Scan barcode
mckeanja's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Death in Fancy Dress is a country house golden age murder mystery by Anthony Gilbert. Originally released in 1933 this reformat and re-release, out 14th April 2020 is part of the British Library Crime Classics series by Poisoned Pen Press. The new edition is 272 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. (Other editions available in other formats).
This is a short novel with a classic country house setting. The house party is varied, eccentric, and interesting. The murder victim was undeniably a cad, a blackmailer, a ne'er-do-well. The list of suspects is large, everyone wanted him to just go away, but one of them made it permanent. The denouement is satisfying and twisty, the plotting is well done and the whole is pleasantly diverting. It's a standalone novel. The collection includes two shorter works by the same author, both originally published in 1939.
For me, one of the draws of the books in the crime classics series are the erudite and always interesting introductions by editor Martin Edwards. Mr. Edwards has a prodigious knowledge of the genre and writes engagingly and well.
Well written, this entry and the series as a whole are well worth seeking out. This would make a superlative selection for readers of the genre as well as an introduction to classic crime fiction from the golden age by a lesser known author from the period. It's so nice to see these being released for a new generation of fans.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Death in Fancy Dress is a country house golden age murder mystery by Anthony Gilbert. Originally released in 1933 this reformat and re-release, out 14th April 2020 is part of the British Library Crime Classics series by Poisoned Pen Press. The new edition is 272 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. (Other editions available in other formats).
This is a short novel with a classic country house setting. The house party is varied, eccentric, and interesting. The murder victim was undeniably a cad, a blackmailer, a ne'er-do-well. The list of suspects is large, everyone wanted him to just go away, but one of them made it permanent. The denouement is satisfying and twisty, the plotting is well done and the whole is pleasantly diverting. It's a standalone novel. The collection includes two shorter works by the same author, both originally published in 1939.
For me, one of the draws of the books in the crime classics series are the erudite and always interesting introductions by editor Martin Edwards. Mr. Edwards has a prodigious knowledge of the genre and writes engagingly and well.
Well written, this entry and the series as a whole are well worth seeking out. This would make a superlative selection for readers of the genre as well as an introduction to classic crime fiction from the golden age by a lesser known author from the period. It's so nice to see these being released for a new generation of fans.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
amalia1985's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ajcorn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
fictionfan's review against another edition
3.0
Blackmailers and boyfriend trouble...
Tony Keith meets his old schoolfriend Jeremy Freyne in a bazaar in India and they decide to travel home together. Tony is a lawyer who seems to take on sensitive international missions and has contacts with the Secret Service. Jeremy is a kind of adventurer – a man with no profession and no money who survives on his wits, hurrying from one madcap scheme to another. But now he’s decided it’s time to marry Hilary, so thinks it would only be gentlemanly to pop home to England and inform her. But when they arrive in England, Tony gets two urgent messages – one from his Secret Service contact and the other from Lady Nunn, Hilary’s stepmother, both requesting him to go to the Abbey where Lady Nunn lives to avert a horrible danger. Jeremy of course tags along since danger and Hilary are the two things he cares about most...
There has been a recent spate of suicides, all people who were rich and well-connected. The authorities have concluded that blackmailers are at work, ultimately driving their victims to despair, and they think that someone who lives at the Abbey or in the surrounding area is involved. This is what Tony’s contact wants him to look into, giving assistance to the man they already have on the spot – Arthur Dennis, who at first impression is a soft-spoken gentle sort of man but who turns out to have a steely resolve and muscles to match. When Jeremy finds out that Hilary has become engaged to Arthur he is determined to win her anyway, but both men are a bit gobsmacked when she then informs them that she intends to marry someone else instead, her cousin Ralph. So when Ralph turns up dead during a fancy dress party, the two men are determined to find out who killed them, to save themselves from suspicion and to restore Hilary’s rather dubious reputation.
