"Most English country towns are picturesque in the moon's eye, but this winding hill was like a part of an old fairy story in the cold yellowish light. Tudor shops with overhanging upper storeys and windows like those on a galleon squeezed prim Queen Anne houses which wore shutters and graceful fanlights. There were mounting blocks and lantern posts at every dozen yards, and through carved archways occasional glimpses of cobbled courts and stone gardens. It was probably the most hackneyed picture-postcard subject in the world, but Campion saw it with the eyes of a child and its charm startled him. The crazy roofs were like witches' hoods huddling together for whispered consultations and the dark windows winked their panes at him from a bygone world."
From Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham.
I have read a couple of her "Campion" novels but like many from the so-called "Golden Age" she doesn't really work for me. I feel certain that your view of her writing is more positive. Vague memory suggests we may have read one of her books for the Cornflower Book Group.
Posted by: Dark Puss | 28 February 2021 at 08:12 PM
Ah I see we did and I was (surprise) in the minority, though not totally alone, with my less than enthusiastic review of Tiger in the Smoke. Ah well :-)
Posted by: Dark Puss | 28 February 2021 at 08:18 PM
Not to worry!
Posted by: Cornflower | 28 February 2021 at 09:51 PM
Tiger in the Smoke is one of the genuinely great pieces of writing in the genre. And Allingham can really write, unlike some in the field (golden age and present!).
Posted by: Lindsay Bagshaw | 21 March 2021 at 10:24 AM