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Mr Campion's Farewell

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Mr Campion's Farewell

By: Mike Ripley
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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About this listen

A Margery Allingham Campion mystery.

Strange things happen in the picture-postcard English village of Lindsay Carfax. When a young man falls into a quarry, it takes nine days to find the body. When rowdy hippies descend on the village, they're given nine days to leave. When an outspoken schoolmaster is kidnapped for nine days, he stays eerily quiet after his release.

Now Albert Campion has come to town - and he means to investigate all this strangeness. But whoever is behind the unusual goings - on quickly makes it very clear that his nosing around is not welcome. Undeterred by threats, Campion is determined to expose the criminal masterminds hiding in this sleepy village.

©2019 Mike Ripley (P)2019 Canongate Books Ltd Cosy Mystery Village Fiction Suspense
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I really enjoyed this book. Mike Ripley has captured Albert Campion's character brilliantly and the book is very funny. The plot is less important here - it is the characters and their interactions, that are the stars and make the book. The narration is perfect as usual.

Very enjoyable

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Not quite up to Allingham - but not bad at all and I heard the authentic Campion voice.

Very good

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Over the years, I've read nearly all of Margery Allingham's Campion books and was interested to see this on offer. I have to admit I put off buying this as books by other authors are not always up to the original writer's standards. However, from what I understand, this is a book written partially by Margery Allingham (or at least from work sketched out previously).

It's actually hard to tell which bits are Allingham and which are Ripley's. The style is total Campion and enjoyable. It was nice to see cameos from characters in previous books, although Lugg is retired. The book reminded me somewhat of Traitor's Purse (not sure why, maybe the secret passages and the village being owned by a secret society). The book labours a bit but then some of Allingham's work tended to. She always filled some characters out very fully.

As for narration … well, I'm sorry but I detest David Thorpe's voice. That's probably part personal idiosyncrasy and partly due to have listened to stunning renditions of Allingham's books by Francis Matthews and Philip Franks. David Thorpe just doesn't do the job as far as I'm concerned.

Overall, very good and I'll watch for more from Mike Ripley to see what he can do on his own.

Campion Revisited

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Well contrived plot albeit a little predictable.My only reservation is that the reader's interpretation of Albert Campion smacks more of Bertie Wooster than appropriate . I much prefer that of Philip Franks on the audio CDs.

Good successor to Margery Allingham

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Well, I am surprised how good good this was and I was very sceptical. I do not know how much is Allingham and how is much Ripley but it sounds just like an Allingham Campion story. A quirky mix of crime, deaths, a touch of the Medieval, a secret society, strange characters and lots of words about wool all mixed into a tasty confection. The story-line flows most smoothly. I was a little concerned about the narrator as he is not my absolute favourite. However, I always find with David Thorpe that after a chapter, to adjust to his style, things progress OK. His characterisations are distinct and appropriate without being OTT, so important in an audiobook. On reflection his voice for Campion works as he, Campion, is now much older and his once light tenor voice should be darker and a little tremulous. (Frances Matthews' voicing was probably the definitive one and so hard to do without).
The book captured my attention, drew me in and carried me along and was great fun.

Surprisingly good and very enjoyable

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