The Mind Readers

Albert Campion #18

by Margery Allingham

The ancient hamlet of Saltey, once the haunt of smugglers, now hides a secret rich and mysterious enough to trap all who enter . . . and someone in town is willing to terrorize, murder, and raise the very devil to keep that secret to themselves.

When a transistor thought to be the key to telepathic communication is found, Albert Campion is called to sort fact from fiction. But the device at the center of the mystery is in the possession of two schoolboys, and whether they stole it or invented it, there are others who will kill to get hold of it.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Science Fiction, Classics, Golden Age Mystery

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Aka Maxwell March.

Margery Louise Allingham was born in Ealing, London in 1904 to a family of writers. Her father, Herbert John Allingham, was editor of The Christian Globe and The New London Journal, while her mother wrote stories for women's magazines as Emmie Allingham. Margery's aunt, Maud Hughes, also ran a magazine. Margery earned her first fee at the age of eight, for a story printed in her aunt's magazine.

Soon after Margery's birth, the family left London for Essex. She returned to London in 1920 to attend the Regent Street Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster), and met her future husband, Philip Youngman Carter. They married in 1928. He was her collaborator and designed the cover jackets for many of her books.

Margery's breakthrough came 1929 with the publication of her second novel, The Crime at Black Dudley . The novel introduced Albert Campion, although only as a minor character. After pressure from her American publishers, Margery brought Campion back for Mystery Mile and continued to use Campion as a character throughout her career.

After a battle with breast cancer, Margery died in 1966. Her husband finished her last novel, A Cargo of Eagles at her request, and published it in 1968.

Also wrote as: Maxwell March

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I get to the end of the Campion books, I am gradually wondering whether it it me or her writing is just generally confusing. Of all the four major Queens of Crime, I definitely put Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers at the top, with Ngaio Marsh and Allingham last. Although I like Campion as a character, she tends, to my mind, to have too many characters in storylines in her mysteries.

Although this is not really a mystery, but more an odd attempt at a spy story/thriller. It revolves around Helena Ferris and her husband, Martin, a 'boffin,' on a research station, where they are investigating ESP. The only time I actually got engaged with the story was when I got infuriated by Martin, and his colleague, Pagan Mayo, stating their work was so important that Helena had to stay to meet important guests and missed collecting her son, back from prep school. At that point, frankly, I would have walked to the station and never seen my husband again, but there you are....

Anyway, this plot device was so that son, Sam, and his cousin, could be almost kidnapped by a spy. It seems that Helena has been concerned Martin has been experimenting on Sam, that he and cousin Edward have some 'devices' which enable you to read thoughts and then we dive into a confusing tale of murder, missing children, espionage, secret weapons and mysterious aristocrats. I will get to the end of the series, and I really did like some of the earlier books, but I have been left cold by the later ones in the series.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not her best work. A bit all over the place with ESP and spy’s. Strangely the media are the heroes at the end or are they? Edward and Sam are two kids who with a device can read minds. World governments are working on ESP and given this was written in the 1960s not so farfetched.

The characters are from Boys own, a ruthless assassin, a megalomaniac tycoon and incompetent spies. Campion stumbles along and is in a bizarre fight on the marshes.

I felt it got better at the end.

[Abigail Bok · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last novel Margery Allingham completed before her death and it should definitely not be read as a standalone, or perhaps read at all by anyone who is not a devotee. It is peculiar and disjointed and has the most boring ending of any mystery novel I have ever read. Nevertheless, it has its charms.

Published in the 1960s, The Mind Readers betrays an older person’s bemused interest in the social upheavals of that era, as well as reflecting some of its political preoccupations, notably an obsession with scary scientific inventions and zero-sum national rivalries. Her longtime hero, Albert Campion, has had an extensive but mostly behind-the-scenes connection with British Intelligence in various forms; in this book his engagement with the service is foregrounded, to the book’s detriment. I have no idea how British Intelligence works or worked, but I can say with confidence that it didn’t work the way it is portrayed here. Allingham is more convincing in other books when she focuses on crime and detection, and she should have kept spycraft behind the curtain.

