Mistro avler mord

by Margery Allingham

Paperback, 1971

Status

Available

Call number

823.912

Library's review

England, London, starten af 1960'erne
Denne udgave har kun kapitelnummerering, men den engelske har kapiteloverskrifter "1. The Breaking Ground", "2. Boffin Island", "3. Half Term", "4. Sanctuary", "5. Longfox's I.G.", "6. Interested Persons", "7. Brains at Work", "8. Expert Opinion", "9. The
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Promenading Cat", "10. Husbands and Wives", "11. The Longfox Method", "12. Official View", "13. The End of the World", "14. The Sound of Drumming", "15. The Islanders", "16. Things you could Tell an Old Friend", "17. Sparks and Ashes", "18. The Spy", "19. Snake Bite", "20. Behind the Scenes in an Old Curiosity Shop", "21. Take-Over", "22. Breakthrough I", "23. Breakthrough II".

En Lord Ludor ejer et stort elektronik-syndikat Universal Contacts. Hans sekretær og elskerinde Merle Rawlins får til opgave at arrangere sikrede telefonsamtaler med nogle af Lord Ludors forretningspartnere, en sheik, en mr Kalek og en mr Cornelius. Kalek har sin egen ø, Lunea, og de andre er også velhavende magtfulde mænd. På et forskningscenter Godleys Island arbejder man med nye grundstoffer og deres effekter. Russernes propagandaavis Panda har drillet lidt med en historie om at man bruger kostskoleelever som forsøgskaniner, men det tror ingen vel på. En indflydelsesrig avis "The Daily Paper" ejes af en lord Feste - eller Phil Jones som han hed før - og er altid på jagt efter sensationer.
Albert Campion og hans kone Amanda Fitton bor til leje ved provst Avril. Amanda er i familie med Martin Ferris, som arbejder på Godleys island. Martin og hans kone Helena har en dreng, Sam, som går på kostskole og skal hjem på sommerferie. I sidste øjeblik bestemmer Martins chef Paggen Mayo at holde møde og indvie alle medarbejdernes koner i hvad der foregår. Godleys Island forsker i alle slags kommunikation og er tilfældigt faldet over et par brødre, der udviser klare tegn på umisforståelig telepati. Når Len Drummond tænker på Willie Drummond på en lidt fjendtlig måde, ændrer Willies modermærker udseende. Da man laver et forsøg med at hypnotisere Len, går Willie helt amok og ender med at drukne i tidevandet. Arbejdet går videre, men "cirkusnummeret" mangler og nu kommer lord Ludor og nogle andre pinger på besøg, så Paggen lukker ned og Helena kan ikke hente børnene ved stationen.
Sam Ferris på otte år og Edward Longfox på elleve år bliver alligevel forsøgt hentet af en "miss Lewis fra hospitalet". De forhindrer hende i det ved at klamre sig til en politibetjent og råbe "spion", hvilket får hende til at flygte.
Sam og Edward bliver taget med til politistationen, hvor Albert Campion slutter sig til dem og de kigger i forbryderalbummet. De to mistænkelige personer bliver hurtigt identificeret, men efterretningstjenesten får politiet til at droppe sagen.
Drengene kommer med Albert hjem og hos provst Avril fortæller de deres historie og overtalt til at vise en ny opfindelse, to små rør som man kan sætte fast på kroppen og som virker som en tankemodtager. Man kan hente en bestemt persons tanker, hvis man kan skille dem ud fra vrimlen og det er Sam åbenbart specielt god til. Lidt senere ankommer Paggen Mayo med Martin Ferris, som angiveligt har forsøgt at begå selvmord med gas. Paggens kone er i følgeskab med Martin, hvilket Paggen ikke vidste. Paggen får demonstreret de to små rør og tager afsted tilbage til øen sammen med rørene og sin kone. Tilsyneladende vidste hverken Martin eller Paggen noget om rørenes eksistens på forhånd, hvilket gør det så meget mærkeligere at Sam og Edward har haft adgang til dem. Campion er løst knyttet til efterretningstjenesten og holder dem løbende underrettet.
Edward går sine egne vegne, men melder tilbage en gang imellem for ikke at gøre dem alt for urolige, men han røber ikke noget om hvad han har gang i. En enfoldig dommedagsbebuder, mr Deeds, klager over at hans skilte bliver lavet om og en kat følger af og til efter ham og af og til efter nogle andre.
Sam fortæller at han næsten kan læse tanker/følelser uden hjælp af i-i-røret og Paggen bliver fundet død, formodentlig dræbt. Og uden de to rør, som han tog med fra Edward og Sam. i-i rørene er lavet med et nyt grundstof Nipponanium og anbringes tæt ved halspulsåren for at virke bedst. Albert Campion tager over på øen og træffer en gammel bekendt Thos Knapp, der laver aflytning for lord Ludor, men også kan hjælpe Albert med en forbindelse, der ikke er aflytning på. Så Albert får snakket lidt med hovedkvarteret, også selv om der faktisk er nogen, der lytter med på linien. Man har fundet de to rør og nogen aflytter Rubari i Paris, for man tror efterhånden at det er Edward der har lavet rørene.

