The Crime at Black Dudley

By: Allingham, Margery

In Margery Allingham's 1929 whodunit "The Crime at Black Dudley" we find a classic entry into the gothic "locked room" mystery. A group of friends and acquaintances gather at the gloomy English country manor of Black Dudley, currently owned by renowned surgeon Dr. Gideon Baird. During the performance of a strange ritual, the passing of the Black Dudley Dagger, one of the guests falls dead of a heart attack. When it is discovered that the Black Dudley Dagger has gone missing, suspicions of the guests turn to foul play. Soon the guests realize that the phone lines are dead, that they have been cut off from the outside world, and that they are under the captivity of a menacing threat. Readers of mystery and crime fiction alike will delight in this thrilling story of mystery and mayhem, in which we are first introduced to Allingham's most famous character in a supporting role, the enigmatic and charismatic gentleman sleuth, Albert Campion.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1420982419
• ISBN13: 9781420982411
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Digireads.com
• Length: 154 Pages
• Weight: 3.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An excellent example of the golden age of Mystery.

The Crime at Black Dudley, the first in the Albert Campion Series. All the elements are there, the gathering of the characters all meeting in the old mansion. Pass the ritual knife around in the dark. Secret passages and car chases. What more could one ask for? Two surprising things. First, Albert Campion is not the main focus, and it seems that Margery Allingham created him as a secondary character who later in his career becomes the main focus. The second is the answer to the main riddle that pops out of the closet at the last moment. I suspected the butler, and so will you. I must admit that I watched the Campion video series before reading the book.