As for the plot: some schoolboys (conveniently related to Campion) appear to be practicing ESP with the aid of a primitive device strapped to their bodies. Turns out that several governments are sponsoring similar research and take an unhealthy interest in the boys’ activities. Campion wades into the crisis along with much of his family, hampered and sometimes abetted by a diverse collection of Allingham’s trademark eccentric characters. I enjoyed the family scenes and the pace of action is periodically hot, but there is just so much in this story that is preposterous that the whole feels like a tissue of absurdities. My best guess is that Allingham wrote the story to amuse and flatter some beloved grandchildren, without much intent to impress the public.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was dubious about The Mind-Readers; I didn't remember much about it. I apparently read through the Allinghams years ago (ten?) and never since – I hadn't thought it to be so long. My impression of MR was of an improbable, not to say idiotic, premise, and a slight reluctance to read it. Happily, I was mostly wrong. It was an improbable premise – but it was handled very nicely. This was written in the 60's, which I happily missed entirely but for four short oblivious months - 1965 to be exact. The Space Race was on, science was exploding in every direction, science fiction was coming to the fore – it seems like if someone had said "I have invented a device that will allow me to read minds" it wouldn't have been so very surprising. There was an element of World Criminal Conspiracy, which is something I despise, but I found the characters to be enjoyable, the suspense involved in the kidnapping (or was it?) to be well managed, and overall the book to be a lark. Not one of the best – but not bad.

[Andrea]

Here Allingham tries for a James Bond plot. It's not very successful at all. Especially irritating was the role of women in the story. Despite often producing strong female characters, there's definitely a touch of gender essentialism to Allingham's women which occasionally comes to the fore. Here women are secretaries to men, secretaries become the mistresses of men, mothers, supportive wives to scientists, problematic wives to scientists "acting out" because they're convinced their husbands are having affairs (and called hysterical, even though it turns out to be true that the husband is having an affair). Very few women have goals/issues/concerns/interests which don't revolve around men. There's even a chapter called "Wives and Mothers".

If there was an Allingham book I'd suggest skipping, it's definitely this one.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Mind Readers is an interesting mystery of two children who seemed to have gotten tangled into top secret research involving ESP, and have carried their secret gadget, that allows them to sort of read other's minds, with them on a school break to London. Then one of the boys disappears. While apparently the young man was never in danger, Albert Campion, the boy's guardian, is involved in delving into the mystery, the resulting murder, and towards the end fights the good fight with a bad guy. Although, all his actions don't necessarily make the story any clearer.

I usually so enjoy Allingham's books but at first I got bogged down with "five unrelated incidents in five ordinary, normal lives. …" Possibly that's why I fell asleep on it once and then had to read it again and review it periodically after writing notes about it. Eventually the story gets interesting and enjoyable as two little boys somehow get the better of their adults and various sundry others. Campion finds the nub and somehow takes care of things but not quite the solution.

But that is not the end. To get to that, we have to read another 30 pages inwhich the secret has been given to the media and presented on live TV! It's not very clear at all and is so round about and farcical, I almost put the book down and quit.

So while I enjoyed the middle of this book and would have given it at least three stars, the beginning and end were so torturous I dropped it down to two.

Unfortunately, the book — first published in 1965 — was the last book complete written by Allingham. It is so different from her usual work that I wonder if her cause of death (breast cancer) must have had something to do with the disjointedness of the story. And perhaps it was just me ... but I think not.

[F.R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t normally read two books by the same author in the same series one after the other, but I was tempted on this occasion for two reasons. Firstly, after reading ‘Coroner’s Pigeon’ and seeing that Campian’s character was developing, I thought that ‘The Mind Readers’ – written twenty years later – would be interesting to look at just to see how much further he had progressed. How would this product of the 1920s greet the 1960s? Secondly, the plot of this seemed to have a supernatural air to it, in particular telepathy. I know that in mystery novels the supernatural elements are often explained away at the end, but even when that happens I enjoy pulling apart the explanation. However, this is a far from brilliant entry in the series, with both Albert Campian and his creator seeming totally out of time.

The greatest problem with this novel is that, contrary to expectations, Campian hasn’t really developed at all. This is a novel set in the 1960s, but Campian as a character remains rooted in a world forty years earlier. It’s possible there could be something quite amusing in that, an aged detective fighting against the modern world and becoming more and more reactionary at the changes he sees. (After all, Ian Fleming did it with the much younger James Bond.) But rather than making him a walking, talking anachronism, Allingham deals with Campian being so out of place by just ignoring it. As a result this once great character seems like a cipher, he drifts through the action, never really commenting on the world around him and making only the loosest of connections to the other – similarly vague – characters. Everyone in this book feels sketchy and out of time. Even the two little boys, who hold the centre of the plot, seem like they’ve just wandered out of a Richmal Compton novel.

