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Albert Campion books in order
Looking for Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion books in order? Look no further!
In 1929, author Margery Allingham brought out her first detective novel with an elegant, engaging and well-educated gentleman at its heart – Albert Campion. Her publishers instantly fell for the character and Margery went on to write 19 Campion novels.
The stories are unfailing in their delivery of a fun, intriguing mystery, a clever denouement, and a never-ending list of scrapes for their central character to get himself in and out of. Campion remains a defining character in the Golden Age of crime fiction and is a character nearly as iconic as Poirot – Christie herself was a fan of Allingham’s writing.
If you’re at a loss as for where to start, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Here are all of Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion books in order.
Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion books in order:
The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham
1. The Crime at Black Dudley (1929)
A suspicious death and a haunted family heirloom were not advertised when Dr George Abbershaw and a group of London’s brightest young things accepted an invitation to the mansion of Black Dudley.
Skulduggery is most certainly afoot, and the partygoers soon realise that they’re trapped in the secluded house. Amongst them is a stranger who promises to unravel the villainous plots behind their incarceration – but can George and his friends trust the peculiar young man who calls himself Albert Campion?
Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
2. Mystery Mile (1930)
Judge Crowdy Lobbett is a man of justice, an upstanding pillar of American society. But now he’s a man in deadly peril, tailed across the Atlantic by the ruthless Simister gang.
Luckily for Lobbett, however, he makes the acquaintance of one Albert Campion during his voyage to England. The enigmatic amateur sleuth bundles the judge off to the country house of Mystery Mile, where it’s a race against time to keep the Simister posse at bay – and to pinpoint the identity of the mastermind behind their criminal empire…
Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham
3. Look to the Lady (1931)
Finding himself the victim of a botched kidnapping attempt, Val Gyrth suspects that he might be in a spot of trouble. Unexpected news to him – but not to the mysterious Mr Campion, who reveals that the ancient Chalice entrusted to Val’s family is being targeted by a ruthless ring of thieves.
Fleeing London for the supposed safety of Suffolk, Val and Campion come face to face with events of a perilous and puzzling nature – Campion might be accustomed to outwitting criminal minds, but can he foil supernatural forces?
Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham
4. Police at the Funeral (1931)
The tranquillity of Cambridge is punctured when Cousin Andrew of the illustrious Faraday family disappears without a trace. No time is wasted in summoning Albert Campion and his sleuthing skills away from the bustle of Piccadilly to investigate – but little does he expect to be greeted by a band of eccentric relatives all at daggers with each other.
Soon there are as many dead bodies as there are red herrings, and Campion must uncover the secrets of the Faraday dynasty before another victim falls…
Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham
5. Sweet Danger (1933)
Nestled along the Adriatic coastline, the kingdom of Averna has suddenly – and suspiciously – become the hottest property in Europe, and Albert Campion is given the task of recovering the long-missing proofs of ownership.
His mission takes him from the French Riviera to the sleepy village of Pontisbright, where he meets the flame-haired Amanda Fitton. Her family claim to be the rightful heirs to the principality, and insist on joining Campion’s quest. Unfortunately for them, a criminal financier and his heavies are also on the trail – the clock is ticking for Campion and his cohorts to outwit the thugs and solve the mystery of Averna.
Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham
6. Death of a Ghost (1934)
John Lafcadio’s ambition to be known as the greatest painter since Rembrandt was not to be thwarted by a matter as trifling as his own death. A set of 12 sealed paintings is the bequest he leaves to his widow – together with the instruction that she unveil one canvas each year before a carefully selected audience.
Albert Campion is among the cast of gadabouts, muses and socialites gathered for the latest ceremony – but art is the last thing on the sleuth’s mind when a brutal stabbing occurs…
Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham
7. Flowers for the Judge (1936)
Scandal, secrets and suspicions abound when one of the directors at the prestigious publishing house of Barnabas is found dead, locked in the company’s strongroom. All eyes are on the other partners at the firm – cousins of the dead man with much to gain from his demise – and all rumours hint at a connection to the disappearance of another director decades earlier.
Desperate to salvage their reputation, the cousins turn to Albert Campion – but will his investigations clear the Barnabas family name, or besmirch it forever?
The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham
8. The Case of the Late Pig (1937)
Private detective Albert Campion is summoned to the village of Kepesake to investigate a particularly distasteful death. The body turns out to be that of Pig Peters, freshly killed five months after his own funeral. Soon other corpses start to turn up, just as Peters’ body goes missing. It takes all Campion’s coolly incisive powers of detection to unravel the crime.
