English Mysteries Club discussion

Here is the thread to discuss Margery Allingham, both her works and the author herself.

This thread will be hosted by Jodie, who, in the tradition of all good mysteries, also goes by the name of Geranium Cat.

Welcome to the Margery Allingham thread! Here's a brief bio.

Allingham was born in 1929, the child of two writers: her father was a journalist who later wrote pulp fiction and her mother wrote stories for women's magazines. While she was still a baby her parents moved to a village on the edge of the Essex marshes (a setting which would turn up in her Campion books), where their home became a magnet for writers and journalists. So it was hardly surprising that by the time she was at school in Cambridge she was already writing. Early in her career she wrote plays, with her first novel Blackkerchief Dick published in 1929.

Her most notable character, Albert Campion, first appeared, she claimed, almost by accident, a minor character who took over The Crime at Black Dudley, despite having initially been one of the suspects. In Mystery Mile he became a major character - an amateur sleuth of impeccable background and self-deprecatory manner - appearing in 17 more novels and something like 30 stories. This is the book where his two sidekicks, the ponderous ex-lag (prisoner) Magersfontein Lugg and police officer, Stanislaus Oates, first appear. Later they were joined by other regular characters, all equally idiosyncratic and entertaining.

The Mind Readers was the last Campion novel that Allingham finished. After she died of cancer her husband Philip Youngman Carter, who also designed the dustjackets for her books, finished Cargo of Eagles, and went on to write two sequels.

Which is your favourite Campion character / novel? Tell us in the comments below!

I have read most of the Campion books but so long ago that I couldn't pick a favorite now. Looking over my ratings, though, I see that I must have liked Traitor's Purse quite a lot as I gave it 5*!

I like the titles of some of her books - The Case of the Late Pig for example.

That is a wonderful title! And sounds familiar ... but I guess once heard, never forgotten ;)

Although I've never reviewed it, The Case of the Late Pig is the only work by Allingham that I've ever read, back when I was a kid. (Since joining this group, I've realized that I read a lot more in the mystery genre as a kid than I have as an adult --a neglect I'll have to remedy!) It's included in the anthology Ten Great Mysteries (which is a good collection overall, though not all the selections are by English authors nor in the "English style.") I liked the novella, even though back then I had some trouble with the British slang.

I started reading Allingham as a teenager and have gone back to the books repeatedly over the years. She was one of the writers who helped me form a sense of style. My judgments have shifted as I've aged; I remember liking Look to the Lady a lot as a teenager, but now it is her later novels I like the most. She continued to evolve as a writer, and novels like The Fashion in Shrouds and Death of a Ghost are mature novels of manners, often featuring strong, smart women making their way in a man's world. She is one of my favorite writers.

Who else has read Margery Allingham's novels? Could you recommend a best "first novel" to read?

I 'started' with the audiobook of Look to the Lady, which some reviewers have indicated as the first book where Campion truly figures in the action. David Thorpe is doing a great job narrating, except for the voice of Campion himself, which strikes me as very... effete (shall we say). I have seen most of the television episodes starring Peter Davison for comparison. It's a fun story, so I'd agree a good place to begin.

I've never seen those, John! It looks like I'm missing out all round. Thanks for the info :) Do you have the name of the series?

Jean:

Sorry, but I can't figure out how to do links using my phone. If you do a web search using keywords "Peter Davison Campion" you'll get hits for that series. I realize he's probably mostly known as a Doctor Who, but to me he'll always be The Last Detective. Allingham's Campion, paired with his 'manservant' Lugg, make for one of best duos in crime fiction!

P. S. Campion was yet another crime drama introduced to American audiences via the PBS program MYSTERY.

John wrote: "P. S. Campion was yet another crime drama introduced to American audiences via the PBS program MYSTERY."

I never got to watch that one much, but I do remember seeing, and liking, at least part of the adaptation of (I think) Dancers in Mourning.

Oh it's just called "Campion" apparently! Wonder how I missed it. Thanks John, I'll make a mental note to be aware of it on the digital channels.

I'm listening to More Work for the Undertaker, which is becoming my favorite in the series - the Palinode family are a hoot!

Jean, More work for the undertaker is a great story, and it could be a good option to start. My favourite is A tiger in the smoke, but I would not recommend it as "first novel". And I agree with John, Campion and Lugg are a very interesting duo!

Sam wrote: "I started reading Allingham as a teenager and have gone back to the books repeatedly over the years. She was one of the writers who helped me form a sense of style. My judgments have shifted as I'v..."

Absolutely agree, those two novels are Allingham at her very best! And her very best is pretty wonderful.

David Thorpe's narration is good but his female voices are awful and the high voice for Campion is bad.
Prefer Franis Mathews though I kept thinking F.A.B - which was close, he voiced Captain Scarlet.

Didn't make much of the tv series but I'm always more for books than TV.

Read as a teenager and re-reading/listening now. Traitor's Purse was interesting, didn't recall it, Campion pov if compromised.

Just a heads-up that The Case of the Late Pig is our ongoing group read, until the end of the month (and a bit more).

Does (or did) anyone enjoy the TV series of "Campion" with Peter Davison? We only got half way through the first episode I'm afraid. It seemed too knowing and arch, and very slow too. Did we not give it long enough?