Look to the Lady [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Margery Allingham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1979

Some objects just cry out to be stolen, and an obliging ring of international thieves stands ready to heed the cry. Their current target is the Gyrth Chalice, a priceless goblet that the Gyrth family has for centuries held in trust for the British Crown. Kept in a windowless chapel, and protected by a fearsome curse, the Chalice should be impervious to thievery. But this is 1930, and the crooks have all the advantages of the modern world. Chief among these is the craving for publicity, to which at least one member of the Gyrth clan has succumbed. Her careless chatter about the Chalice seems to have called up all manner of misfortunes - of which larceny is just the beginning - and the vague, bespectacled Albert Campion doesn't look like he'll be much help against them. But looks can be deceptive.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Wonderfully plotted . . . a marvelous mixture of witchcraft, sacred relics, and ancient oaths. Allingham was a rare and precious talent --Washington Post

Margery Allingham is very, very good, and those who are not familiar with her have a delightful discovery awaiting them --Los Angeles Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Margery Allingham was born in London in 1904. Her first novel was published when she was seventeen. In 1929 she published The Crime at Black Dudley and introduced the character who was to become the hallmark of her writing - Albert Campion. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 414 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books; Large Prnt edition (May 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708902936
• ISBN-13: 978-0708902936
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,422,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rite of Passage, May 12, 2002

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Gyrth Chalice Mystery (Hardcover)

"The Gyrth Chalice Mystery" was the first Allingham mystery I read. By coincidence, I was then the same age Allingham was when she wrote it (despite there being several wars in between). I was immediately taken with the story with its heady mix of adventure, English snobbery, humor and the supernatural. When I was done reading I was a British mystery addict and an eternal fan of Albert Campion, Allingham's detective.

I am much older now, and this is the third or fourth time I've reread this novel. I can only report that it gets better with age. Unlike some authors whose work is best remembered rather than reexperienced, Margery Allingham's works are every bit as much fun now as they were then. Perhaps the secret of their long popularity is that they are the highest order of entertainment, full of adventure and humor.

In 'The Gyrth Chalice Mystery' Campion's assignment is the protection of the ancient Gyrth chalice from theft by a nefarious ring of art collectors. The secret of the chalice is passed from fathers to sons on their 25th birthday, and this is the time that the chalice is most vulnerable. Campion must first track down the current heir, Percival, and bring him home for the ceremony. No sooner is this accomplished when Percival's somewhat flaky aunt is frightened to death by the 'chalice monster.' With that we are off and running.

Allingham does her usual best to delight and bemuse, mixing forgers, racing people, gypsies, academics and other English country folks of every sort and form into the heady stew which is a Campion adventure. Campion has matured tremendously since the first novels and is in full possession of his role as the somewhat zany yet brilliant master of the chase. Allingham doesn't write mystery stories as such. Often she gives the villain of the piece away and the real mystery is how Campion will manage to save the day. "The Gyrth Chalice" is just such a tale. The ending comes as a complete surprise and adds a dimension to the tale, which makes it especially remarkable and memorable.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Allingham's Finest!, March 10, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Gyrth Chalice Mystery (Paperback)

"The Gyrth Chalice Mystery" was the first Allingham mystery I read. At that time I was the same age Allingham was when she wrote it (despite there being several wars in between). I was immediately taken with the story with its heady mix of adventure, English snobbery, humor and the supernatural. When I was done reading I was a British mystery addict and an eternal fan of Albert Campion, Allingham's detective.

I am much older now, and this is the third or fourth time if reread this novel. I can only report that it gets better with age. Unlike some authors whose work is best remembered rather than reread, Margery Allingham's works are every bit as much fun now as they were then. Perhaps the secret of their long popularity is that they are the highest order of entertainment, full of adventure and humor.

In "The Gyrth Chalice Mystery" Campion's assignment is the protection of the ancient Gyrth chalice from theft by a nefarious ring of art collectors. The secret of the chalice is passed from fathers to sons on their 25th birthday, and this is the time that the chalice is most vulnerable. Campion must first track down the current heir, Percival, and bring him home for the ceremony. No sooner is this accomplished when Percival's somewhat flaky aunt is frightened to death by the 'chalice monster.' With that we are off and running.

Allingham does her usual best to delight and bemuse, mixing forgers, racing people, gypsies, academics and other English country folks of every sort and form into the heady stew which is a Campion adventure. Campion has matured tremendously since the first novels and is in full possession of his role as the somewhat zany yet brilliant master of the chase. Allingham doesn't write mystery stories as such. Often she gives the villain of the piece away and the real mystery is how Campion will manage to save the day. "The Gyrth Chalice" is just such a tale. The ending comes as a complete surprise and adds a dimension to the tale, which makes it especially remarkable and memorable.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery Author masters the surreal, November 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Gyrth Chalice Mystery (Paperback)

It has often been my observation that mystery authors excel at the occult. Though not necessarily demonic, this book definitely presses it's nose against the glass of the unknown with a masterful push in the way of suspense. Margery Allingham has created in Campion a detective of great literary versatility and has at once made him endearing, laughable, and yet shrouded in a brilliant fog. Although the plot does leave something to be desired in the way of clues, as a traditional detective story would demand, it is all made up for with the excitement of the final scene, and the masterful use of the English language to carve out scenes; a talent that Margery Allingham has continually taken advantage of.