Product Description
First, there is a skeleton in a dinner jacket. Then a corpse in a golden aeroplane. After another body, Albert Campion nearly makes a fourth . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Allingham's best
I think this is Allingham's best. Christie is usually brought up by way of comparison but a better one is probably Dorothy Sayers, and for those who know Sayers's work, this is best described as Allingham's version of MURDER MUST ADVERTISE.

As with Sayers, this is both a murder mystery set in a certain mileau and an acerbic commentary of that world and the kind of dirty things that go on behind it.

It's not as good as the Sayers. DS obviously loved advertising; I didn't sense Allingham felt that way about fashion. This tends to limit one's involvement in the story. Plus, Sayers's book is an absolute masterpiece of plot construction, each piece carefully fixed in place. Allingham here, well it feels like she lost faith in the thing, the final pages turn this into a very conventional sort of mystery. (It doesn't help that the murderer is pretty obvious by the halfway point.)

Still, it's good. Allingham's writing is sharp, the concentration on a mileau gives the work a kind of discipline some of her others lack (MORE WORK FOR THE UNDERTAKER), while the concentration on satire reigns in the self involvement that others suffer from (the interesting, but flawed DANCERS IN MOURNING). Her observations on what the glamour world really is feel as true today as ever.

"It's an honest, done-on-purpose killing for a reason."
As talented and popular in the 1930s and 1940s as fellow mystery writers Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham is now, inexplicably, almost forgotten, except by mystery aficionados. Writing a series of novels featuring Albert Campion, a man of mysterious background who moves comfortably both in aristocratic circles and in the seedy underworld of thugs and criminals, Allingham sets up elaborate plots that cross class lines and entertain the reader with their cleverness. Campion, often aided by Lugg, a former burglar, manages to remain friendly with local police inspectors while operating as a private detective, often hired by the titled nobility with whom he associates.

This novel, written in 1938, opens with the discovery of the fully clothed skeleton of a man who disappeared three years before. A lawyer hoping for a judgeship, the deceased was the fiancé of Georgia Wells, a stage actress and seductress who married someone else just six months after his disappearance. Campion's sister Val, who runs a high fashion design house, is also involved in the mystery, as are the man she loves, who runs an aircraft company trying to sell planes to a foreign country, and Georgia's present husband, a self-important snob who works for the government. The mystery is unusually intricate, and when two more deaths occur, Campion must investigate questions of blackmail, secret relationships, drug shipments, an out-of-the-way restaurant, and characters who look like other characters. He must also deal with a former acquaintance, Lady Amanda Fitton, who has returned--and unexpectedly announced her engagement to him.

Highly entertaining and very fast paced, the novel is cleverly written and full of intrigue, populated with characters who have more substance than the cardboard characters one finds in most mysteries. Allingham's ability to incorporate details of time and place--and class--give this novel a lively sense of the atmosphere of prewar England and the attitudes of its population, not all of them admirable. Elitism, bigotry, and class prejudice are all given voice in this novel, and play a part in the mystery.

Far more literary in style than Agatha Christie, Allingham employs a good deal of humor and irony, though Albert Campion is more phlegmatic than Lord Peter Wimsey (Dorothy Sayer's detective) and less exaggerated than Christie's Hercule Poirot. Allingham, a fine writer, creates well developed plots and memorable characters, and one hopes that her work will be reprinted for a new audience. Mary Whipple

"Murder:I think it's unethical and ungentlemanly and unkind."
As talented and popular in the 1930s and 1940s as fellow mystery writers Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham is now, inexplicably, almost forgotten, except by mystery aficionados.Writing a series of novels featuring Albert Campion, a man of mysterious background who moves comfortably both in aristocratic circles and in the seedy underworld of thugs and criminals, Allingham sets up elaborate plots that cross class lines and entertain the reader with their cleverness.Campion, often aided by Lugg, a former burglar, manages to remain friendly with local police inspectors while operating as a private detective, often hired by the titled nobility with whom he associates.

