Mr. Campion's Fox

Starred review from April 13, 2015
Having successfully completed an unfinished manuscript by Margery Allingham’s husband (2014’s Mr. Campion’s Farewell), Ripley presents a fully original story, set in the 1960s, which paves the way for further focus on Rupert, the engaging grown son of Allingham’s series sleuth, Albert Campion. At a diplomatic reception in London, Albert is approached by Aage Westergaard, the Danish ambassador, who’s concerned about the well-being of his 18-year-old daughter, Vibeke, who’s been working as an au pair in the Suffolk town of Gapton. Westergaard is uneasy about her boyfriend, Frank Tate, and asks Albert to keep an eye on him, surveillance that Albert delegates to Rupert. Rupert observes little that’s unusual, apart from Tate’s habit of dashing into pubs for just a minute or two. The favor becomes more complicated when Vibeke disappears and a corpse turns up in Gapton with the back of its head smashed in. Ripley maintains a light touch in the service of an intricate mystery that will please Allingham devotees and newcomers alike.

May 1, 2015
Under the dotty-old-man facade that former spy Albert Campion presents to the world lies a razor-sharp intellect and a gift for ferreting out the truth. Much to the chagrin of his business-tycoon wife, Lady Amanda, Albert simply cannot pass up a chance to use his espionage skills. So when his old friend, the Danish ambassador, asks for help, Campion leaps at the chance. The ambassador's daughter, Vibeke, has taken a shine to one Francis Tate, whose background may be dodgy. Naturally, the ambassador wants Campion's help to see if Tate is legit. Campion follows Tate, with Vibeke in tow, to the sleepy Suffolk village of Gapton, and when Tate's bludgeoned body is found in the Gapton lagoonand there's no trace of VibekeCampion fears the worst. Smuggling, corrupt cops, village secrets, and a WWII love affair figure in this charming and thoroughly entertaining tale. Set in the 1970s, it's part village cozy, part spy thriller, part murder mystery, and part Oscar Wildelike farce. Plenty of appeal there for readers of softer-boiled British mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)