Allingham – despite setting her book there – clearly doesn’t understand the Swinging Sixties. Early in the novel one of the characters is described as briefly slipped back to a Twenties vernacular, and that’s obviously the decade Allingham would be most happy writing about. This is a vague 1965 (when it was published), with a few references to electronic gadgets and a mention that a few years earlier it was 1959, but no real sense of time at all. She is writing about the then modern world, but can’t get any kind of handle on it – and if the author can’t grasp the world she is writing about, then the book really is in trouble.

Rather than supernatural, the plot leans more towards science fiction. Two little boys somehow have little miniature devices which allow them to read minds. These devices disappear – possibly stolen by a foreign power – and Campian (who now seems to be a spy himself) investigates. The plot in synopsis is actually reminiscent of a Sixties TV show (so she’s hooked into her times in that respect, at least), an episode of ‘The Avengers’ or Roger Moore’s ‘The Saint’, except a not a very good episode.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mind Readers is the last book completely written by Margery Allingham; her husband finished up Cargo of Eagles (next in the series). So basically I've come to the end of the original Allinghams and it's a sad day. However, the good news is that I have each and every Campion story on my British reading room shelves (and all of the PBS dvds!) that I can read again if I so choose.

Although this particular edition was published in 1990, the original was written in 1965 -- during the Cold War, and the book's subject matter reflects the angst of the time. There are numerous references to postwar science, spying and ultimately, the biggest concern of all -- someone hitting the button without any warning to the other side. Although it was not received well at its original publication (and if you look on Amazon, by some of its modern-day readers), I liked it. I thought it was a fine story, and unlike the last few books in the series, Campion is not on the sidelines but in the thick of the action like when he first began.

The basic plot: Helena Ferris is the wife of scientist Martin Ferris, mother to young Sam, and a relative of Amanda Fitton (Mrs. Campion). As the story opens, she is supposed to picking up Sam and his cousin from the train, since they are due home at their half-term break. However, at the last minute, Martin's boss decides that no one will leave the island where the scientists are working. As a result, when the train stops, the boys are met by a woman who claims that she's been sent to pick them up. They walk with her until they notice a policeman, and start yelling that the woman is a spy and that she's trying to kidnap them. Later, when asked how they knew, they produce a device that they claim can read thoughts and feelings. Then, when Sam's cousin disappears, a series of events brings Campion into the picture in his role as an agent for British security.

The book is a fun read and yes, it's a bit far-fetched, but consider that in real life the CIA was experimenting with psychic abilities, and then it doesn't seem so crazy. Allingham has done a fine job not only with the plot, but with her characters (her forte) as well. There are bits of humor interjected throughout the novel, and a Campion that I haven't seen in a while -- no sending him off to the sidelines in this book!

Those readers who have been following the series will most likely enjoy this one; others who enjoy classic British mystery will definitely like it. Others who may find it interesting are readers who are interested in the Cold War era research programs in ESP and psychic abilities.

Overall, a very good, fun read.

[Bruce Beckham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Margery Allingham’s last self-completed novel, number eighteen in the Albert Campion series, released in 1965. The first, The Crime at Black Dudley was published in 1929 and the author held that her gentleman sleuth was the age of the year, which puts him close to retirement in this adventure.

For the most part it was an enjoyable read, though anachronistic in that its Golden Age inter-war style jarred with the subject matter of Cold War espionage and the advent of modern technology.

Indeed, the plot is more of a spy story than a whodunit, as Campion (now officially it seems on the payroll of MI5) battles a mysterious adversary over a top-secret device that harnesses the powers of extra-sensory perception. The gadget works better for children and somehow his two young nephews have become embroiled through their public school. Added jeopardy arrives as one of them goes missing.

There is an excellent scene at a research station on the lonely Essex marshes where Campion finds himself cornered by a ruthless assassin. He quickly realises that at his age he is no longer in any condition to fight his way to safety.

