Black Plumes

'My very favourite of the four Queens of Crime is Allingham' - J. K. Rowling


The slashing of a valuable painting at the renowned Ivory Gallery in London, one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world - followed by the murder of the proprietor's son-in-law, Robert, sets the stage for another finely tuned Allingham mystery. The proprietor's mother, 90-year-old Gabrielle Ivory, holds the key to the web of intrigue and danger that permeates the gallery.


Gabrielle Ivory was once a society beauty. But now, nearing 90, she's largely disregarded by the younger members of the Ivory clan, who like to imagine Granny as rather a relic of a dead era. That's a mistake, and it's not their only one. A series of malicious attacks is threatening the Ivory Gallery in London. Robert Ivory and his high-strung wife, frantic to preserve the status-quo, want to chalk it all up to practical jokes gone wrong. But Gabrielle is not inclined to collude in this delusion.


A brilliant standalone mystery from the author of the beloved Campion books. Golden Age Crime at its intriguing best.


Reviews


'The best of mystery writers' - The New Yorker


'Margery Allingham stands out like a shining light. And she has another quality, not usually associated with crime stories, elegance' - Agatha Christie





'Margery Allingham has precious few peers and no superiors' - The Sunday Times


'Allingham's work is always of the first rank' - New York Times


'Unforgettable.' - A. S. Byatt


'Margery Allingham deserves to be rediscovered' - P. D. James


'The real queen of crime' - Guardian


'As addictive as cocaine' - Independent


'Allingham has that rare gift in a novelist, the creation of characters so rich and so real that they stay with the reader forever' - Sara Paretsky


'Allingham's characters are three-dimensional flesh and blood, especially her villains' - Times Literary Supplement


'Always of the elect, Margery Allingham now towers above them' - Observer


'Spending an evening with Campion is one of life's pure pleasures' - Saturday Review


'The Dickens of detective writing' - The Telegraph





'Allingham captures her quintessential quiet detective Albert Campion to perfection... For those who relish classic crime fiction' - Daily Express