This novel, written in 1938, opens with the discovery of the fully clothed skeleton of a man who disappeared three years before.A lawyer hoping for a judgeship, the deceased was the fiancé of Georgia Wells, a stage actress and seductress who married someone else just six months after his disappearance.Campion's sister Val, who runs a high fashion design house, is also involved in the mystery, as are the man she loves, who runs an aircraft company trying to sell planes to a foreign country, and Georgia's present husband, a self-important snob who works for the government.The mystery is unusually intricate, and when two more deaths occur, Campion must investigate questions of blackmail, secret relationships, drug shipments, an out-of-the-way restaurant, and characters who look like other characters. He must also deal with a former acquaintance, Lady Amanda Fitton, who has returned--and unexpectedly announced her engagement to him.

Highly entertaining and very fast paced, the novel is cleverly written and full of intrigue, populated with characters who have more substance than the cardboard characters one finds in most mysteries.Allingham's ability to incorporate details of time and place--and class--give this novel a lively sense of the atmosphere of prewar England and the attitudes of its population, not all of them admirable.Elitism, bigotry, and class prejudice are all given voice in this novel, and play a part in the mystery.

Far more literary in style than Agatha Christie, Allingham employs a good deal of humor and irony, though Albert Campion is more phlegmatic than Lord Peter Wimsey (Dorothy Sayer's detective) and less exaggerated than Christie's Hercule Poirot.Allingham, a fine writer, creates well developed plots and memorable characters, and one hopes that her work will be reprinted for a new audience. nMary Whipple

Complex, disturbing
I almost prefer the abridged audiobook, as it speeds up the action by leaving out many baroque flourishes like Val's office in a kind of Regency bird-cage and Ferdy Paul's flat at the top of an old theatre. It also hones down Georgia's character - in the real book she's much nastier. In fact she is really quite nasty, a beautiful woman who makes slaves of men and women, including her dear, dear, best friend Val whose fiance she tries to steal. What else is disturbing? Campion sneering at Lugg for trying to educate himself with a book of aphorisms (though one of them turns out to be the clue to the killer), the upper classes use of the word 'rape' to mean 'seduce', and their laughing at Africans for being impressed by a gold aeroplane. What's endearing? Campion's befriending of Georgia's son, and the way the boy, Lugg, Campion and Amanda form an ill-assorted but happy gang. Campion and Amanda's romance. Peripheral characters like Madame Papendiek, Rex and Mrs Fitch. What's funny? The banter, including the suggestion that Amanda keeps up her stockings with a couple of magnets and a dry battery. What's fascinating? A glimpse into a world that has weathered wars and socialist governments and can still be found in London's western half.

Style Never Goes Out of Fashion
One of the author's most accomplished novels.At once an elegant and deftly-observed social satire in the manner of Thackeray and an ingeniously complicated detective story, the book is virtually flawless.Campion is in superb form throughout, both as detective pitting his wits against a superhuman Nemesis of a murderer, and as a lover (even going to the extent of throwing his fiancée in the lake during a quarrel); Lugg is as amusing as ever; and there is much interest in the character and methods of the villain, "who can set the murderous Machiavel to school," weaving webs of a subtlety and diabolical ingenuity matched only by his creator. ... Read more

Product Description
A cupboard, a corpse, and a cache of family skeletons...the Ivorys lived in state, in London. All respectable. But when Frances warned her grandmother that 'something was going on', it was the understatement of the decade. Upstairs, in a cupboard, there was soon to be a corpse, and when that came to light, out fell the whole file of well-suppressed family secrets and hatreds... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mystery without Campion, but still very good.
Just a warning--Campion does not appear in this book. But it is a good, solid mystery with a lot going for it.

The action centers around the Ivory's art gallery, where a series of malicious pranks are causing problems. When a valuable painting is slashed right before an opening, things really come to a head.

There's a pretend engagement, a man come back from the dead, an unscrupulous business manager, and finally, a murder. The ending is very exciting. My only complaints are that the policeman in charge of the case is more of a characture that a real person and that the identity of the weapon is not as much of a secret to the reader as it is to the police. ... Read more

Product Description
Scandal hits the staid publishing house of Barnabas when one of the directors is found dead in the strong-room. Campion needs all his resources to uncover the truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Some families have all the luck....
and in the Barnabas family lately that luck has turned all bad.

In the 19th century Jacoby Barnabas founded a publishing house, one that prospered and, in due time was passed along to his decendents who, for the most part carried on the business quite conventionally.The third generation was a different matter.One grandson refused to enter the business at all, another was 'to be looked after' and his brother simply disappeared.The rest managed to entangled themselves in love affairs and murder!

