MR Campion's Séance - (Albert Campion Mystery) by Mike Ripley

About the Book

1946, London. The crime at the heart of The Bottle Party Murder, the new detective novel from Albert Campion's godsibling Evadne Childe, bears several striking similarities to a real, recent and unsolved murder in Soho. But Evadne wrote the book before the murder occurred - so is it just a weird coincidence, or is something more sinister afoot?

Book Synopsis

The truth is stranger than fiction for Albert Campion in this gripping mystery where murder, detective novels and the supernatural collide. 1946, London. The eagerly anticipated new detective novel from Albert Campion's godsibling, bestselling author Evadne Childe, is proving to be another runaway success. Unfortunately, it has also caught the attention of Superintendent Stanislaus Oates for reasons that go beyond its superior plotting. The crime at the heart of The Bottle Party Murder bears a number of striking similarities to a very real, recent and unsolved murder at the Grafton Club in Soho. Evadne wrote the book before the murder occurred, yet predicts it remarkably accurately - is it just a weird coincidence, is Evadne getting her information from 'the other side', or is something more sinister afoot? The repercussions of this extraordinary and complex case will reach out over the next fifteen years, drawing in three of Mr Campion's favourite policemen - Oates, Yeo and Luke - before finally coming to its violent conclusion in 1962.

Review Quotes

"Albert remains a winning protagonist, possessed of both eccentric charm and dry wit, and this time Ripley gives him a particularly meaty case, full of noteworthy twists. Another winner in a reliably entertaining series"-- "Booklist"

"Good Allingham, good war spy thriller"-- "Marcel Berlins in The Times on Mr Campion's War"

"Wonderfully genteel, appealingly old-fashioned, gently humorous, always entertaining, and eminently readable"-- "Booklist Starred Review of Mr Campion's War"

"Ripley spins a head-scratching whodunit while effectively recreating Allingham's tone and characters. This clever continuation of a beloved series keeps getting better"-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review"

"Wicked fun, sedate yet intricately plotted--a highlight in the series" -- "Kirkus Reviews"

Neatly combines humour and mystery-- "Publishers Weekly on Mr Campion's Visit"

You can trust Campion (along with his grizzly bear of an assistant, Magersfontein Lugg), just as you can trust the talented Mr Ripley-- "Crime Time on Mr Campion's Visit"

About the Author

Mike Ripley has twice won the Crime Writers' Association's Last Laugh Award, and is the author of twenty-four comedy thrillers and historical novels. He writes a hugely respected monthly review column for Shots Magazine entitled Getting Away With Murder and is also the author of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a 'reader's history' of the heyday of British action and spy thrillers, 1953-75, which won the H.R.F. Keating Award for non-fiction in 2017. With Mr Campion's Farewell (Severn House, 2014 and Black Thorn, 2019), he completed a manuscript left unfinished in 1969 by Margery Allingham's widower, Pip Youngman Carter. He regards the follow-ups including Mr Campion's War, Mr Campion's Visit and Mr Campion's S�ance as his attempts 'to fly solo with, and do justice to, a great fictional character'.