Anthony Gilbert is a pseudonym used by Lucy Malleson, who also wrote Portrait of a Murderer, a book I enjoyed very much, under yet another name, Anne Meredith. This one unfortunately didn’t work so well for me. While the set up is quite interesting, the plot feels loose and untidy with quite a lot of intuitive leaping required by our intrepid heroes. But it’s really the characterisation that lets it down, I think, with none of them developing much depth and most of them being quite unappealing. Tony might as well not be there for all the impact he has on the plot. Jeremy is more fun, especially at the beginning when we learn about his wild ways, but he seems to fade rather into the background as the thing progresses.
Arthur – well, it’s an odd thing, but I often find women writers in those far off days (it was published in 1933) are far more forgiving of their male characters than male writers of the same era. Arthur frankly bullies and threatens Hilary and she admits to being frightened of him, but I think we’re supposed to find him attractive! When he orders her around as if she were a disobedient child and then grabs her so violently he bruises her arm, I rather went off him, I’m afraid. But Hilary is drawn as a wild child who needs a strong man to control her, and seems to accept that need herself, though she can’t decide which bullying tyrant to pick – there are so many! I’m sure none of this would have been problematic at the time – after all Cagney was shoving grapefruits in women’s faces to great acclaim in the cinema at roughly the same period – but it makes it feel rather more dated than most of the vintage crime I’ve been reading recently.
However, the working out of the plot is entertaining – not totally convinced it’s fair-play but then I rarely manage to work them out even when they are, and I certainly didn’t get close to guessing this one. The book also includes two bonus short stories, Horseshoes for Luck and The Cockroach and the Tortoise, and to be honest I enjoyed both of them more than the actual book! Overall, then, not one of my favourites from the BL Crime Classics series, but still an enjoyable enough way to while away a few hours.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Tony Keith meets his old schoolfriend Jeremy Freyne in a bazaar in India and they decide to travel home together. Tony is a lawyer who seems to take on sensitive international missions and has contacts with the Secret Service. Jeremy is a kind of adventurer – a man with no profession and no money who survives on his wits, hurrying from one madcap scheme to another. But now he’s decided it’s time to marry Hilary, so thinks it would only be gentlemanly to pop home to England and inform her. But when they arrive in England, Tony gets two urgent messages – one from his Secret Service contact and the other from Lady Nunn, Hilary’s stepmother, both requesting him to go to the Abbey where Lady Nunn lives to avert a horrible danger. Jeremy of course tags along since danger and Hilary are the two things he cares about most...
There has been a recent spate of suicides, all people who were rich and well-connected. The authorities have concluded that blackmailers are at work, ultimately driving their victims to despair, and they think that someone who lives at the Abbey or in the surrounding area is involved. This is what Tony’s contact wants him to look into, giving assistance to the man they already have on the spot – Arthur Dennis, who at first impression is a soft-spoken gentle sort of man but who turns out to have a steely resolve and muscles to match. When Jeremy finds out that Hilary has become engaged to Arthur he is determined to win her anyway, but both men are a bit gobsmacked when she then informs them that she intends to marry someone else instead, her cousin Ralph. So when Ralph turns up dead during a fancy dress party, the two men are determined to find out who killed them, to save themselves from suspicion and to restore Hilary’s rather dubious reputation.
Anthony Gilbert is a pseudonym used by Lucy Malleson, who also wrote Portrait of a Murderer, a book I enjoyed very much, under yet another name, Anne Meredith. This one unfortunately didn’t work so well for me. While the set up is quite interesting, the plot feels loose and untidy with quite a lot of intuitive leaping required by our intrepid heroes. But it’s really the characterisation that lets it down, I think, with none of them developing much depth and most of them being quite unappealing. Tony might as well not be there for all the impact he has on the plot. Jeremy is more fun, especially at the beginning when we learn about his wild ways, but he seems to fade rather into the background as the thing progresses.