This really ought to be the climax of the novel, but there ensues a lengthy information dump, like the unravelling of a tangle of wool of different colours, that really ought to have been carefully woven throughout the story itself.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was so promising. It has an excellent science fiction potential in the making.

Then it fails.

Firstly, it takes forever to figure out what is going on. Once again we are bombarded with all sorts of conversations from different people, with no clear idea of what is actually going on.

Finally we are made to understand the western allies, Britain specifically , are looking for ways to transmit communications through esp. Before you laugh, this was an actual objective around the time this book was written, at the beginning of the Cold War. So Allingham is not off her rocker there.

She just can't seem to launch her story. She writes so much, but so little of it propels the plot.

Sure there are moments of suspense, like when the two boys who turn out to be mind readers, are almost kidnapped, but that was a quick and rather small spark in a book that mostly just smoked like wet wood. It just never did ignite.

Probably this will be my last attempt to read anything by this author.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were to rate this book on plot alone, it would be very low. The premise of enhancing ESP with tiny transistors might have been feasible in the 1960's (when this was written) but not today. Like Christie, Allingham writes detective stories better than she writes spy thrillers.

However, for a visit with Campion and his extended family, this book was fine. Campion is showing his age, as he should, but his mind works as well as it ever did. Amanda and the Canon are always treats. Sadly Lugg does not appear though he gets mentioned. A bittersweet read as this is the last book Allingham completed.

[JoLynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors.

[Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last Campion book that Margery Allingham wrote in its entirety. As with all of her books, it is well-written and has a fascinating cast of characters. However, it's not the best of the series. Campion himself--and since he's as old as the century, he must be in his sixties by the time of the book--is a peripheral character for much of the book. The plot involves a venture on Allingham's part into the realm of science fiction, and the implausibility of the fiction (it involves an element which cannot exist) detracts from the overall plot, for me at least.

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Allingham's. The story just didn't flow and aside from Campion I didn't much like any of the characters.

[Alex Sarll]

For all that Campion's chameleonic qualities are part of his charm, meaning the series can range from classic 'cosy' mysteries to home counties Indiana Jones or somewhere a lot like Greeneland, I did wonder about the wisdom of going full spy-fi with him. But this came off a lot better than I expected, its mood not a million miles from the Honor Blackman era of The Avengers, when they forever seemed to be getting caught up in deaths and espionage flaps at remote research facilities working on Cold War widgets. Here, it's a device that seems to boost natural telepathic powers, and thus naturally draws the attention not only of intelligence agencies, but of a media mogul with a reductive view of human nature and a deep suspicion of privacy (his own excepted, naturally). Allingham's compelling portrait of this monster could easily be mistaken for caricature if only his type didn't still have the world's throat in their clammy paws; there's a similar perennial relevance in the way the new technology comes naturally to kids while terrifying their elders, and one scene in particular is remarkably prescient regarding current smartphone panics. The difference, of course, is that unlike all the parents somehow forgetting the analogous panics their own parents had about them, Allingham is smart enough to know that 'twas ever thus. Elsewhere, the sixties are beginning to swing, and if we never get more than glimpses, well, they were unevenly distributed, and islands in the East Coast mud flats are not Carnaby Street. Campion himself can, it's true, sometimes feel a little peripheral to the main action, but it's hardly the first time. And by way of compensation, and maybe suspecting this would be her last completed novel, Allingham does bring a wide cross-section of his supporting cast along for the ride – though not, alas, the wonderfully reprehensible Lugg.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read all the previous books in the series quite recently, I’ve become accustomed to Allingham’s rather elliptical style of constructing a plot, with vague allusions and the odd mention of something that will later prove to be really important. Therefore I managed to follow the twists and turns of this rather strange 60s spy story with enjoyment - but I wouldn’t recommend this as an introduction to the Campion novels.

As suggested by the title, the plot revolves around the idea of a development in the scientific understanding of telepathy, or ESP. Into the mix go a couple of schoolboys, an isolated research station, mysterious devices of unknown provenance, and a whole host of eccentric characters whose purpose and allegiance are slowly revealed. Campion himself hovers around the edges, a strange mixture of the astute and the hapless.

