The Mind Readers
3/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
The ancient hamlet of Saltey, once the haunt of smugglers, now hides a secret rich and mysterious enough to trap all who enter . . . and someone in town is willing to terrorize, murder, and raise the very devil to keep that secret to themselves.
When a transistor thought to be the key to telepathic communication is found, Albert Campion is called to sort fact from fiction. But the device at the center of the mystery is in the possession of two schoolboys, and whether they stole it or invented it, there are others who will kill to get hold of it.
“Allingham has a strong, well controlled sense of humour, a power of suggesting character with a few touches and an excellent English style. She has a sense of the fantastic, and is never dull” —Times Literary Supplement
Margery Allingham
Margery Louise Allingham is ranked among the most distinguished and beloved detective fiction writers of the Golden Age alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Ngaio Marsh. Allingham is J.K. Rowling's favourite Golden Age author and Agatha Christie said of Allingham that out of all the detective stories she remembers, Margery Allingham 'stands out like a shining light'. She was born in Ealing, London in 1904 to a very literary family; her parents were both writers, and her aunt ran a magazine, so it was natural that Margery too would begin writing at an early age. She wrote steadily through her school days, first in Colchester and later as a boarder at the Perse School for Girls in Cambridge, where she wrote, produced, and performed in a costume play. After her return to London in 1920 she enrolled at the Regent Street Polytechnic, where she studied drama and speech training in a successful attempt to overcome a childhood stammer. There she met Phillip Youngman Carter, who would become her husband and collaborator, designing the jackets for many of her future books. The Allingham family retained a house on Mersea Island, a few miles from Layer Breton, and it was here that Margery found the material for her first novel, the adventure story Blackkerchief Dick (1923), which was published when she was just nineteen. She went on to pen multiple novels, some of which dealt with occult themes and some with mystery, as well as writing plays and stories – her first detective story, The White Cottage Mystery, was serialized in the Daily Express in 1927. Allingham died at the age of 62, and her final novel, A Cargo of Eagles, was finished by her husband at her request and published posthumously in 1968.
Read more from Margery Allingham
The Beckoning Lady Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hide My Eyes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Police at the Funeral Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Plumes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The China Governess Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Allingham Casebook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coroner's Pidgin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Case of the Late Pig Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Traitor's Purse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tiger in the Smoke Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Six Against the Yard Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sweet Danger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mind Readers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Look to the Lady Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Allingham Minibus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fashion in Shrouds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dancers in Mourning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Oaken Heart: The Story of an English Village at War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5More Work for the Undertaker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers for the Judge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cargo of Eagles Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Deadly Duo: Two Novellas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rogues' Holiday Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man of Dangerous Secrets Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Death of a Ghost Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bodies from the Library 2: Lost Tales of Mystery and Suspense from the Golden Age of Detection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil and Her Son Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Mind Readers
Related ebooks
Betjeman: A Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Falkland: "In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mark Twain Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Main Street: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBest Horror Novels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsF. Scott Fitzgerald: Collected Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsF. Scott Fitzgerald Four Pack: Benjamin Button, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Diamond as Big as The Ritz Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMasters of Prose - Mark Twain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCollected Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald (45 Short Stories and Novels) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Beautiful & Damned (Musaicum Must Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe American Short Story. A Chronological History: Volume 2 - T S Arthur to Lucy Hamilton Hooper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaisy Miller (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Selected Tales of Father Brown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFATHER BROWN Complete Series - All 51 Short Stories in One Edition: Detective Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Greatest Works of Victor Hugo: Les Misérables, Mary Tudor, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Oration on Voltaire, Cromwell... Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Essential Fitzgerald - 45 Short Stories & Novels in One Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Delphi Classics (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnn Veronica: “An animal may be ferocious and cunning enough, but it takes a real man to tell a lie.” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Collected Works of Francis Scott Fitzgerald: The Complete Works PergamonMedia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sense of the Past by Henry James (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Duke's Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Modern Chronicle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fallen Leaves by Wilkie Collins - Delphi Classics (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Duke’s Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dead Secret Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOther Short Stories - A Collection of Ghostly Tales (Fantasy and Horror Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Old Maids' Club: With a Chapter From English Humorists of To-day by J. A. Hammerton Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOfficer! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Young Enchanted: A Romantic Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Mystery For You
