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The Felse Investigations #6

Black Is the Colour of My True Love's Heart

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When two attendees go missing from a folk music festival at a remote Gothic mansion, Inspector Felse arrives to solve the mystery—and protect his son. Singers and musicians are gathered for a weekend course in folk music at the impressive neo-Gothic country mansion Follymead. Most come only to sing or to listen, but one or two have nonmusical scores to settle. When brilliantly talented Liri Palmer sings “Black, black, black is the colour of my true-love’s heart,” she clearly has a message for someone in the audience. And as passions run high, there is murder brewing at Follymead. Among the music students are Dominic Felse and his girlfriend, Theodosia. When not one, but two, members of the group go missing from the hall, Dominic calls upon his father, Detective Inspector George Felse, to help him solve this most perplexing mystery.  Black Is the Colour of My True Love’s Heart is the 6th book in the Felse Investigations, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1967

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About the author

Ellis Peters

207 books1,146 followers
A pseudonym used by Edith Pargeter.

Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay (Shropshire, England), she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books (both fictional and non-fictional) were set in Wales and its borderlands.

During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.

Pargeter wrote under a number of pseudonyms; it was under the name Ellis Peters that she wrote the highly popular series of Brother Cadfael medieval mysteries, many of which were made into films for television.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
Profile Image for Ellen.
1,051 reviews176 followers
October 15, 2016
Black is the Colour of my True Love's Heart by Ellis Peters.

Follymead College is holding a weekend of folk music. This will be educational as well as entertaining. Those in attendance will be Inspector Felse's son Dominic and his close friend Tossa. Edward Arundale, the warden of Follymead would have been in charge of the week end events except that he has appointments to keep on his agenda. The week-end itself has been arranged by his wife,Audrey, a long time admirer of folk music.
It's not long before personalities among the attendees clash head long. there seems to be obstacles to be crossed and before long Inspector Felse is called in by his Dominic. In the hope of avoiding a public spectacle that could lead to follymead College losing financial support the Inspector keeps a low profile while searching the grounds for answers to a case of a missing person.

What turns up is much more than what was expected and soon background checks bring the truth to the surface.

Much thanks to a member of a fb mystery group for recommending this marvelous mystery.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
2,776 reviews35 followers
December 29, 2010
While most people know Peters' Brother Cadfael series, I think her Inspector Felse series is much better. Freed from the demands of setting a story in a medieval setting, Peters' writing just sings. And listening to it in Simon Prebble's voice--the textbook definition of 'plummy'--is almost a sensuous experience, for those who love language.

Beyond just the writing, Peters creates wonderful characters--and settings--full of depth and nuance. They seem to spring from the earth of the Welsh borderlands with their history full-grown and tantamount. In this one, it's a manor house-turned-cultural center, hosting a weekend seminar on folk music. Every time I hear this recording, I wish I could attend that seminar! (So long as I wasn't the one getting murdered, that is.)

Anyway, a wonderful entry in a wonderful series.
Profile Image for Maureen E.
1,137 reviews54 followers
September 16, 2010
When I started this book and found that it was going to be about folk singers in the 1960s, I winced. I’ve read several mysteries where young people of that era figure and even if the author treats them with some kindness, it’s always that heavy-handed “oh those silly dears” kindness. Well, I did Ellis Peters a wrong. I think she must have been something of a folk song enthusiast herself (or maybe I should say ballad–she seems to prefer that term). I kind of called the twist, but I read her for two things: the characters and the description of the Shropshire landscape. The characters in this were well-drawn. And Dom was in it! I love Dom. So, yay. (Jan 2010)

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This is becoming one of my favorite Felse stories. It's sweet and bitter, beautiful and tragic. A lot like the music it describes. (Aug. 2010)
Profile Image for Wendi.
188 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2021
The inspector Felse mysteries are among the best of the right sort of mysteries, the right sort being those I like, of course. There are tantalizingly few of them.
In this, there is a musical gathering and seminat on folk music at an institution housed in what was once a neogothic monstrosity of a mansion called Follymead.
I guessed the plot and reason for the murder in chapter 1, but I didn't care because I really enjoy Ellis Peter's writing, her characters, her commentary, and in this one, the many bits and pieces about folk music.
Profile Image for Dorian.
226 reviews42 followers
August 24, 2012
I rather like this author's Brother Cadfael books - but this was terrible! The first few chapters wandered between 3rd-limited POV (a few different characters) and Omni...or more correctly, an attempt at Omni that really didn't work. I got annoyed by head-hopping, and then seriously confused by same. Wait - whose head are we in now? And who are we talking to? And by the way, who are we talking about?

