A lovely collection of Christmas stories from one of the greatest writers of the Golden Age of crime fiction, featuring her best-known character, Albert Campion. Just the thing for the festive period, Christmassy without being saccharine.

Albert Campion may not be as widely known as Hercule Poirot or Lord Peter Wimsey, but he was a contemporary of theirs int he classic golden age of cozy mysteries. This anthology offers 4 short stories set at Christmas in England, but not all feature Albert, Amanda, and Luggs. Several were published rather late in Ms. Allingham's career, but she is still at the pinnacle of her skills as a writer and storyteller. If you're too busy for a full length holiday novel, the short stories herein can be read between baking and cleaning and merrymaking.

Another Campion? Well, all right! I didn't know about this one and I was delighted that it was available through NetGalley. I can never get to much Campion and this was a delight to read.

I love Margery Allingham, and I have read all of the full-length Campion mysteries. This collection contains a couple of great stories, but it is way too short. There's just not enough to sink my teeth into, and I was really looking forward to reading these "new to me" Campion stories.

This was a really nice little anthology. There weren’t any stand out stories for me, but they were all solid mysteries that were enjoyable to read.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher***

4 seasonal short stories from Margery Allingham's collection. 2 of which are Albert Campion pieces.

An enjoyable short read. It is always good to catch up with old friends like Albert at any time of the year.

Ideal for curling up with in front of a roaring log fire and a mug of coco on a cold winters evening.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Published by Agora Books.

The collection of short stories by Margery Allingham was a quick, easy and mostly fun read. The two mysteries featuring Albert Campion were my favorites. A story involving him and his elderly dog at the last hour of Christmas Eve when animals are supposed to be able to talk was amusing. The other story was, to my mind, a bit bizarre and I really didn't care for it much.

Overall, I would recommend to someone looking to catch a bit of Christmas spirit (no matter the time of year).

My thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I rated this (three stars) at the time, but forgot to post a review here. Slightly uneven collection of short Campion stories, several of which I’d read before.
I prefer the novels, although I’ve read a couple that I didn’t like. I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with the outdated and offensive attitudes that Allingham expressed.

Thanks to Crime Classics, Net Galley and Agora Books I was able to read 4 short stories from one of my favorite writers of classical crime stories.
The novels feature Albert Campion in three of the stories. Two are crime stories and one is Christmas with his wife Amanda and the dog, Poins.
The last novel, Happy Christmas , is about a couple celebrating Christmas like Victorians and with the help of an old lady living at the top of the house.
Margery Allingham is always delightful to read, so this was a real Christmas treat!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not especially familiar with the Campion series so I was pleased to have the chance to read these festive short stories as an introduction to him. Only three of the four stories actually feature Albert Campion, but this wasn't too disappointing. The stories are all short, making this ideal for anybody wanting a quick, festive read.

The stories were entertaining, but I thought they were a little too short to get a feel for the characters or the writing style and therefore they are more suited to those who are already familiar with the Campion series.

A nice collection of 4 stories about Margery Allingham's detective Albert Campion, at Christmas. They cover a range of Campion's life but can be read without worrying about where they come in the history of the detective. As with all collections, 2 of these stories are available in other collections, but worth purchasing regardless. Good reading for the festive season, although I read these in April whilst convalescing.

Four short stories about Christmas, including one about Albert Campion and his dog which has shot to the top of my list of favourite stories ever, it's so sweet. Some of the stories have been included elsewhere in Allingham collections, but if you wanted an attractive - if short - anthology for a Christmas gift, this would be nice. If you are an Allingham addict you may have read quite a lot of it already.

The stories included in the collection are: 'On Christmas Day in the Morning'; 'Happy Christmas'; 'The Case of the Man with the Sack', and; 'Word in Season: A Story for Christmas' (that last is the dog one, which plays on an old story very charmingly. Happy Christmas is a very quirky, non-Campion story which reminded me just a little of O. Henry's famous 'The Gift of the Magi'.

I love Margery Allingham and her detective Albert Campion. I realized how much I have missed reading her books. It kept me guessing until the end.

The Campion books by Allingham are absolute gems. A must-read for anyone who likes this genre. These short stories are tons of fun. Loved it!

