What do you think?
Rate this book
Mr Campion #3
Mr Campion's Fault: Margery Allingham's Albert Campion's new mystery
Margery Allingham’s Mr Campion finds himself a fish out of water when he investigates a murder in a Yorkshire mining village.
Following the death of the senior English master in a tragic road accident, Mr Campion’s son Rupert and daughter-in-law Perdita are helping out at Ash Grange School for Boys, where Perdita’s godfather is headmaster. While Perdita is directing the end-of-term play, a musical version of Dr Faustus, Rupert is tackling the school’s rugby football team – and both of them are finding their allotted tasks more of a challenge than they had anticipated.
When the headmaster telephones Albert Campion to inform him that Rupert has been arrested, Mr Campion heads to Yorkshire to get to the bottom of the matter. There are no secrets in the traditional mining village of Denby Ash, he’s told – but on uncovering reports of a disruptive poltergeist, a firebrand trade unionist, a missing conman and a local witch, he finds that’s far from being the case. And was the English master, Mr Browne’s, death really an accident . . .?
Following the death of the senior English master in a tragic road accident, Mr Campion’s son Rupert and daughter-in-law Perdita are helping out at Ash Grange School for Boys, where Perdita’s godfather is headmaster. While Perdita is directing the end-of-term play, a musical version of Dr Faustus, Rupert is tackling the school’s rugby football team – and both of them are finding their allotted tasks more of a challenge than they had anticipated.
When the headmaster telephones Albert Campion to inform him that Rupert has been arrested, Mr Campion heads to Yorkshire to get to the bottom of the matter. There are no secrets in the traditional mining village of Denby Ash, he’s told – but on uncovering reports of a disruptive poltergeist, a firebrand trade unionist, a missing conman and a local witch, he finds that’s far from being the case. And was the English master, Mr Browne’s, death really an accident . . .?
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
About the author
Mike Ripley
59 books55 followersMike Ripley is the author of the award-winning 'Angel' series of comedy thrillers which have twice won the CWA Last Laugh Award. It has been said that he 'paints a picture of London Dickens would recognise' and that 'he writes like the young Len Deighton, wierd and wonderful information and very, very funny'. Described as 'England's funniest crime writer' (The Times), he is also a respected critic of crime fiction, writing for the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times and the Birmingham Post among others.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 2, 2025
Some books I love to hate. This is not one of them. This book I just feel sorry for.
I should never have picked this book up, since I suspected I wouldn't like it before I even began. Unfortunately, it lived up to my expectations. The characters bore little or no resemblance to Allingham's, and they all spoke in the same twaddling and insufferable fashion. Far too many times throughout the book, the characters held tedious conversations that felt like they were part of some middle-grade introduction to Yorkshire. Random historical facts that have no bearing whatsoever on the plot were inserted at inopportune times and explained as if the reader were a five-year-old. ALL of the women characters were impulsive and arrogant and spoke down to the men as if they were ignorant hicks.
The mystery was decidedly mid, and could have used a complete reworking of the pacing. None of the revealed clues felt exciting, and none of the other events made me do anything other than side-eye the book severely. I laughed at all the wrong places because the ridiculous tone of the book was far funnier than the jokes.
Overall, this just felt like really meh fan fiction.
I should never have picked this book up, since I suspected I wouldn't like it before I even began. Unfortunately, it lived up to my expectations. The characters bore little or no resemblance to Allingham's, and they all spoke in the same twaddling and insufferable fashion. Far too many times throughout the book, the characters held tedious conversations that felt like they were part of some middle-grade introduction to Yorkshire. Random historical facts that have no bearing whatsoever on the plot were inserted at inopportune times and explained as if the reader were a five-year-old. ALL of the women characters were impulsive and arrogant and spoke down to the men as if they were ignorant hicks.
The mystery was decidedly mid, and could have used a complete reworking of the pacing. None of the revealed clues felt exciting, and none of the other events made me do anything other than side-eye the book severely. I laughed at all the wrong places because the ridiculous tone of the book was far funnier than the jokes.
Overall, this just felt like really meh fan fiction.
February 24, 2018
Dreary.
This mystery is set in 1969, in the town of Denby Ash, of the Yorkshire coalmining district. When an English teacher at Ash Grange School for Boys is killed in a hit-and-run accident, the headmaster asks his goddaughter, Perdita, and her husband, Rupert, to temporarily backfill the dead teacher’s roles. Rupert and Perdita Campion journey north, where Perdita will complete putting up the school play, and Rupert will coach the school rugby teams.