The story has the outlandish feel of 60s spy series like The Avengers or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It’s quite entertaining to see Allingham’s view of what the future might be, which is more imaginative than accurate. It’s also interesting to contrast the book’s modern and progressive attitudes towards science with its dated social attitudes, particularly towards the female characters. There is a pretty unpleasant villain, some bizarre ‘cloak and dagger’ communications, and the lively contributions of the two schoolboys, Sam and Edward.

I enjoyed this, although I couldn’t take it seriously, and have to rate the Campion series among my favourites of the Golden Age.

[Maia · Rating 2 out of 5]

yet another new format, this time the family story, thriller, spy novel and a spot of scifi all thrown in. The problem is the scifi - it's both unbelievable, to us here now, and horribly explained - the average englishman's education now includes too much science to follow this guff and to spot all the flaws, plus there's pages of the pseudoscientific waffle when it crops up, and pages of a transcription of watching a television show. Nice to see the series transition into the 1960s, and modern readers will have a bit of fun when the pseudoinvention overlaps with mobile phones, as it does quite a lot, especially Thos' speech about 'privacy - that'll be a dead concept from the past'.

[Marley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to say this (or look stupid), but I could makes neither heads nor tails out of the book. I wanted to like it, since I like Margery Allingham, but this book was barely readable for me. The premise was acceptable, though a bit far-fetched (bad science) , and that's OK for a work of fiction that should be compelling. I felt there were too many characters (this is not War and Peace) and I had a hard time keeping track of locations and logistics. On the upside, our two young protagonists, Edward an Sam, are delightful. Too bad they are limited to this book.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

MY RATING GUIDE: 3 Stars.
Margery Allingham was a Golden Age Crime Writers (1920’s+). My feelings were mixed as I read MIND READERS. Between the technical jargon and the slang I found myself either lost or skimming pages. I did enjoy the inclusion of Lady Amanda (Albert Campuion’s wife), Canon Avril (her uncle) and other secondary characters (previously met in SWEET DANGER and later books). MR was okay, but not among my favorites in Allingham’s Campion Mysteries.

1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= THIS WAS OKAY/fairly good; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I SELDOM give 5 Stars).

Albert Campion, gently born, amateur sleuth and longtime friend and compatriot of Scotland Yard Central Office Superintendent Charles Luke, is pulled back into temporary Special Branch government service when rumors of an operational revolutionary electronic device are mingled with secret labs, espionage, kidnappings and murder. Making matters, there are implications that Campion’s family may somehow be involved.

Comments ~
1) MIND READERS is somewhat of a spy/espionage/new technology novel with a published date of 1965. Unless this is strictly a mystery for entertainment’s sake, it seems Allingham is positing the belief that with oncoming future new technologies, social decisions must be made regarding all individual’s privacy issues and rights. This is an idea with which I can’t argue. MR consists of a fair amount of period slang and “jargon” which made it, at times, difficult to fully comprehend.
2) Margery Allingham was a Golden Age of British Crime writer, along with Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh (the Inspector Richard Alleyn series) and Dorthy Sayers (the Lord Peter Whimsey series) as a Queen of British/Classic Crime fiction/Mysteries, to name a few. I find comparing their series quite satisfying. Individually, and as a group, they present a perspective of a past period through their mention of social concerns, issues, technology, and entertainment.
3) Allingham (1904-1966) published the 1st of her 21 Albert Campion books +short mysteries in 1928. She wrote and published Campion Mysteries throughout her life. MIND READERS was published in 1965 and was the 2nd to the last Campion mystery completed before her death.
4) Just as Allingham aged, so does Campion mature in the series. Campion, a viscount, is the 2nd son from a noble English family (possibly a cousin of the King) and in his late 20’s-early 30’s in the earliest books. By the latter books of the series, Campion is a mature man nearing 60. Similar to Dorothy Sayer’s Lord Peter Whimsey character (and to a lesser extent Christie’s Hercule Poirot), Campion is an amateur detective/criminologist who oftentimes works alongside Scotland Yard solving certain crimes.
5) The Albert Campion Mystery series is character driven with reappearing secondary characters including widowed Scotland Yard Superintendent Charles Luke and Campion’s loyal and ever-capable butler, Lugg. Certain titles are lighter than others and more fun to read. Others are darker and/or not as enjoyable. Those I had to force myself to finish. MIND READERS fell in between. It can be read as a standalone mystery but I enjoy beginning this series with bk1. SWEET DANGER and 3 other Campion novels were broadcast on BBC television’s Mysteries series years ago. It was this broadcast which introduced me to Albert Campion, along with Hercule Poirot (A Christie), Inspector Alleyn (Ngaio Marsh) and Lord Peter Whimsey (Dorothy Sayers), all Golden Age crime series.
6) As a Classic British Mysteries reader, this series is among my favorite. I recommend it to readers of:
1) Classic British Mysteries
2) Historical Mysteries
3) Character driven Mystery series
4) Police Procedural Mysteries
5) Seasoned characters (the MC has aged by the latter half of this series)
6) Mysteries low in angst with minimal romance

