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Singers and musicians are gathered for a course in folk music that will occupy a weekend in the fantastic country mansion called Follymead. Most come only to sing or to listen, but one or two have non-musical scores to settle. When brilliantly talented Liri Palmer sings Black, black, black is the color of my true-love' s heart she clearly has a message for someone in the audience. Passions run high, and there is murder brewing at Follymead.Tags
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I don't read a lot of murder mysteries, but the thought of a murder mystery set in an ancient manor house turned into a folk music retreat centre endeared itself to me. Not that I want murder to descend on Halsway! It was well populated with an interesting mix of characters, although my terribly modern perspective just finds all the secrets and jealousy and long term repercussions of children born out of wedlock just sad. Like, if only they had all been kind to each other and honest to each other.
Interesting. An odd lot of characters. I remembered the secret, and that there was an odd twist to the crime, but not what actually happened. Nor did I really remember the characters - Dominic & George Felse, of course, Tossa (her first appearance, I think), Felicity, Liri and Lucien, the Arundels... There's a long list of characters that play major parts in the story. And some that ought to be major who barely appear despite carrying out their parts. I enjoy the folk music - I'm always singing some of the songs referenced in the book for weeks after reading it. Like Joyful Woman, the internal landscape of some of the characters - Felicity in particular though not exclusively - plays a major part in the story. The acts undertaken and show more the motivations for the acts are very complexly based. The actual events are quite simple and rather stupid (as in, it was all a misunderstanding!), but the physical and emotional settings make it an interesting and very complex story. Also fun to read - well, it is a Peters, that pretty well goes without saying. show less
Being s folk music fan, I love the setting of this one, which is a folk music festival involving an encounter between a beautiful young women singer and an equally glamorous young male singer who engage in a kind of public musical lover's quarrel (in which she sings the song that gives its title to the story, wickedly clever filk) later there is a murder and Felse is involved. The lover's quarrel has a ner solution (which I recently realized echoes that of Iolanthe) but the solution to the mystery is much grimmer and the one aspect of the story I dislike. Otherwise I would give this 5 stars.
This was an enjoyable read. The mystery surrounds a group of folk singers in the middle of a course for the public at a private musical college. Inspector Felse's son, Dominic happens to be there that weekend. It has taken me a bit to enjoy the Felse mysteries as much as I like the Cadfael series, but I am beginning to appreciate the interplay between Inspector Felse and his family. The character of Felse reminds me a lot of the character of Sherriff Hugh in the Cadfael books, only modernized. This mystery was good, I was able to figure it out, but didn't feel cheated or that it was too easy. It's also possible I've read it before and forgotten!
A good but not great offering by Peters, but definitely worth reading. Very different from Brother Cadfeal, obviously in history and scope, but still good work from this author.
I always enjoy Ellis Peters and this one is typical of the genre--an old fashioned whodunit.
A murder at a weekend folk music course in a classic English country house style of mystery.
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Author Information
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Ellis Peters is the pseudonym for Edith Pargeter, who was born in Horsehay, Shropshire. She was a chemist's assistant from 1933 to 1940 and participated during World War II in the Women's Royal Navy Service. The name "Ellis Peters" was adopted by Edith Pargeter to clearly mark a division between her mystery stories and her other work. Her brother show more was Ellis and Petra was a friend from Czechoslovakia, thus the name. She came to writing mysteries, she says, "after half a lifetime of novel-writing." Her detective fiction features well-rounded, knowledgeable characters with whom the reader can empathize. Her most famous literary creation is the medieval monk Brother Cadfael. The blend of history and the formula of the detective story gives Peters's works their popular appeal. As detective hero, Brother Cadfael remains faithful to the requirements of the formula, yet the historical milieu in which he operates is both fully realized and well textured. Peters received the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award in 1963 and the Crime Writers Association's Silver Dagger Award in 1981. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Goldmann (3219)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Black Is the Color of My True Love's Heart
- Original title
- Black Is the Color of My True Love's Heart
- Original publication date
- 1967
- People/Characters
- George Felse; Liri Palmer; Tossa Barber; Dominic Felse; Edward Arundale; Audrey Arundale (show all 9); Lucien Galt; Felicity Cope; Dickie Meurice
- Important places
- Midshire, England, UK (fictional | Shropshire, England, UK)
- First words
- Das Mädchen mit dem Gitarrenkasten stand allein an der Bushaltestelle, als Arundale seinen Wagen vor dem Bahnhof anhielt und hineinging, um die Schallplatten abzuholen, die Professor Penrose dort vergessen hatte.
The girl with the guitar-case was standing alone at the Belwardine bus-stop when Arundale parked the car before the station entrance, and went into collect the records Professor Penrose had left behind. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)George schob Tossa und Dominic schweigend aus dem Zimmer, und sie liessen die beiden allein mit der Vergangenheit und mit der Zukunft.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"'Black, black, black,'" sang Tossa softly to herself in the back seat, her chin on her shoulder, "'is the color of my true-love's hair...'" - Original language*
- Englisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.61)
- Languages
- 5 — Dutch, English, French, German, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 19
- ASINs
- 14