However, Perdita finds out mysterious events are at play, such as a ghost or poltergeist haunting a widow, and the existence of a resident witch. Perdita is our protagonist, Albert Campion’s daughter-in-law, so he makes his way to Denby Ash ahead of his wife, who will preside at the end-of-year assembly. Albert, the Mr. Campion of the title, sets out to solve the mystery. There is a second murder in a setting of trade unionists, mining colonies, a myriad of churches and rural England of the 1960’s. Albert is in his sixties. His old-timer friends also make an appearance, including Magersfontein Lugg.
I found the rendition of Perdita’s and Rupert’s trip and their experiences at Ash Grange School tedious. The plot is slow to get going and to wind up, and the protagonist’s late entry in what was my first novel by the author and of the series didn’t inspire me to read further books of the series. However, I persevered to the end of this novel. I found the story pace to be dreary and the humour unfunny. Everyone is by turns charming and being perverse in their directness of speech. Let the reader decide whether Perdita or Albert are charming.
Let it be said that I figured out who the head murderer was, some 70% percent through.
This mystery is set in 1969, in the town of Denby Ash, of the Yorkshire coalmining district. When an English teacher at Ash Grange School for Boys is killed in a hit-and-run accident, the headmaster asks his goddaughter, Perdita, and her husband, Rupert, to temporarily backfill the dead teacher’s roles. Rupert and Perdita Campion journey north, where Perdita will complete putting up the school play, and Rupert will coach the school rugby teams.
However, Perdita finds out mysterious events are at play, such as a ghost or poltergeist haunting a widow, and the existence of a resident witch. Perdita is our protagonist, Albert Campion’s daughter-in-law, so he makes his way to Denby Ash ahead of his wife, who will preside at the end-of-year assembly. Albert, the Mr. Campion of the title, sets out to solve the mystery. There is a second murder in a setting of trade unionists, mining colonies, a myriad of churches and rural England of the 1960’s. Albert is in his sixties. His old-timer friends also make an appearance, including Magersfontein Lugg.
I found the rendition of Perdita’s and Rupert’s trip and their experiences at Ash Grange School tedious. The plot is slow to get going and to wind up, and the protagonist’s late entry in what was my first novel by the author and of the series didn’t inspire me to read further books of the series. However, I persevered to the end of this novel. I found the story pace to be dreary and the humour unfunny. Everyone is by turns charming and being perverse in their directness of speech. Let the reader decide whether Perdita or Albert are charming.
Let it be said that I figured out who the head murderer was, some 70% percent through.
January 23, 2020
The little Yorkshire mining town of Denby Ash doesn't hold with Southerners, nor with toffs. They're not too pleased with the posh boys school in their midst, either. When a hit-and-run death leaves a vacancy in the school staff, the headmaster turns to his god-daughter Perdita and her husband Rupert Campion to fill the gaps. And that, of course, draws the attention of Rupert's father Albert Campion, than who few are more Southern or more toff-ish. When the ongoing payroll robberies are joined by a few murdered bodies, the local police are happy enough to have Albert there.
June 21, 2023
Clever, rather charming. Nice to have Campion back
May 23, 2016
I am not a huge fan of Margery Allingham's Albert Campion but strangely enough I enjoy Mike Ripley's books about him and his son Rupert. In this latest instalment Rupert and his wife Perdita travel to Yorkshire to Ash Grange school for boys, where Perdita's godfather is headmaster, to help out after the senior English master is killed in what appears to be a tragic accident. When news of Rupert's arrest by the police reaches Mr Campion senior he decides to go and find out what is happening.
A missing conman, newly released from prison who has gone missing, a trade union activist, a witch, a school production of a Bowdlerised version of Marlowe's Dr Faustus to which brass band music has been added and the mining village of Denby Ash seems to be where it's all happening especially when you add in apparent poltergeist activity and the suspicion that the accidental death of the English master might not be an accident and there is plenty for Mr Campion senior to get his teeth into even if he is on unfamiliar territory.
I enjoyed this entertaining story set in the late 1960s and I liked the characters. The plot is well done and though I worked out most of what was going on before the end it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. I thought the ending was tense and well written and I liked the touches of humour throughout the book. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
A missing conman, newly released from prison who has gone missing, a trade union activist, a witch, a school production of a Bowdlerised version of Marlowe's Dr Faustus to which brass band music has been added and the mining village of Denby Ash seems to be where it's all happening especially when you add in apparent poltergeist activity and the suspicion that the accidental death of the English master might not be an accident and there is plenty for Mr Campion senior to get his teeth into even if he is on unfamiliar territory.
I enjoyed this entertaining story set in the late 1960s and I liked the characters. The plot is well done and though I worked out most of what was going on before the end it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. I thought the ending was tense and well written and I liked the touches of humour throughout the book. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
June 27, 2017
Spotting this volume on my library's "New Fiction" shelves was my first awareness of Mr. Ripley's additions to the Campion canon, and I decided to give it a try. I enjoyed it, so I plan to go back and catch the previous ones, starting with the manuscript he completed, Margery Allingham's Albert Campion in: Mr Campion's Farewell.
