Albert Campion may be white-haired now but he has not lost his sense of humour or his charm, and Magersfontein Lugg is still very much alive, even if he's rumoured to be ninety-three.
Margery Allingham maintained that her first novel was dictated to her during family seances on Mersea Island. It is fitting that Mike Ripley returns Campion, and his son Rupert, to the Dengue Peninsula where some near-geriatric yokels are up to no good on the Essex marshes and mudflats, and it could be witchcraft.
I'm pretty sure Margery's ghost must approve and is sharing in the fun.

Mr Campion's Coven is the newest book in an homage to Margery Allingham's Albert Campion. Released 1st June by Severn House, it's 256 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Author Mike Ripley has written several books featuring Campion (this is the 8th) as well as other fiction and nonfiction. He's an experienced and capable author and this series has been an absolute joy to read. I've been a fan of golden age mystery (especially British) as long as I've been reading, more or less, and I'm always on the lookout for more golden age fiction since the original authors are sadly long gone.

This installment sees Campion (the elder), Campion (the younger), Lugg, and an ensemble cast of characters trying to untangle history, genealogy, some murders, and a whiff of the supernatural without getting murdered themselves. Lugg is, as always, wonderful, and Campion (the elder) is self-deprecatingly and devastatingly brilliant.

The book honestly surprised some laughs out of me, which is no mean feat. The clues are fair-play, and the climax and denouement are wonderfully twisty and satisfying. I really love this series. For readers who are not already fans of Mr. Ripley's Campion, but who are fans of Ms. Allingham's, will find much to love here. Ripley treats the canon with the respect (and humour) it deserves. Although it's the 8th book in this series (may there be many more), it works well as a standalone.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Well-written continuation of Margery Allingham's Albert Campion mystery series that was taken over by Mike Ripley. It is a riveting, engaging, and enjoyable mystery.

Mr Campion's Coven is a continuation of Margery Allingham's original Albert Campion mystery series that was taken over by Mike Ripley a few years ago.

Set in the isolated coastal Essex village of Wicken-juxta-Mare, Campion becomes involved in the search for a missing dog on the mudbanks near the remote village. The dog got lost following the beaching of a luxury yacht owned by British actress Dame Jocasta Upcott, who is anxious to get him back. The beaching of the yacht happened because of the suspicious death of the captain, Francis Jarrold. Although Campion has no reason to be involved in the subsequent investigation he is playing host to Harvard student, Mason Clay who is writing a thesis on a group of settlers who travelled to America from Wicken 300 years ago. A very well written and plotted tale with some charming touches of wit and humour. I am looking forward to reading the instalments I've missed.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Canongate Books via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Mr Campion—always a pleasure!

Fascinating British murder mystery with a twist. Alfred Campion starring of course, having not lost any of his panache and policely intuition with retirement.
A story that leads from an island off from the North Carolina coast. Harkers Island had been settled by a group of religious dissidents who left England during the 1692/3, only to land in Salem, Massachusetts, and from thence sailed to Harkers Island. It seems some of their number returned to Essex.
Into this background comes Mason Lowell Clay writing a PhD thesis about the genealogy of the inhabitants of Harkers Island in relation to those who returned to Wicken-juxta-Mare. A place featuring dangerous mudflats. A place frequented by few except for bird watchers.
When Alfred obliges a famous actress to search for her dog lost in the area. When her yacht is found stuck on the mudflats, and the Captain facedown in the treacherous ooze, the story takes on more severe overtones.
This is one of those novels featuring that wonderful British understated sense of humor and conversation. Just so enjoyable! I loved Campion’s ruminations when talking to the local doctor who’d just carried out a brief look at the dead Captain’s body. He noted that the Doctor sported a “bow tie, which was obligatory, in Campions experience, for professions where a dangling tie might be an inconvenience if not a hazard: doctors, surgeons and snooker players, to name but three.” Now I think this is rather a wonderful segue worthy of Ratty and Mole, if not Winnie the Pooh.
How can one not enjoy a murder mystery peppered with such sublimely satisfying observations?

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley

Mike Ripley continues Margery Allingham's Albert Campion mysteries with Mr. Campion's Coven. Mason Clay, American academic, is tracing colonial heritage links between an American island community and English seaside villagers. Missing dogs, dead yacht masters, wicken symbols all spell out a pattern which Albert Campion, his son and his servant Lug have to link to find a solution to murder and misfeasance. Add in a closed village with no interest in outsiders. Trouble and Albert Campion go hand and hand. Read on in this very intriguing tale.

I always feel privileged when I can recommend the original Albert Campion books by Margery Allingham to a new reader. I anticipate the fun discussions to be add about Albert, Lugg and Amanda. And then when, with sadness, the reader reaches the end of the series, it is even more of a delight to recommend Mike Ripley’s revival of the series, which takes the family and friends into the next generation.

