Mystery Mile: #2 Albert Campion [Paperback]

Margery Allingham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

With his first case Albert Campion scored a genteely British coup. His new client, though, is the very American Judge Crowdy Lobbett. His Honor has come into possession of evidence identifying the criminal mastermind behind a gang that is terrorizing New York, and the gang, in response, has begun terrorizing Judge Lobbett. For safety, Campion sends the Judge and his family to Mystery Mile, a secluded house deep in the British countryside. But that safety is illusory: Soon after their arrival the local vicar is killed, a clear message from the gang. The gang, however, has underestimated Campion. Beneath his stream of banter is a razor-sharp detective's intellect, and he is soon sending deadly serious messages of his own.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For elegance, for wit, for characters and plotting, my desert-island list would certainly include Margery Allingham’s Mystery Mile" -- New Straits Times (Singapore)

"One of the best 50 mysteries of all time" -- Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Along with Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham is widely regarded as one of the three queens of British Golden Age detective fiction.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Felony & Mayhem (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933397446
• ISBN-13: 978-1933397443
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Campion's First Starring Role, February 21, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mystery Mile (Allingham, Margery) (Paperback)

One year after his initial appearance in Crime at the Black Dudley, Albert Campion is back. And what a difference a year makes. This Campion is completely fleshed out. He is now, officially the Universal Aunt (`your adventures undertaken for a fee'). Also present are his regular compatriots Lugg (his man) and Stanislaus Oates of Scotland Yard. And let's not forget Autolycus the Jackdaw (who lays an egg).

It is as if Campion has been reinvented out of whole cloth. And it's just wonderful. Campion keeps up a steady patter of nonsense, bad jokes and horrible puns, interspersed with the plants and plots the keep him and his fellow characters alive.

American judge Crowdy Lobbett is saved from one of a series of attempts on his life by Albert's timely intercession with a mouse. As a result Campion is taken on to save the judge from an early demise at the hands of Simister (see The Black Dudley). Lobbett has a clue to Simister's true identity and the evil mastermind intends to remove this threat.

In a stroke of brilliance Campion convinces the Judge to move himself and his family to Mystery Mile at the residence of his two friends Biddy and Giles Paget. This has an inauspicious start when Swithin Cush, the vicar, commits suicide after a session with a palm reader. In short order the Judge disappears and Biddy is kidnapped. The Judge's children Marlowe and Isopel get entangled with the Pagets and typical Allingham version of a Chinese fire drill comes to pass. Allingham's books rarely lack for action, and Mystery Mile is no exception.

Campion often loses in love, but Mystery Mile proves he can win our hearts. He lacks the brilliance of Sayer's Lord Peter Whimsey, but he is by far the cleverer. Bit players like Thomas Knapp and his terrifying mother never fail to enchant, as Allingham shows off a knack at capturing British dialects. This volume spells the establishment of one of mysteries most loved series. One that you will enjoy for many years to come.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Campion steps out of the shadows, April 14, 2006

By 

Jeanne Tassotto (Trapped in the Midwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystery Mile (Allingham, Margery) (Paperback)

This is technically the second Campion mystery, he was a secondary character in THE BLACK DUDLEY but here he steps up to center stage. As the story opens Campion is abroad a trans Atlantic liner headed to London from New York. He manages to avert a tragic accident with a magic act and strike up an acquaintance with a rather overbearing Turkish art dealer. These two seemingly unrelated incidents lead Campion to the role of bodyguard to a retired American judge and his family who are being threatened by a Master Criminal and his gang. Campion calls on old friends who live in an out of the way country village to shelter his charges but trouble soon follows, or was it waiting? Campion finds himself surrounded by death and destruction before he remerges bloodied but of course, triumphant.

This is a mystery thriller very typical of the late 1920 and '30's period complete with lovely damsel in distress, plucky girl sidekick, loyal companion, sinister master criminal complete with far flung network. The hero is always just a bit ahead of everyone else and of course knows just the right people to get the job done but not before he demonstrates his driving skill and great courage overcoming pain.

If you are a fan of the early Saint novels, or Lord Peter Wimsey then you will enjoy this series, Campion has a lot in common with both. He has a mysterious past like the Saint but has a rather loose working relationship with the police like Lord Peter. Like both he keeps up a lightheated banter and shows a mischevious sense of humor.

The flaws of this series are that it is rather dated at times. Some of Campions quips fall flat simply because today's readers just don't understand the 80 year old references. It is also obvious that Allingham is getting to know Campion here, he is very like Sayers' Lord Peter in this one, a resemblence that will diminish in time. Still the plot, while fantastic is clever, the clues to the mysteries are all present but challenging to the reader. The characters do all come to life, even the secondary ones, and the setting is described quite well. All of this comes together to make this a fun read and a great place to begin this series.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Campion emerges as the leading man, November 2, 2001

By 

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystery Mile (Hardcover)

In the Black Dudley Murder, Allingham's first book, Albert Campion is one of an ensemble cast. In Mystery Mile, Campion emerges as the clear star - abet a somewhat mysterious and charmingly quirky one. I think I'm going to like Albert a great deal. He's already showing a wicked sense of humor and irony. He's clever but hardly perfect. And there is a real sense of mystery about him - what is his real identity?

This mystery is a solid example of a pre-Depression mystery with a family of swaggering Americans, a mysterious "oriental" (definately a pre-political correctness book), an English country house and a wonderful villian - Simister. Albert meets the Americans on ship when he saves the father's life. It turns out that it was the fifth attempt on the man's life - he's a judge who has a lead on Simister's identity. The book revolves around Albert's efforts to both protect the judge and track down Simister.

Bottom-line: a very pleasant read with enough twists and turns to keep a reader interested. The late 1920 atmosphere is particularly wonderful.