It's been many too many years since I read my way through the originals (time for a reread of some I recall particularly enjoying, perhaps?), so I can't really evaluate how good a job Ripley did in imitating the series's tone and style (and of course Campion is older here and the time more modern), but this is an overall entertaining, light mystery of well-bred Londoners trying to fit in somehow in a Yorkshire coal-mining town.
Son Rupert and his actress wife Perdita are as likable as the "pensionable age" but irrepressible Campion père, and Lady Amanda (and it's sweet to see how fond Perdita is of her in-laws). Even the ageless Lugg makes a few appearances — how old ought he be in 1969?! The staff of the boys' school and the town both are full of eccentric characters, providing plenty of humorous and/or awkward moments.
From opposition to the staging of Doctor Faustus based on its devil-raising theme (except for the deceased teacher's sister, as unattractive inside as out, who's determined to milk the walk-on part of Helen of Troy to cringe-inducing lengths), to socialistic contempt from most of the miners for the mainly upper-crust-exclusive school and the effete outsiders, tempered by pride in the town's historic band (the bowdlerized play is to have musical accompaniment, you know), to Rupert's lack of rugby skill and acumen (which he felt no need to inform the headmaster of before accepting the coaching job offer, based on old-school-tie assumptions, so he could accompany his wife), it's clear none of them will have an easy time accomplishing their goals, neither pedagogical nor investigative.
I found part of the explanation for the Thursday evening "poltergeist" pretty obvious, pretty early on, and also rightly suspected one minor character of being a bad 'un after just a couple mentions. Nevertheless, the book was a fun read, with clever dialogue and some exciting moments, and I didn't guess all the details ahead of schedule. In the end, Perdita and the not-so-retired detective at least have both triumphed, and Rupert helped make an important discovery.
I did catch a few editing oversights: an apparent missing "no" (p.228, "more claustrophobic"), an I-should-be-me (p.103) which can perhaps be forgiven since it's in dialogue, though not spoken by an uneducated man, and an annoying inconsistency between pages 62 and 93 re. which roles had been cut from the play.
One trivia bit of interest to me was the discussion on the way north of the hyperbolic paraboloid design of the Markham Moor filling (i.e., gas) station, a swooping concrete canopy which looked really cool before the station closed and a boxy highway fast-food place was built under it. I looked it up, of course:
vs.
It's been many too many years since I read my way through the originals (time for a reread of some I recall particularly enjoying, perhaps?), so I can't really evaluate how good a job Ripley did in imitating the series's tone and style (and of course Campion is older here and the time more modern), but this is an overall entertaining, light mystery of well-bred Londoners trying to fit in somehow in a Yorkshire coal-mining town.
Son Rupert and his actress wife Perdita are as likable as the "pensionable age" but irrepressible Campion père, and Lady Amanda (and it's sweet to see how fond Perdita is of her in-laws). Even the ageless Lugg makes a few appearances — how old ought he be in 1969?! The staff of the boys' school and the town both are full of eccentric characters, providing plenty of humorous and/or awkward moments.
From opposition to the staging of Doctor Faustus based on its devil-raising theme (except for the deceased teacher's sister, as unattractive inside as out, who's determined to milk the walk-on part of Helen of Troy to cringe-inducing lengths), to socialistic contempt from most of the miners for the mainly upper-crust-exclusive school and the effete outsiders, tempered by pride in the town's historic band (the bowdlerized play is to have musical accompaniment, you know), to Rupert's lack of rugby skill and acumen (which he felt no need to inform the headmaster of before accepting the coaching job offer, based on old-school-tie assumptions, so he could accompany his wife), it's clear none of them will have an easy time accomplishing their goals, neither pedagogical nor investigative.
I found part of the explanation for the Thursday evening "poltergeist" pretty obvious, pretty early on, and also rightly suspected one minor character of being a bad 'un after just a couple mentions. Nevertheless, the book was a fun read, with clever dialogue and some exciting moments, and I didn't guess all the details ahead of schedule. In the end, Perdita and the not-so-retired detective at least have both triumphed, and Rupert helped make an important discovery.
I did catch a few editing oversights: an apparent missing "no" (p.228, "more claustrophobic"), an I-should-be-me (p.103) which can perhaps be forgiven since it's in dialogue, though not spoken by an uneducated man, and an annoying inconsistency between pages 62 and 93 re. which roles had been cut from the play.
One trivia bit of interest to me was the discussion on the way north of the hyperbolic paraboloid design of the Markham Moor filling (i.e., gas) station, a swooping concrete canopy which looked really cool before the station closed and a boxy highway fast-food place was built under it. I looked it up, of course:
vs.
