Mr Campion's War


Book Description

“Pop has never talked about what he did in the war ... Whatever he did, it was pretty secret stuff”: the intriguing new Albert Campion mystery. Campion's young and old, extended family members and loyal friends are gathered at the Dorchester Hotel to celebrate Albert Campion’s seventieth birthday – along with some intriguing, unrecognizable guests. Who exactly are the mysterious, aristocratic, scar-faced German, Freiherr Robert von Ringer, and the elegantly chic Madame Thibus – and what is their connection to Mr Campion? Campion has decided the time has come to enthral his guests with his account of his wartime experiences in Vichy France more than twenty-five years before, but in doing so he unveils a series of extraordinary events. Why here, and why now? Not least as Campion’s shocking revelations have repercussions which reverberate to the present day, putting one of his guests in deadly danger . . .




Mr Campion's Coven


Book Description

Albert Campion is in the bleak, remote and very muddy village of Wicken on the Essex coast on a mission to rescue Dame Jocasta's dog, but soon finds himself sinking into something far more dangerous. East coast of England, 1971. Harvard student Mason Clay is writing a thesis on a group of settlers who travelled to America from the remote Essex coastal village of Wicken-juxta-Mare 300 years ago. Clay plans to visit Wicken as part of his research, and who better assist him with all things Essex than Albert Campion? But Wicken is already firmly on Campion's radar thanks to Dame Jocasta Upcott's luxury yacht found beached on a mudbank close to the village, its captain very stuck - and very dead - in the mud. Was it a bizarre accident or something more sinister? Agreeing to Dame Jocasta's request to recover her beloved pet pooch, Robespierre, Campion finds himself in Wicken, surrounded by suspicious locals and tales of witchcraft, and soon discovers its past is linked to a number of current disturbing events . . .




Mr Campion & Others


Book Description

A VINTAGE MURDER MYSTERY Agatha Christie called her ‘a shining light’. Have you discovered Margery Allingham, the 'true queen' of the classic murder mystery? A baker’s dozen of cases, each putting Albert Campion through his paces. In this miscellany of villainy, our unconventional sleuth must contend with misbehaving debutantes, sinister smuggling rings, a Dowager Countess who’s not all that she seems, an SOS message daubed in lipstick, a beleaguered New York socialite, and an elderly Egyptologist indulging in some bad behaviour...




Mr Campion's Farewell


Book Description

'England's funniest crime writer' The Times 'Charming and full of surprises' Booklist Strange things happen in the picture-postcard English village of Lindsay Carfax. When a young man falls into a quarry, it takes nine days to find the body. When rowdy hippies descend on the village, they’re given nine days to leave. When an outspoken schoolmaster is kidnapped for nine days, he stays eerily quiet after his release. Now Albert Campion has come to town – meaning to investigate all this strangeness. But whoever is behind the unusual goings-on quickly makes it very clear that his nosing around is not welcome. Undeterred by threats, Campion is determined to expose the criminal masterminds hiding in this sleepy village.




Mr Campion's Wings


Book Description

A gruesome discovery at an aircraft hanger leads Albert Campion into a turbulent mystery set in Cambridge in the middle of the Cold War. "Ripley again marries a crafty plotline with a persuasive evocation of Allingham’s style and characterizations. Fans of the originals will be delighted"- Publishers Weekly Starred Review "I have often said that my wife is a constant surprise to me." Cambridge, 1965. The honorary doctorate ceremony for Albert Campion's wife takes a dramatic turn when Lady Amanda is arrested by Special Branch for breaking the Official Secrets Act. Never before having taken much interest in his wife's work in cutting-edge aircraft design, Mr Campion sets out to discover more about the top-secret Goshawk Project in which Amanda is involved. He quickly realizes he is not the only one keen to learn the secrets of the project. When a badly mutilated body is discovered at the Goshawk Project's hangar - the result, it would appear, of a bizarre accident - Campion is drawn into a turbulent mix of industrial espionage and matters of national security. And as he attempts to get to the bottom of the deadly goings-on, it seems that the bicycles and punts are almost as dangerous as the aircraft . . .




