The Best Stories of Margery Allingham. Albert Campion Mysteries. Illustrated: Safe as Houses, The Meaning of the Act, The Definite Article, The Hat Trick and others

by Margery Allingham

Step into the world of Albert Campion, the brilliant and unassuming sleuth whose adventures are filled with intrigue, wit, and unexpected twists. The Best Stories of Margery Allingham brings together some of her finest short mysteries, showcasing the timeless charm and cleverness of one of the Golden Age's most beloved detectives.

This illustrated collection features thrilling tales such as Safe as Houses, The Meaning of the Act, The Definite Article, The Hat Trick, and many more. Each story presents a unique puzzle, where Campion’s sharp intellect and unorthodox methods lead him through a web of secrets, deceptions, and dangers. Whether unraveling complex crimes or outwitting cunning adversaries, Campion proves time and again that no mystery is too great for his keen mind.

A must-read for fans of classic detective fiction, this anthology is the perfect introduction to Margery Allingham’s storytelling mastery and the enduring appeal of Albert Campion.

Safe as Houses
The Meaning of the Act
The Definite Article
The Hat Trick
The Name on the Wrapper
A Matter of Form
The White Elephant

Genres: Mystery

Kindle Edition

Published February 19, 2025

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

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Binging on short stories.

Most women binge on rom-coms (movies or TV series.) Me, I binge on short stories. A great lover of short stories, I had the misfortune to be born at a time when people stopped reading and the magazines which printed short stories were folding like bad poker hands. Publishers today want only huge, door-stop novels. Sometimes a successful writer insists on publishing a book of short stories and I'm always grateful. In short, the short story has become the red-headed step-child of the writing world.

When I saw this book of seven short stories by Margery Allingham, I suspected that all of them were included in the four collections of Allingham short stories I already own. It was a gigantic pain figuring it out, since none of my collections has a table of contents. I stuck to it and was pleased to discover that six of the seven stories are new to me. The exception is "White Elephant" which appears in other collections and in anthologies.

I enjoyed them and the book is certainly worth the modest price, but I do NOT agree that it's Allingham's "best" stories. All of them feature her famous amateur detective Albert Campion and some of my favorite stories aren't Campion ones. However, that's a matter of opinion.

You're either a Campion fan or you're not. I started out not thinking much of him, but I liked him more as he matured and lost his sophmoric silliness. Allingham says she never intended to write about him, but he got into a book and wouldn't leave. Like me, she liked him better as he aged.

Really, all you can say about the stories is that Albert has more batty relatives than any man ought to have. And he knows more imperious old ladies than you can shake a stick at. Not that anyone would DARE shake a stick at any of them. They're entirely too fierce.

For a buck, it's a couple of hours of enjoyable reading. What more can you ask for?

PS The "binge" comes in because once I had rooted out my four collections of Allingham short stories, I had to read them all again. And well worth it, too.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good collection of Campion stories, although the portrayals of women are somewhat dated.

There are some editing issues.
In "A Matter of Form" there is an inconsistent typo: the instpector's name is given as Gates for most of the story and then changes to Oates.
Several stories are broken up with a picture of Margery Allingham with no explanation of who this picture is.
The last page has a copyright notice: Andrii Ponomarenko (c) 2025. I don't know what was copyrighted then since the stories were originally published in 1939 (according to Wikipedia's list of Margery Allingham's books they were in "Mr. Campion and Others").

[Humbledaisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super entertaining collection of Campion mysteries. Almost as silly as Lord Peter Whimsey.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

all enjoyable reads.

Plain old, old -fashioned yarns. I visit to the upper crust of England between the wars. Nothing bloody, fuel or vicious.

[Patricia Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across Margaret Allingham’s name through Marie Benedict’s book Queens of Crime. A contemporary of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers and a member of the Detection Club, I had never read any of her stories before. All I could find on audio was this collection of short stories featuring her Detective Albert Campion. He reminds me a bit of the suave debonair characters one might meet in a PG Wodehouse novel, but without the biting satire. This collection of mysteries was highly enjoyable and I recommend them fully to any fans of Golden Age Mysteries.