Enter Albert Campion (not his real name), friend of the family and amateur detective (and perhaps in line to the throne) has dropped by to take tea with the family but before the evening is over one of the family is found dead with the prime suspects being his wife and his cousin who apparently have become 'quite fond' of one another.As Campion begins to look into the matter he uncovers all sorts of things, office scandals, a long-time mistress and just how a proper businessman can vanish while walking down a London street in broad daylight.

This is the seventh in the Campion series and at this point Albert is emerging from the shadow of Lord Peter Wimsey, the character Allingham patterned him after.Albert is becoming more down to earth and focused, developing more of his own persona, although Allingham is not above making a sly reference to 'Denver' - Lord Peter's family estate.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable mystery, particularly for those who are fans of this series or of mysteries of this era.The characters are well done, the plotting is clever, and the clues are all there fairly laid out for the reader to follow.

Excellent mystery; watch the English words/French.
This is a most excellent mystery, written by one of Britain's premiere writers.Beginning with a murder (naturally) and a missing person, Campion and his companion (with the barely pronounceable first name) Lugg, set to uncover what happened.Some of the old "English/British" expressions might send one to the closest OED (Oxford English Dictionary, of course) and a line of "French", literally, at the end of the last chapter might require a "French" dictionary (for those who, like me, did not take the language in school).Otherwise, a fine book.I wish they would put the video (PBS) version of this book out, as it (the title character, Campion) was well played by Peter Davison of Dr. Who fame.

Disappearing Inc.
With "Flowers for the Judge" Margery Allingham signals the change in her writing style which was first hinted at in "Police at the Funeral."Campion has matured a bit and changed from a hapless zany to someone just a bit more like a friend of the family.Still occasionally fatuous, but, more often, showing flashes of brilliance.In keeping with this, the stories themselves are shifting away from adventure tales and becoming more typical of detective stories.While Allingham is rarely very good at keeping secrets, there really are mysteries and inexplicable clues to puzzle out.

The mystery in "Flowers for the Judge," is who murdered Paul Brande in the cellar lock room of Barnabas Limited.Brande is one of the owners of this respectable publishing firm, along with his cousins John Widdowson and Michael Wedgewood.Paul, noted for running off without notice, and being a bit hare-brained to boot, leaves behind his wife Gina.He had proven himself somewhat lacking as a husband and Gina was in the process of trying to divorce him.To make this even more suspicious, her relationship with Michael, while not exactly improper, is a bit too close to be considered a simple friendship.

When the police discover that the murder weapon was Michael's car, which was used to pump carbon monoxide into the lock room, suspicions blossom.With Michael unable to produce an alibi, the result of the inquest is a forgone conclusion, and Michael is remanded over for trial.Gina and Ritchie Barnabas (another cousin) turn to Campion for help.

The case is complicated by other events and hints of scandal, yet provides Campion with only fragmentary evidence with which to track down the truth.Driven by the need to exonerate Michael rather than simple get him released, Campion's task seems impossible.He leaves no stone unturned in his efforts, and, in the end, risks his own life to reveal the true murderer.

I rather like the new Campion.And the change in writing style introduces considerable depth and emotional content than was present in the more light hearted romances of the past.Characters are more developed and accessible, as well.Not only is "Flowers for the Judge" a great story in it's own right, it is also a portent of more wonderful tales to come.

classic golden age English detective story
Albert Campion, universal uncle and amateur detective, is invited into the family circle of staid British publisher Barnaby. There he finds an enmeshed family system, and a series of mysteries. Twenty years before oneof the brothers vanished into thin air, while walking down a London street.Now Paul has been found dead in the manuscript vault. His cousin Mike (whois fond of the widow) is prime suspect. It was his car, left runningoutside the vault room's ventilator, that caused Paul's death of carbonmonoxide poisoning. Cousin Ritchie, the reclusive manuscript reader, offershis eccentric assistance. A wonderful surprise ending to all this, whichwill be welcomed by anyone who's worked in a stuffy publishing house, orendured an asphyxiating family firm. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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v + 86pp. ... Read more

