Mystery Mile

By: Margery Allingham

Narrated by: Francis Matthews

Judge Crowdy Lobbett has found evidence pointing to the identity of the criminal mastermind behind the deadly Simister gang. After four attempts on his life, he ends up seeking the help of the enigmatic and unorthodox amateur sleuth, Albert Campion. After Campion bundles Lobbett off to a country house in Mystery Mile deep in the Suffolk countryside, all manner of adventures ensue. It's a race against time for Campion to get the judge to safety and decipher the clue to their mysterious enemy's name.

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rough start but gets better

Allingham starts with a very uncomfortable scene on a boat. The story gets better and more interesting once Albert and friends reach the country village of Mystery Mile. Well performed, this audio book is highly recommended.

Unusual cozy mystery & BEST narrator ever!!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Mystery Mile to be better than the print version?

The narrator is such a master of accents that this is almost more a performance than simply a narration! That makes this better than any print version!

What did you like best about this story?

The plot is a mystery that takes place in Great Britain in the 1920s or 30s, the same period as many P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves and Blandings stories. I like that! The characters are all very colorful and easy to keep sorted. The narrator's expertise with accents aids in that aspect. I have never identified with any of these characters, and that is just fine with me. What I enjoy is the feeling that I am looking in on an interesting little world where unpleasant things may happen, but, in the end, all will turn out well thanks to Albert Campion.

Have you listened to any of Francis Matthews’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but I will make a point of so doing in the future. What a talented narrator! He does every accent beautifully. When the character is out of breath, he gasps convincingly. He expresses emotion. And whether doing male or female voices, the characterizations work without any distraction from the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to, but could not. However, I often listened before going to bed. The narrator's voice has a comforting, assured quality. Also, this allowed me to backtrack the next day and listen to the last half from the night before to make sure I had missed nothing. Double enjoyment!

Any additional comments?

People who choose books about Albert Campion must understand that he is a brilliant detective posing as a rich and somewhat empty-headed young man. Some narrators bring this across by giving him a silly-sounding voice (which can be irritating). This narrator gets across Mr. Campion's persona without the silly voices, but in a way that loses none of the inanity with which he can behave. Some people decide they do not like these books because they do not understand the brilliance of Campion and, also, the dry, understated humor employed by the author. For instance, and briefly, she describes the smile of one of Mr. Campion's criminal proteges as "revealing an astonishing assortment of teeth". I should explain that Mr. Campion has friends and acquaintances from every station and walk of life, most of whom know him by other names. They are a great help along the way in solving his cases and add color to the stories with their unusual personalities, looks, back stories, and accents. One more thing is that Mr. Campion has a "valet"-assistant who is a past criminal. He adds interest and humor to the stories too. If you enjoy books like Jeeves and Wooster, Rumpole of the Bailey, Blandings, Her Royal Spyness, The Poor Relations series, and even Agatha Raisin, you will likely enjoy Margery Allingham's Campion series.

Good characters and narration. Story just okay.

I like this series and find the British narrator very listenable. This story lagged at times and didn't have as much of the sparkle found in the first, but like able enough that I will try again.
The mystery us solid even if it's presented unevenly.

Just a note on narrator

Francis Matthews is vastly superior to David Thorpe. While his voice for Campion doesn't quite have the 1920/30's "bright young thing" quality, it does give a sense of the bright man hidden behind the fool's mask quality that is Campion.

The story is sufficiently complex and full of period atmosphere.

1st "Starring" Role for Campion

The first "starring" role for Campion, the urbane adventurer for hire. Nothing sordid, mind you. Here he's helping an American and his family. The father has a price on his head, being targeted by a man known only as Simister. Not quite as good as some of the other Allinghams, but still enjoyable. Matthews isn't as good as Thorpe, but he provides some excellent voices.

Somewhat plodding but not bad

First novel staring Albert Campion and his man Lugg.

Narrator: Francis Matthews - good job. Good inflection and change in characters.

Characters - The characters are very well developed in this book, except for the villains as I am starting to notice as a flaw in Allingham's equation. This is technically the second Albert Campion novel (although in the first one he was more of a side character), and in both the only fringe characters not given much backstory or attention ended up being the bad guy. There was a great ensemble cast of characters given and each one was a likeable individual.

Plot - The basic plot of the story was a good little jaunt fitting to the time period which kept you guessing as to who was involved and what was going on. There were many red herrings thrown in for fun as well. I had two major issues witht he book overall however. The first issue I had was the love interest. At the beginning of the story they hint at a romance that never really develops even though it is initially portrayed on both sides. At the end one of them ends up with another and the other is heart broken. This was very irritating to me as I found it unnecessary to set up the love triangle. Especially involving the main character. It came off as a bit melodramatic and pointless. The second issue I had was that the reason behind the attempts on the judge's life was not really explained satisfactorily. The ending left me feeling as though Allingham wrote the entire novel and then realized she needed to explain why it took place and inserted a half-baked stupid explaination in a dramatic manner just as a way to dispose of the villain at the end. It all felt very contrived and dull. Plus she drug out the whole explanation out for too long so you hit the climax when the villain is unveiled and then just keep hoping that it ends soon.

I plan on reading the next book in the series and that will determine if I continue with the series or give it up. Especially since so far I can only find a copy narrated by David Thorpe and I did not enjoy his narrative on the first book (The Crime at Black Dudley).

NOT FOR ME

Way to many characters, very confusing plot, and chapter after chapter of over done chatter.

4 stars if you prefer a slower pace

Good semi-cozy mystery of a certain age, Not particularly suspenseful, but I wasn't looking for that. Good character development. Narration was quite good except the attempt at an American accent. I prefer British narrators, but most don't know how to Ameri-speak except as parody, which is too bad because it interferes with the story. But gosh, maybe that's the way they hear us!?

Witty and great peak at era

Really enjoyed the quick fire comebacks and amusing descriptions that intersperse the dialogue like that of Mrs Knapp.

Wonderful

I loved everything about this book. The story was fun with lots going on. The characters were well developed and Campion himself is perhaps the best fictional detective ever.