Mr Campion's Seance by Mike Ripley

Albert is related to an author by virtue of both being godchildren to the same lady.  He doesn't know a lot about her but the Superintendent wants him to talk to her and find out why the latest book she wrote is the sane as a crime committed.  He doesn't think it was an accident...

Severn House and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 4th.

Campion is concerned.  If she didn't mastermind the murder and robbery, how could her book repeat the actions of the thief so accurately?  Then her next book has the same thing happen.

As he questions people, pestering the publishing house and the author, he still doesn't see how it happened.  Then a  woman he met at the first murder and robbery set up a meeting with him but didn't show.  Come to find out, she's dead outside...

Then the publisher gets killed in her office.  Suddenly he has a clue.  His godsibling is letting her stories out of the bag with a woman she trusts.  She shouldn't.  And he tells her why..

Mr. Campion stories don't move very fast but he gets his man.  In this book he's married and they are very much in love.  She even helps him with his investigation.

Mr Campion's Fault: Margery Allingham's Albert Campion's new mystery by Mike Ripley

Mr. Campion is retired now so he's supposed to be taking it easy.  But his curiosity is still lively and his instincts haven't quieted down.  When his son and daughter-in-law go to a quiet little town to work temporarily at the school, he decides to go visit.  Then he decides to follow his nose and see where it leads him...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published September 1st.

Mr. Ripley does a very nice job of maintaining the flavor of Ms. Allingham's character, Mr. Campion.  He's been a favorite character of mine so I was glad to see there would be more stories about him.

He's as irascible as usual in this tale.  He thinks there must be a connection between the death of a school teacher and the theft of safes in the local businesses.  He's not sure how, but it seems it must have a connection. In the meantime, his son is trying to work with the rugby team and his daughter-in-law is working on play that has been truncated and features a local woman everybody wishes wasn't in it.

The town is small, everyone knows everything about everyone else, and there's rumored to be a witch in the woods. With five churches, there's a religion for almost everyone.  There's a missing man who has just been released from prison.  It's a mining town and one of the bars belongs to that group of workers.  Others are not welcome there.  It's well known there's something going on but no one is quite sure just what or why.  Luckily, Mr. Campion has time before his wife joins him and he can do some snooping.

This series is not fast paced but it is good reading.  With several deaths, $40,000 missing cash, missing convicts and more, you have plenty to keep your occupied.  If you've read about Campion before you know you'll want to read this one.  If not, try this one and you might find a new series to pursue.

Margery Allingham's Mr Campion's Fox, A brand-new Albert Campion mystery by Mike Ripley

The Danish ambassador has asked Mr. Campion to check out his daughter's man.  She's young and in love but she's also his daughter and puts him in a vulnerable position.  Mr. Campion is retired and not looking for new adventures but he could have his son do snooping for him.  It would be good practice for Rupert.  Of course, while Rupert is following Frank Tate, Albert is following him.  If only Albert had looked behind himself he might have noticed he was being followed too.

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published June 1st, so watch for a copy then.

I've read books by Ms. Allingham and I found her Campion a bit stuffy.  Mr. Ripley writes about the same character but adds enough other players in to make it a more enjoyable read for me.  It also seems to move along a bit faster.  It's been some time since I read anything in this series but I wouldn't mind reading more by this author.

Mr. Campion's wife is a force in own right.  Everyone around her obeys her.  She will allow no one to harm her husband or her son.  And she's willing to defend them herself.  She's quite the lady.

They have done nothing except tail Mr. Tate in town.  When he leaves for the weekend to go hang out with the ambassador's daughter, they think their job is done.  Unfortunately, he gets killed and the girl goes missing.  Instead of being done, they are just getting started.

There's something for everyone in this book.  You have two old women who are bossy and opinionated and own almost the whole town and the brewery, which is the major employer.  You have Rupert's friend and his family that Rupert and his wife go to stay with.  You have a nosy cop.  You also have a mad man who chops wood and smokes fish and never baths.  (He saw bad things in the war and was injured there, too, you see.)  There's also a dog and a fox, and even a few spies.  What more could you want?

With secrets everywhere and even Frank not being Frank, most of the mysteries are solved.  However, the young woman is still missing.  No body is has been found.  It's not until a chance conversation brings up a thought for Rupert that they have any chance of finding her.  But will they be in time?

This book is an enjoyable read and is busy to the last page.  Even if you never met Mr. Campion before, you can enjoy this read.  Give it a try!

Mr Campion's Farewell by Mike Ripley

Margery Allingham's Albert Campion is the main character in this story.  I have read Allingham's work through the years and Campion is like an old friend to me.  He's bit stuffy, thinks carefully about issues before deciding any course of action, and he's always right even if he might have headed down the wrong road for a while.  I had to see how Mr. Ripley handled him in this new book.

Severn House Publishers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published July 1st, so make a note on your TBR list.

There have been some disquieting happenings in Lindsay Carfax but no one will explain or complain about them.  It seems there are "Carders" that regulate everything from commerce to free speech.  They have this Nine Days Wonder rule where the person comes back after being gone nine days and things go back to normal or the person moves away.  Dissension is not allowed; this alone is suspect.  But when two college students die while there on a dig, it looks more serious.  After all, there were hippies there, too, and the community didn't like that.  Did it disturb them enough to commit murder?

Mr. Campion reminds me a bit of Miss Marple.  He's always pressing, always playing parts, and always weighing his words.  He remembers what he's been told, does his own research, and he tries to be careful.  It's very unfortunate when he gets trapped in the caverns beneath the village.  It's one of my worst nightmares.  He's there in the dark, in a cave, with no light.  Ugh!  Even worse, he has a monster there with him...

There is a lot of history revealed in this story as they try to piece together the history of the village and the people within.  Anyone with an interest in this area will appreciate it.  I enjoyed the interaction between Mr. Campion, his wife, and his niece. They are both formidable women and share their opinions on his actions with him loudly. 

Overall, it's a very good story.  I would appreciate a bit more concise version of the story but that's me.  I'm still a big fan of the short story, so long novels grate on me a bit unless they are very action packed.  This was slower moving but it's still suspenseful and dangerous in it's own way.  Give it a try!