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Chapters: World War I Chaplains, Francis P. Duffy, Matthew Mullineux, Theodore Hardy, Rupert Mayer, Christopher Maude Chavasse, William Thomas Havard, John Joseph Mitty, Kenneth E. Kirk, Walter Julius Carey, John B. Devalles, George Merrick Long, John Chapman, Edwin Ferdinand Lee, Jenkin Alban Davies, Clare Purcell, Charles Prescott, Edward Mellish, Barry O'toole, Frederick Waldegrave Head, Philip Clayton, Giuseppe Ricciotti, Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, Bernhard Schwentner, J. C. Tolmie, Albert Braun, Harry Elmore Hurd, Hugh Leycester Hornby, William Addison, David Williams, Willie Doyle, Joseph John Booth. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 106. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Francis Patrick Duffy (18711932) was an American soldier, Roman Catholic priest and chaplain. Francis Duffy was born in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada and immigrated to New York City, where he taught for a time at the College of St. Francis Xavier and where he was awarded a Master's degree (the school survives as Xavier High School). He became a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, being ordained on September 6, 1896. He attended The Catholic University of America where he earned a doctorate in 1905. He was an alumnus of St. Michael's College, Toronto, Canada. After ordination, Duffy served on the faculty of St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, Yonkers, which trains priests for the Archdiocese of New York. He was professor of Philosophical Psychology (a course more related to the Philosophy of the Human Person, than to Clinical Psychology, in today's terms), functioned as a mentor to numerous students, and was editor of the New York Review -- at the time, this publication was the most scholarly and progressive Catholic theological publication in America. Extremely popular with students, Duffy was part of a ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2983677 ... Read more

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Chapters: Walter Layton, 1st Baron Layton, Cyril Norman Hinshelwood, Matthew Kaufman, Alan Francis Bright Rogers. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 20. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Walter Thomas Layton, 1st Baron Layton, CH, CBE (15 March 1884 - 14 February 1966), was a British economist, editor and newspaper proprietor. Layton was the son of Alfred John Layton of Woking, Surrey, and Mary Johnson. He was educated at King's College School, Westminster City School, University College, London and Trinity College, Cambridge. He became a lecturer in economics at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1908, then from 1909 to 1914 he was a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College. A notable economist, Layton worked for the Ministry of Munitions during the First World War. In 1922 he was appointed editor of The Economist, a post he held until 1938, and from 1944 to 1963 was also Chairman of The Economist Newspaper Ltd. His editorship was of profound importance to the newspaper, and he was probably the person to whom it owes most thanks for its survival and continued independence. He was editorial director of the News Chronicle (1930-40), and returned to the Chronicle after the war, where he remained until the newspaper ceased publication in 1960. He was a member of the Liberal Party committee that produced 'Britain's Industrial Future', otherwise known as the 'Little Yellow Book'. He stood as a Liberal Parliamentary candidate, contesting the London University seat in 1929. Layton was again drafted in to work for the government during the Second World War, holding positions in the Ministry of Supply (from May 1940) and the Ministry of Production. Head of Joint War Production Staff 1942 to 1943. After the war, he served as Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 194...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=6374602 ... Read more

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The fourth mystery featuring Albert Campion, the gentleman detective.. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent
I enjoyed this book very much, so much that I'm getting all of the books in the series from the first to the last.

Families can be so trying at times
This 1932 novel is the 3rd in the Campion series.'Albert Campion' (one of his aliases) has been contacted by an old school friend who has asked Albert to look into a matter for his fiancee's family - the Faradays, it seems that one of his future in-laws is missing.As the young lady is filling in Albert on her uncle's disappearance word arrives that the missing man has been found, unfortunately dead.

Upon arriving at the Faraday household Albert discovers that his grandmother and the matriarch of clan, Aunt Caroline, are old friends.With this entree into the family Campion begins to unearth old family secrets and scandals.Ultimately the truth comes out but not before the body count rises.

Albert Campion has been compared to Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey especially in the earlier novels.The similarities are noticeable in this one but less so than the previous novel, MYSTERY MILE.Campion is still traveling in the close world of upper class old English families and still playing the effete fool.The setting here is Cambridge (as opposed to Wimsey's Oxford) and Campion's police contact Oats, is reminiscent to Wimsey's Parker.Campion though is beginning to remerge from Wimsey's shadow here and developing more of his own style.