READER CAUTION ~ Suitable for most Mystery reader.
PROFANITY - None. British slang used.
VIOLENCE - PG. Not dark or graphic.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - None.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: When Amanda’s nephews, playing with telepathic devices, are nearly kidnapped, Campion gets involved in a deadly quest.

The Mind Readers reminded me of the fascination with telepathy and extra-sensory perception in the 1960’s. In this story, a mix of mystery and science fiction, Allingham explores the implications of being able to read the thoughts of others. It is perhaps needless to say that this ability is neither benign nor desirable in her portrayal. Only children can handle it, lacking the depth of experience to comprehend the swirl of thoughts and emotions in adult minds. For adults, it can be unsettling to deranging.

The story begins at the home of Canon Avril, where Albert and Amanda are visiting. They are awaiting a visit by Amanda’s nephews, Sam and Edward, on term break. What promises to be a pleasant time is upset when someone tries to kidnap the boys on the way from the station. It comes out that the boys have been playing with telepathic devices. When taped to the jugular, allow one to read other’s thoughts and communicate telepathically.

As it turns out, the boys’ father Martin has been working on this problem at a research facility at a remote location connected by a causeway on the coast. Martin turns up with Pagan Mayo, who assumes responsibility for the devices, even though it is apparent they know nothing about them. These devices produce results they have not been able to achieve. There is an international effort to harness this technology with the English and French chief rivals. When Pagan Mayo turns up dead, it is clear the rivalry is deadly.

By this point, Edward, the older of the boys, has disappeared. Yet from what he says before he leaves, he seems to know what he is doing. But what Is he doing, and is he safe from the murderous people who seem after the telepathic devices he and Sam had been experimenting with? Meanwhile. Campion has gone to the research facility to see if he can unravel the mystery of the devices while DS Luke hunts for Edward. Campion is on the island when Pagan is murdered. The head of the facility, Ludor puts it on lockdown. Campion’s becomes a murder target. But an old associate offers unexpected help.

As the story comes to a climax, we wonder who killed Mayo, where the devices came from, and what happened to them. Most of all, we wonder, “Where’s Edward?” and what does he know about all this? At a deeper level, Allingham raises the specter of a technology that people would kill for. And in the end, would we really want to know the hidden thoughts of others? And what would it be like to be in a crowd? Would you really want to know everyone’s thoughts, simultaneously?

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final Campion book which Margery Allingham wrote entirely (the next and final, final book being completed posthumously by her husband).

Margery Allingham’s later works are quite densely plotted and packed with characters, and (being luckily an ebook reader) I had to turn to the search function a couple of times to jump back and remind myself of certain characters or the relevance of certain references. I note from the reviews that some readers find that a struggle compared to the more straightforward antics of the early books.

Personally, at this point I would let Margery Allingham lead me blindfolded into a flooded cave if she assured me it was worth it, so I was happy to be taken on the journey, even when obscure. To me this book had everything I could have wanted from a final book - Campion-centric, with the friends and family we know well at this point present and well-used - simultaneously domestic and yet not a domestic story - global intrigue, spies, murder, disappearances - tied together in an atmospheric Allingham-esque showdown for the ages, out on a lonely estuary, with (I felt) a wonderful bit of circularity to Mystery Mile.

At the centre of the story is the rather fantastic notion that the key to telepathy has been discovered. While fictional, the writing successfully evokes the dizzying pace of change and discovery that by the 1960s made it seem that anything may yet be possible. Allingham captures a sense of ‘progress vertigo’ excellently and many of the passages I found spookily prescient in that they could equally apply to a certain technological wonder of 2025:

“As soon as the machine ceases to be a wonder it will cease to be frightening, I know,” he said. “But at the moment I find it most disturbing, especially when children get hold of it. I feel so strongly that they should learn to think for themselves. There are plenty of ways for them to gather stale ideas as it is.”

