Reviews

The Return of Mister Campion by J.E. Morpurgo, Margery Allingham

melissa_who_reads's review against another edition

3.0

Again, short stories for lunch-time reading. Some are very enjoyable, some are odd. I have always liked the stories when Margery Allingham places herself as a character in the story - and talks of her relationship with Mr. Albert Campion. Very meta :)

alisa4books's review against another edition

This did not hold my attention. I did not see the attraction that Agatha Christie describes. Maybe because this is a collection of "uncollected stories".

verityw's review against another edition

3.0

I thought that this was a bit of a strange one. I liked the Campion stories in this, but the other stories left me a bit cold and a bit confused. The quite meta story about what to do with an aging detective where the author visits Campion is also quite odd. I've only ever read Allingham's detective fiction, and mostly Campion - this hasn't really made me think that I'm missing out, although as a study of an authors development and style it is interesting.

****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****

vesper1931's review against another edition

2.0

For me none of these short stories, and some were really short, stood out as a wonderful story. Considering the title of the book I did expect all the stories to be about Campion and his investigations but this was not the case. Two stars because I did read all the stories but I was left with the feeling of disappointment.
A NetGalley Book

anjana's review against another edition

4.0

https://superfluousreading.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/the-return-of-mr-campion-uncollected-stories-by-margery-allingham/

annarella's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this book that is engaging and entertaining.
I loved the Campion's stories and was happy to discover other side of Ms Allingham.
I also loved the part where she tells how Campion was born and the description of her work as a writer.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

melissadeemcdaniel's review against another edition

4.0

“The Return of Mr. Campion” is a collection of essays and short stories. The best of the short stories involve Margery Allingham’s long-running character Albert Campion. There are a several non-Campion stories included in the collection as well.

Allingham’s opening essay tells the story of her writing career. I’m a long-time Allingham fan, and have read most of the full length Campion stories. Although I’m not always sure I want to see the puppet master behind the scenes, the essay fleshed out parts of Allingham’s history, and her philosophy of the mystery that I found interesting. Her opinions about the mystery genre are revealing about the golden age of crime novels in which she wrote. I wonder what she would make of the unreliable narrator mystery so popular these days.

My favorite piece is a short essay in which Allingham introduces her "friend Mr. Campion.” Her fondness for her character and his eccentricities is charming, and very like my own.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.