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Flowers for the Judge (1936) is the seventh Albert Campion mystery and one of our March/April 2019 Buddy Reads.

Our Campion reads now have their own folder, so will be easy for any group member to negotiate, if they wish to join us in reading this popular series.

Scandal, secrets and suspicions abound when one of the directors at the prestigious publishing house of Barnabas is found dead, locked in the company’s strongroom.

All eyes are on the other partners at the firm �� cousins of the dead man with much to gain from his demise �� and all rumours hint at a connection to the disappearance of another director decades earlier.

Desperate to salvage their reputation, the cousins turn to Albert Campion �� but will his investigations clear the Barnabas family name, or besmirch it forever?

Please do not post spoilers in this thread - thank you.

Shall we open this discussion? Anyone reading this one? (By the way, I am on a training day today, but I will look in later on this evening).

Starting this one today, looking forward to the discussion

I’m reading it at the moment but not very far in as yet - great start, I think. A reread for me.

Really did enjoy this book. A locked room mystery but more. I liked the description of The Old Bailey, and the court process. Most of the characters were likable, some more than others. There was something happening all through the book, which kept me interested, and the humour was well done

Margery Allingham is really stepping it up now. Gone are the gangs and Campion being a foolish, comic character, and there are proper crimes to be investigated. I am becoming a fan.

Excellent! Campion has matured nicely.

Does any one know how Allingham chose titles? This one seems as random as Police at the Funeral.

This is a reread for me, but it’s been many years and I don’t remember much. I just started a couple days ago, had to finish a few reads, so I’m not far in - but Campion exploring the storage room triggered a memory - it’ll be interesting to see if memory serves me right as to the murder method, or if my mind is blending too many plots together!

I don’t know how Allingham chose titles, but I think some of them are very appropriate although others less so - I agree that Police at the Funeral is not a particularly apt title. I don’t remember if there is any special meaning to the title Flowers for the Judge.

I'll be joining you as soon as my book arrives. Looking forward to another Campion!

I’m enjoying this reread, fun and funny, but I had forgotten all the hints from Lugg about Campion being related to someone important- any idea who that was supposed to be? I love Lugg’s attempts to “improve�� himself, and how miffed he gets at Campion brutally shooting down his aspirations!

Lugg seems to have expectations of a title. I do seem to recall hints of Campion being from a good family, from the very first book? We never seem to meet relatives though, so perhaps he is the black sheep of the family?!

Susan wrote: "Lugg seems to have expectations of a title. I do seem to recall hints of Campion being from a good family, from the very first book? We never seem to meet relatives though, so perhaps he is the bla..."

We will meet some relatives in later books. In Mystery Mile it is mentioned that his real name was Rudolph, when Lugg rings up his brother, who apparently holds the title, to borrow a car - I think he has also mentioned falling out with relatives in one of the previous books.

I've seen some reviewers say that the early books suggest he is royal, but if so I've never spotted where these suggestions are!

Judy wrote: "Susan wrote: "Lugg seems to have expectations of a title. I do seem to recall hints of Campion being from a good family, from the very first book? We never seem to meet relatives though, so perhaps..."

Me, either - years ago when I first started this series, I read reviews indicating Campion was a minor, unimportant character in Black Dudley, so I never read it - it wasn’t easy to find a copy back then, either. But now that Lugg has brought it up, I vaguely recall, but it’s never been clear - I always thought maybe Allingham was setting Campion up as a Lord Peter type, younger son of a duke but maybe gave up his title, then changed her mind.

As for this plot, I was really engrossed until I had to put it down for a day or so, now I’m up to Mike’s trial, and losing interest. I’ve got a book I’m dying to read waiting from the library (Tombland, the latest Shardlake - yay!), so I’m going to wrap this up and dive into the Tudor craziness (can’t wait to see how shardlake is doing...)

There are definitely hints of him being from an important family in Black Dudley - although he isn't the main character in that one, I think he sort of steals the book! ;)

Yes, he definitely steals the book in Black Dudley. Was he meant to be the main character, I wonder, or did she decide to put him central later?

I've read somewhere that she wanted to carry on with her pathologist hero from Black Dudley as her series character (that could have been interesting, though I don't think the pathologist is a great character!) but the publisher asked her to go with Campion instead.