The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman in the Library: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finlay Donovan Is Killing It: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: A Murdery Mystery Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5None of This Is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dean Koontz: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5False Witness: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hidden Staircase: Nancy Drew #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The ABC Murders: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kept Woman: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pharmacist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Club: A Reese's Book Club Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When No One Is Watching: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summit Lake Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"A" is for Alibi: A Kinsey Millhone Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pale Blue Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The People Next Door Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pieces of Her: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Under a Red Moon: A 1920s Bangalore Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hallowe'en Party: Inspiration for the 20th Century Studios Major Motion Picture A Haunting in Venice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Did I Kill You?: A Thriller Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for The Mind Readers
68 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I was really enjoying this book but I found the ending confusing and unsatisfactory. I thought there were too many characters - particularly the "bad guys" and it wasn't clear what was happening.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mind Readers is the last book completely written by Margery Allingham; her husband finished up Cargo of Eagles (next in the series). So basically I've come to the end of the original Allinghams and it's a sad day. However, the good news is that I have each and every Campion story on my British reading room shelves (and all of the PBS dvds!) that I can read again if I so choose. Although this particular edition was published in 1990, the original was written in 1965 -- during the Cold War, and the book's subject matter reflects the angst of the time. There are numerous references to postwar science, spying and ultimately, the biggest concern of all -- someone hitting the button without any warning to the other side. Although it was not received well at its original publication (and if you look on Amazon, by some of its modern-day readers), I liked it. I thought it was a fine story, and unlike the last few books in the series, Campion is not on the sidelines but in the thick of the action like when he first began. The basic plot: Helena Ferris is the wife of scientist Martin Ferris, mother to young Sam, and a relative of Amanda Fitton (Mrs. Campion). As the story opens, she is supposed to picking up Sam and his cousin from the train, since they are due home at their half-term break. However, at the last minute, Martin's boss decides that no one will leave the island where the scientists are working. As a result, when the train stops, the boys are met by a woman who claims that she's been sent to pick them up. They walk with her until they notice a policeman, and start yelling that the woman is a spy and that she's trying to kidnap them. Later, when asked how they knew, they produce a device that they claim can read thoughts and feelings. Then, when Sam's cousin disappears, a series of events brings Campion into the picture in his role as an agent for British security. The book is a fun read and yes, it's a bit far-fetched, but consider that in real life the CIA was experimenting with psychic abilities, and then it doesn't seem so crazy. Allingham has done a fine job not only with the plot, but with her characters (her forte) as well. There are bits of humor interjected throughout the novel, and a Campion that I haven't seen in a while -- no sending him off to the sidelines in this book!Those readers who have been following the series will most likely enjoy this one; others who enjoy classic British mystery will definitely like it. Others who may find it interesting are readers who are interested in the Cold War era research programs in ESP and psychic abilities. Overall, a very good, fun read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A device that lets the wearer read minds is the MacGuffin in this mystery with Campion, now married and with a son at Harvard. I would have liked even more discussion of how mind-reading would change the world.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A late book in the Albert Campion series; arguably science fiction; it assumes a demonstrable physical confirmation of telepathy is discovered. Allingham herself regarded it as credible.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good but not the best of the Albert Campion stories.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Some boys stumble on a high tech device that could just lead to the end of the world as we know it.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I usually don't use this phrase, but this book has such terrible vibes. I was so stressed out reading it. I gave it a good 70–80 pages to redeem itself but ugh. Maybe it's a sign of the power of the writing that it evoked a strong feeling, but it's not very pleasant for the reader to be played upon like this.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was dubious about The Mind-Readers; I didn't remember much about it. I apparently read through the Allinghams years ago (ten?) and never since – I hadn't thought it to be so long. My impression of MR was of an improbable, not to say idiotic, premise, and a slight reluctance to read it. Happily, I was mostly wrong. It was an improbable premise – but it was handled very nicely. This was written in the 60's, which I happily missed entirely but for four short oblivious months; 1965 to be exact – the Space Race was on, science was exploding in every direction, science fiction was coming to the fore – it seems like if someone had said "I have invented a device that will allow me to read minds" it wouldn't have been so very surprising. There was an element of World Criminal Conspiracy, which is something I despise, but I found the characters to be enjoyable, the suspense involved in the kidnapping (or was it?) to be well managed, and overall the book to be a lark. Not one of the best – but not bad.