The mysteries are intriguing, the clues are all present and challenging enough to keep the reader guessing.This is a great entry into the series, one that fans will not want to miss.It would also be a good place to begin if the earlier books are not available.

The Golden Age At Its Best
A diabolical murderer has been at work in the Victorian precincts of the manor known as Socrates Close. The formidable Great Aunt Caroline has all her wits about her, but her family does not and they have been dropping like flies. The police are naturally baffled. Only Albert Campion, faintly redolent of the early Lord Peter Wimsey with his fatuous smile and episcopal connections, stands between the criminal and a particularly nasty victory.This is Golden Age crime in full glory: an extremely ingenious puzzle, very well drawn period characters (Great Aunt Caroline is unforgettable), the usual understated English humour and a villain who is memorable in more than the usual ways. I'm not sure if Margery Allingham ever wrote a better book than this, so sit back, relax, make yourself comfortable and get ready to enjoy a mystery the likes of which they seldom write these days. If it's raining outside, so much the better!

A Different Curriculum for Cambridge
Coincidence and madness are the twin themes of "Police at the Funeral." The book starts out when a planned meeting between Campion and Joyce Blount turns into an accidental meeting with Inspector Stanislaus Oates and a peculiarly unpleasant fellow who takes one look at Joyce and flees. From there the tale follows a twisted path.

Joyce is the fiancée of Marcus Featherstone, one of Campion's oldest friends. She lives with her great aunt Caroline, a pair of unpleasant uncles and an equally depressing brace of aunts. Uncle Andrew, a singularly miserable fellow, has vanished and Joyce has come to Campion for help. In short order Andrew is found murdered in such a fashion as to implicate his heavy drinking brother William. Campion's presence is commanded by Great Aunt Caroline and he is settled into Socrates Close, their Cambridge home, to act as detective, defender and general factotum.

Yes, I said commanded. Great Aunt Caroline Faraday is a true Victorian 'grand dame.' For most of her life she has ruled Socrates Close and much of Cambridge's social life. Even now, in her 90's she is a force to be reckoned with. She has no patience with her dependents, who share little of her and her departed husband's brilliance. She sees no alternative to the ministrations of Campion, with whose mysterious but illustrious family she is well acquainted.

It will take the death of one of Joyce's aunts and yet another fatality before Campion is able to meet her expectations. In doing so he will brush with evil at its most petty and spiteful. The lightheartedness that Campion uses to cover his true feeling entertains and delights us, but is never completely able to dispel the pall that lies upon the great house until the very last, when he once again finds a way through.

I believe this is the first time Allingham puts aside her Chinese fire drill device and settles in to write true detective fiction. Her talent reveals itself as quite capable of handling the slower pace, which allows here more time to develop a remarkable cast of characters. These are never guilty of tediousness despite any other flaws they chose to reveal.

It is a shame that Allingham's books are often allowed to go in and out of print. Too often, Campion aficionados are condemned to rummaging in used bookstalls to fill a gap in their collection. Luckily, most of us like to rummage. Police at the Funeral is a wonderful tale that is reminiscent of Marsh's "Death of a Peer," although the Faradays are nowhere as near as appealing as Marsh's Lampreys. Except for Great Aunt Caroline, of course, who is a perfect treat. I can only tell you this tale is well worth digging for. ... Read more

Product Description
In this 1933 novel, goofy supersleuth Albert Campion masquerades as the Hereditary Paladin of Averna in order to restore the tiny Baltic kingdom to its rightful owners and foil a murderous industrialist. Danger (a mad doctor) and romance (a local girl) add to the detective's adventures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A wonderful, old fashion mystery.
I haven't read some of the classic British murder mysteries in over 25 years, so I decided to reread some of my old favorites.The innocence and simplicity of the characters may bore those who enjoy the modern merger of the bodice ripper genre with the more graphic murder mystery or those mysteries that are more violent and dark in their character.To these this book will probably seem way too tame, and her prose style may not work for those who have been brought up on faster paced, dialogue dominated modern mysteries. I was impressed once more with Margorie Allingham's talent for creating ambiance and character.Anyone who likes to settle in with a book that takes the reader out of their own "story" and into that of a past peopled with charming and intriguing characters will love "Sweet Danger."