June 29, 2018
I had nothing else to read, so I struggled on nearly to the end, and then gave up. Awful tripe. I fell for the marketing ploy of a famous name on the front. This is so not Margery Allingham. I missed the fact it was a Seven House novel, too. I always hate them.
They are written in a slightly arch manner, which I don't find amusing.
'Physically, this was the smallest and thinnest of the dragons, and though he gave the impression of being a minor civil servant who was bullied at work and brow-beaten at home, Rupert suspected that Major Manfred Poole, the school's senior chemistry master, ruled his science classes with a rod of iron if not tungsten.'
Just looking at the words, there are about 54 words. 11 have negative connotations. (13 if you add school and work). smallest, thinnest, dragons, minor, servant, bullied, brow-beaten, ruled, rod, iron (although dragons can have exciting connotations in some contexts.)
Then, there's the metaphor as teachers as dragons, then we get the rod of iron metaphor, with the addition, meant to be funny, I guess, of tungsten. I suppose the tungsten is meant to show that 'rod of iron' wasn't being used as a cliche, but it is still a cliche and the 'tungsten' feels like unnecessary erudition to me and it's a waste of time trying to decode it all. There's a muddle of professions, major = army, civil servant = administrator, then he's really a chemistry master. It feels confusing. Then there's the caricature of 'brow-beaten at home'. What does that say about the writer's feelings about women? I don't like reading about unpleasant caricatures. There is something unkind here, as well, as if the reader is being invited to snigger at the Major.
I couldn't follow the plot, it was so slight and so boring. It's very rate I don't plough onto the end, but I couldn't give a damn who done it.
.
They are written in a slightly arch manner, which I don't find amusing.
'Physically, this was the smallest and thinnest of the dragons, and though he gave the impression of being a minor civil servant who was bullied at work and brow-beaten at home, Rupert suspected that Major Manfred Poole, the school's senior chemistry master, ruled his science classes with a rod of iron if not tungsten.'
Just looking at the words, there are about 54 words. 11 have negative connotations. (13 if you add school and work). smallest, thinnest, dragons, minor, servant, bullied, brow-beaten, ruled, rod, iron (although dragons can have exciting connotations in some contexts.)
Then, there's the metaphor as teachers as dragons, then we get the rod of iron metaphor, with the addition, meant to be funny, I guess, of tungsten. I suppose the tungsten is meant to show that 'rod of iron' wasn't being used as a cliche, but it is still a cliche and the 'tungsten' feels like unnecessary erudition to me and it's a waste of time trying to decode it all. There's a muddle of professions, major = army, civil servant = administrator, then he's really a chemistry master. It feels confusing. Then there's the caricature of 'brow-beaten at home'. What does that say about the writer's feelings about women? I don't like reading about unpleasant caricatures. There is something unkind here, as well, as if the reader is being invited to snigger at the Major.
I couldn't follow the plot, it was so slight and so boring. It's very rate I don't plough onto the end, but I couldn't give a damn who done it.
.
December 20, 2018
I'm afraid I was disappointed in this one. It's not that it isn't well written. It is. And Ripley does a good job of recreating the style of the late Margery Allingham. Unfortunately, styles have changed in the decades since she wrote the original Campion books, making this very slow going. The focus in the first half of the book on Albert's son and daughter-in-law contributes to the slow pace. It isn't until Campion himself arrives in Yorkshire that things pick up. I'd have enjoyed seeing some reference to his previous adventures among the Gypsies, a major plot point in one of the early Allingham novels, when he interviews Ivy, the resident village witch, but a more serious flaw is that, in spite of the fact that I'm usually terrible at figuring out who dunnit, I guessed early on what was happening and who was behind it. Still, if you're in the mood for a good old fashioned mystery and would enjoy getting a glimpse of coal mining country as it was in the late 1960s, this will provide you with an entertaining and enlightening read.
November 24, 2019
I know I stated that I'd not read another, but this came in for me from outside the state so.....
Albert's part was boring; his son's, Rupert, & daughter-in-law's, Perdita, were good.
Rupert & Perdita arrive at a school in a coal-mining town to help out after the death of one of the teachers: Rupert as Rugby coach & Perdita as Drama Coach.
The dead man was investigating a poltergeist that rattled & boomed the same house every Thursday night at the same time.
Two hard-core criminals, who were cellmates in Whitehall Prison have gone to ground.
A pair of schoolboys are set upon by a pair of thugs on motorcycles after visiting the local "Witch" asking her to exorcise the poltergeist.
Then Albert arrives, and why it took 3 paragraphs & 2/3 of a page to describe Albert driving over a stone bridge was far far beyond me & so I skipped to almost the end.
But other than Campion being a bore, it was a good story line.
Albert's part was boring; his son's, Rupert, & daughter-in-law's, Perdita, were good.
