The Tiger in the Smoke
 First edition | |
| Author | Margery Allingham |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Albert Campion |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
Publication date | 1952 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Preceded by | More Work for the Undertaker |
| Followed by | The Beckoning Lady |
The Tiger in the Smoke is a crime novel by Margery Allingham, first published in 1952 in the United Kingdom by Chatto & Windus and in the United States by Doubleday. It is the fourteenth novel in the Albert Campion series.
Author J. K. Rowling revealed that is her favorite crime novel.[1]
Plot
Meg Elginbrodde, a young war widow, has been receiving mysterious photographs that suggest her husband Martin, previously thought to have been killed in action during the D-Day landings, is in fact alive. As a thick and overwhelming pea soup fog begins to descend upon London, she meets with her cousin, the detective Albert Campion, and Inspector Charles Luke, at a train station to meet with an individual who claims to know her husband's whereabouts. When she appears to recognise a man disembarking from a train as her husband, he flees but is pursued and caught by Campion and Luke. The man is, however, a struggling actor and recently-paroled convict called "Duds" Morrison, who bares only a superficial resemblance to Martin Elginbrodde but has somehow acquired an old, distinctive coat of his. Duds is arrested but soon released without charge, only to be discovered dead soon after his release. Investigating how Duds acquired the coat, Meg's father Canon Avril discovers that a member of his household staff gave it to Mrs Lucy Cash, a local loan shark, in order to settle a debt.
Unknown to Meg, Campion and Luke, however, Meg's fiancee Geoffrey Levitt -- driven to jealousy by the uncertainty of knowing whether Elginbrodde is actually alive -- accosts Duds after his release and tries to bribe him for information regarding Elginbrodde. Before he can learn anything, however, the two men are attacked by a gang of criminals disguised as a street band made up of beggars and impoverished veterans. The gang demand that Duds reveal the whereabouts of Duds's employer, a man they refer to only as "the Gaffer", who has apparently cheated them out of something valuable. When Duds tries to flee, the gang attack him, leading to the gang leader, the albino Tiddy Doll, accidentally kicking him to death. The gang kidnap Levitt and carry him to their hideout disguised as a crippled member of their band. Geoffrey, calling on his experience as a wartime officer, attempts to reason with the gang and negotiate his release, but when news breaks of Duds's death they panic and hold him hostage.
Levitt's unusual disappearance, when his meeting with Duds is discovered, begins to arouse suspicion that he is involved in the murder of Duds. However three people, including a young police detective following a lead on the murder of Duds, are brutally stabbed to death in a nearby house, triggering a public outcry. The murderer is quickly identified as Jack Havoc, a violent and mysterious convict who recently escaped after murdering a prominent doctor who was attempting to treat him. Learning that Havoc served with Elginbrodde during the war, it soon becomes clear to Campion and Luke that Havoc is "the Gaffer". Meg, accompanied by Campion's wife Amanda, goes to her and Levitt's future home to destroy the letters she received from Elginbrodde in an attempt to reach closure about his death, but while they are there Havoc breaks in and begins to ransack the house, clearly searching for something. Meg flees to seek help while Amanda stays to observe Havoc. Before Havoc can discover her, the house is stormed by the police, but Havoc manages a lucky escape.
While the gang are debating what to do about Duds, Havoc surprises them by entering their hideout. It is revealed that he served with several other members as the sergeant in their wartime unit, and still holds a powerful thrall over them -- however, Tiddy Doll insightfully realises that, despite Havoc's confident and dominating attitude, due to his sloppy, desperate actions the police are certain that Havoc is the murderer and are closing in on him, while his violent and unpredictable nature intimidates and repels much of the criminal underworld, meaning that few will help him. Conceding Tiddy's point, Havoc agrees to allow Tiddy and his gang a share in what he is seeking. He reveals that, during a confidential assassination mission in occupied France during the war, Elginbrodde revealed that the house that the target was based in was his former childhood home, and that a great treasure had been located there which, in the event of his death, would be inherited by Meg. Elginbrodde had written a letter revealing the whereabouts of the treasure, and the impersonation of Elginbrodde was an attempt by Havoc to acquire it. Owing to a series of further connections between himself and Elginbrodde, Havoc has become a passionate believer in what he calls "the Science of Luck" and believes he is destined to find the treasure, which has subsequently driven his ruthless actions.
During Havoc's narrative, Tiddy has attempted to manipulate him into revealing too much in front of Geoffrey, thus giving him reason to murder the other man -- and consequently kill the one person who can conclusively identify Tiddy as the true murderer of Duds. Before he can do so, however, Campion -- following a hunch -- comes across their hideout, forcing the gang to make a swift retreat and leave Geoffrey behind to be rescued by Campion and his manservant Luggs. Based on something Havoc mentioned during his story, Geoffrey locates the letter and decides to locate the treasure, whatever it may be, in order to protect Meg's inheritance. Campion, Amanda and Meg agree to accompany him to Elginbrodde's childhood home in France in order to search for it.
After a conversation with Inspector Luke, who suspects a connection between Havoc and Mrs Cash, Canon Avril realises that he knows who and where Havoc really is. Avril goes to confront Havoc, who has been hiding in the crypt of his church -- and who is, in truth, the son of Mrs Cash, believed to have died as a youth. In fact, Mrs Cash blackmailed Avril's now-deceased wife, who was in debt to Cash, to pretend to identify the body. During their confrontation, the two have a philosophical conversation about Havoc's belief in the "Science of Luck", which shares similarity to Avril's own philosophy of life -- except where Havoc has used his for murderous and violent ends, Avril has tried to lead a selfless, devout life. After accidentally revealing the location of the treasure, Avril tries to persuade Havoc to abandon his destructive path. Havoc attacks Avril in response -- but the old priest's words have shaken his self-confidence, leading him to accidentally wound instead of murder him.
As Campion and the others search Elginbrodde's childhood home for the treasure, Havoc and the gang rush to France, followed closely by Inspector Luke. As Luke and the French authorities confront and subdue the gang in a violent ambush, Havoc escapes and reaches the house -- where he encounters Meg, alone. Meg, not recognising Havoc as her childhood acquaintance, reveals that she has realised where the treasure is. Together the two uncover it -- and it is revealed to be little more than a beautiful but near-worthless ivory carving of a Madonna and Child. Meg, finally reaching closure with Elginbrodde's death, is moved to tears, but Havoc is horrified that all he has done has been for nothing. As the police catch up with him, Havoc escapes one more time and, broken by his experiences, commits suicide by plunging off a nearby cliff.
Film
The story was adapted for a 1956 film Tiger in the Smoke starring Donald Sinden and Muriel Pavlow, but omitting the central character of Campion and handing his dialogue and scenes to other characters, particularly Inspector Luke.
References
- Margery Allingham, The Tiger in the Smoke, (London: Chatto & Windus, 1952)
- Margery Allingham, The Tiger in the Smoke, (Vintage, Random House, 2005)
External links
- An Allingham bibliography, with dates and publishers, from the UK Margery Allingham Society