Flowers for the Judge is a crime novel by Margery Allingham, first published in February 1936, in the United Kingdom by Heinemann, London, and in the United States by Doubleday, Doran, New York. It is the seventh novel to feature the mysterious Albert Campion, aided by his grouchy manservant Magersfontein Lugg. Plot introduction The story starts in 1911 with the mysterious disappearance of one of the members of the Barnabas family, owners of a leading publishing house in London. After the initial investigation, the mystery soon disappears from the public's mind, and the remaining cousins continue the family business. Twenty years later, another member of the same family has also gone missing, and Albert Campion, a friend of the family, is brought in to find the wayward cousin. This time, the missing cousin shows up dead. The obvious suspect is the youngest of the Barnabas cousins, who also happens to love the dead man's wife. Campion must delve deep into the Barnabas family history to find the real murderer, but finds much more than he expected. Plot summary The Barnabas family is no stranger to mystery, one of the founder's nephews, Tom Barnabas, having disappeared from the street in broad daylight never to be seen again. When it is remarked, at a Sunday evening gathering held by Gina Brande in her flat next door to the offices, that Paul Brande, her inattentive husband, has not been home for three days, no-one finds it too remarkable. Shortly after the arrival of his old friend Albert Campion to look into the vanishing, Paul's younger cousin Mike, in love with Gina, goes to the vault to fetch some papers for the eldest cousin, the Barnabas Managing Director John Widdowson, and returns looking shaken, but saying nothing. Next morning, Paul's body is found sprawled in plain view in front of the vault. The doctor who is called immediately recognizes that Paul has been dead for several days, and a decision is made to move the body from where it was found, destroying clues. Mike is sent to inform Mrs Brande and seen comforting her tenderly. Campion investigates the scene of the crime and finds a recently broken ventilator to the rear of the vault, which leads to a next-door garage. Questioning staff, he discovers that the position of the body made it impossible for Mike to have missed him the night before. The police