Arthur – well, it’s an odd thing, but I often find women writers in those far off days (it was published in 1933) are far more forgiving of their male characters than male writers of the same era. Arthur frankly bullies and threatens Hilary and she admits to being frightened of him, but I think we’re supposed to find him attractive! When he orders her around as if she were a disobedient child and then grabs her so violently he bruises her arm, I rather went off him, I’m afraid. But Hilary is drawn as a wild child who needs a strong man to control her, and seems to accept that need herself, though she can’t decide which bullying tyrant to pick – there are so many! I’m sure none of this would have been problematic at the time – after all Cagney was shoving grapefruits in women’s faces to great acclaim in the cinema at roughly the same period – but it makes it feel rather more dated than most of the vintage crime I’ve been reading recently.
However, the working out of the plot is entertaining – not totally convinced it’s fair-play but then I rarely manage to work them out even when they are, and I certainly didn’t get close to guessing this one. The book also includes two bonus short stories, Horseshoes for Luck and The Cockroach and the Tortoise, and to be honest I enjoyed both of them more than the actual book! Overall, then, not one of my favourites from the BL Crime Classics series, but still an enjoyable enough way to while away a few hours.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
dan78's review against another edition
4.0
A nice little mystery! Reminded me of those Boys Own adventure books I loved when I was younger.
A nice paced plot involving a country house, blackmail and murder.
Very enjoyable indeed.
A nice paced plot involving a country house, blackmail and murder.
Very enjoyable indeed.
amika's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
Anthony Gilbert was a new to me mystery writer and I am more than happy I got this ARC because it is an amazing story.
It's a complex and enjoyable story with a cast of interesting and well thought characters.
There's a lot of secrets and an interesting description of the historical background.
The mystery is solid and the solution, after a lot of twists and red herrings, came as a surprise.
Another great addition to the British Library Crime Classics collection and I will look for other books by this author as I read this one in two settings and found it gripping and entertaining.
An excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's a complex and enjoyable story with a cast of interesting and well thought characters.
There's a lot of secrets and an interesting description of the historical background.
The mystery is solid and the solution, after a lot of twists and red herrings, came as a surprise.
Another great addition to the British Library Crime Classics collection and I will look for other books by this author as I read this one in two settings and found it gripping and entertaining.
An excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
depizan's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was a strange book, both in terms of pacing and in terms of story. Granted, half the pacing problem was that the characters weren't very likable, which will suck the tension out of anything. But I don't think it was just that that made everything feel strangely non-urgent. The blackmailer, the question of who would marry Hilary, the eventual murder... it never felt like anyone in the book really felt these problems were a matter of grave importance. Maybe that was because the narrator had no stake in any of it, maybe that was because the writer was trying too hard to be witty with everyone's dialogue.
But the story was also a weird one, in large part because the cad and bounder and eventual murder victim seemed not that different from the narrator's wonderful best friend. There was just something a bit odd about the underlying assumptions or morality of the whole thing.
Also, why did Eleanor call Tony (and Jeremy) down? Because she knew they'd be involved by Philpotts? But how could she know? Or was she aware that Dennis was investigating "the Spider"? Maybe I missed something because the book was less than gripping, but that left me a bit confused.
But the story was also a weird one, in large part because the cad and bounder and eventual murder victim seemed not that different from the narrator's wonderful best friend. There was just something a bit odd about the underlying assumptions or morality of the whole thing.
Also,
annarella's review
5.0
Anthony Gilbert was a new to me mystery writer and I am more than happy I got this ARC because it is an amazing story.
It's a complex and enjoyable story with a cast of interesting and well thought characters.
There's a lot of secrets and an interesting description of the historical background.
The mystery is solid and the solution, after a lot of twists and red herrings, came as a surprise.
Another great addition to the British Library Crime Classics collection and I will look for other books by this author as I read this one in two settings and found it gripping and entertaining.
An excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's a complex and enjoyable story with a cast of interesting and well thought characters.
There's a lot of secrets and an interesting description of the historical background.
The mystery is solid and the solution, after a lot of twists and red herrings, came as a surprise.
Another great addition to the British Library Crime Classics collection and I will look for other books by this author as I read this one in two settings and found it gripping and entertaining.
An excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.