And then there was the bit where she described the grounds of the Stately Home as "Victorian Gothic", and in the next breath described the Stately Home as being contemporaneous with Strawberry Hill and Fonthill Abbey. From which I can only conclude that she didn't know when the Victorian era was, or she didn't know when either Horace Walpole or William Beckford was. Yup, an incredibly minor detail, but it bugged me so much.

The writing did at least improve, in so far as the random crappy head-hopping stopped after about chapter six. Unfortunately, the story didn't. I only kept reading to find out if I'd correctly guessed who the murderer and murderee were (I had). And all of the characters were tiresome at best.
Profile Image for Joy.
1,409 reviews23 followers
November 8, 2022
A weekend seminar on folk music is meeting on an historical estate, called Follymead for the wild imagination that was employed in its buildings and grounds. Amid this sinister, beautiful environment, musicians and specialists give performances almost as dramatic as the clash of huge personalities going on behind the scenes. Ellis Peters created some splendid characters in her time, and in BLACK IS THE COLOUR OF MY TRUE-LOVE'S HEART she may have reached her zenith.

Read 7 times, listened once. My favorite Contemporary Mystery Reread of 2013.
Profile Image for Mary's Bookshelf.
541 reviews61 followers
January 16, 2014
I read this perhaps thirty years ago when I was in the midst of devouring Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael books. I decided to revisit it to see if it stood up to my memory of it. "Black is the Color..." is part of an earlier series that she wrote--the Inspector Felse books, which also feature his son Dominic.
Is it possible for a mystery to be gentle and beautiful? In this case the answer is yes. Peters set this mystery in a college hosting a weekend folk music seminar. She weaves the music into the story, giving the ancient ballads, which after all are stories of primal emotions, the key role in exposing the heart of the mystery. Inspector Felse is a wise police detective who is called in by his son Dominic when the lead folk singer and the college president both disappear. Inspector Felse takes the time to figure out the psychological backstory of the witnesses and suspects, not jumping to conclusions. Although the story is not action-packed, it does explore the secrets that can lead to passion and violence.
The reading by Simon Prebble is superb. He has a plummy voice that is wonderful to listen to. He brings a compassion to the reading that is extraordinary. For years I have sought out audios by Simon and will continue to do so.
If there is a failing in the book, it is that the clues to the mystery are telegraphed midway through the book.
I recommend this for anyone who enjoys the classic style of English mystery and for lovers of folk ballads/
Profile Image for Ivan.
801 reviews15 followers
September 7, 2023
This is the first I’ve read in the Inspector Felse series by Ellis Peters (though this is #6 in the series). I read this because I was intrigued by the title and that the action takes place at a folk music festival held at an English manor house. I wasn’t disappointed. This is more than a good mystery, it’s a first-rate novel. Did I guess who did what and why? Yes – but not too early; and knowing didn’t spoil anything – even with revelations confirming my suspicions, I remained intensely interested in what the resolution would be. I was impressed by the character development – which seemed an accurate depiction of the various personalities that would frequent such an event. The description of the senior lecturer put me in mind of Gyles Brandreth – each time his character appeared I conjured Brandreth’s face, voice and mannerisms. None of the plot developments seemed contrived or overly coincidental. The greatest compliment I can pay the author is that I’ve ordered two more in this series “A Derangement of Epitaphs” (#4) and “Death of a Joyful Woman” (#2).
Profile Image for Patrick Neylan.
Author 21 books27 followers
November 10, 2015
Crime writing has come a long way since this sub-Agatha Christie fare was considered worthy of anyone's attention. It fits the stereotype of something homely, set in a Middle England familiar to the little old lady who sits in a cottage knocking out whodunnits peopled by her friends and neighbours.

It's not just the characters and settings that are familiar to the point of cliché. The writing is as cardboard as the characters: the plot plods along, nudged by pedestrian prose that artlessly explains what's going on with drab matter-of-factness. How do we know what the characters are thinking? Peters writes, "He was thinking that… etc." How do we know what the characters are feeling? Peters writes, "She felt that… etc."

Peters has no ear for dialogue either. Even in Middle England, conversations do not consist of half-page explanations in perfectly composed, if lifeless prose in which all relevant facts are explained with forensic clarity.

And the plot? It's interesting that we're half-way through before we find out for sure that anyone has actually died. If we had been dealing with interesting characters and psychological manoeuvrings, then it would have been a fascinating novelistic device. But Peters doesn't deal in deep characterisation or psychology.