Mr Campion’s Coven is set in the witchcraft haunted mudflats of the Essex coast. Campion is asked as a favor to investigate the beaching of a leisure yacht, and the death of its captain. A series of coincidences links the investigation up with the research of an American student in the area.

Another well-written, entertaining addition to the series.

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

This book is a continuation of Marjery Allingham's original Albert Campion mystery series that was taken over by Mike Ripley several years ago. I did not realize this book was part of a series when I requested it, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of it. Set in the isolated coastal Essex village of Wicken-juxta-Mare, a young Harvard student has come to work on his thesis revolving around a group settlers who left Wicken for the new world. Upon arrival at their planned landing site of Salem, Massachusettes they mysteriously change course and head to the Outer banks. The events surrounding these events make up the mystery that this novel revolves around.

Strange and mysterious events are happening in modern day Wicken and soon the graduate student and Albert Campion's paths collide and things really zip along at a nice pace. The character of Albert Campion is elderly by this point in the series and his mobility is limited, but his sardonic wit and intelligence carry the day and make him a fully engaging and intriguing character that I look forward to getting to know better in previous entries in this series. As someone with a love of history this mystery really appealed to me. I love that it combined both American and British elements. And the witchcraft element was a great addition and added a fun and eerie touch of atmosphere. This may have been my first introduction to Mr. Campion but I am sure we will meet again. A fun and entertaining mystery! Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for this advance copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

‘Who do we know in Georgia, darling?’

Back in 1692, a group of villagers from Wicken-juxta-Mare signed the Billericay Covenant, set sail for Salem, Massachusetts on the Abigail. Some of them ended up, further south on Harkers Island, where some of their descendants still speak with an Essex accent. Rupert Campion, son of Albert, met Harvard anthropologist Kathryn Luger in 1963. Professor Luger knows Albert Campion as well, so she suggests that her PhD student Mason Lowell Clay write to him, in 1971, for assistance. Mason Clay wants to learn more about the Billericay Covenanters, and is planning to travel to Essex.

While Albert Campion is happy to assist, he is a little preoccupied. A yacht belonging to veteran actor Dame Jocasta Upcott has been found beached near Wicken-juxta-Mare and while Dame Jocasta does not seem too concerned about Francis Jarrold, the missing captain, she insists that Albert Campion find her beloved dog, Robespierre. Add the wonderfully named Magersfontein Lugg (‘His relationship with Mr Campion had baffled many an onlooker over the years’) to the mix and we have the ingredients of an engrossing and at times humorous mystery.

While Rupert Campion (son of Albert) finds Robespierre, Captain Francis Jarrold is found dead in the mud. Hmm. Mason Lowell Clay’s investigations take some interesting turns, and Albert Campion (with help) solves a mystery or two despite the suspicious locals of Wicken-juxta-Mare.

This is the eighth book in Mr Ripley’s continuation of Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion novels. I enjoyed this mystery and laughed out loud at both appropriate (and some inappropriate) moments. Albert Campion may be ageing, but he has not lost either his sense of humour or his keen observational skills.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I'd not read this series- or the Margery Allingham books featuring Albert Campion- so this was new territory for me. I enjoyed it very much. It's a bit twisty with multiple threads but they all do pull together. It's a fun rea with good characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

1971 A yacht belonging to Dame Jocasta Upcott has been abandoned on the Essex coast and her dog and the Captain are missing. A PhD American student, Mason Powell Clay, is trying to trace the descendants of the members of the Billericay Coventers who left in 1692, and then returned to Wicken on the Essex coast. Campion is asked to find the dog as a favour but then a body is discovered.
An entertaining and well-written mystery story with its cast of likeable and interesting characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another good stories featuring Albert Campion.
It's a highly entertaining and engrossing story that mixes long lost stories with murders taking place at the time of the story.
I was happy to catch up with the characters, loved the humour and the complex plot that kept me hooked.
The descriptions of East Anglia, the tradition and the mix of past and present are fascinating and the complex mystery kept me guessing.
I can't wait to read another story in this series, this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I found this book to be an excellent continuation of the series begun by Margery Allingham. Ripley has managed to capture his relaxed style and wit, along with aging Campion in a very successful way. There is additional emphasis given to his family, son, daughter-in-law, and wife; which helps flesh out the book while at the same time adding some patina to Campion's character.

The plot is well devised, with a suspicious death leading Campion and company to a former coastal area of England which, because of changing times and tides, is now predominantly marshland. There is a strong undercurrent of possible witchcraft, although the murder is completely the result of human force. Campion reasons through the illusion that the local residents put up that have that other-world feeling, and gets to the bottom of what has happened to both the victim and other activities he uncovers within the community.