Rupert & Perdita arrive at a school in a coal-mining town to help out after the death of one of the teachers: Rupert as Rugby coach & Perdita as Drama Coach.
The dead man was investigating a poltergeist that rattled & boomed the same house every Thursday night at the same time.
Two hard-core criminals, who were cellmates in Whitehall Prison have gone to ground.
A pair of schoolboys are set upon by a pair of thugs on motorcycles after visiting the local "Witch" asking her to exorcise the poltergeist.
Then Albert arrives, and why it took 3 paragraphs & 2/3 of a page to describe Albert driving over a stone bridge was far far beyond me & so I skipped to almost the end.
But other than Campion being a bore, it was a good story line.
January 26, 2024
The third installment of Mr. Ripley's series featuring Margery Allingham's sleuth takes Rupert, Perdita and Albert Campion to Yorkshire. I enjoyed the second book (and skipped book #1 only because my library doesn't have it) and found this one to be equally worthwhile. It suffers from too little Lady Amanda, who's easily my favorite character, but that gives Mr. Ripley time to develop son Rupert and daughter-in-law Perdita more. Like Mr. Campions' Fox, the plot isn't complex, and you will certainly figure it out before the end, but it's interesting. These stories are about the journey, not the destination. It is the setting and characters that make it worth reading. Overall, this is a light, well-written mystery / adventure. Most fans of period (1969) mysteries will enjoy it, but its greatest appeal will be to fans of Ms. Allingham's Campion.
March 2, 2026
This is the third book in the author's continuation of Margery Allingham's Campion series (12 books so far) and the sixth one which I have read.
The story is set in late 1969 and Campion's son and daughter are the main characters in the first half of the book. The scene is a mining village in Yorkshire where the younger Campions have temporary employment in a private school. There is a mystery which probably won't be much of a mystery to regular readers of crime fiction though Albert Campion has to point the local police in the right direction. It's an engaging read.
The story is set in late 1969 and Campion's son and daughter are the main characters in the first half of the book. The scene is a mining village in Yorkshire where the younger Campions have temporary employment in a private school. There is a mystery which probably won't be much of a mystery to regular readers of crime fiction though Albert Campion has to point the local police in the right direction. It's an engaging read.
March 29, 2018
Different!
.... but none the less enjoyable. An older - mellower? - Campion took me a while to get used to, as did the rather different milieu. Campion moving with the times? He always seemed timeLESS somehow...
Well crafted plot, I thought, perfectly paced. Likeable characters. Will certainly look forward to more of Mr. Ripley books. Nobody is as good as the late, great Margery, but I think she might have rather liked this
.... but none the less enjoyable. An older - mellower? - Campion took me a while to get used to, as did the rather different milieu. Campion moving with the times? He always seemed timeLESS somehow...
Well crafted plot, I thought, perfectly paced. Likeable characters. Will certainly look forward to more of Mr. Ripley books. Nobody is as good as the late, great Margery, but I think she might have rather liked this
May 23, 2022
I love Marjorie Allingham's character Albert Campion, so it was a joy to discover that Mike Ripley has continued the Campion stories, and done it very well. There wasn't a jarring note (except to discover that I had inadvertently read the third of the series first, but that was my fault!). I am looking forward to reading the other novels in the series, and this time I'll start with the first one!
October 25, 2017
Great Read
These later Campions books are great! Mr Campion is still a brave and clever detective, but these later books acknowledge that he is aging and not as physically agile. But his cleverness and agile mind cannot be surpassed.
These later Campions books are great! Mr Campion is still a brave and clever detective, but these later books acknowledge that he is aging and not as physically agile. But his cleverness and agile mind cannot be surpassed.
June 29, 2023
This felt very slow to get going and for me to appreciate the characters. I found the comments on the north rubbed but finished it and liked it better by the end. I would read others to see what they were like.
February 19, 2024
Not actually a Marjory Allingham, even though my local library had it labelled and stored with her books. Slow to start. Some of the character traits of Campion are there. Not a difficult mystery to find the solution.
August 24, 2019
Very entertaining.....a real pleasure to read. Lots of sly little funnies.
April 3, 2024
Absolutely delightful! He's kept it true to the series and extended it in perfect form. A delightful read!
December 5, 2025
Finally near the end I guessed. A bit slow with lots of description.
September 3, 2026
Good read!
Excellent plot, pretty fast moving for a cosy mystery, and great characterization. Well worth the time of a read or two!
Excellent plot, pretty fast moving for a cosy mystery, and great characterization. Well worth the time of a read or two!
November 5, 2026
Pleasant read but I anticipated most of the "surprises".
December 15, 2019
The new Campions
Mike Ripley has done an admirable job in capturing the plots and style of Margery Allingham. It is a pleasure to see the Albert Campion mysteries continue.
