 star narration, in my opinion.

However, I've never rated Allingham as highly as the other Golden Age Queens of Crime: Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and Dorothy L Sayers; and truthfully I'm not sure that this book has changed my mind. I found it enjoyable, but too convoluted and not at all credible, and apart from George and Meggie, too many of the characters are caricatures. I didn't feel it was fairplay at all – the eventual solution seemed to come from nowhere, though of course it's possible I missed hidden clues along the way (even good audiobooks have a tendency to induce occasional napping). I'm glad I listened though – I think the narration actually made me enjoy the book more than I might have, had I been reading a paper copy. So overall, a fun listen of a reasonably entertaining book, but probably not the best one to start with to get a feel for the character Campion eventually becomes.

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40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I had to stop listening after thirty minutes

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different reader

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't get far enough into the book to be able to say.

What didn’t you like about David Thorpe’s performance?

David's Thorpe narrative voice is quite unsuitable for this period piece: he sounds far too modern. But the thing that made me stop listening was his ridiculous rendering of Albert Campion's voice: while it is true that Campion is described as foppish in this book, it is a great mistake to rob him of all dignity by making him sound like a squeaky-voiced fool. For a perfect reading of the Campion novels, listen to the audio books narrated by Philip Franks; I was highly misguided to think another reader could come anywhere near him. Or for an excellent portrayal of Campion on screen, watch the Peter Davison version.

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Makes Albert Campion sound like a squeaky puppet

Sorry, love the books, really, really didn't like the narrator. I've just been through and bought all the Francis Matthews ones I can find before they disappear too.

(Nothing against David Thorpe - just not in this period or for this author)


(Did he narrate this one before reading the rest, I wonder?)

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

I wish I had read the Audible and Amazon reviews before wasting a credit on this abysmal download. The narration is dull, Albert Campion especially artificial (at times I couldn't decide if he were meant to be female), story-line lacking credibility ... buyer beware! from a seasoned listener and great long standing fan of Audible.

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11 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Painful to listen to Thorpe's rendition of Campion

I found David Thorpe's voices painful to listen to. I will not be able to listen to the other books in the series, unless they are read by someone else. Francis Matthews is better, but has some dodgy accents. David Thorpe's Campion was ridiculous. I recognise that Margery Allingham described his voice as high pitched and a bit foolish, but I don't think Thorpe's rendition was merited.

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Really disappointing

Sorry, but this was so disappointing, narration naff, story hard to follow I appreciate that it was written in 1929 but the use of language was awful . Sadly not one of the great British crime stories., just a dreadful parody of the English upper classes . Made Bertie Wooster look sane

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A Disappointment

This book did not suit my tastes at all. It was a waste of a credit. I am sure that there will be those people that want an old fashioned book, averagely written that drones on and does little to captivate the reader, or should I say listener. The narration was average and the characters rather week and lacking in any realism. I realise that the book is written in a very diferent era and that may be the problem. I was expecting a new 'Agatha Christie' but ended up being disappointed. I wish the author well and do not mean to upset or unfairly critique in any way, but the book failed to impress.

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Probably a classic, but I didn't enjoy it!

I listen to a lot of crime stories from all ages, but this one really didn't work for me. I wanted to try a Campion story, so I tried the first one.

I thought the story was disjointed and didn't flow, I couldn't follow the logic and each of the revelations came out of the blue. Mostly I thought the characters rather unbelievable, even for the nineteen thirties.

The narrator was reasonable, but the silly accents put me off.

I shan't be listening to any other Campion stories.

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First Appearance of Albert Campion

This novel includes the first appearance of Albert Campion, however it is not an Albert Campion story.

It was rather complex at times, you need to be paying attention.

The performance, which I note some haven't liked, was, in my opinion rather good. I didn't find Mr. Campion's speaking voice at all annoying. Not every hero is a cowboy or SAS soldier.

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This seemed to go on FOREVER ...

This story seemed to start out quite well. I love a traditional english country house mystery. All the ingredients were there, the old manor house with the usual crowd of bright young things gathered for a party. I was rubbing my hands together in anticipation as the party games started and the lights were dimmed..

The murder occurred and I was really getting into and then - EVERYTHING FELL FLAT!

What followed was an endless catalogue of stumbling around secret passages and climbing up chimney pots while the 'most terrible gang in the whole of europe' turned the manor into a prison from which the house guests can find no escape. The endless conversations over 'missing papers' was maddening and the protagonists were an infuriatingly clueless bunch. When the talkative Mrs Mead started, I realized the story was just a rambling mess. I'd much rather have a village poisoner than ambitious gangs of crooks with villainous leaders.

I should have known. Whenever anyone starts comparing an author to the incomparable Agatha Christie, I grow wary. They never measure up. No sooner had the hapless characters escaped Black Dudley then they started an even more dull procession of car chases. No, this was just not my cup of tea. Disappointed. I doubt I will try any more Margery Allingham.

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