The Allingham Minibus

A wonderful collection of top notch mysteries by one of the masters.
Grab a cup of tea and settle in with this book, you will not be disappointed.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Varied and intriguing, these 18 tales, mainly dating from the 1920s 30s and 40s,display different aspects of Allingham’s not inconsiderable talent to amuse, bemuse and feed the soul of the reader.

Resurrection, immortality, life after death, in their various forms and meanings, are found here. Marriage is looked at obliquely in a few of the tales, most wonderfully in “The Pioneers”.

Campion crops up in three, but there is not much by way of conventional detection, except in the over-long “A Quarter of a Million”. Ghostly themes predominate.

I would have appreciated Bibliographical information about the stories, as this helps one understand the development of a writer’s craft and style.This could profitably replace the tepid Tribute by Agatha Christie, which said more about that writer than about Allingham.

Not for the Campionistas, but essential reading for lovers of the Margery Allingham who was more than just one of the Queens of Crime.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for the digital review copy.

An Ideal Companion.....
Opening with an insightful and delightful tribute from Agatha Christie, this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of eighteen tales from another very talented Queen of Crime. Varied and diverse with just a smattering of Campion to be found this is a mixed bag of suspense but each tale very much worth a read. The supernatural, ghostly tales, in particular, are rather perfect for this time of year too - making this an ideal companion for a cosy night in next to a roaring fire. Wonderful reading.

One of the queens of mystery writing each story a treasure.Written in the thirties and forties with her talent to draw us in full of tension intrigue chills,Sit back relax enjoy each story .#netgalley#agorabooks,

This is a very good collection of 18 short stories by Marjorie Allingham. Most of them are exciting and have a surprise ending. Most of them do not star Mr. Campion, although some do. All the stories are very well written and fun to read. My favorites were Publicity and The man with the sack.

The Allingham Minibus is a collection of short stories by Margery Allingham, best known for mysteries featuring detective adventurer Albert Campion. Campion appears in only a few stories, while the rest are stand alone - some narrated in first person, others not. There's a theme of the supernatural in many of stories, character studies of situations sometimes left unresolved (many only allude to crimes committed in the past).

Allingham's wit and ability to establish the situation while subtly leaving hints to the story's resolution (with little melodrama) is second to none, which is why she is among my favorite Golden Age mystery writers.

This book was first published in 1973. It is now being republished by Agora Books and will be released on 10th October.
This is a collection of 18 stories of various genres such as supernatural, detective, crime and romance. In the beginning, there is a tribute to the author Margery Allingham written by Agatha Christie.
Of the 18 stories, as many as 9 stories have supernatural elements. These are generally very good and it is these stories which I enjoyed the most in the book. I detail them below (my rating given against each title)
1. He Was Asking After You (5 stars): A man betrays his best friend for monetary gain. But will he be able to escape the consequences ? A brilliant ending.
2. The Perfect Butler (5 stars): He is the perfect butler. But how will he deal with the visitor?
3. ‘Tis Not Hereafter (5 stars): A journalist is sent to investigate a haunted house. A clever twist.
4. He Preferred Them Sad (5 stars): A scam artist meets his match.
5. Bird Thou Never Wert (4 stars): A woman purchases a bird cage. But it has some very strange properties.
6. She Heard It On The Radio (4 stars): A creepy tale of a old woman with an unusual radio.
7. The Secret (3 stars): A man leaves a woman for another but realizes his folly and comes back repentant to the original woman. But now she has a secret. The end is predictable
8. The Sexton’s Wife (4 stars): A creepy tale where the sexton’s wife discovers that her husband is indulging in a disreputable trade.
9. The Wink (5 stars): A retired judge and an ex-lawyer have an after-dinner talk discussing old cases where the judge mentions that he saw the devil twice in his career. What are the signs of the devil? A brilliant ending.

