Four delightful shorts from Margery Allingham - a Christmas chocolate box if you like - three featuring Campion, the likeable sleuth, and one Victorian Christmas themed tale. Perfect for a Christmas stocking filler and an ideal Christmas read. A joy.

Absolutely delightful short read. Some Csmpion. Some not. Particularly enjoyed Word in Season and Happy Christmas.

These four holiday stories were perfect to snuggle in and read after running around during the holiday season. I enjoyed them and am hoping that the author writes a book like this every holiday season.

This collection of stories wasn't bad but because I didn't have the context of other stories surrounding Campion, I was a little confused. But overall, they were good short stories, interesting, intriguing, and definitely kept with the Christmas drive. They made me want to read more stories involving these characters. I especially liked the story with Campion's dog!

This is a compilation of a few short stories for the Christmas season. A very quick read and perfect for when you have a few moments to yourself. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed this collection of Margery Allingham Christmas stories! If you enjoy English whodunits it should definitely be on your Christmas reading list. They are all Campion stories at different stages of his life.

I especially liked Word in Season and On Christmas Day in the Morning.

Thanks to Agora Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst these stories certainly show the ingenuity of the titular sleuth, ‘Campion at Christmas’ shows a writer with a true understanding of places and people. Allingham depicts the affable Campion in a variety of settings, both domestically and professionally, but always with a wry and intuitive style.

Ironically, one of the most interesting stories (‘Happy Christmas’) does not feature Campion at all, but is a clever, evocative vignette.

A charming, wonderfully curated collection.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but they were correct with the short stories and there were only four of them but they were all very good. I would recommend this book.

A tasty Christmas trifle—four short stories with a Christmas theme with two of them featuring Campion. While not overly ingenious, the stories are sweet and leave a good feeling.

I love both author and main character. Really enjoy the British outlook on life. Always amazed how Campion solves the crimes. Recommend to those who love British stories. I received a copy from Crime Classics Review Club. Opinions are my own.

Confession first I love Margery Allinghams' books and the Campion ones in particular. This is no exception, a number of short stories set around Christmas time ,They are typical of Allingham,(described as a 'shining light' by Agatha Christie) well written good characters and inventive storylines.There is only one problem with this book/novella it is far too short .Still it was a nice reminder of Allingham prompting me to read a longer book of hers. Good taster for Allinghams novels .

Not all of the stories are about Campion and not all of the stories are mysteries. But all are set at Christmas and display the skill Allingham had in weaving a story, even a short one. A definite holiday classic to be re-read every year.

Three stars
This book came out November 29
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley

I am a fan of Albert Campion and his manservant Lugg, so I was a little disappointed to find that only three of the four stories featured Campion and no real appearance from Lugg at all. The fourth story was a rather strange account of a family in the 1960s pretending to spend a Christmas in Victorian times. It was rather quaint and described some old customs and traditions but didn't really fit with the other stories. The three other stories were told in true Campion style and were entertaining as always.

Four really short stories. All with an old fashioned vibe. The type you might have in a magazine at Christmas. I enjoyed two of them but overall was underwhelmed.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

Campion was my favorite of the Masterpiece Mystery Series and I am looking forward to reading these Christmas stories by Margery Allingham. Maybe someday I'll tackle the original Campion Series.

The 4 short stories are delightful and the magic of a different time in a different country shows through. I love the way Margery Allingham can create these places that, while contemporary to her, are a bit nostalgic to the rest of us.

I enjoy the golden age of crime fiction, and am a fan of Margery Allingham - maybe even more so than Agatha Christie (hush, I know, I know). These stories were fun for Christmas and gave me some good ho-ho-holiday laughs. The 2nd story did not actually have Campion in it, but it was such a funny little story that I didn't mind! There are a handful of typos, but still recommended as a quick read for the holidays.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1227378-meade

I love Margery Allingham so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read this new collection of four short stories, all with a festive theme. The title is slightly misleading as only three of the four stories feature Albert Campion, but they are all quite enjoyable in their different ways. They are also very short, so perfect for readers with busy Christmas schedules who just want something quick to read!

The first story, On Christmas Day in the Morning, was my favourite and involves Campion investigating the death of a postman hit by a car on Christmas morning. The culprits have been identified, but the evidence provided by local residents is confusing and Campion must decide whether the suspects and the victim really could have been in the right location at the right time for the accident to have taken place. It’s not much of a mystery, but I found it a sad and poignant story which reminded me of how lonely some people feel at Christmas.

Next we have Happy Christmas, probably the weakest story in the book, in which a young couple with a passion for the 19th century decide that they would like to have a traditional Victorian Christmas. Campion doesn’t appear at all in this story and I’m not sure that it really belonged in this collection. I’m not entirely sure what the point of it was, although I do love the idea of a Victorian Christmas.

The Case of the Man with the Sack is a more conventional detective story. Albert Campion is celebrating Christmas with friends at their country house when a theft takes place – and the main suspect is Santa Claus. This is a slightly longer story than the others, so there’s more time to develop the plot. Of course, it can’t compare with a full-length Campion mystery, but it was interesting enough to hold my attention until the end.

Finally, there’s Word In Season, a lovely but unusual tale about Campion and his dog, Poins. Did you know that, according to myth, animals are given the power of speech in the final hour of Christmas Eve? I didn’t, but that’s what this final story is about.

These four Christmas stories were obviously ideal for the time of year and I did find them entertaining, but I thought they were too short to be completely satisfying. I’m looking forward to reading some more of Allingham’s longer novels soon.

My thanks to Crime Classics for an ARC copy. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Can't wait to read the next month's book.

These are four short stories, all with a Christmas setting:
- On Christmas Day in the Morning from The Mysterious Mr Campion
- Happy Christmas (nothing at all to do with Albert Campion, hence I have docked a star).
- The Case of the Man with the Sack
- Word in Season

They are all slight, enjoyable stories. The first story is a standard whodunnit / howdunnit with a good puzzle, albeit in short story format. It will bewilder younger readers (anyone below fifty?!) as it involves a postman delivering mail on Christmas Day. (Yes, it continued to the Sixties at least, as I remember.).

The second story is an acceptable story but nothing special - and no Campion!

The third story involves a theft, but no great effort is required on the part of the reader.

The last story is unusual, as it’s written from the viewpoint of Campion’s dog. He tries to decide whether or not to use the animals’ traditional gift of speech, granted for one hour on Christmas Eve. It's not a mystery, but it does have a feel-good factor.

Four Margery Allingham Shorts - two of them with Albert Campion - and a nice Festive treat. If you haven't read any Campion before this probably isn't the best place to start, but if you have it's a lot of fun to drop in briefly on Albert. They're all quite cleverly put together too which makes them more satisfying than you'd expect given the length of them.