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foreverday's review against another edition
3.0
AR: 3.5
(Obligatory disclaimer that this is my first Albert Campion)
I'm very sure the concept of 'detective wakes up in the middle of plot with no memory' has been done before, but I haven't come across it, and it was a new experience to read. I partially enjoyed the sensation of discovering everything along with him and partially just found it stressful as he attempts to cope with A Lot with No Idea how to. Also, probably because of this, the plot seemed a little wandering at times. He's wandering around blind (and so not terribly effectively) for a lot of it. Yet it was still an engaging enough read and the conclusion satisfying enough, a good one-timey crime novel.
(Also, one separate crit: despite how well he thought of Amanda while he lacked memory, he seemed to revert completely to treating her like a child the instant he regains it? I don't know, the fact he never tells her he lost his memory for a spell seems very strange to me)
(Obligatory disclaimer that this is my first Albert Campion)
I'm very sure the concept of 'detective wakes up in the middle of plot with no memory' has been done before, but I haven't come across it, and it was a new experience to read. I partially enjoyed the sensation of discovering everything along with him and partially just found it stressful as he attempts to cope with A Lot with No Idea how to. Also, probably because of this, the plot seemed a little wandering at times. He's wandering around blind (and so not terribly effectively) for a lot of it. Yet it was still an engaging enough read and the conclusion satisfying enough, a good one-timey crime novel.
(Also, one separate crit: despite how well he thought of Amanda while he lacked memory, he seemed to revert completely to treating her like a child the instant he regains it? I don't know, the fact he never tells her he lost his memory for a spell seems very strange to me)
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
While I'm a fan of Margery Allingham's Albert Campion series, in my opinion this is not one of the strongest books in the series.
antoniac's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Death
magistratrium's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 stars! The best of the Campion books, in my opinion. Allingham weaves the plot like a master and when it all comes together at the end, every small detail is in place.
joannemerriam's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this a lot.
SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD
The amnesia take made this really different from the other Campion books I've read so far. Really fun. However, the ending was kind of laughable to a modern audience - turns out the bad guys are... trying to send out an economic stimulus check. Hahahahaha OMG. That aside, really fun.
SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD
The amnesia take made this really different from the other Campion books I've read so far. Really fun. However, the ending was kind of laughable to a modern audience - turns out the bad guys are... trying to send out an economic stimulus check. Hahahahaha OMG. That aside, really fun.
sp_anna's review against another edition
3.0
A nice twist on the usual Campion stories and as usual you're kept guessing throughout.
pinknantucket's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book on impulse immediately after reading AS Byatt declare it one of her favourites, in an article for the Guardian. If it's good enough for AS Byatt, it's good enough for me, I thought. And it is indeed a very satisfying mystery, with quite a different sort of villain in the end - I wouldn't have minded a bit more detail about that side of things, actually.
The big twist here is that our hero (Albert Campion) wakes up in a hospital bed and can't remember who is is or what he should be doing, but suspects he's in big trouble with the police. Then he discovers he is also expected to Save England from an imminent threat and was indeed one of only two people who even knew anything about what form this threat took, and the other guy is missing. Quite a bad day, all in all.
A good book if you're an Agatha Christie fan (Allingham was a contemporary of Christie, I believe) and have run out of Poirots and Miss Marples. Campion isn't quite as distinctive as Christie's heroes, but I did quite like him - maybe more so when he was unsure of who he was, in fact. Also he's not as good as Lord Wimsey, but then who is?
My copy: an ebook. So I can't lend it easily to my friend who I think would like it. Read for the 2015 MS Readathon, to raise funds for those suffering from multiple sclerosis. Would you like to donate? Here's my fundraiser page: https://register.msreadathon.org.au/MSReadathon/8aa22b96ee4354657c3023e301513ebe
The big twist here is that our hero (Albert Campion) wakes up in a hospital bed and can't remember who is is or what he should be doing, but suspects he's in big trouble with the police. Then he discovers he is also expected to Save England from an imminent threat and was indeed one of only two people who even knew anything about what form this threat took, and the other guy is missing. Quite a bad day, all in all.
A good book if you're an Agatha Christie fan (Allingham was a contemporary of Christie, I believe) and have run out of Poirots and Miss Marples. Campion isn't quite as distinctive as Christie's heroes, but I did quite like him - maybe more so when he was unsure of who he was, in fact. Also he's not as good as Lord Wimsey, but then who is?
My copy: an ebook. So I can't lend it easily to my friend who I think would like it. Read for the 2015 MS Readathon, to raise funds for those suffering from multiple sclerosis. Would you like to donate? Here's my fundraiser page: https://register.msreadathon.org.au/MSReadathon/8aa22b96ee4354657c3023e301513ebe
robinwalter's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
christinecc's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When, oh when will I learn to love Albert Campion?