There are 5 crime stories of which 3 involve the detective Albert Campion. These are as follows.
1. Mr. Campion’s Lucky Day (4 stars): A murder mystery in a flat aptly solved by Campion.
2. The Unseen Door (5 stars): A man is murdered by strangling in a club. The door keeper claims that he saw only one other person enter but the latter is lame and too frail to have strangled the victim. However, Campion is able to solve the case. This may be regarded as a locked room murder.
3. The Man With The Sack (4 stars): Campion is at house party in the country at Christmas time. The house is burgled. Campion is able to catch the culprit.
4. The Same To Us (3 stars): A hostess invites a few guests including a famous Chinese scientist. But her jewellery is burgled. A caper tale.
5. A Quarter Of A Million (3 stars): This is the longest story in the book. It is about a master criminal who is evading the police since long but finally overreaches himself. Too lengthy in my opinion.

The remaining 4 stories belong to other genres and are as follows.
1. The Barbarian (3 stars): A perfect woman looking for a perfect man finds him finally or does she ?
2. Publicity (3 stars): The lengths to which actors will go for publicity.
3. The Pioneers (4 stars): A tale of a marriage on the rocks where the couple finally decide to separate when friends visit them with great consequences.
4. The Correspondents (4 stars): A story of 2 friends. One leads a mundane life as a curate while the other sends him letters describing his adventurous life. But what is the truth ?

This book is a delightful collection of entertaining stories and will make pleasant reading. I rate the book as a whole as 4 stars. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for an advance review copy.

This amazing collection of short stories shows different side of Ms Allingham and how she could have been a great author even when she was writing about paranormal, occult or everyday life.
I loved all the stories and found them entertaining and enjoyable. They're all full of humour and well written.
I'd have liked some backstory about each them out of sheer curiosity.
An engrossing and entertaining read, highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

What a little gem of a book! Margaret Allingham is such a versitile writer and this book proves it. There are a couple of Champions, a couple of longer crime stories, some with a ghostly aspect and others which cannot be slotted into any category. In fact _ something for everyone. Most enjoyable.

The Allingham Minibus by Margery Allingham is a collection of short stories from a writer of the Agatha Christie ilk. Although a renowned mystery writer, these stories are not entirely mystery: they verge on the Twilight Zone. Many of them are, or appear to be ghost stories. Some are mysteries. All are delightful. These are the type of short stories I would read my tenth grade English class. They make you think, "Oh, I get it!"

There are only three Campion stories in the minibus. Campion was lead detective in 18 of Allingham's novel and many short stories. He is up there with Poirot and Wimsey as 1930's crime-fighting heroes. Not all of the stories in the minibus are as enjoyable as the others but they have weathered the test of time. This work was originally published in 1973 and has a place in today's world just as it had in 1940 and 1973. I enjoyed it. I am not normally a reader of short stories so it was a nice change of pace. I enjoy the more formal language of the time, as well. I recommend The Allingham Minibus.

I received a free ARC of the Allingham Minibus from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #theallinghamminibus

I love Margery Allingham and have read all the full-length Campion mysteries. Having said that, I tried a few of the earlier Campion and other short stories and they did not hold my interest, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy this. I was SO WRONG - loved every story in the book! Thanks for introducing me to this great find!

A great collection of short stories from a master writer. If you're a fan of the aristocratic sleuth, Albert Campion, a few of the stories feature him. Diverting from her better known mysteries, Allingham displays a talent for the macabre here.

I’ve read and enjoyed many/most of Margery Allingham’s golden age Albert Campion mystery books. So I was happy to get a chance to read an advance copy of a collection of Allingham’s short stories, The Allingham Minibus, in exchange for an honest review.

First off, potential readers should note that only a few (three if I counted right) of the short stories in this book feature Campion, and only a few more are really mysteries. I was surprised to find that most of the rest of the stories are more sort of macabre/ghost stories, which is not a style I typically associate with Allingham. Regardless, all of the stories are well crafted and enjoyable to read – just don’t expect them to be “Campions”.

Finally, a bit of background – per the publisher, this collection was originally published in 1973, and also published with a different title, Mr. Campion’s Lucky Day and Other Stories. And please note that for me, 4 stars out of 5 (or 8/9 out of 10) is a really good ranking. I reserve 5 stars for a very few absolute favorite books; probably no more than one in twenty or thirty books that I read. And once again, my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

What a wonderful treat for any Allingham fan. I enjoyed every word - a mixture of stories with a twist, mystery and suspense and a sprinkling of Campion specials. I had only read one of the stories before and there were lots of them! Each story is well written, draws in the reader and has a satisfying ending. I cannot recommend this book enough. I am just sad I have finished it and hope there may be a few more Allingham stories I haven’t read yet out there! Allingham really is the queen of crime and tales with twists and turns!

The Allingham Minibus is a wonderfully crafted collection of eighteen stories that range from the whimsical and romantic to the supernaturally serious. There is an interesting introduction by Agatha Christie that is surprisingly honest in its assessment of her stories and a short story in itself. For lovers of Albert Campion there are three stories that are short but satisfying snapshots of sleuthing that dizziness us with its quick solution to a few mysterious problems. The supernatural is a focus of many of the stories such as “He Was Asking After You” and “The Perfect Butler.” “She Heard It On The Radio” is another story weaving fantasy and reality superbly in a tale about a lonely woman. Most of Allingham’s stories wander in a direction the reader couldn’t anticipate, but which are true to the characters and a joy to ponder for the reader. My favorite was “Publicity,” a lengthier tale about an actor seeking publicity for himself, how it affects all around him and leads him to a destiny never knew existed. Pure fun to read are “Bird Thou Never Wert,” “The Correspondents,” and “The Pioneers.” Each story spins a web of fascinating characters living out a specific and pivotal part of their lives while we look on. Many need to be read a second time to fully appreciate the wit and poetic pictures they create for us.

This is an interesting compilation of some of Margery Allingham's short stories. With the exception of the two Albert Campion mysteries, I had not read any of these gems before. Some of them were genuinely creepy and I was glad I was reading them in the daytime! Ms. Allingham has a true gift for taking the reader in and on an adventure. Her stories transport one into another world. I have more Allingham stories to read before I complete her body of work and I am truly glad about that. I do love her Campion series but these are little gems that get hidden behind her bigger works. Enjoy!

This is an extensive (eighteen) collection of Margery Allingham short stories preceded by a tribute to Allingham by Agatha Christie. Only three of them feature Albert Campion:
- Mr Campion’s Lucky Day
- The Unseen Door
- The Man with the Sack

but they are all enjoyable. Nine of the stories have a supernatural element, so please don’t assume that they’re all detective mysteries like her Campion novels and shorts. However, I do emphasise they are all well written stories and I’m delighted that I invested my time in reading the book over a few bedtimes.
One of them (A Quarter of a Million) is 58 pages – quite a long short story! The Man with the Sack also appears in another Allingham collection – Mr Campion’s Christmas.

I do wish there were more collections of this quality.

#TheAllinghamMinibus #NetGalley

I haven't actually read any of Margery Allingham's book before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm not sure why I haven't read any before, I've always been a fan of detective novels from the golden age and I have even come across Campion, the detective she is most known for on TV. Although Campion does appear in a couple of the short stories in this book, the collection isn't all about mysteries. In fact, my favourite stories in the collection were those with a bit of a spooky feel. The one with the parrot or the old lady with the radio really stood out.
The stories in this collection are for the most part quite short, but they still offer a lot despite this. She has the ability to tell an engaging and interesting story in just a few short pages. In fact, the one that I enjoyed the least was the longest in the collection. Even that was still a good read.
This might be the first Margery Allingham that I've read, but I'm sure that it won't be the last and I'll be dipping into her books when I get the chance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An interesting collection of stories that are less well known by Margery Allingham. Campion, her most famous creation, only appears in three of the tales, many of which have a slightly supernatural flavour. I enjoyed seeing a different side to this author's writing and would reccomend it to any Allingham or classic short story fan.

This is an enjoyable short story collection from one of the ‘Golden Age of Crime’s’ stars Margery Allingham, with a nice variety of stories, some featuring her long standing detective Albert Campion, and some with a spooky twist.
If ,like me, you like Allingham’s work you will know what to expect and if you have yet to have the pleasure this would be a good place to start as a taster of her style, but either way I recommend this as an example of a skilled writer having fun.
The inclusion of an introduction by Agatha Christie is a treat I wasn’t expecting and it is clear she held Allingham in some esteem.
All in all well worth a read.

I am a fan of Margery Allingham anyway, but I was delighted to find lots of new stories I hadn't read, including some spooky supernatural ones, as well as some classic mysteries. As always, Allingham writes beautifully, and a lot of the East Anglian scenery and settings are very evocative. This collection really showcases Allingham's breadth and variety as a writer and I really enjoyed it.

I’ve written before about being a fan of Campion and the period-gentle kind of mystery. Here we have a collection of short stories, some with the famous detective, others a little more random. All in all, a rather good mix!

We open with a foreword from Agatha Christie – what better stamp of approval can another mystery writer of the time get, really?

The first story surprised me, as I didn’t know the author dabbled in horror. This is a perfect mystery-come-terror story, which I can wholly imagine being told around a campfire. And, despite the age (so much is reused, and loses something from the familiarity) still gave me a fun little chill. The rest of the stories mix this kind of ‘ghost story’ with mysteries, and a large dose of whimsy.

The strength of the writing is clear. There’s a lovely mix of cosy period elements, throwbacks to more genteel times, but with mysteries that genuinely kept me wondering where it was going next, whether they involved ageing, publicity-hunger actors, or church men who aren’t very godly, haunted parrot cages (!), or a more domestic tale of a couple’s last evening before an agreed divorce.

The Campion stories are scattered between, few of them and one I’d read before (in Campion at Christmas), but always a pleasure to imagine the character as portrayed in the TV series I loved.

Overall: an old-fashioned but nicely so collection of mysteries and light chills, perfect for the season – and beyond!

Before I picked up this iteration of The Allingham Minibus – a work that's been around in varying versions since the 1970s – I'd never read any of Margery Allingham's work. I knew little of her, save that she was considered one of the Queens of Crime, alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. I expected, given her contemporaries, that I'd have a quaint read ahead, of clockwork mysteries and tea and crumpets before bedtime.

Thankfully, that presumption was false. The 18 tales gathered together in this collection (the name of which admittedly made me think of a Tarago packed with story denizens) are of a distinctly stranger bent.

There is a distinct link to crime in the works in here, it's true. Allingham's stories generally involve some kind of wrongdoing, and her best-known creation, the detective Albert Campion, makes an appearance in a handful of tales. The most strident connection to the golden age of crime writing comes from the memorial introduction to the book, penned by Agatha Christie, even if Christie seems to be a little bit disingenuous in a "well, we remember her well but too bad she's dead" vein.

The stories generally begin with a bit of a bang. You'll often discover who will murder (or has murdered) who within the first couple of lines – time being of the essence in a six-page tale. But how it transpires is what drags you in. Of course, being writing of its time, there's a certain element of AHA! which rewards the astute reader, but I'm happy to say that the reveals never really tended to be as pat as I'd expected.

Instead, there's elements of transgression in the stories here. Sure, there's blackmail, but there's also eloping ghosts. There's kidnapping, but there's also grave-robbing revenge. There's meditations on divorce and futility, and some raciness just offstage. There's one story which is an extended jab at institutionalised racism. There's even a story which moves into much weirder tale territory – let's just say you'll eye your headphones askance afterwards. Hell, if anything, the stories that drag are the ones that focus rather too much on detection: it's Allingham's knack for extensive portraiture with a minimum of text that drew me in.

Other reviews of this work have occasionally moaned about the lack of Campion stories, which, I assume, means a dissatisfaction with the level of ratiocinative narrative. I tend the other way: I wish there were fewer straight-up detective tales and more oddity. When Allingham's on it, she's <i>on it</i> in the best Robert Aickman fashion: sensible, but not quite right.

The Allingham Minibus is an impressive collection. It's done precisely what a good sampler should: drawn me in and made me want more. The only question is what next?