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Welcome to our buddy read of Hide My Eyes our April/May 2021 buddy read. It was published in the U.S. under the titles Tether's End or Ten Were Missing and is the sixteenth novel in the Albert Campion series.

In this classic Allingham, private detective Albert Campion finds himself hunting down a serial killer in London’s theatre-land.

A spate of murders leaves him with only two baffling clues: a left-hand glove and a lizard-skin letter-case. These minimal clues and a series of peculiar events sets Campion on a race against time that takes him from an odd museum of curiosities hidden in a quiet corner of London to a scrapyard in the East End.

Allingham shows her dark edge in Hide My Eyes and evokes the sights, sounds, and inimitable atmosphere of fifties London.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

I thought this was a great book, and although the story really centered on Charles Luke, Campion was included. I like the way Allingham captured the feel of London. The villain here was a pretty clever man, and Allingham did a great job at making him thoroughly despicable and completely without conscience, and yet the people around him were fooled. The pace of the story made it seem like a very short read.

I thought he was rather stupid - and his good fortune was that his friends did indeed hide their eyes to what was going on.

But how did the police miss the taxi-driver sent to pick up an old woman from the bus stop, within minutes and yards of a murder? In those days, murders were still rare, and got a fair amount of publicity. Any taxi-driver in the vicinity ought to have come forward "Something odd did happen just then, and I took the old lady to her home, and here's a rough description of the chap who hired me."

I enjoyed it, thought Allingham did a good job portraying his total lack of conscience, and how he played people - and how willing they were to be charmed!

I did think the waxworks on the bus were a big clue as to who was behind it all, when they were discovered to have been given to Jerry(?) quite early in the book.

Jill wrote: "I did think the waxworks on the bus were a big clue as to who was behind it all, when they were discovered to have been given to Jerry(?) quite early in the book."

But, from what I remember, only the niece knew they were given to Gerry. When Aunt Polly (I remember her name from Tom Sawyer) told the police about them she just said they had been tossed out.

Sandy wrote: "Jill wrote: "I did think the waxworks on the bus were a big clue as to who was behind it all, when they were discovered to have been given to Jerry(?) quite early in the book."

But, from what I re..."

Yes I meant to the reader not the police

Sandy wrote: "But, from what I remember, only the niece knew they were given to Gerry. When Aunt Polly (I remember her name from Tom Sawyer) told the police about them she just said they had been tossed out"

She knew, by then, that Gerry was a multiple murderer. I find her behaviour unforgivable.

I've finished this now and thought it was brilliant - very hard to put down.

Gerry is a powerfully-drawn character, and I liked the fact that although we do see through his eyes at times, it isn't done too much and is largely limited to the immediate problem, as he realises that an alibi has fallen flat or something like that.

Gerry is like the opposite to Campion, I felt - Campion is quiet, keeping in the background and giving the impression there is less to him than there is. Gerry is all glamour and talk and charisma, but with nothing underneath except his callousness and criminality.

Which title does anyone prefer? I love the title Hide My Eyes, which I feel may be a quote from a poem or play, although it is so short that it's impossible to find it online.

But I think the American title Tether's End (the name of the house where the museum is) is very good too, and both are very relevant to the novel.

I think I prefer, "Tether's End," as a title, but both are fine.

Christie was the master (or mistress) of tightly plotted mysteries and I often find Allingham quite woolly. She tends to meander, introduce too many characters, create links and go off at tangents. However, this was fairly tightly plotted, for her, and I think it worked well. As Jill says, it is well paced too and I liked the portrait of London.

I thought this was more of a thriller than a detective story, similar to The Tiger in the Smoke. For me Allingham's books are often more about characterisation and atmosphere than plot, but this one does have a very taut plot and as you say, Susan, I think it works well.

I think you are right, Judy. Although I like Campion as a character, I am less fond of the satellite characters, so I think that's why the series works less well for me.

I thought this book had some fascinating locations, the museum of oddities and the dump, which both reminded me of the strange locations in Dickens, although if anything the book overall feels more like Graham Greene to me.

Judy wrote: "I've finished this now and thought it was brilliant - very hard to put down.

Gerry is a powerfully-drawn character, and I liked the fact that although we do see through his eyes at times, it isn't..."

Good summary of his character- or lack of, I guess I should say.

Judy wrote: "I thought this was more of a thriller than a detective story, similar to The Tiger in the Smoke. For me Allingham's books are often more about characterisation and atmosphere than plo..."