Don't get me wrong, Peter Davison is a marvelous Albert Campion in the tv adaptation, but Campion on the page just doesn't have the same depth.
"Traitor's Purse" is a wartime story that opens with Campion in hospital. He has no recollection of who he is nor how he got there, and the nurses around him say he "slugged a policeman." All the while, Campion has the nagging sensation that he has a matter of the utmost (possibly national) importance to attend to.
The good news is that "Traitor's Purse" boasts a wonderful cast of returning characters such as Lugg (the best reformed-thief-turned butler), Amanda Fitton, and Inspector Stanislaus Oates (although, sadly, the book criminally under-uses Oates this time around). The problem is that Campion never opens up to any of these characters, which means he never opens up to the reader. We get the surface version and some of Campion's thoughts, but it's never enough.
The mystery plot is fine but feels improvised. Constant turns here and there, with convenient times where Campion gets into a car and just knows where to drive without actually knowing where he's headed. Campion also doesn't confess to having lost his memory for the longest of times, even to those he thinks he may trust. It creates tension at first but quickly seems contrived given the supposed gravity of the situation.
Recommended as one of the better Campion stories, but only if you're already familiar with the recurring characters. Gosh, now I have to try ANOTHER Campion novel and hope that one sticks.
Don't get me wrong, Peter Davison is a marvelous Albert Campion in the tv adaptation, but Campion on the page just doesn't have the same depth.
"Traitor's Purse" is a wartime story that opens with Campion in hospital. He has no recollection of who he is nor how he got there, and the nurses around him say he "slugged a policeman." All the while, Campion has the nagging sensation that he has a matter of the utmost (possibly national) importance to attend to.
The good news is that "Traitor's Purse" boasts a wonderful cast of returning characters such as Lugg (the best reformed-thief-turned butler), Amanda Fitton, and Inspector Stanislaus Oates (although, sadly, the book criminally under-uses Oates this time around). The problem is that Campion never opens up to any of these characters, which means he never opens up to the reader. We get the surface version and some of Campion's thoughts, but it's never enough.
The mystery plot is fine but feels improvised. Constant turns here and there, with convenient times where Campion gets into a car and just knows where to drive without actually knowing where he's headed. Campion also doesn't confess to having lost his memory for the longest of times, even to those he thinks he may trust. It creates tension at first but quickly seems contrived given the supposed gravity of the situation.
Recommended as one of the better Campion stories, but only if you're already familiar with the recurring characters. Gosh, now I have to try ANOTHER Campion novel and hope that one sticks.
smcleish's review
5.0
Originally published on my blog here& in August 2000.
Traitor's Purse is one of my favourite Campion novels, notwithstanding the absurdities of the plot. Campion struggling with amnesia while trying to save the country from a sinister plot of some kind - though he can't remember what - is one of Allingham's most human creations, transcending the cold caricature of her early novels. (It is not that I don't enjoy the earlier novels, it's just that it's here that Campion becomes real.)
The novel's big problem is connected with the amnesia. It is hardly believable that Campion should refrain from telling the woman who appears to be his fiancée - whom he actually recognises as someone he knows well - that he cannot remember a thing from before he woke up in hospital. It adds to the poignancy of his situation, as he cannot remember the in jokes and shared experiences that are so important in a close relationship, yet it is an extremely unlikely situation.
There are other unlikely aspects to the novel, including the scheme that Campion is meant to be investigating. It is more a thriller than a detective story, because of the character of the investigation, yet it has a special place in the sequence of crime novels in which it falls.
Traitor's Purse is one of my favourite Campion novels, notwithstanding the absurdities of the plot. Campion struggling with amnesia while trying to save the country from a sinister plot of some kind - though he can't remember what - is one of Allingham's most human creations, transcending the cold caricature of her early novels. (It is not that I don't enjoy the earlier novels, it's just that it's here that Campion becomes real.)
The novel's big problem is connected with the amnesia. It is hardly believable that Campion should refrain from telling the woman who appears to be his fiancée - whom he actually recognises as someone he knows well - that he cannot remember a thing from before he woke up in hospital. It adds to the poignancy of his situation, as he cannot remember the in jokes and shared experiences that are so important in a close relationship, yet it is an extremely unlikely situation.
There are other unlikely aspects to the novel, including the scheme that Campion is meant to be investigating. It is more a thriller than a detective story, because of the character of the investigation, yet it has a special place in the sequence of crime novels in which it falls.