Mike Ripley has done an admirable job in capturing the plots and style of Margery Allingham. It is a pleasure to see the Albert Campion mysteries continue.
October 17, 2016
A delightful mystery set in the late 60’s
Following the death of the senior English master, Mr. Browne. in a tragic road accident, Mr Campion's son Rupert and daughter-in-law Perdita are helping out at Ash Grange School for Boys, where Perdita's godfather is headmaster. When the headmaster telephones Albert Campion to inform him that Rupert has been arrested, Mr Campion heads to the traditional mining village of Denby Ash in Yorkshire to get to the bottom of the matter. He is told there are no secrets there but he uncovers reports of a disruptive poltergeist, a firebrand trade unionist, a missing conman and a local witch, and was the English master death really an accident?
I enjoyed this entertaining story set in the late 1960, especially the interesting array of characters. The plot is nicely paced and contains just the right amount of wry humour. The book was a nice length (260 pages) and was an enthralling read up to and including a tense finale. Mike Ripley has taken up the mantle of the Albert Campion mysteries by Margery Allingham with great aplomb. This book is a definite tribute to Allingham, with its neat turns of phrase and narrative-type descriptions.
I enjoyed watching the BBC productions starring Peter Davison that were based on Allingham's books and this author does good justice to her iconic detective. Mr Campion’s Fault is a delightful mystery, filled with sparkling wit and clever twists and the time and place that the story is based upon are beautifully described. For readers like me who especially enjoy their mystery novels set in the 60s and 70s, Mike Ripley has the deft touch of combining a feeling of being in the midst of the location and providing good plots for the reader to get their teeth into.
Albert Campion is a likable and appealing protagonist and I couldn't help but warm to him. The plot is reminiscent of the golden age of crime writing, it's all rather innocent and has none of the knowingness I have come to expect in modern crime fiction. This is simply quite a gentle, amusing read but also has a serious crime background to it and this clash of genres works very well and I recommend it if you have a spare couple of evenings coming up.
Digger 95
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
Following the death of the senior English master, Mr. Browne. in a tragic road accident, Mr Campion's son Rupert and daughter-in-law Perdita are helping out at Ash Grange School for Boys, where Perdita's godfather is headmaster. When the headmaster telephones Albert Campion to inform him that Rupert has been arrested, Mr Campion heads to the traditional mining village of Denby Ash in Yorkshire to get to the bottom of the matter. He is told there are no secrets there but he uncovers reports of a disruptive poltergeist, a firebrand trade unionist, a missing conman and a local witch, and was the English master death really an accident?
I enjoyed this entertaining story set in the late 1960, especially the interesting array of characters. The plot is nicely paced and contains just the right amount of wry humour. The book was a nice length (260 pages) and was an enthralling read up to and including a tense finale. Mike Ripley has taken up the mantle of the Albert Campion mysteries by Margery Allingham with great aplomb. This book is a definite tribute to Allingham, with its neat turns of phrase and narrative-type descriptions.
I enjoyed watching the BBC productions starring Peter Davison that were based on Allingham's books and this author does good justice to her iconic detective. Mr Campion’s Fault is a delightful mystery, filled with sparkling wit and clever twists and the time and place that the story is based upon are beautifully described. For readers like me who especially enjoy their mystery novels set in the 60s and 70s, Mike Ripley has the deft touch of combining a feeling of being in the midst of the location and providing good plots for the reader to get their teeth into.
Albert Campion is a likable and appealing protagonist and I couldn't help but warm to him. The plot is reminiscent of the golden age of crime writing, it's all rather innocent and has none of the knowingness I have come to expect in modern crime fiction. This is simply quite a gentle, amusing read but also has a serious crime background to it and this clash of genres works very well and I recommend it if you have a spare couple of evenings coming up.
Digger 95
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
July 7, 2016
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Severn House Publishers.
I have finally stopped comparing these "new" Albert Campion stories to those originals written by Margery Allingham. The fact is, we don't have any new Allingham stories and after giving Mike Ripley a fair chance I'm glad to say I thoroughly enjoyed this novel without once wondering how Mrs. Allingham would have handled a particular situation. This time we are treated to a trip into the coal mining environs of Yorkshire with a headmaster of a boy's school calling in a favor from his god-daughter who just happens to be the daughter-in-law of Albert and Amanda Campion. Rupert and Perdita make their journey north to Denby Ash to take the place vacated by the automobile hit and run death of one of the teachers at the school. Perdita will be primarily working on putting on the school play as school adjourns for the Christmas holiday - she is an actress after all - and Rupert will be mostly involved with the school rugby team. Once the junior Campion's are on the scene mysterious things begin to come to light in the form of poltergeists and a witch camping out on the village green. Can Albert possibly stay away from such goings-on?