Judy wrote: "Which title does anyone prefer? I love the title Hide My Eyes, which I feel may be a quote from a poem or play, although it is so short that it's impossible to find it online.

But I think the Amer..."

I really like both names, they are both appropriate on several levels.

And also agree, this was more of a psychological thriller than mystery- Gerry was so unstable and desperate and unpredictable, it really ratcheted up the tension, and feeling that the clock was ticking toward another murder if he wasn’t caught.

Finally finished it. I have to admit that I kept feeling reluctant to go back to it. I found the long stretches in Gerry’s company exhausting and kept wishing for more time with the other characters. Sociopaths take me like that. I think I liked Tiger in the Smoke better because although the themes were similar, in that book we spent a lot more time with the good guys.

One scene really didn’t work for me, and that was the dancing one. It just seemed Felliniesque and macabre.

I loved Polly, though.

Abigail wrote: "Finally finished it. I have to admit that I kept feeling reluctant to go back to it. I found the long stretches in Gerry’s company exhausting and kept wishing for more time with the other characters..."

I often feel that with sociopath characters, Abigail, but somehow with Gerry I didn't mind spending time with him, awful though he is - probably just because of the quality of Allingham's writing. I also liked Polly.

Abigail wrote: "Finally finished it. I have to admit that I kept feeling reluctant to go back to it. I found the long stretches in Gerry’s company exhausting and kept wishing for more time with the other character..."

I completely agree about the dancing scene. Felliniesque and macabre is an excellent description.

I've just finished this in two days and although part of me was repelled by it (I just want a cozy mystery!) I also found it incredibly compelling and felt the characters and plotting was really well done. Like others, I was also very much reminded of The Tiger in the Smoke and Gerry was very much in the Jack Havoc mold, only in the end he did find he had an attachment to Polly. Interesting that there is no resolution to or elaborating on all the little personal touches-does Annabelle stay, does she choose Richard or Florian, does she remain close to Polly, how are Charlie Luke and Prunella doing-this is entirely focussed on Gerry Hawker, and Campion is a very minor side note (perhaps there to get his fans to buy the book?).

I prefer the "Hide My Eyes" title, perhaps because it touches on the angle of the experience of those who love the Sociopathic criminal and the effect of finding out what they are truly like on them. It was quite interesting to see this story unfold from Polly's point of view, particularly as we learn of her little attempt to find a wife/some stability for Gerry, which backfires so tragically.

Frances wrote: "It was quite interesting to see this story unfold from Polly's point of view, particularly as we learn of her little attempt to find a wife/some stability for Gerry, which backfires so tragically."

Not as tragically as it would have been if she had managed to persuade some poor girl to marry Gerry - especially a girl with any money. I don't find it easy to forgive Polly for her blindness, which leads directly to the death of her friend, the solicitor. In fact, I find the suggestion that because she's an old woman it is only to be expected that she would shield someone she suspected of multiple murders distasteful. What is justice when weighed against a charming rogue?

In fact, I think there is more condemnation of Edna for telling all she knows, once she sees Gerry for what he is (when she recognises and learns about the white handbag).

Good points, Rosina, although I don't think she was shielding him once she knew what he'd done-she just wanted to get Annabelle safely away before deciding what to do. In both this case and in The Tiger in the Smoke the "mother figure" I think lends an interesting angle to it, as I think many people who have that relationship with an adult child would struggle initially to believe they could do something so evil, and then struggle to decide what to do about it.

Good points all. I wondered as I read why Aunt Polly was manipulating Annabelle--expected a virgin sacrifice in some occult ritual or selling her off to a wealthy and powerful man for some sort of leverage. I couldn't trust Aunt P and worried about her plans for Annabelle.
Gerry certainly had the sleeze factor of a sociopath. As someone said, I didn't get the purpose of the dance sequence except that Gerry enjoyed exerting control over a complete stranger and making him do whatever G wanted.
The museum exhibits,the wax dummies, and the dump all added to the creepiness of the atmosphere--almost gothic--innocent young girl surrounded by swirling evil until hero saves her.

I agree with the Hide My Eyes comment—it works in various different ways throughout the story. Not just the people hiding their eyes from the reality of Gerry, but in the end Gerry himself can’t look at Polly.

In the end Polly reminded me of [spoiler for Tiger in the Smoke]: (view spoiler)[the reverend in Tiger in the Smoke, confronting evil with goodness and finding courage in goodness even when physically at their most vulnerable (hide spoiler)]. I get the sense that Allingham was quite preoccupied with the Christian notion of Grace at this point in her life.