I read this on the heels of reading her 1933 Campion novel, Sweet Danger, which was an uneven but mostly enjoyable read. Twenty-two years on, Allingham's writing was tighter and her plotting clearer. Her strength--depicting the setting and characters and life of quirky, old village England--is also her weakness, in that for much of the earlier part of the book the plot itself is only faintly visible beneath it. Nevertheless, that ambling style itself fits well with the sleepy village dynamic, and Allingham's overwhelming delight in her characters and milieu are apparent at every turn. ( )

Not so much a murder mystery as a character piece. The deaths are incidental to the plot (which is the party) and not the driving force - interesting! ( )

Hmmm...champers, anyone? That's champagne, of course, and it's on the menu at Minnie and Tonker's party of the season at the Beckoning Lady. This installment finds our hero, Albert Campion, down in the country for this party along with Amanda & their son Rupert; it all begins with the discovery of a dead body and the death of Uncle William. Uncle William, if you've been following the series, has been in a couple of Campion mysteries, and is much beloved by Campion and Amanda. So...Campion does not believe that Uncle William died peacefully, but rather was murdered, and while preparing for the party, must investigate to see if he was correct. He's also involved in the investigation into the other death, so he's very busy.

I liked this one, but it was rather silly in places, and if you aren't aware of current cultural references of the time you might be a bit lost. Otherwise, not quite as good as some of the Campion novels, but not too bad. Do NOT start with this one as an opener to the series. Campion is not at his detecting best here.

Recommended for those following the series and those who are fans of British mystery in general. ( )

This one takes place after Campion's marriage to Lady Amanda Fitton. ( )

This one takes place at Pontisbright, with detective Albert Campion, his wife Amanda and their son Rupert immersed in the preparations for their eccentric friends Minnie and Tonker's huge party. There is some period slang and references to many characters from past books in the series - a bit obscure in places. The mystery itself is a good one, but some of the atmosphere and culture is hard to understand 60 or 70 years later. ( )