Customer Reviews

Hide My Eyes (Books for Today S)

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Beware -- this book is also published (by The Hogarth Press) under the title "Hide My Eyes." Don't make my mistake and buy the same book twice.

"Tether's End" is one of Margery Allingham's more atypical works. Rather than take their normal place as main characters, Albert Campion and Charlie Luke appear only occasionally. In each case they serve to provide vital context and to move the plot along, but they do not take part in direct action until the book is almost over.

Instead the tale is about a seemingly unconnected series of killings which Luke is convinced are related somehow. A bus with a strange old couple in it is used to transport a victim from a crime scene and then vanishes. Another old couple sets out for South Africa and disappear. Jewelry from an unsolved murder turns up unexpectedly. All of these event seem to be related to Luke's old stamping grounds, Goff's Square, and Garden Green

While Campion and Luke try to fit the pieces together, the narrator moves on, shifting from the murderer's point of view to that of several important and delightful characters. Annabel Tassie has come t!o London at the invitation of her Aunt Polly. Polly runs a museum of peculiarities that were originally collected by her late husband. Having never met Aunt Polly, Annabel calls on her Richard Waterfield, an old friend to keep an eye out for her. Richard, who is starting out his professional life in the big city, hasn't seen Annabel since he failed to marry her sister and is greatly affected by the changes in his old chum. I believe it takes him about 5 seconds to fall totally under her spell.

It is Richard and Annabel who are the true main characters. Their separate adventures, Annabel with Aunt Polly, and Richard with the murderer that Luke and Campion are hunting, provide the main backdrop for the tense and chilling story of a killer who is gradually spinning out of control. Their paths weave through restaurants, clubs, barbershops, and city dumps until, at last, they come together in the small museum across from Garden Green.

"Tether's End" is an intricate an!d thrilling tale, a disturbing look into the mind of a charming sociopath, and an intriguing study of London life at the end of the 1950's. As she did in "Tiger in the Smoke," Margery Allingham turns from comfortable writing habits to show a rare expertise with psychological fiction. I like this book better than "Tiger in the Smoke," but I'm quite confident that the Allingham fan will find both irresistible.

Margery Allingham was an uneven writer but she hit a purple match in the early 50s, with the brilliant "Tiger in the Smoke" and this subsequent, similarly-themed novel. The calculating killer, who murders not out of madness or hate or bloodlust, but for simple convenience, is a terrifying creation and the opening of the story, as he plots his latest crime, is extraordinarily gripping - there is a real smell of evil as he methodically prepares to take a human life.

The atmosphere of postwar London is beautifully captured and the conclusion tremendously suspenseful. In many ways, Allingham was ahead of her time - she was a precursor to the Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine school of psychological suspense.

"Hide My Eyes" (also published as "Tether's End") is one of Margery Allingham's more atypical works. Rather than take their normal place as main characters, Albert Campion and Charlie Luke appear only occasionally. They serve to provide vital context and to move the plot along, but they do not take part in direct action until the book is almost over.

The tale is about a seemingly unconnected series of killings which Luke is convinced are related somehow. First, a bus with a strange old couple in it is used to transport a victim from a crime scene and then vanishes. Then another old couple sets out for South Africa and disappear. Some Jewelry from an unsolved murder turns up unexpectedly. All of these events tie into Luke's old patrol, Goff's Square, and Garden Green

While Campion and Luke try to fit the pieces together, the narrator moves on, shifting from the murderer's point of view to that of several important and delightful characters. Young Annabel Tassie has come to London at the invitation of her Aunt Polly. Polly runs a museum of peculiarities originally collected by her late husband. Having never met Aunt Polly, Annabel calls on Richard Waterfield, an old friend to keep an eye out for her. Richard, who is starting out his professional life in the big city, has not seen Annabel since he failed to marry her sister, and is greatly affected by the changes in his old chum. I believe it takes him about 5 seconds to fall totally under her spell.

It is Richard and Annabel who are the true main characters. Their separate adventures, Annabel with Aunt Polly, and Richard with the murderer that Luke and Campion are hunting, provide the main backdrop for the tense and chilling story of a killer who is gradually spinning out of control. Their paths weave through restaurants, clubs, barbershops, and city dumps until at last they come together in the small museum across from Garden Green.

This is an intricate and thrilling tale, a disturbing look into the mind of a charming sociopath, and an intriguing study of London life at the end of the 1950's. As she did in "Tiger in the Smoke," Margery Allingham turns from comfortable writing habits to show a rare expertise with psychological fiction. I am quite confident that the Allingham fan will find it irresistible.

This book is quite a bit different from Ms. Allingham's usual Campion books. As excellent as those are, this book is really something extraordinary. Allingham's characterization is faultless and her portrayal of a sociopathic serial killer is chilling in its intimate portrayal of him. We don't see very much of Campion in this book, but her other characters steal the show. There is the truly wonderful Polly and Annabelle and young Richard are wonderful, but her depiction of Gerry is remarkable. This book is a gripping read and an Allingham tour de force.

While not as insouciant as the young Albert Campion (from which were drawn most episodes of the fine British TV series), this is a good one which can held its own against much of the competition today. The characters and plot are interesting, the settings, indeed, flavorful. While Albert's long time friend, police superintendent Luke, takes up more of the stage, Campion does have his innings. For those counting on detective stories for much of their light entertainment and escape from the stress of the day, this will be a winner.
I should mention that I purchased my used copy for the four dollar shipping charge plus a nominal charge of under ten cents and found it to be quite a good reading copy though the cheap paper is beginning to show the chemical changes induced by the aging process. A good way to go for a book which slips handily into a pocket for reading while waiting for, or traveling on, bus or train.

Hide My Eyes is one of Margery Allingham's later and darker Albert Campion mysteries. If you liked Tiger in the Smoke, you will like this too. The settings and psychology are fascinating and believable.

It is quite interesting to see how much Allingham's Campion mysteries, and the character of Campion, changed from the early books to the later.

This is the same book as Tether's End under a different name. It is the most gruesome of Allingham's stories, and definitely not good as a first introduction to Allingham's Albert Campion and co. Not at all light-hearted as some of her other works, such as Black Dudley or Mystery Mile, which I'd recommend if you are new to her detective fiction.

Very good book - written mostly from the perspective of the killer;
the reasons why he does certain things and how he disguises himself. He has no feelings for other people, except for one older lady. In saving her life, he causes himself to be caught.

They abridged Margery Allingham. How could they do that? The book isn't that long to start with. Also, important plot pieces are lost. I didn't even listen to it--I love the original too much. I just sent it back. But the package only has the abridgment in very tiny letters that don't show up on the order site, so I ordered 7 of them and had to return them all. It was disappointing, because my cassettes are wearing out, and I can't find unabridged versions to replace them on CD.