Firstly, the collection may be called Campion At Christmas but Albert Campion only appears in 3 of the stories. It is a short collection, can be read in one sitting and no thinking needed. I read it at Christmas and it really is easy reading with 2 of the stories being mysteries and the other 2 just feel good season of goodwill stories.

The first story On Christmas Day In The Morning, involves the killing of the postman and the mystery of how it happened and who is responsible. The local constabulary have interviewed local houses but cannot figure out how the postman can have been through the fields to a desolate house and come to lay where he did on the road. They suspect who is responsible but the stories from householders do not make it possible. Enter Albert Campion to re-interview the old lady in the house and discredit her story which is giving the joy riders their alibi.
In Happy Christmas, a young couple are at a loose end for Christmas day as their friends have gone elsewhere and they really want to have a traditional Victorian Christmas. They enlist the advice of the old lady on the top floor, She gives them lots of tips and hints and becomes their company for Christmas dinner and means she is not alone on the festive day.
The Case of the Man With The Sack involves Albert Campion being invited to Turretts for Christmas. Also staying are the Welkins who are rich snobs. There is confusion over who will play Santa Claus for the childrens party. While the party is going on the house is robbed and Mrs Welkins expensive diamonds are taken. Luckily Albert is there to save the day.
Finally in Word In Season Albert and his wife Amanda have had a lovers tiff and Albert is sitting in an armchair with his loyal Red Setter Poins nearby. On Christmas Eve during the hour before midnight all domestic animals are granted the power of speech but Poins does not know whether to speak or not. Not all humans take kindly to their animals talking. In the end Poins tells Albert that he loves him. Amanda comes in after and all is forgiven between the lovebirds.

Mary Fitzgerald
4.0 out of 5 stars,Campion at Home
February 6, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
This book contains four Christmas-themed stories, three of which are very conventional and predictable, but one, "Word in Season: A Story for Christmas" is very warm, charming and original. It captures the sweet domestic side of Campion's personality as it was developed through Allingham's best books, and it does it with succinctness. This story could also be shared by reading aloud at Christmas gatherings

A lovely combination of Allingham short stories, displaying her wonderful range of humour and plot. Short but sweet

By today’s standards, these four stories do seem rather weak and dated. In my younger days, I was a great Margery Allingham fan so I approached these with anticipation but I was disappointed. They will be of great interest to anyone who enjoys the history of the crime novel. They show just how far the genre has advanced in the last fifty plus years and how much society has changed, as well as our expectations. Very light, quick reading.

This review previously left before Christmas but it doesn't seem to have registered

The four stories included here have the feel of filler stories for holiday magazine issues. Not much happens, there is more attention to Christmas decorations and customs than to the characters or plot. All satisfy the desire of magazine advertisers (hence magazine salespeople and therefore magazine editors) of encouraging Christmas consumption--although to be fair the levels suggested in these stories would be considered extreme frugality compared to the modern commercial extravaganza.
Allingham had a deep nostalgia for Victorian times and, as with many people, Christmas exaggerated it. In these stories you will find traditional Victorian dislikes--nouveau riche, cars, gin, finance--and likes--high Church, family gatherings, dogs, ancient rustic customs, dogs. Crooks are either stupid but lovable rascals or self-centered jazz age moderns (although the stories were written from the late 1930s to the 1960s, they feel as if they took place in the 1920s). Two stories revolve around respect and sympathy for Victorian women who have outlived their contemporaries, and the other two about gently threatened love affairs. One (The Man with a Sack) is a shameless plagiarism of The Santa Klaus Murder published a year earlier by Mavis Doriel Hay, although the stolen plot device is probably too obvious to deserve intellectual protection.
The stories are competently written but unexciting. The puzzles are not puzzling, the characters not credible or compelling, the action not thrilling. There's nothing wrong with the stories, but not much right either.

This was a great, cozy selection of Christmas short stories, three of them involving Albert Campion. It was the perfect collection to read as you sit by the fire and enjoy the Christmas season. The stories are an easy read and they should be, so they can relieve the pressures, usually associated during the Holidays. I highly recommend this addition to anyone's mystery collection, if you haven't already done so.