If that's true, I wonder if they asked her before she finished Black Dudley, because towards the end it does seem to pave the way for Campion's return.

Ok, now you’ve got me curious, I will have to read Black Dudley!

I did enjoy revisiting Campion and Lugg and still consider this a four-star read, but I thought the ending went on a bit - I honestly wasn’t too concerned about the missing Barnabas brother (brothers, I guess), but it was nicely done, a lovely bit of writing.

Campion does feel like a side character in much of Black Dudley, but he gradually becomes more interesting and does tend to push aside other characters!

I too am wondering about the title. I am reading Allingham after a long time, and am surprised at how witty she can be: "that the body of Paul Redfern Brande was the body of Paul Redfern Brande and not any spare corpse which might have been lying around at the time".

I do hope that the person I suspect from the very first entrance is not the murderer.

And Campion is not bad at all, not at all what I remember.

Was Mike aware of the danger to himself or was he just busy shielding Gina?

Susan wrote: "Campion does feel like a side character in much of Black Dudley, but he gradually becomes more interesting and does tend to push aside other characters!"

Ah, that does sound intriguing! He usually tries so hard to blend in, look vacuous (seriously, she constantly describes him looking vacuous, makes him sound simple), listen and observe.

Bicky wrote: "I too am wondering about the title. I am reading Allingham after a long time, and am surprised at how witty she can be: "that the body of Paul Redfern Brande was the body of Paul Redfern Brande and..."

I’m revisiting Campion after a long absence also, and enjoying her dry wit and the interplay between Lugg and Campion.

I think Mike is definitely just trying to shield Gina, even if he realizes the danger to himself, he’s ready to sacrifice himself chivalrously (oh dear, I don’t think that’s even a word - I hope you know what I mean). Sacrifice himself in a fit of chivalry?

Susan in NC wrote: "chivalrously (oh dear, I don’t think that’s even a word - I hope you know what I mean"

Not only do I understand, it is definitely a word.

I got intrigued by your use of 'dry wit' and I was surprised to see one explanation as "Humour that soars over the heads of your less intellectual friends."

I am sure that is not what you meant, but it reminded me of how viciously Rigett is described - "I’m only educated. I haven’t got any instincts."

It recalled an attitude which is part of my living memory - the lower classes are better off if they are not educated. A really vicious example was in the next generation. A maid, who was from a remote area, was taught English rather than Hindi by her employers. The maid was happy as she was learning a high status language. The employers were happy as she could not converse with the other maids and so find out about comparative wages etc.

That reminds me of the line from Northanger Abbey, something like “I’m not clever enough to speak unintelligibly�� when talking about the fashionable wits of the day.

Bicky wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "chivalrously (oh dear, I don’t think that’s even a word - I hope you know what I mean"

Not only do I understand, it is definitely a word.

I got intrigued by your use of 'dry w..."

Oh, no! I meant dry wit as in subtle humor, not over-the-top, which is one of the things I enjoy so much about Golden Age mystery writers like Allingham, Sayers, Marsh and Christie (and I would add Heyer).

Thank you for that sad example of the maid, I wasn’t sure what to make of Rigett’s rather odd behavior and comments. Your example of that attitude about the classes makes it a little clearer.

I've also always understood dry wit as subtle, understated.

Judy wrote: "I've also always understood dry wit as subtle, understated."

So do I.

I am currently reading The Knox Brothers by Penelope Fitzgerald

Her father worked for Punch and there were suggestions the man, previously in charge, had lost his sense of humour. In order to test this, his colleagues decided to hold a dinner, at which they would all hide under the table and surprise him, to test his reaction.

Unfortunately, when the editor of Punch arrived, he nodded to the waiter to pull out the chair at the empty table and sat down, pulling out his napkin. Sheepishly, the men had to crawl out and take their places, at which he made no comment whatsoever.

Dry humour?!

Susan wrote: "I am currently reading The Knox Brothers by Penelope Fitzgerald

Her father worked for Punch and there were suggestions the man,..."

I’d be afraid of causing a heart attack if everyone jumped out!

I'm about two thirds of the way through now and really enjoying it. I was amused to see that it says at the start "To my publishers this book is respectfully dedicated"!

I trust they were nothing like the Barnabas family...

What an appropriate dedication! Just in case they took offence!

Missed the significance of the dedication!