Author Description

Product Description Campion investigates once more, but this time he is on the run from the police—classic British crime writing at its best. Celebrated amateur detective Albert Campion awakes in hospital accused of attacking a police officer and suffering from acute amnesia. All he can remember is that he was on a mission of vital importance to His Majesty's government before his accident. On the run from the police and unable to recognise even his faithful servant Lugg or his own fiancée, Campion struggles desperately to put the pieces together while the very fate of England is at stake.Margery Allingham was born in London in 1904. Her first novel was published when she was seventeen. In 1929 she published The Crime at Black Dudley and introduced the character who was to become the hallmark of her writing—Albert Campion. Review “You’ll be so sewed down to this one you won’t stop for anything” – New Yorker“Uncommonly exciting stuff, replete with Allingham’s skill in story-building and the plausible characters that make her as much a fine novelist as a mystery writer” – New Republic About the Author Margery Allingham was born in Ealing, London in 1904 to a family immersed in literature. Her first novel, Blackkerchief Dick, was published in 1923 when she was 19. Her first work of detective fiction was a serialized story published by the Daily Express in 1927. Entitled The White Cottage Mystery, it contained atypical themes for a woman writer of the era. Her breakthrough occurred in 1929 with the publication of The Crime at Black Dudley. This introduced Albert Campion, albeit originally as a minor character. He returned in Mystery Mile, thanks in part to pressure from her American publishers, much taken with the character. Campion proved so successful that Allingham made him the centrepiece of another 17 novels and over 20 short stories, continuing into the 1960s. From AudioFile Your head may well be aching along with Campion's as thesleuth awakens to find he has amnesia and a looming dread that somemomentous event hangs in the balance that only he can put right. Timeticks along as he becomes buried under more and more incomprehensibleinformation. Unable to recognize even the faithful Lugg or his ownfiancée, Campion struggles desperately to put the pieces togetherwhile the very fate of England is at stake. A bit on the convolutedand melodramatic side perhaps, but it's all made enjoyable by thesheer breadth of talent brought to bear by narrator FrancisMatthews. It's a pure pleasure to listen to this man talk. He createsa persona for his characters that never slips while moving adroitlyamong various strata of British society. His professional approach tothis material gleans from it every possible bit of entertainment.D.G. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine--Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine