I loved Marjorie Allingham’s Campion books and Mike Ridley has continued them flawlessly. This is his twelfth Campion story and a great Christmassy read.
Albert Campion is now 60 and living in Norfolk with his family, it is 1962 and the Cold War is ongoing. This is a tale of spying and espionage, full of humour with a cast of characters who are not all what they seem.
I really enjoyed reading this book, Mike really does do justice to Allingham’s characters and it is so good to be able to read more about Campion and Lugg.

Campion is now 62 and enjoying the holidays at his remote home with his wife, son and reliable #2, Lugg. It is 1962 and the cold war is going strong. What could possibly disturb the tranquility of the season? First a blizzard, then 7 stranded bus passengers come seeking shelter. There is more here than meets the eye. The three soldiers in the group are awfully interested in Campion's brilliant aeronautical expert wife and the nearby airbase. Another won't let go of his precious briefcase. Hmmm?

Mr Campion’s Christmas sadly brings to an end Mike Ripley’s enjoyable continuation of the Albert Campion novels by Margery Allingham. The books have become a regular feature of the British crime scene, and they conclude in good style with this twelfth volume in the series. As usual, the latest book features Ripley’s marvellous sense of humour, deep historical knowledge and his love for British thriller writing of the 1960s.

Set in in the days following Christmas 1962, Mr Campion’s Christmas opens with Boxing Day looking like being a quiet affair for the Campions who are snowed in at their remote Norfolk farmhouse, Carterers. That changes when a charabanc full of ‘pilgrims’ travelling from London to the Shrine of Our Lady in nearby Walsingham crashes into their imposing granite gateposts and the family unexpectedly find themselves playing host to the eccentric passengers. However, any lingering festive cheer is in short supply when a shocking discovery is made the following day and a terrifying twist reveals that some of the guests are not who they seem to be. Suddenly the Campions are drawn into a fiendish web of espionage, as the Cold War comes chillingly close to home.

Mr Campion’s Christmas is very good fun, with Ripley skilfully concocting an innovative spy plot in the most unlikely location at the most unlikely time. The book unfolds in his typically leisurely style, with an abundance of interesting historical snippets and cultural references, as well as several amusing insider references by Ripley. There are also the twists, surprises, shady characters and red herrings you expect from a crime novel, and a good burst of action towards the end. Campion flits amicably through the story trying to keep one step ahead of the villains, with the concluding heroics coming from an unexpected source.

In all, Mr Campion’s Christmas is an enjoyable seasonal feast of a story and a good finale for the series.

Did you ever play the board game Clue? Mike Ripley's "Mr. Campion's Christmas" reminds me of the game. Unique characters, a little humor, and a lot of narrative. If you love a game of Clue, this is the novel for you.

Releases Nov. 5th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It has been over 3 decades since I've read Allingham and I honestly don't remember much about the Campion books. From what I do remember, Ripley seems to capture the spirit of the books and characters much more effectively than the new Poirot books of recent years.

The mystery is a mix of cozy and espionage thriller, and often seems pretty ridiculous. Thankfully the main characters and the setting keep the pages turning and Campion's Christmas becomes an enjoyable winter read.

The twelfth and last, apparently, of Mike Ripley's excellent series of novels based on Margery Allingham's characters. It is set in the early 1960s immediately following the Cuban missile crisis, and the Russians want some payback for their embarrassment at the hands of the Americans.

The Campion family are snowed in at Carterers, their family home in rural Norfolk, when a coach load of pilgrims to the shrine at Wallsingham seek refuge from the extreme weather. The pilgrims individually have their tales to tell and all have secrets they would like to keep. The most open and straightforward appear to be the three American airmen who had cadged a lift on the coach on their way back to their airbase. Things, of course, are not at all what they seem.

Not so much a who-dunnit or standard crime novel, this is much more an action tale, very amusing for the most part, as its action hero is the bespectacled Mr. Campion, now well into his retirement years. Solid stuff, with some good surprises, entertaining and amusing at all times.

Mr Campion's Christmas by Mike Ripley Mr Ripley keeps to Ms Allingham's writing style and stayed true to the original characters. Would be interested in reading more of the Campion stories. Enjoyed revisiting Albert Campion and of course, Lugg in this Christmas cold war spy mystery.

Thank you to Mr. Ripley, Severn House and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Unfortunately this book was a little slow and twee for my liking. I wasn't aware it was a continuation novel from a series so this didn't help either. Nice for a cosy crime book.

This was a real page turner from beginning to end. A really good story line and full of wonderful characters. My first book from Mike Ripley but it won;'t be my last.

In this continuation novel, Margery Allingham's detective, Albert Campion, is spending the festive season at home in the country with his wife, Amanda, his grown son, Rupert, and of course, Lugg. It's 1962 and Albert is now in his 60s. The group goes out for a walk on Boxing Day, but before they get back the snow starts falling fast. When they get home, the housekeeper is ready to go home herself, to see about her deaf father-in-law. It's decided that Rupert and Lugg will go with her and bring her and her father-in-law back to the big house to wait out the storm.