For readers who especially enjoy those old fashioned feeling mystery novels Mike Ripley has the deft touch of combining a feeling of being in the midst of the location in which his story is cast and providing good plots for really sinking ones teeth into. This story takes place in 1969 and Albert is somewhere vaguely in his sixties. That absolute favorite of mine, Magersfontein Lugg makes a short but vital appearance to put the final question to rest in order to solve the mystery. I wish Lugg had been more involved in this story because his interactions with Campion are the icing on any Albert Campion investigation. Maybe next time.
This is definitely recommended for readers of classically styled mystery novels set in historical time periods. A great read for me and I sincerely look forward to the next one.
I have finally stopped comparing these "new" Albert Campion stories to those originals written by Margery Allingham. The fact is, we don't have any new Allingham stories and after giving Mike Ripley a fair chance I'm glad to say I thoroughly enjoyed this novel without once wondering how Mrs. Allingham would have handled a particular situation. This time we are treated to a trip into the coal mining environs of Yorkshire with a headmaster of a boy's school calling in a favor from his god-daughter who just happens to be the daughter-in-law of Albert and Amanda Campion. Rupert and Perdita make their journey north to Denby Ash to take the place vacated by the automobile hit and run death of one of the teachers at the school. Perdita will be primarily working on putting on the school play as school adjourns for the Christmas holiday - she is an actress after all - and Rupert will be mostly involved with the school rugby team. Once the junior Campion's are on the scene mysterious things begin to come to light in the form of poltergeists and a witch camping out on the village green. Can Albert possibly stay away from such goings-on?
For readers who especially enjoy those old fashioned feeling mystery novels Mike Ripley has the deft touch of combining a feeling of being in the midst of the location in which his story is cast and providing good plots for really sinking ones teeth into. This story takes place in 1969 and Albert is somewhere vaguely in his sixties. That absolute favorite of mine, Magersfontein Lugg makes a short but vital appearance to put the final question to rest in order to solve the mystery. I wish Lugg had been more involved in this story because his interactions with Campion are the icing on any Albert Campion investigation. Maybe next time.
This is definitely recommended for readers of classically styled mystery novels set in historical time periods. A great read for me and I sincerely look forward to the next one.
June 2, 2016
I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for a review copy of Mr Campion's Fault, the third novel in Mr Ripley's updating of Margery Allingham's series.
It must be close to 40 years since I last read about Albert Campion and at the time I found him boring and old fashioned (I was a teenager) so when I was offered the opportunity to revisit him in the form of this novel I thought I'd give it a try and I'm glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it. Albert Campion is an OAP now and feeling his age, I think, so he is happy to leave the adventuring to the younger generation, or maybe not. His son and daughter in law receive an urgent request from her godfather to go up to the wilds of Yorkshire for a couple of weeks to replace a teacher in his school recently killed in a hit and run, she to produce the school play and he to coach the rugby team. Obligingly they agree and are soon immersed in school life, local intrigue and gossip and a poltergeist. When Campion senior hears of these goings on he soon hotfoots to Yorkshire to join them and have a look into it.
Mr Campion's Fault is an extremely amusing novel, not something I remember from Ms Allingham, and seems very accurate in its period detail. The village of Denby Ash in 1969 where the novel is set is conservative and has no truck with southerners (i.e. The young Campions) and their ways. It reminds me of my own upbringing where as kids we were more swung than swinging. The plot is also reminiscent of the golden age, it's all rather innocent and has none of the knowingness we have come to expect in modern crime fiction.
You will notice above that I rather hedged my bets talking about Albert Campion, because both the novel and he, as a character, are so tongue in cheek it is sometimes hard to work out exactly what is "true" and what is obfuscation but it's great fun.
I think this is a good read and I have no hesitation in recommending it as such.
It must be close to 40 years since I last read about Albert Campion and at the time I found him boring and old fashioned (I was a teenager) so when I was offered the opportunity to revisit him in the form of this novel I thought I'd give it a try and I'm glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it. Albert Campion is an OAP now and feeling his age, I think, so he is happy to leave the adventuring to the younger generation, or maybe not. His son and daughter in law receive an urgent request from her godfather to go up to the wilds of Yorkshire for a couple of weeks to replace a teacher in his school recently killed in a hit and run, she to produce the school play and he to coach the rugby team. Obligingly they agree and are soon immersed in school life, local intrigue and gossip and a poltergeist. When Campion senior hears of these goings on he soon hotfoots to Yorkshire to join them and have a look into it.
Mr Campion's Fault is an extremely amusing novel, not something I remember from Ms Allingham, and seems very accurate in its period detail. The village of Denby Ash in 1969 where the novel is set is conservative and has no truck with southerners (i.e. The young Campions) and their ways. It reminds me of my own upbringing where as kids we were more swung than swinging. The plot is also reminiscent of the golden age, it's all rather innocent and has none of the knowingness we have come to expect in modern crime fiction.