Having seen the more recently made films based on the Allingham stories, Campion - The Complete First Season, I was amazed at how close to the narrative those dramatists had kept; often screen plays stray so profoundly from the original that they bear hardly any resemblance at all to them--although PBS/BBC productions are among the more reliable.Their choice of stars was also exquisite.Brian Glover as the ex-burgler Magersfontein Lugg was inspired, and Peter Davidson is the absolute epitome of Albert Campion.For those who are already Allingham fans and who haven't already seen them, these film collections are definitely worth it too.

This story is one of those the BBC producers chose to capture on film.The book gives a much fuller account of the characters and their activities than a movie, with its limits of time and budget, can possibly give.The style is quixotic and fun, something like a Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves, or Thurber,My World-and Welcome to It (Harvest Book),novel, with offhand witticisms capturing the affected insouciance of the upper class characters the author is attempting to portray.There is also a similar madcap activity about it, like a Noel Coward Play, Blithe Spirit, Hay Fever, Private Lives: Three Plays, with characters coming off and on "stage."

Here the tale revolves around the claims over a title, the property of which has now become crucial to world politics.An earthquake has made the exploitation of mineral rights there more feasible, and now as a matter of national interest the British government has employed Albert Campion to discover the proof that will validate the claiment's rights to the property.Evil forces intervene, of course, and Albert and his companions are forced to risk life and limb to help the Fitton family and the heir apparent succeed to his throne.

A wonderful, old fashion mystery.

Detestable Deception
Once again, while searching for some clue to what a book on Amazon is about, I've found that the volume in question is in fact a book that was previously published under a new title, a fact nowhere acknowledged by Amazon or by the publisher.This time I stumbled on the evidence by checking the "Look Inside" feature, which displayed the earlier edition and title. Repackaging books in this way is surely an attempt to delude readers into making an unnecessary purchase. Customers should be wary, and publishers should be ashamed.

My favorite Campion Mystery
Action, drama, suspense and mystery:all wrapped up in the person of Albert Campion, Allingham's famous solver of mysteries.He's not a detective or the police, just someone who is always there to get you out of a jam.Sweet Danger gives you romance, which after Biddy's marriage, seemed a forgone part of Albert's life.Young fiery red-headed Amanda is there to change all of that!A Campion mystery you can't miss reading!

Sweet Danger
A delightful romp with an interesting array of characters.It's more than it initially seems as a mystery and the same may be said with regard to Mr. Campion, Ms. Allingham's Detective.

A lovable classic from the Golden Age
This book is assuredly a period piece from about 1930, and the plot is definitely far-fetched for a modern reader - but I loved it. Albert Campion is at his deceptively foolish best, and he is matched - in more ways than one - byAmanda Fitton, an intelligent and engaging young lady engineer. The phrase "light-hearted adventure" sums up the book fairly well.

So what is this plot? There's a small but potentially important territory in the Balkans that should belong to the Earl of Pontisbright - the trouble is that the last Earl apparently died decades ago without leaving an heir. Campion gets his mates to help him sort things out, and prove that Amanda's brother is the rightful Earl.

' "Look here", said Guffy, "what exactly are we looking for?"...

Campion apologised "I'm sorry ... I ought to have explained this before. There's three things without which the Powers-That-Be don't consider they could possibly get a favourable decision at the Court of The Hague. The first - it's rather like a fairy story isn't it - is the crown which was made for Giles Pontisbright in the reign of Henry Fourth..." '

So Campion tries to find a crown, and solve two other puzzles, and fend off Brett Savanake, who is a rather nasty but impressive millionaire industrialist who wants the territory for himself.

The scene where Campion first meets Amanda is a delight, and the book is filled with lots of really good minor characters such as "Honesty" Bull the local publican. There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot.

If you like mysteries from this era, give it a try. If you want to tackle the Albert Campion series, this is a good place to start.


... Read more

Product Description
In this early Campion mystery, the mild-mannered detective sets out to investigate why someone would attempt to kill an American judge. Whether by bad luck or bad marksmanship, four others have already died in place of Judge Lobbett. The tale involves a complex plot, a host of unforgettable characters, and a good dose of British humor, making it a classic in the genre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Inspired Facetiousness
MYSTERY MILE is one of Margery Allingham's earliest efforts in the "Mr. Campion" series, and has everything the lover of the British Mystery adores:dark secrets, evil-doers, treachery, derring-do, and an insouciant protagonist, whose true identity is never actually revealed.(We know from infrequent hints that he is, if not related to British Royalty, at least an aristocrat.)