I was waiting for the plot twist – maybe – but it turns out that after all, which is what most readers would have suspected all along.

Meanwhile reality is crudely twisted out of recognition to suit the needs of the plot. The whole story is set in a country house where a folk music conference is going on. The most popular singer vanishes early on. Later, a body is found in the grounds, which presumably are soon swarming with police, forensic scientists and an ambulance to remove the body, all of whom must have driven up the drive in front of the house. Yet absolutely nobody notices. Add to that some deeply implausible police procedures, and we're left with a thoroughly unsatisfying, if mercifully short, crime novel.
3,335 reviews22 followers
May 20, 2020
An old favorite. Set at a mock-Gothic estate turned music school, which provides the appropriate backdrop for what could almost be a Gothic melodrama. A weekend folk-music conference draws all the principals together: two musicians; the school warden, his wife, and his teen-age niece. Also present are Dominic Felse and Tossa Barber. who somehow see more than most, and are quick to react when needed. It's hard to say a lot without giving away the plot, so I will only mention that songs are used to play a part in this unusual and imaginative plot. The characters are believable, and so are their actions and reactions. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Franziska Self Fisken .
664 reviews45 followers
May 11, 2021
Don't enjoy her "modern" books quite as much as her Cadfael series, but ironically this book depicts quite a lot of 1960's period detail including:- the then 1960's hatred of Victorian architecture and how in those days nearly everyone smoked especially the supposedly sophisticated and elegant people!
Characters well drawn, and in fact the plot again hinges on early to mid-20th century values. Say no more!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Laura Anne.
924 reviews59 followers
May 3, 2023
2023 Re-read: Slow-burn mystery around a folk music seminar at a Neo-Gothic mansion; in my series re-read, I’ve found her writing exceptionally memorable. Plots and whole passages come right back to me after 20 years.
Profile Image for Emily.
496 reviews23 followers
November 1, 2015
I tried twice and couldn't get into this one. Prefer the Brother Cadfael stories.
Profile Image for Faith Flaherty.
339 reviews6 followers
October 8, 2020
Who did it? Not who you think, and does he/she get away with it? Another interesting fact about this mystery is that the setting is really a character. Everything takes place at a music school, Follymead. (ominous title)
Fighting begins with singing ballads. From the songs we learn who are lovers, former lovers, and soon-to-be-lovers. When one of the "star guests" disappears, the reader suspects his ex-girl friend. Later on, the reader is led to suspect the "girlfriend wannabe."
Things are not at all what you suspect, even who is dead and who isn't. Can you follow me?
No? Good. That's the point. Ellis Peters has written another "who-done-it" with her usual flair.
"Black is the Color of My True Love's Heart"Neverending White Lights
Blood and the Life Eternal
Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Heart
Bless your heart
And your tired eyes
And try to keep your strength
Your life bleeds like the red I wore
On my lips as skin turned pale
Take this breath
For the lives we waste
For the hollow souls we own
Give me hope
For a restless heart
Where we'll go no one will follow, close
I swear to god I only fall apart
I swear to god I only fall apart
You've waited all your life
To take this from my blood
Indebted to you, indebted to me
Indebted to god until we bleed
This life will last
Profile Image for Tina.
111 reviews2 followers
August 30, 2021
I enjoy a good mystery, and this murder mystery offered a slow, detailed story that suited my evening-reading style. A key element of the plot was easy to spot early on (if you are looking for it) which allows the reader to crow, "I KNEW IT!" at the denouement. But this is just a hint and does not spoil the fun.
A great fan of the Father Cadfael stories by the same author, I was disappointed that this did not feel as engrossing. Perhaps that is simply my own preference for Medieval Murder with a history lesson thrown in. This story is heavy on description of physical attributes of characters which turns out to be irrelevant to the plot. It would make an excellent episode for a British TV Murder series.
Profile Image for Kiwi Carlisle.
1,106 reviews10 followers
October 14, 2025
This is my favorite of the series, and I’ve read it about 20 times over the years. It does have one little flaw. Despite her excellent knowledge of music in general, Peter’s swallowed an untrue legend about Ring Around the Rosy and passes it on as true. By the time she wrote this book, the brilliant folklorists, James and Iona Opie had proven that the song is NOT about the plague, as everyone and their uncle had claimed. They traced its origins to early 19th century Appalachia, where it was a “play party song” used for ring dances. Their sources are unimpeachable, their logic completely convincing. Peters was wrong. Aside from that, it’s a damned near perfect book, with a gripping, intricate story centered on a very real Border Ballad.
Profile Image for Keeley.
601 reviews12 followers
January 4, 2019
Peters' Felse mysteries are harder to find than the Cadfael series, but similarly enjoyable. This one explores a disappearance and possible murder at a castle weekend for folk music enthusiasts in the Sixties. I should like to have had even more time with some of the central characters. Felse is avuncular in a way that is more like Cadfael than like a real life officer of the law, but Peters' mysteries are escapist even if somebody always dies. Read addictively fast after the first couple chapters.
31 reviews
January 23, 2025
I was a little surprised at how unsubtle the writing was, considering my memory of her writing ( I just finished the Brother of Gwynedd quartet), but I hung in there because I’ve always enjoyed her books.
Then last night I finished on page 178 before going to sleep, and woke up this morning knowing with crystal clarity how it turns out.
If it isn’t the ending she wrote I will be surprised and both happy (that I am so clever) and sad (that she didn’t keep me hanging until the denouement.
Hopefully I will come back later to wind this up…
Profile Image for Rachael Robbins.
209 reviews6 followers
July 14, 2025
Mr & Mrs Arundale are trying to start a musical college and are hosting a summer week-long camp. Dominic Felse, Toss and others are eager to learn. But when one of the famous singers who is performing (Lucien Galt) disappears on the first day of the camp everyone becomes worried. As the webs unravel, it begins to look like an adulterous affair led to murder - but the final solution will startle you. Peters weaves in several long selections of folk songs in a purely delightful manner (giving rise to the book's title). She certainly writes about music as one who knows.
Strong 4.5
Profile Image for Kate.
625 reviews4 followers
May 2, 2023
Dylan and Baez.