Meanwhile in London, a disgruntled private bus driver is annoyed about having to bring the 7 or 8 passengers, who have already paid for their trip, to a pilgrimage site. He'd rather be home with his family and the weather looks none too promising. While they're on the road, the snow starts. They end up at the Campion family home, so suddenly there's a full house. All of the passengers have stories and some have secrets. It doesn't take long for Campion and Lugg to notice that some things don't add up and the whole lot of them are soon caught up in a plot much bigger than they can imagine.

This was an enjoyable read. I've been reading Allingham's original Campion books in order here and there for a while now, and have only one left that she wrote before she died. I've not read any of the continuation novels until now. The author does a good job of writing in the style of Allingham--I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference if I didn't know who wrote the book. I liked this one just as much as I liked Allingham's later novels. Like the originals, there are a lot of unlikely and unbelievable things that happen, but that's OK. I found myself curious to see how things would be resolved. The book is often funny--I laughed out loud several times. This is a strength of the book. The characters are quirky and sometimes surprising. The setting is fun and the cold and snow add to the tension. If you enjoy a good Christmas mystery that's a bit different, this might be for you! 3.5 stars for a good enjoyable read.

Instead of having a quiet family Christmas at their farmhouse in the countryside, the Campions are having surprise guests, as a snowstorm makes it impossible for a group of people in a coach to continue their journey and they seek shelter with the Campions. Soon it turns into something much more sinister. The Campions are forced to deal with murder and people who are not what they seem to be, all in the Cold War background. It is written in lighthearted and witty language making it easy to read.

DNF. Rather tedious. The writing was overly genteel, the pacing turgid and the characters uninteresting.
Sorry!

A Christmas Mystery..
The Campions find themselves snowed in for Christmas at their remote farmhouse, Caterers, but are soon to be unexpectedly swamped with a group of eccentric travellers. Things, however, are about to take a chilling turn. The twelfth in this well written series and, once again, the author succeeds in maintaining a convincing narrative steeped in the age as well as tradition and with characters convincingly true to the Allingham originals. A clever plotline laced with wry humour and witty asides completes the picture of a perfect Christmas mystery.

Having not read any previous books in the series, I was still able to dive right in and understand all the characters and relationships with Campion's family and friends. Lugg was a particular favorite, and the elderly neighbor who was obsessed with American cowboy shows added some humor.

An interesting setting, in Cold War Britain, with the lingering tensions of the recent Cuban Missile Crisis. Fun to see Americans through a different lens.

Lots of action, snarky humor, drinking of tea, and intrigue added up to a fun Christmas-themed adventure.

Mr. Campion’s Christmas gave me two of my favorites in one book. It has holidays and murder. This one was a five star read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This is a first by this author but will not be my last! I read this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

I read and loved the original Campion stories, and I was very pleasantly surprised how this recreates the feeling of the originals. It is set in the 1960’s-1970’s era when Campion is in his 60’s. A small group of travelers, some heading to a pilgrimage site and three American soldiers are on a bus together. A blizzard soon leads to a crash into the gates of Campion’s estate and are uninvited guests for Christmas. They are stranded, no telephone service, and yet all seems fine at first. Not everyone is who they seem, however, and the Campions are soon dealing with dangerous and deadly foes.
This was a great mystery and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I now have to go back and read the rest of this series!
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my 1st Mr. Campion book that I have read.

I believe this author is picking up and writing additional books in an existing series. Haven’t read the original books so can’t compare but Mike Ripley did a good job. I was pulled into the book immediately and there was not a dull moment.

It is set in early 1960s UK. They are still in the Cold War. It was very interesting seeing Soviets impersonating Americans. That’s all I say on that so as not to give a spoiler.

It was quick and engaging spy mystery.

Thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

#Spy#NetGalley

This is one not to be missed! Having read quite a few of the original Margery Allingham Campion stories, I was keen to try this book. Previously to seeing it on NetGalley, I had no idea that Mike Ripley was producing Campion novels in the style of the originals, even though this is number 12. All I can say is what a treat! The book stayed true to the original characters and, if anything, was slightly more readable than the Allingham versions. I loved the way the story was set in 1962 and how the writer made such good use of the savage winter that year and the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis. So much of the story is based on fact (as I discovered from the after notes) which aids the plot. The adventure takes place at Christmas time and, for once, the snow on the ground is historically accurate. A coach crashes into the gates of Albert and Amanda's home and the passengers seek shelter from the blizzard. Some passengers are not what they seem and so the adventure begins with a suspicious death! With a cast of characters that include a retiring vicar, a postmistress with a past and the inimitable Lugg, I loved every second and read it all in one sitting. if you love golden age crime or just love a well-paced adventure, this is one to read.