I recommendMYSTERY MILE unreservedly.If you love Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Agatha Christie, you are in for a grand adventure with Mr. Campion and his ex-burglar servant, Magersfontaine Lugg.I particularly liked this book which was published by Felony/Mayhem, and I hope they publish more of Miss Allingham's work.

Lovely New Copies of a Vintage Mystery Series
Thank you, Felony and Mayhem, for your new publications of vintage mysteries! I admire the works of Margery Allingham, although I am not a devoted fan (but there are many).And this is a lovely series.

A Campion Classic!
Mystery Mile is a classic Campion, full of twists and turns that will leave you breathless.Breathless as you try to figure out which character is Simister, elusive crime boss of the world. This second Campion novel introduces some of Campion's friends and companions, beloved to all Allingham readers.Check out George, Biddy, Lugg and all the others in the Mystery Mile!

Lugg Rules!
True this is the first book where Campion takes center stage.Here his wit, calm under fire, and deviousness are firmly established.For me, even better is the development of Magersfontein Lugg as a subtle ex-thug.

Lots of sneaky twists and turns in the story.In the end Campion, as often happens, succeeds in spite of himself.

I do not understand the previous comment about Black Dudley and Mystery Mile being the same story.The former opens in a country manor, the latter on a transatlantic voyage.I can't think of single character other than Campion who appears in both stories.Printing error?

Almost great
This is supposed to be one of the "50 best mysteries of all times," but it certainly isn't one of the 50 top mysteries this mystery fan has read.It's o.k. as a story, and the writing is good, but the 1930s British argot is so thick that it got in the way of the story for me.And I found myself not really caring what happened to any of the characters.It certainly does give a flavor of the England of the 1930s, but I'm not going to give this book to a friend.I'm going to sell it to a used book store instead... ... Read more

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Ruskie: Beers, Bears & Babushkas Ruskie: Beers, Bears & Babushkas shows a picture of Russia, Russian Business and the Russian People as they really are. Admittedly, they don't all drink copious amounts of Vodka but some of them do. Not all Russian women threaten to cut off their fingers as proof of their love for someone, then again some of them do. In general, Businessmen in Moscow don't go around shooting their competitors in order to make sure their business succeeds, but, you guessed it, once again some of them still do! Matthew Francis, a young Englishman, arrives to set up a 'Western Style' consulting practice in Moscow and gives a hilarious account of the pleasures and perils of being a Brit in Russia. Faster than a Russian woman chasing a designer handbag, scarier than being threatened by the Moscow Mafia, and sexier than watching Maria Sharapova play tennis in her underwear. Or maybe not! One thing for sure, this is a story of the Real Russia, the Russia you definitely don't read about in the newspapers! ... Read more

Product Description
'Earthquake country,'said the Professor. 'San Francisco is geologically and seismologically a city that waits to die. Los Angeles is ringed by earthquake centres - seven massive quakes so far. We have no idea where the next, the monster, will hit-'-until a criminal fanatic kidnaps a nuclear scientist and builds his own atomic bombs. If exploded on California's fault lines they could trigger off the mightiest earthquake of them all - killing half its population and dumping the entire city of San Francisco into the sea.Goodbye California- ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

One of his worst...
It's no secret that Maclean's books in the 70's and 80's were far inferior to his classics from the 50's and 60's. Even allowing for that, 'Goodbye California' is a huge dissappointment and one of Maclean's worst ever books. It starts out okay: a terrorist group steals some nuclear weapons, taking several hostages including the wife of cop Sergeant Ryder. Unless their demands are met, they will detonate these bombs on California's fault-lines , causing an earthquake large enough to drop California in the ocean.

It's a solid basis for a thriller, but Maclean loses the thread of the story in the first act. An extraordinary amount of the book is devoted to Ryder invetigating his corrupt superiors, and also the setting up of "a non-existant Russian connection" (as Ryder finally discovers). Red-herrings are a clever plot device if handled well, but in 'Goodbye California', all it means is that the first two-thirds of the book goes almost nowhere. You could almost cut 200 pages out of this book and release it as a novella, because we learn almost nothing of interest in the first two acts. And then, the final insult: once the book eventually gets around to its third act and revealing the true plot, it turns out to be a blatant rip-off of an earlier (and FAR superior) Maclean book. In fact, several plot aspects are taken from that earlier book. Since that earlier book was a cracker and one of his best, 'Goodbye California' looks even more weak and pointless in comparison.

