A rather motley selection of pieces of various lengths, a few featuring Albert Campion. They are very variable in quality. The best is "The Case is Altered", followed by "The Beauty King" which is just too long.

All of them appeared in the 1989 volume of the same title. This latest edition also has "Mystery Writer in the Box", but does not have the Introduction, Appreciation and Notes which the 1989 book contained.

My view is that the stories are very much for Allingham fans, but would not be a good starting point for new readers, as they are far from the best work by the greatest of the Queens of Crime.

Whilst I enjoy all Margery Allingham books, I prefer to read the ones that feature Mr Campion, these short stories are a bit of a mixed bag. There are a few Campion ones, some classic Allingham stories, which I suspect she enjoyed writing the best. There are some self-speak conversation with the characters and insights into the process and difficulties of writing the Campion book.