Coroner's Pidgin


Book Description

“Allingham has that rare gift in a novelist, the creation of characters so rich and so real that they stay with the reader forever.” —Sara Paretsky World War II is limping to a close and private detective Albert Campion has just returned from years abroad on a secret mission. Relaxing in his bath before rushing back to the country, and to the arms of his wife, Amanda, Campion is disturbed when his servant, Lugg, and a lady of unmistakably aristocratic bearing appear in his flat carrying the corpse of a woman. The reluctant Campion is forced to put his powers of detection to work as he is drawn deeper into the case, and into the eccentric Caradocs household, dealing with murder, treason, grand larceny, and the mysterious disappearance of some very valuable art. “Margery Allingham deserves to be rediscovered.” —P.D. James “Margery Allingham was one of the greatest mid-20th-century practitioners of the detective novel.” —Alexander McCall Smith




The China Governess


Book Description

“Margery Allingham stands out like a shining light. And she has another quality, not usually associated with crime stories, elegance.” —Agatha Christie Timothy Kinnit is rich, handsome, and successful, but his past is a mystery to him. When he learns, on the eve of his elopement, that he is adopted, he must question everything he thought he knew. In desperate search of answers, Kinnit calls on private detective Albert Campion to shed some light on his past, and how it connects him to the notorious Turk Street Mile slum. Meanwhile, his illustrious adopted family has a sinister secret of its own—involving a murderous nineteenth-century governess—that must also be brought to light by Campion’s investigations. “Allingham is very, very good and those who are not familiar with her have a discovery awaiting them.”—Los Angeles Times




The Fashion in Shrouds


Book Description

A custom-made killer shocks the fashionable London set in “one of the finest murder books ever written” featuring gentleman sleuth Albert Campion (The New Yorker). Albert Campion’s sister is a success in her own right. A top fashion designer, she works for a legendary couturier and dresses Georgia Wells, the best-dressed actress in the world. Albert also has a connection to Georgia, but his is based on failure, not success. Georgia’s former fiancé disappeared nearly three years ago, and Campion has never been able to find him. Until now . . . The victim’s remains—discovered by Campion in a deserted country house—point to suicide. But the man’s father assumes it was foul play. In a rarified world of wealth and privilege where silence and secrets can be bought, the investigation won’t be easy, especially when another death takes center stage. This time, the victim is Georgia’s current husband—and starring in the role of prime suspect: Albert’s sister. “Top ranking whodunit in Dorothy Sayers tradition . . . Plus sale for non-mysteryites as first rate novel of fashionable London. Suspense—humor—well planned, well written.” —Kirkus Reviews Praise for Margery Allingham “Margery Allingham stands out like a shining light.” —Agatha Christie “The best of mystery writers.” —The New Yorker “Allingham was a rare and precious talent.” —The Washington Post “Don’t start reading these books unless you are confident that you can handle addiction.” —The Independent




Mr. Campion's Abdication


Book Description

‘So where exactly did Albert Campion stand on the Abdication?’ ‘Behind the throne, slightly to the left?’ suggested Commander Charles Luke. Margery Allingham’s Mr Campion finds himself masquerading as technical advisor to a very suspicious but glamorous Italian film producer and her crew hunting for buried treasure that never was in the Suffolk village of Heronhoe near Pontisbright which used to host trysts between Edward VIII and Mrs Wallis Simpson. ‘When it came to the Abdication Crisis in ’36 those dirty week-ends in Heronhoe were quickly forgotten, except not by the Prince. The story goes – that when he married Mrs Simpson, in 1937 that would be, he actually sent a valuable thank you gift to Heronhoe. That was what became known as the Abdication Treasure although there’s no record of anything going to Heronhoe Hall, or of anybody ever receiving anything from the Duke of Windsor and nobody anywhere claims to have actually seen anything resembling treasure.’ ‘So how is Albert Campion involved? You said the treasure doesn’t exist.’ ‘It doesn’t,’ Lord Breeze said firmly, ‘and I have been instructed to tell you to tell Campion, that unless he wants to risk embarrassing Buckingham Palace, he’d better lay off. There’s no such thing as the Abdication Treasure, so there’s nothing to find and Campion had better make sure he doesn’t find it!’




Mr Campion's Fox


Book Description

This brand-new novel featuring Margery Allingham’s Mr Campion recaptures the Golden Age of British Detective Fiction. The Danish Ambassador has requested Albert Campion’s help on ‘a delicate family matter’. He’s very concerned about his eighteen-year-old daughter, who has formed an attachment to a most unsuitable young man. Recruiting his unemployed actor son, Rupert, to keep an eye on Frank Tate, the young man in question, Mr Campion notes some decidedly odd behaviour on the part of the up-and-coming photographer. Before he can act on the matter, however, both the Ambassador’s daughter and her beau disappear without trace. Then a body is discovered in a lagoon. With appearances from all of Margery Allingham’s regular characters, from Campion’s former manservant Lugg, to his wife Lady Amanda Fitton and others, this witty and elegant mystery is sure to delight Allingham’s many fans. The dialogue is sharp and witty, the observation keen, and the climax is thrilling and eerily atmospheric.