Death of a Ghost

Margery Allingham

4/1/2001

The great artist John Lafcadio had a macabre idea. He retained twelve of his paintings to not be shown until ten years after his death, then one painting per year for the next twelve years. This was one way to retain his fame and to trump a rival artist after he died.

Although his revenge did not work as planned, his wish for the paintings did. Now, eighteen years after his death, his widow is planning the gala party to unveil his eighth painting. Albert Campion, as a long time friend of the family, is invited along to see the painting the day before the gala. He is there as the family undercurrents are played out.

At the gala, a young man is murdered during a power outage. Those around him who could have stabbed him include his new bride, his ex-fiancee, Belle Lafcadio, and other family members and friends. Then the art gallery owner (who had shown all the postmortem Lafcadios) confesses. Yet how can he have done it? He was across the room talking with another lady. The police quickly rule him out. Now they, and Campion, have to discover who killed the young man before more people die.

This is a fair novel. It didn't hold my interest until the end when Campion's own life was in danger. While the artist's strange sense of humor was an interesting background, this mystery is not one of the better ones, in my opinion.

You can find more about this book at . It is currently out of stock in all formats (print and audio), although this links to a special edition that can be ordered.

The Black Dudley Murder
Mystery Mile
Look to the Lady
Police at the Funeral
The Fear Sign
Death of a Ghost
Flowers for the Judge
The Case of the Late Pig
Mr. Campion, Criminologist
Dancers in Mourning
The Fashion in Shrouds
Mr. Campion and Others
Traitor's Purse
Coroner's Pidgin
Wanted: Someone Innocent
The Casebook of Mr Campion
More Work for the Undertaker
The Tiger in the Smoke
The Beckoning Lady
Hide My Eyes
The China Governess
The Mysterious Mr. Campion
The Mind Readers
Mr. Campion's Lady
Cargo of Eagles
The Allingham Casebook
The Allingham Minibus
The Return of Mr. Campion