Mr Campion's Farewell

Description

A Margery Allingham Campion mystery Strange things happen in the picture-postcard English village of Lindsay Carfax. When a young man falls into a quarry, it takes nine days to find the body. When rowdy hippies descend on the village, they're given nine days to leave. When an outspoken schoolmaster is kidnapped for nine days, he stays eerily quiet after his release. Now Albert Campion has come to town - and he means to investigate all this strangeness. But whoever is behind the unusual goings-on quickly makes it very clear that his nosing around is not welcome. Undeterred by threats, Campion is determined to expose the criminal masterminds hiding in this sleepy village.

Mike Ripley is the author of the award-winning 'Angel' series of comedy thrillers which have twice won the CWA Last Laugh Award. Described as 'England's funniest crime writer' (The Times), he is also a respected critic of crime fiction, writing for the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, The Times and Shots Magazine. Ripley first learned of the final unfinished Campion novel when he was a guest speaker at the Margery Allingham Society's annual convention. He offered - and received the Margery Allingham Society's blessing - to complete the manuscript on the adventures of Albert Campion, who Ripley describes as 'one of the brightest stars in the rich firmament of British crime writing'.

Ripley excels at presenting Campion, whose toff drawl and effete mannerisms hide an astute crime-solving brain -- MARCEL BERLINS * * Times * * He's produced a whimsical, delightful, witty, entertaining book that's part Jeeves and Wooster, part Laurel and Hardy, and part Miss Marple. [ . . . ] Charming and full of surprises * * Booklist * * Ripley is especially good at recreating the humorous wordplay of the originals . . . and does so in service of a well-crafted plot that plausibly places the detective, who debuted in 1929, in a more contemporary setting * * Publishers Weekly * * England's funniest crime writer * * The Times * *