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

In either the ultimate or penultimate edition of the series (depending on how you count the last), Campion becomes a spy-catcher as he searches for a missing weapon and the cozy house mystery turns into sci-fi. While I've always appreciated Margery Allingham's ability to tweak the formula with each book, some have been more successful than others: this was unsuccessful -- in spades.

This book was dated even in 1965. While we were still in the Cold War, it wasn't the major issue people cared about (then again, maybe it was in the UK). The Civil Rights Movement, 2nd Wave Feminism, efforts at income equality -- all these are absent from this book, which seems stuck in every imaginable way in the early '50s. Indeed, if Ms. Allingham hadn't died when she did, I'm not sure her writing career would have continued: she was simply unable to adjust to changing times, actively ruing the loss of the heritage class.

In addition, this mystery -- which includes ESP -- is simply ridiculous; poorly constructed (I could not keep the characters straight); and incoherent (just what was the point of that ending?).

Finally, this may not be an important point, but authors who cannot keep their world-building consistent are a pet peeve of mine. Helena, Sam, and Edward are not the Canon's relations: he is Albert's uncle, not Amanda's. Helena is Amanda's niece, but you would never know that from this book. Amanda's siblings, born during WWI, are not old enough to have children and grand-children of Helena and Edward's ages. I could go on, but you get the point. This is all too bad because I usually enjoy appearances from Campion's family.

2 1/2 stars. In general, I've found this series erratic, but I haven't disliked any other entry as much as this one. If you plan to read the series, don't start with this one. Note: I don't like rating these books.

[Chazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Ferris and Edward Longfox, cousins, are on their way to London by train. They are coming home on holiday from school in the east country, and expect to be met by Sam’s mother at Liverpool station. Instead, a young lady shows up claiming to be from hospital and to take the boys to see Mrs. Ferris. Unnoticed by the adults, the boys exchange glances. As she takes them along, they pass a City policeman. One of the boys states to him the lady is trying to kidnap them. The lady takes off and so does a man who was waiting nearby. Somehow the two boys were able to communicate via a form of ESP — or was it the Nipponanium “iggy-tube” that each of them wore?

This book has a bit of futuristic sci-fi and espionage in it. Sam’s father is a scientist who works in a small, isolated village just off the coast. Communication is the field and the work is top secret. Sam lives with his parents in the village and goes to a boarding school in the east country.

Edward Longfox, Campion’s nephew, goes missing. This brings Campion into the case. There are questions of why the boy has disappeared. Is it connected with the “iggy-tube”? Has he been kidnapped? Has he left on his own and if who where and why.

The murder of one of the top scientists takes the case into the murder category. It also brings up the fact that a variety of parties have a big interest in the science of ESP and how the “iggy-tube” may play a part in its application.

This isn’t a simple read due to the many characters and plot lines that are interwoven. I found I had to take a few notes to keep it straight in my mind. Overall, it was a good read and not one to be rushed through.

Side Note – This was the last book written by Allingham.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay... who predicted that the last Campion novel to be published while the author was still alive would be SCIENCE FICTION?!

The Campion series has never stuck to one clear genre. Yes, the stories always involve crime and yes there is always an element of mystery, but the series has strayed from crime capers to murder mysteries to thrillers, sometimes they are comedies sometimes they're not, one or two have toed the line with the supernatural but I don't think they ever crossed over, sometimes Campion is a detective or a spy or an adventurer... but science fiction is a new one.