Dancers in Mourning by Margery Allingham
9. Dancers in Mourning (1937)
When song-and-dance star Jimmy Sutane falls victim to a string of malicious practical jokes, there’s only one man who can get to the bottom of the apparent vendetta against the music hall darling – Albert Campion.
Soon, however, the backstage pranks escalate and an ageing starlet is killed. Under pressure to uncover the culprit, and plagued by his growing feelings for Sutane’s wife, Campion finds himself uncomfortably embroiled in an investigation that tests his ingenuity and integrity to the limit…
The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham
10. The Fashion in Shrouds (1938)
First, there is a skeleton in a dinner jacket. Then a corpse in a golden aeroplane. After another body, private detective Albert Campion nearly makes a fourth…
Both the skeleton and the corpse have died with suspicious convenience for Georgia Wells, a monstrous but charming actress with a raffish entourage. Georgia’s best friend just happens to be Valentine, a top couturière and Campion’s sister. In order to protect Valentine, Campion must unravel a story of blackmail and ruthless murder.
Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham
11. Traitor’s Purse (1940)
Celebrated detective Albert Campion awakes in hospital accused of attacking a police officer, and suffering from acute amnesia. All he can remember is that he was on a mission of vital importance to His Majesty’s government before his accident. On the run from the police and unable to recognise even his faithful servant Lugg or his own fiancée, Campion struggles desperately to put the pieces together while the very fate of England is at stake.
Coroner’s Pidgin by Margery Allingham
12. Coroner’s Pidgin (1945)
Having just returned from years overseas on a secret mission, private detective Albert Campion is relaxing in his bath when his servant Lugg and a lady of unmistakably aristocratic bearing appear in his flat carrying the corpse of a woman. At first Campion is unwilling to get involved, but he is forced to bring his powers of protection to bear on the case, and to solve not only the mystery of the murdered woman but also the alarming disappearance of some well-known art treasures.
More Work for the Undertaker by Margery Allingham
13. More Work for the Undertaker (1948)
Albert Campion finds himself being sent into the eccentric Palinode household, where there have been two suspicious deaths. And if poisoning were not enough, there are also anonymous letters, sudden violence and a vanishing coffin. Meanwhile, the Palinodes go about their nocturnal business and Campion dices with danger in his efforts to find the truth.
The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
14. The Tiger in the Smoke (1952)
A fog is creeping through the weary streets of London – and so too are whispers that the Tiger is back in town, undetected by the law, untroubled by morals. And the rumours are true: Jack Havoc, charismatic outlaw, knife-wielding killer and ingenious jail-breaker, is on the loose once again.
As Havoc stalks the smog-cloaked alleyways of the city, it falls to Albert Campion to hunt down the fugitive and put a stop to his rampage – before it’s too late.
The Beckoning Lady by Margery Allingham
15. The Beckoning Lady (1955)
Private detective Albert Campion’s glorious summer in Pontisbright is blighted by death. Amidst the preparations for Minnie and Tonker Cassand’s fabulous summer party, a murder is discovered, and it falls to Campion to unravel the intricate web of motive, suspicion and deduction with all his imagination and skill.
Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham
16. Hide My Eyes (1958)
In Hide My Eyes, private detective Albert Campion finds himself hunting down a serial killer. A spate of murders leaves him – and his friend and colleague Inspector Luke – with only two baffling clues: a left-hand glove and a lizard-skin lettercase. However, a chain of strange events leads them to an odd museum of curiosities hidden in a quiet London neighbourhood, where more is going on than meets the eye.
The China Governess by Margery Allingham
17. The China Governess (1962)
Timothy Kinnit needs the help of private detective Albert Campion. Kinnit is rich, handsome and successful, but his past is a mystery to him, and he needs Campion to find out how it connects him to the notorious Turk Street Mile slum. In addition, his own illustrious adopted family has a sinister secret of its own – involving a murderous 19th-century governess – that must also be brought to light by Campion’s investigations.
The Mind Readers by Margery Allingham
18. The Mind Readers (1965)
Fact catches up with fiction when the secret of telepathic communication is discovered by two schoolboys – but whether they stole it or invented it, there are powerful interests who will kill to get hold of it. And when one of them goes missing, private detective Albert Campion faces as deadly a challenge as any in his career.
Cargo of Eagles by Margery Allingham
19. Cargo of Eagles (1968)
Private detective Albert Campion sets out to plumb the secrets of Saltey, an ancient hamlet on the Essex marshes. Once the haunt of smugglers, it now hides a secret rich and mysterious enough to trap all who enter – and someone in the village is willing to terrorise, murder and raise the very devil to keep that secret to themselves.
There you have it – all Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion books in order! How many have you read? Let us know in the comments below…
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What about the short story collections?
Thanks. Very useful.