A review by sarahmatthews
The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham

Read on audio 

Narrator: Francis Matthews

Pub. 1938, 350 pp 

___

“Why it is that a garment which is honestly atractive in, say, 1910, should be honestly ridiculous a few years later, and honestly charming again a few years later still, is one of those things that are not satisfactorily to be explained and are therefore jolly and exciting and an  addition to the perennial interest of life.”

This Golden Age mystery revolves around a respected fashion house which is run by Val, who’s brother is Allingham’s famous private detective Albert Campion. Their most celebrated client is Georgia Wells, a self absorbed actress. Albert is drawn into this fashionable crowd when he’s asked to investigate the death of a promising judge who also happened to have been engaged to Georgia. Two further deaths make this a puzzling case that implicates many of the group.

I loved all the period fashion details in this story: "What's that?" she demanded. "A nightgown?"

Val ran a pencil through the design. She looked up, her cheeks red and her eyes laughning…"It should be made in something rather heavy and expensive. Berthe's new corded chine-chine, I think.

"Morbid and silly," said Lady Papendeik. "I like the little bows. What's the pocket for?"

"Indulgences," said Val cheerfully. "They're always in fashion."

I also thought the gossipy tone it had at times was very fitting, and Allingham’s turn of phrase is wonderful: “To the police a corpse is a corpse, and murder is a hanging matter and the whole affair slid out of the shrouding mists of the fashionable world and the gossip of the bridge clubs, and came under the glare of a thousand bull’s eyes and the ruthlessly indelicate curiosity of the press.”

Most of the characters are fairly unlikeable but entertaining, especially Georgia. Amanda, an aeronautics engineer, is the exception and is a great strong female character. The mystery zipped along and built to a satisfying conclusion. I did guess the killer but not from very early on.

As much as I adored this book there’s no getting away from the racism and sexism included which is shocking when read from today’s perspective. It’s worth being aware of before reading. There’s a marriage proposal that is truly baffling to me! It shows that attitudes in 1938 had a long way to go.