A delightful, relaxed read for anyone who enjoys an intelligent detective with rye wit. Ripley, like a magician, has an excellent way of infusing atmosphere in the novel to encourage the reader to look at one hand while the activity is actually taking place in the other.

My thanks to Canongate Severn House and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy for review. The opinions stated herein are entirely my own.

This eighth book in the Albert Campion series continuation by Mike Ripley was quite good and I enjoyed it. Mr. Ripley has sort of written himself into a corner by picking up the cases with Albert at the age he was when Margery Allingham wrote the final of the original series. Now Ripley has to come up with ways for an older Campion to deal with situations and even landscapes in unique ways, sometime even by proxy. This story is one where the landscape makes it difficult for Albert to participate in some of the investigations. He was there when it mattered so it's all well I suppose. Set along the coast of Essex in 1971, this story has tentacles reaching back to the outer banks of North Carolina around 1693 when a group of settlers decided not to remain at their original destination - Salem, Massachusetts but to move on down the coast. Some even returned to England. And the reason for that is behind everything that happens in this story.

There was a really well written atmosphere of spookiness, woo-woo, creepiness, whatever you like to call it in this story. The Essex coastline of mud flats definitely contributed to the overall feeling of strangeness. The village of Wicken-juxta-Mare is just a dot on the map, even less now that it's just Wicken because the mud flats keep it away from the sea. There is a whole lot of strangeness in Wicken and it's a lot of fun finding out what it's all about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Canongate Books for an e-galley of this novel.

Witchcraft and things witchcrafty, outrageous thespian attitudes, quarantine shenanigans and lots of treacherous mud are on the menu of this very entertaining new addition to the Margery Allingham's Albert Campion Mysteries brilliantly written by Mike Ripley. A delightful whodunit full of refreshingly amusing slapstick and hilarious dialogues vividly brought to life by a colorful and often zany cast of characters that daftly brings mayhem and much needed laughter to the rather bleak and desolate landscape of coastal Essex. A delicious fictional treat to be enjoyed without moderation.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date

Mr Campion’s Coven is the eighth book in Mike Ripley's seamless and enjoyable continuance of the Albert Campion novels by Margery Allingham, and once more features Ripley’s marvellous sense of humour and his love for archaeology and history.

After a brief interlude in 1963, the book moves to 1971 and finds the ageing, but still active, Campion involved in the search for a missing dog on the mudbanks near the remote Essex coastal village of Wicken-juxta-Mare. The dog had become lost following the beaching of a luxury yacht owned by the famous British actress Dame Jocasta Upcott, who is anxious to get him back. Campion finds the dog, but also becomes caught up in the suspicious death of the yacht’s captain. Campion has no reason to become involved in the investigation, but his interest is piqued, and he soon has a new excuse to look into the strange activities of the very small village, when he plays host to a visiting Harvard student, who is writing a thesis on a group of settlers who travelled to America from Wicken 300 years ago.

Mr Campion’s Coven is a well plotted and enjoyable murder mystery, but as usual the real pleasure comes from Campion’s amusing asides and the fascinating background information on the fictional village of Wicken and the local environs. You get the sense that Ripley has enjoyed himself in creating the local history of Wicken, and the detail of the ship voyage to America in the late 1690s, and this historical detail adds great texture to the story. His description of present day Wicken and the local area is also enjoyable and relevant to the unfolding of the plot.

The pacing is leisurely, but is aided by lots of wry humour, obscure cultural references and the occasional nod to British crime writing and reviewing in the 1960s and 70s, including a possible meeting between Campion and Inspector Morse. Propelling the story along is a clever and original mystery plot, and the book builds to a good climax on the Essex mudbanks.

In all, an enjoyable read that will be much appreciated by fans, both new and old, of the original Campion stories by Allingham and the more recent ones by Ripley.

Delicious Dialogue, Charming Humour....
The eighth Campion mystery finds Campion in a remote location on a mission of dog rescue and, needless to say, finds something far more sinister with which to occupy his time. Another delightful entry in this wholly enjoyable series. Characters are credible, dialogue often delicious with some charming touches of humour. First class.

256 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Very erudite...

I enjoy Mike Ripley's forays into whimsical police investigations. The interplay between Campion and his wife are priceless.

In this episode Campion gets drawn into an investigation, albeit somewhat reluctantly, into Dame Jocasta's missing dog and her beached yacht. Oh, and the dead captain of the boat.

At the same time, Campion is burdened with an American student who is writing a thesis on a group of immigrants to America from Wicken some three hundred years earlier. The student thinks that Campion is just the man to help him out.

When Campion travels to what is now called Wicken, he is confronted by strange happenings, including tales of witchcraft and unfriendly locals.

As usual, the tale is very well written and plotted with a charming touch of humor. Mr. Riley pens Campion so well, what's not to love? The character called Campion brings his unique sense of style and brand of investigation to any puzzle.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.