You will notice above that I rather hedged my bets talking about Albert Campion, because both the novel and he, as a character, are so tongue in cheek it is sometimes hard to work out exactly what is "true" and what is obfuscation but it's great fun.
I think this is a good read and I have no hesitation in recommending it as such.
July 29, 2016
I have always enjoyed Margery Allingham’s Campion novels, as well as the BBC productions featuring Peter Davison. Thus it was with anticipation and trepidation that I picked up Mike Ripley’s novel, Mr Campion’s Fault. It is not always easy for an author to meet the standards/expectations set by a well known and loved author.
I can say with pleasure that Mike Ripley does justice to Allingham’s iconic detective. The dialogue sparkles, at once showcasing and concealing his cleverness and perception. Albert Campion’s facetious manner and complete inability to be insulted or offended serves him well as always. His son Rupert and his daughter-in-law Perdita are welcome additions to the cast and I enjoyed their efforts as teacher replacements. I only wish Lugg played a larger role - though I have to admit his placement in the climax was delightful.
The plot was perfectly composed as well as completely appropriate - a reported poltergeist in the home of a Yorkshire widow, a murdered teacher, a missing embezzler, and a series of robberies provide tempting bait for Campion, particularly since his son and daughter-in-law are helping at the Ash Grange School.
Mr Campion’s Fault is a delightful mystery, filled with sparkling wit, clever twists and a touch of humor - a perfect tribute to Margery Allingham. I highly recommend Mr Campion’s Fault, whether you simply enjoy British mysteries or are a die hard fan of Campion or English mystery classics.
5/5
I received a copy of Mr Campion’s Fault from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
I can say with pleasure that Mike Ripley does justice to Allingham’s iconic detective. The dialogue sparkles, at once showcasing and concealing his cleverness and perception. Albert Campion’s facetious manner and complete inability to be insulted or offended serves him well as always. His son Rupert and his daughter-in-law Perdita are welcome additions to the cast and I enjoyed their efforts as teacher replacements. I only wish Lugg played a larger role - though I have to admit his placement in the climax was delightful.
The plot was perfectly composed as well as completely appropriate - a reported poltergeist in the home of a Yorkshire widow, a murdered teacher, a missing embezzler, and a series of robberies provide tempting bait for Campion, particularly since his son and daughter-in-law are helping at the Ash Grange School.
Mr Campion’s Fault is a delightful mystery, filled with sparkling wit, clever twists and a touch of humor - a perfect tribute to Margery Allingham. I highly recommend Mr Campion’s Fault, whether you simply enjoy British mysteries or are a die hard fan of Campion or English mystery classics.
5/5
I received a copy of Mr Campion’s Fault from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
January 21, 2017
I love the old British mysteries and grew up reading them (my mom was a huge fan). I love Dorothy Sayres, Josephine Tey, Agatha Christie . . . and Margery Allingham. The early books about Albert Campion were a riot--he was such an unusual character. (He got less weird after he married, unfortunately.) So I was very interested to read a "re-boot" of the series by Mike Ripley. This book takes place in the 1960s and focuses somewhat on Campion's son and daughter-in-law, and overall I think he does a good job capturing the times. And I would say for the most part he does well portraying an older and less nimble Albert Campion, but one who is still sharp and affable. Overall, I think Ripley did a decent job of keeping this character alive and in bringing attention to one of the greats of British mystery writing, Margery Allingham. (Now read "The Crime at Black Dudley" from 1930, "Sweet Danger" from 1933 and "The Tiger in the Smoke" from 1952 for the real thing.)
June 4, 2016
This is a continuation of a classic Golden Age mystery series originally authored by Margery Allingham. I have read only one of the originals set some thirty years earlier so I can't really speak to how well this matches the early ones in tone and style.
But this mystery was quite entertaining and clever. Albert Campion is a likable and appealing protagonist and the plotting and characters were well-done.
I received an ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
But this mystery was quite entertaining and clever. Albert Campion is a likable and appealing protagonist and the plotting and characters were well-done.
I received an ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
January 2, 2017
I loved the idea of Margery Allingham's detective returning. Some things just seemed off, of course, as she was British and an excellent writer. As much as I did not always get every nuance in the original books, when Campion thinks he is frightened, overmatched, etc...that was not his character. He was imperturbable. He was also more condescending towards Lugg. He seemed more like an aging Miss Marple than our dashing detective of old. I liked the setting and the other characters, writing was good also. I would give this 3 1/2 stars.
October 15, 2016
Another fine mystery by Mike Ripley. He captures Allingham's characters nicely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews