Mr Campion's Coven by Mike Ripley

Mr Campion's Coven (An Albert Campion Mystery)

by Mike Ripley

Albert Campion is in the bleak, remote and very muddy village of Wicken on the Essex coast on a mission to rescue Dame Jocasta's dog, but soon finds himself sinking into something far more dangerous.

East coast of England, 1971. Harvard student Mason Clay is writing a thesis on a group of settlers who travelled to America from the remote Essex coastal village of Wicken-juxta-Mare 300 years ago. Clay plans to visit Wicken as part of his research, and who better assist him with all things Essex than Albert Campion?

But Wicken is already firmly on Campion's radar thanks to Dame Jocasta Upcott's luxury yacht found beached on a mudbank close to the village, its captain very stuck - and very dead - in the mud. Was it a bizarre accident or something more sinister? Agreeing to Dame Jocasta's request to recover her beloved pet pooch, Robespierre, Campion finds himself in Wicken, surrounded by suspicious locals and tales of witchcraft, and soon discovers its past is linked to a number of current disturbing events . . .

Reviewed by annieb123 on

5 of 5 stars

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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 3 September, 2021: Finished reading
  • 3 September, 2021: Reviewed