???
Et pudsigt plot, hvor jeg specielt godt kan lide at "dimsen" "the mcguffin" er en komponent, som laves af Iris Semi-Silent radioer. Det eneste specielle er indholdet af Nipponanium.
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Publication

Forum, 1971.

Description

Fact catches up with fiction when the secret of telepathic communication is discovered. But the device at the centre of the mystery is in the possession of two schoolboys and whether they stole it or invented it, there are powerful interests who will kill to get hold of it. Albert Campion faces as deadly a challenge as any in his career.

User reviews

LibraryThing member cmbohn
Some boys stumble on a high tech device that could just lead to the end of the world as we know it.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
The 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
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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.
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LibraryThing member raizel
A 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.
LibraryThing member Jennie_103
I 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.
LibraryThing member Stewartry
I 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,
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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.
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LibraryThing member charlie68
Good but not the best of the Albert Campion stories.
LibraryThing member antiquary
A 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.
LibraryThing member ChazziFrazz
Sam Ferris and Edward Longfox, cousins, are on their way to London by train. They are coming home on holiday from school in the east country, and expect to be met by Sam’s mother at Liverpool station. Instead, a young lady shows up claiming to be from hospital and to take the boys to see Mrs.
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Ferris. Unnoticed by the adults, the boys exchange glances. As she takes them along, they pass a City policeman. One of the boys states to him the lady is trying to kidnap them. The lady takes off and so does a man who was waiting nearby. Somehow the two boys were able to communicate via a form of ESP — or was it the Nipponanium “iggy-tube” that each of them wore?

This book has a bit of futuristic sci-fi and espionage in it. Sam’s father is a scientist who works in a small, isolated village just off the coast. Communication is the field and the work is top secret. Sam lives with his parents in the village and goes to a boarding school in the east country.

Edward Longfox, Campion’s nephew, goes missing. This brings Campion into the case. There are questions of why the boy has disappeared. Is it connected with the “iggy-tube”? Has he been kidnapped? Has he left on his own and if who where and why.

The murder of one of the top scientists takes the case into the murder category. It also brings up the fact that a variety of parties have a big interest in the science of ESP and how the “iggy-tube” may play a part in its application.

This isn’t a simple read due to the many characters and plot lines that are interwoven. I found I had to take a few notes to keep it straight in my mind. Overall, it was a good read and not one to be rushed through.

Side Note – This was the last book written by Allingham.
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LibraryThing member atimco
I 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
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upon like this.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1965-06

Physical description

190 p.; 18.5 cm

ISBN

8755300030 / 9788755300033

Local notes

Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en mand med højre hånd løftet til slag
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Margery Allingham, bind 18

Oversat fra engelsk "The Mind Readers" af Poul Ib Liebe
Side 13: Ikke værst af skidt at være, men et kedeligt hængetræ.
Side 73: "Drik dette her," sagde hun, og tilføjede mørkt: "Det kan let gå hen og blive det eneste rare, der sker i dag".
Side 73: Teen var ualmindelig god.
Side 106: Jeg har været lukket inde sammen med ham på direktørens kontor, og det er mit indtryk at vi alle blev 10 år ældre, og at gulvtæppet blev slidt omkring ham, mens vi så til.
Side 107: Hans hjerne er som en datamaskine. Ind ryger de forskellige oplysninger, og ud kommer svarene i døde, upersonlige vendinger, absolut korrekte, forudsat de implicerede passer til et af den halve snes mønstre, han har fundet mest almindelige.
Side 108: Han er det første 'magtmenneske', jeg personligt har været på nært hold. Man er alt for tilbøjelig til at betragte den slags fyre som potentielle Napoleoner eller Staliner, herskere over enorme territorier og over enorme menneskemasser. Men prøv at tilbringe en time eller to i selskab med lord Ludor, så vil du opdage, at mængden er underordnet. Han er interesseret i at få fuldstændig magt over individet - over rivalen, kompagnonen, funktionæren, sekretæren, underdirektøren, hustruen, elskerinden, vennen, opvarteren, dommeren eller slet og ret det uskyldige fæ, der går forbi ham på gaden. Han er en stor brutal halvgud, som alle, han kommer i kontakt med, meget hurtigt og åbenlyst bliver bange for. Han ønsker ikke at have herredømmet over hære, han ønsker at have herredømmet over DIG.
Side 109: Det er mit indtryk, at selve synet af ham ville kunne standse én i væksten.
Side 119: Han var en af disse fyre, der har særlige farver til ugedagene.
Side 181: en fin kender af gammelt søv (typo for søvn)

Paggen Mayo er et påtaget navn og er vist taget fra Paggen William Mayo, en engelsk læge, der levede fra 1766 til 1836. Det med farver knyttet til bogstaver elle ugedage kaldes farve-bogstav synæstesi.

Pages

190

Library's rating

Rating

(64 ratings; 3.2)

DDC/MDS

823.912
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