Well, not really. But two moody on again off again folk singer stars at a weekend folk song retreat/retreat. In attendance are Dominic and Tessa (yay for repeat appearance of Toss!) and later, a dead body. Dom offers to bring in his dad, off the record. But it becomes in the record, but very quiet because we don’t want to blow up the folk song retreat. In the end it is a folk song with brave young heroes and sad ladies and blustering knights.
Profile Image for Jay.
1,261 reviews23 followers
April 21, 2020
I have started so many books since the stay-at-home order and the pandemic started, but I haven’t had luck finishing them. I keep getting lost in my thoughts, or wondering about news, or feeling like I should entertain the others in my house. Finally, this book stuck with me, or me with it, through to the end. It’s a sturdy mystery. Perfect for right now. I will read another one next.
2,113 reviews16 followers
February 28, 2021
#6 in the British Detective Inspector Felse mystery series.

A weekend folk music course at a remote mansion turns deadly after a woman sings a threatening song to someone in the audience. Inspector Felse is called to investigate by his son who is attending the folk course. Things are not that simple because of the undercurrents among the attendees.

176 reviews
March 26, 2022
Got to love Ellis Peters. This is a classic murder mystery with well drawn characters, and a delicious tale woven about them. A festival of music with some deep undercurrents driven by love needs the investigative powers of D.I. Felse done on the Q T. If you're really interested in Folk music there are also some fabulous lyrics.
112 reviews
December 18, 2023
Good mystery.

Perfect. Twists and turns. Enough clues to keep the reader guessing whodunnit. And you feel a surprise is coming. Did you guess it right? I had three surprise suspects in mind. It did turn out to be one of them, but I was really hoping it would have been one of the others.
Profile Image for Larry.
1,505 reviews94 followers
January 2, 2019
A weekend among the precious hothouse plants who hang out at a folk music conference at Follymead Music College. Life, death, and disappearance are examined in a style somewhat akin to Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh. Somewhat. I had hoped for a mass murder by page 50.
100 reviews
December 4, 2019
An excellent read

A little confusing at the beginning but since I hadn't read the previous novels in the series it just took me awhile to catch on to the names and the characters. Well written well edited. Kudos and more kudos to Ellis Peters , one fantastic authoress.
Profile Image for Larry.
710 reviews
September 4, 2022
This was a very good book. This is the third book I have read in the Felse series and so far I liked this book more than book 4 or 5. As always Ellis Peters writes a terrific book and I always look forward to reading more of her books.
Profile Image for Cybercrone.
2,104 reviews18 followers
January 4, 2025
I marked this as YA because one of the main characters is a young lad in school still. Actually he is probably the main character, and his dad, a county police detective, is a secondary character.
Not nearly as interesting to me as her other series about Brother Cadfael.
Profile Image for Ulrike.
444 reviews10 followers
June 11, 2025
I enjoyed most of this book, until the very end. I dislike mysteries where the killer at the end. It was nice to have George back.

Audiobook narrator Simon Prebble continues to earn 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews

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