In the latter Campion books, our hero doesn't even always show up for much of the story. Clearly Allingham found him difficult to write about in the post-war years as the novels became grittier and for the sixties she decided to try her hand at the popular genre of the decade - spy-fi. Campion at least is a main character in this book and we even get to see Amanda again although not enough. Honestly I just couldn't get over the fact that I was reading a science fiction novel now. There is one really great scene in which Campion finds himself stuck in a car with a murderer and is trying to buy himself time. But otherwise not a terrible lot happens. There is a mystery that could be easily solved if someone said 'you children, tell me what you're doing' but for some reason no one thinks to do that. In the end, the characters watch the climax and epilogue to the story unfold on TV which is not the most thrilling way to end a science fiction novel OR a mystery novel... or any kind of novel. I wondered whether it was supposed to be satire.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a new one for me, and quite a bit different from other Campion books I've read. It starts at the home of elderly Canon Avril, Campion's uncle, where Campion and his wife Amanda and another relative, Helena Ferris and her husband Martin and their son Sam, are expected to visit. Sam's cousin Edward, a relative of Amanda, is also coming with them. An attempt is made to kidnap Sam and Edward at the train station, but it is foiled. When they arrive, they each have an "iggy-tube" plastered on them, which they say is a thought amplifier being developed for a study of ESP at Godley research station where Martin works. Using them, the boys can tune in on other people's thoughts. Edward disappears, and Martin Ferris is discovered in a gas-filled room supposedly having attempted suicide. There was some background about spies, the intelligence service, the police, and the brains at Godley, which got very confusing. I had more trouble than usual keeping all the characters straight. It ends with Campion fighting off an assassin. I never did quite figure out who all the bad guys were, but it was an interesting read, nonetheless.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty solid entertainer ... A bit different from other Campions . This one is a Solid mix of mystery ,spy thriller and a topping of SF. I am quite surprised with the quality of the spy tradecraft and subtlety used in the book .Accepted that it's not quite a Lecarre or Deighton but it's hell lot better than any attempts by Christie .Many people seems to dislike the book because of the ESP stuff and outdated technical jargons but ImHO this book is exceptionally well written and atleast I did not find the writing clunky or the jargons defunct.The ESP thing is the heart of the mystery and we know that it's still SF, but this book is not really about SF at all.I am sure you will like it if you think of this as a spy thriller rather than a whodunnit or mystery just because it's by Allingham.
All in all, it's a 4 star book and a very engrossing read..it made my weekend .

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allingham was the third of the big three female British mystery novelists, the other two being Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. Allingham's gentleman detective had a long career, taking him from a single man to married with children. Most of the cases are murder mysteries. This one is a little different. It is really a Cold War novel, set in the early 1960s and dealing with a secret project carried out under the auspices of the British government. There is a murder, but it occurs two-thirds of the way through the book and is only loosely relevant to the plot. It reflects some of the more bizarre sorts of projects that the various governments carried out in the Cold War period. Unlike many of today's "British cozies," this is a well-though--out, densely plotted mystery, more meditative than action-packed.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not like any of the other Campion books—obviously, Allingham was always trying to stretch what she could do with her mysteries. But this is barely a mystery and more a wishful adventure/sci-fi story. As in her other later books, the knowing/oblique/allusive nature of her writing is at and beyond the annoying stage, so that you just want to yell at her to SAY WHAT HAPPENED. Also, she seems as careless with her plotting as Raymond Chandler. But her characters—her interest in them, and the real emotions in and between them—are still present, appealing, and real. And fuck, it’s got both Albert and Amanda in it. What do you want?

I’ve seen this in lists of worst mysteries ever, and I can see that, but to me it’s the interestingly bad of Busman’s Honeymoon, and not the genuinely terrible of Postern of Fate.

[Martin Pilkington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to decide whether this was a science fiction novel or a crime novel. Most of the plot revolves around the idea of whether two, or more school boys are able to communicate using extra sensory Perception (ESP). A lot of the rest is more about spying rather than crime.

The book was originally published in 1965 and was, I believe, the last book that Margery Allingham completed. For me the book feels a little dated, I've often had this problem with books written in the 1960s, and especially with "late" Campion novels. Either Campion is a character that fades in and out of the story or, as here, the character could be someone completely different and it wouldn't' effect the story.

So interesting to read but doesn't compete with the earlier novels.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

AUTHOR Allingham, Margery
TITLE The Mind Readers
DATE READ 02/19/19
RATING 3.5/C+
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Crime Fiction/1965/ audible/ 9 hr 31 min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #18 Albert Campion
CHALLENGE Author Alphabet A 13/26; GR 2019 Reading 25/111
GROUP READ Vintage
CHARACTERS Albert Campion
TIME/PLACE 1960's/UK
COMMENTS UGH… listening to this one was very confusing with the jumping around and so many characters. A few young school boys were fooling around with the modern transistor radios and using this for mind reading… really didn't get much out of this one.