That's not even taking into account all the flaws common to later Maclean books: the 'talky' nature of the book as various experts outdo themselves in talking up the catastrophic consequences of a massive earthquke. The weak stereotypical characterisation. The yawn-inducing 'action' scenes where our indestructable heroes easily outwit and dispose of the baddies. The moralising on the incompetence and corruption of governments and those in authority. It's all here, sadly.

Die-hard Maclean fans will probably want to read this for completeness if nothing else, but for those new to Maclean it's definitely not the place to start. This book really has no redeeming features. It's mediocre at best in every way.

MacLean a prophet?This one may qualify him.
For me, reading MacLean is like a visit with an old friend.I look forward to reading his books, and this was a prime example.

Some of his books are great at being mysteries, leaving you wondering who the bad guys are, and who the good guy really is.This book does not qualify.You quickly learn who the good guys are, and you learn who the bad guys are.

This book deals with the threat of nuclear weapons setting off a massive earthquake.MacLean did plenty of research concerning the geological status of California, and he shares it in a preface.

Another thing I found interesting, though.This book was written in the late '70's, before I heard a lot about Islamic Terrorists.MacLean dealt with that before its time.

This is one book that reading the blurb took away from the story, which I regret.

One reviewer called this a low-point.I'm not sure I agree:I found this superior to later novels like "Partisans" and "Floodgate."I'm at the point, though, that I'd rather read a poor MacLean novel than not read a MacLean novel.

simple effective storyline
Bombs planted in the San Andreas fault. Only one man can prevent a new western coastline from forming.

A thousand thrill before the last page.
Action packed and a good suspense story I enjoyed. Did not find it boring as previous writer stated. A story about a threat to California and how it might fall into the ocean, except for the fortitude of one man...our hero Det Sgt Ryder.

Low Point in MacLean's work
It is a bit depressing to read the novels of Alistair MacLean written after 1971, especially for someone like me who got so much pleasure from so many of the stories he wrote before that year.After "Bear Island" (1971)each of his books becomes more turgid and perfunctory than the previous. It is not much fun to follow a great adventure story writer's decline intonear self-caricature, and reading "Goodbye, California" (1978) is certainlynot fun.

In his early books MacLean heightens the excitement by makingthe reader care about the fate of the characters.In his best books, heputs us inside the head of the protagonist (most successfully when theprotagonist is the narrator), and we experience the roller-coaster ups anddowns of emotion, frustration, and physical exhaustion as our hero engagesin a battle of wits and endurance against a deadly enemy.

In thepost-1971 books, MacLean increasingly leans on a different device to try toheighten our excitement and involvement in the story.He escalates thethreat, presumably with the idea that the sheer immensity of the dangerwill increase our involvement in the fate of the characters.This simplydoesn't work.Threat is only really meaningful if directed at specificcharacters we care about; increasing the destruction and number ofpotential victims is too impersonal - too academic, in a sense - to get usinvolved.

In "Goodbye California" the threat is the placement of nucleardevices on the San Andreas Fault in such a way that their detonation willcause an earthquake that will send major portions of the state into thePacific Ocean.The narrative suffers from most of the faults of MacLean'slatter novels - the story is mostly talk, very little action, with keyevents taking place "off camera" and later reported to our ostensibleheroes.The few scenes where the protagonists actually take action -instead of jawing away in boring elaborations of how deadly the threat is -are handled in a perfunctory way, and we never have the feeling that theheroes are not in complete command of the situation.We never experiencethe excitement of a threat to any of them - we simply read with a lack ofinterest as they overcome the easily outwitted villains.

As boring asthis books is, however, the worst aspect of it is the occasionalborderline-fascist sentiment expressed by the author when the protagonistlaments such aspects of democratic society as free speech and freedom ofinformation because they can lead to crises like the fictional one at hand. Truly distasteful.

"Goodbye, California" ranks as one of the absolutelow points in the career of a great adventure storywriter. ... Read more