Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Mr Campion's Farewell by Mike Ripley

Margery Allingham's Albert Campion is the main character in this story.  I have read Allingham's work through the years and Campion is like an old friend to me.  He's bit stuffy, thinks carefully about issues before deciding any course of action, and he's always right even if he might have headed down the wrong road for a while.  I had to see how Mr. Ripley handled him in this new book.

Severn House Publishers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published July 1st, so make a note on your TBR list.

There have been some disquieting happenings in Lindsay Carfax but no one will explain or complain about them.  It seems there are "Carders" that regulate everything from commerce to free speech.  They have this Nine Days Wonder rule where the person comes back after being gone nine days and things go back to normal or the person moves away.  Dissension is not allowed; this alone is suspect.  But when two college students die while there on a dig, it looks more serious.  After all, there were hippies there, too, and the community didn't like that.  Did it disturb them enough to commit murder?

Mr. Campion reminds me a bit of Miss Marple.  He's always pressing, always playing parts, and always weighing his words.  He remembers what he's been told, does his own research, and he tries to be careful.  It's very unfortunate when he gets trapped in the caverns beneath the village.  It's one of my worst nightmares.  He's there in the dark, in a cave, with no light.  Ugh!  Even worse, he has a monster there with him...

There is a lot of history revealed in this story as they try to piece together the history of the village and the people within.  Anyone with an interest in this area will appreciate it.  I enjoyed the interaction between Mr. Campion, his wife, and his niece. They are both formidable women and share their opinions on his actions with him loudly. 

Overall, it's a very good story.  I would appreciate a bit more concise version of the story but that's me.  I'm still a big fan of the short story, so long novels grate on me a bit unless they are very action packed.  This was slower moving but it's still suspenseful and dangerous in it's own way.  Give it a try!

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