My acquaintance with Margery Allingham's writing was restricted to her Albert Campion series...a combination of thriller and detective stories which I've really enjoyed. This collection of her short stories fall into three categories: detective mysteries, with Campion and his mates in most, and one very enjoyable with a new detective; ghost/supernatural stories; and romances/slice of life stories.
The strongest are, without a doubt, the detective stories. Allingham plots and draws characters with a strong eye for detail; she's always fair with the clues; and the pace of the short story pulls you along quickly. I've always found Campion to be a great character, and these short stories are in line with what I've read before. 5 stars!
The romances and slices of life are very much of their time. The plots are familiar, which takes away from the well-drawn characters; we are usually a few steps ahead of the narrator. 3 stars.
Ghost stories are my least favorite kind of tale, as it allows the author to "cheat" in terms of coming up with "surprising twists". As with the romances and slices of life, the characters are strongly drawn, but the stories are a bit hackneyed, and the only reason to finish them is to see how it works out "this time"...no more than 2 stars here.
All in all, this book is weaker than the Campion novels, but I enjoy her characterizations well enough that I'd recommend it. Allingham was always and will always be one of the greats.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. Well written, varied in tone and content. Just the thing for an Autumn evening by the woodburner!

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 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.

Short story collection, some of which involve Campion, and a nice tribute to Allingham by Agatha Christie. As one often gets with story collections, a mixed bag, of which the Campion stories are the best. Includes: He was Asking After Yon (thriller/ghost story, ok), Publicity (long and tedious love story - couldn’t bring myself to care), The Perfect Butler (enjoyable quick read), the Barbarian (also a bit tedious), Mr. Campion’s Lucky Day (Campion story - quite fun), ‘Tis Not Hereafter (rather predictable ghost story), The Correspondents (Predictable, but rather sweet), He Preferred them Sad (similar theme to some of the others, but more satisfying), The Unseen Door (Campion solves an impossible crime - fun), Bird Thou Never Wert (Another ghost story, with a fun twist), The Same to Us (cute mystery), She Heard it on the Radio (story with an obvious twist), The Man with the Sack (Campion Christmas story), The Secret (most obvious), A Quarter of a Million (longish cat and mouse type story), The Pioneers (tale of romance rekindled), The Sexton’s Wife (sad tale of a bad marriage), and The Wink (reminisces of a judge and his encounters with the devil).

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 mix of mystery and spooky and a bit of neither I enjoyed it. There's a little bit of Campion here, but not a huge amount - but the other stories are so engaging it didn't bother me. Not a typical selection of Allingham really - so maybe not the place to start, but if you like her writing, it's definitely worth a look.

The Allingham Minibus was first published in 1973 and is about to be re-released. This eighteen story collection begins with a tribute to Margery Allingham contributed by Agatha Christie. There are only three Albert Campion stories among this collection which, I must admit, was a bit of a disappointment to me. Those stories are: Mr. Campion's Lucky Day, The Unseen Door and The Man With the Sack. Of the remaining stories, many of them have supernatural or paranormal elements. I have noticed in the past that Allingham seemed to enjoy writing stories that touch on the mysticism of ghosts and specters so if you enjoy a little bit of the creepy/foggy atmosphere this collection might be just the next read you are searching for. Most of the stories are very short; the exception to that is A Quarter of a Million which pits a gang of criminals against Scotland Yard.

This was a nice, fast read with an assortment of stories so I never knew what to expect next. I don't think they are the best examples of the talent possessed by Allingham because her best work needs more space and scope to develop the characters and atmosphere over a longer period of time. If you are exploring the style of writing for Margery Allingham, this collection will give you some peeks into her abilities, but her novels are quite different from the stories presented here. Agatha Christie said she thought Death of a Ghost was one of Allingham's best books. That's a great recommendation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for an e-galley of this collection of short stories.

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.

A mixed bag from the fabulous Margaret Allingham. A couple of short stories featuring Albert Champion but mostly stories are from the supernatural, all very well told with that superb storytelling style that is only Allingham.

Did I enjoy all eighteen short stories equally? Of course not. There is, however, plenty to like in this collection as the author had many different talents. I had not read any of her "ghostly" tales previously and there are some good ones in this book. Albert Campion wins the prize for one of my favorite stories of the bunch.
The "Minibus" consists of a wide variety of story types with characters that are truly rich in detail and thus easily envisioned. This book can provide hours of enjoyable reading and can certainly be revisited.

NetGalley Reader's Copy - Thank you to Agora Books
To be published Oct 10, 2019

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.

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.