From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Death in Fancy Dress

Anthony Gilbert,

Martin Edwards (Introduction)

Start date: November 1, 2022

Finish date: November 30, 2022

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: Next in our Detection Club challenge
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Showing 2 of 166 topics — 7,784 comments total

Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 14 posts · 16 views

last updated Sep 02, 2025 12:08AM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
By Susan · 4 posts · 12 views

last updated Sep 01, 2025 04:16PM

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What Members Thought

Oct 18, 2022 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is not the best mystery I have read by Anthony Gilbert, pseudonym of Lucy Malleson, but it had some fun elements. Lawyer Tony Keith is in India when he meets an old school friend, Jeremy Freyne. The two travel back to England together, where Jeremy informs Tony he is in love with his cousin, Hilary. The only problem is that Hilary is engaged to Arthur Dennis of the Foreign Office. She is also shortly about to celebrate her 21st birthday, when she will come into money left by her father.

Hila ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2023 Lady Wesley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened, house-party, mystery-golden-age-or-similar, british-library-crime-classics

Review of the audiobook narrated by James Byng.

This is my first Antony Gilbert story, and I enjoyed it. There’s a country house gathering (which I always like), a murder, and lots of suspects. Gilbert’s characterization was more detailed than some GAD books, which made the story more interesting. As usual, I had no idea whodunnit until the end.

The narrator was new to me, and he was fine, although I did sometimes have trouble distinguishing one male voice from the others. His female voices were ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2022 Jill rated it it was ok

This was just about an ok read for me. I found it pretty disjointed. At the beginning it made perfect sense, but then seemed to get all a bit absurd. The secret services employing two men, who were not police officers, just friends of the family concerned, to investigate a situation where a gang of criminals were at work, blackmailing people to the point of suicide. I'm not sure the author had a plot in mind, or just put things down as they occurred to her.
A disappointing read, that was publishe ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2022 Sandy rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery-detective-grp, rread-2022, mystery-classic, z2022-ga-challenge

Some excellent characters in this book: good, bad and amusing, but with one very silly young woman who unfortunately has a major role. The Golden Age authors are much better at country house mysteries than they are at crime syndicates and this could have been better if Gilbert stayed with her strength.

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2020 Annarella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Anthony Gilbert was a new to me mystery writer and I am more than happy I got this ARC because it is an amazing story.
It's a complex and enjoyable story with a cast of interesting and well thought characters.
There's a lot of secrets and an interesting description of the historical background.
The mystery is solid and the solution, after a lot of twists and red herrings, came as a surprise.
Another great addition to the British Library Crime Classics collection and I will look for other books by th ...more

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Feb 03, 2024 Laura Anne rated it liked it

Shelves: british-isles, mystery, espionage

A country house mystery tinged with espionage in a similar vein to early Christie (ie The Secret of Chimneys) with a bit of Downton Abbey. It was a pleasant timepass, but forgettable.

1 like · Like · see review