"As a Detective Story It Falls Exceedingly Flat"

DANCERS IN MOURNING.
By Margery Allingham.
William Heinemann.
1937.
Made for TV, 1990.
[a.k.a. WHO KILLED CHLOE?]

Steve Lewis's review of Margery Allingham's novel is on the MYSTERY*FILE blog:

Some of the characters flit in and out without being recognized as more than shadows of people, others I suspect I will remember for a long time. In terms of general atmosphere, I was reminded of John Dickson Carr more often than not, although the romance elements in Carr's work were never as crucial (or real) as they are in this one.

On the other hand, there is no locked room mystery involved in 'Dancers in Mourning.' Only a murderer with no compunction about killing, including a home-made bomb at a railway station.

Another review by Jon is available on the GADetection Wiki:

By 1937 Margery Allingham . . . began to create uneasy hybrids, books with the style and structure of detective stories but with very little genuine detection. 'Dancers in Mourning' is one of these. I am not qualified to comment on its success as a romance, but as a detective story it falls exceedingly flat.

 Mike Grost's extensive article on Allingham is here.

Category: Detective fiction