Mark Simpson

As a huge Campion fan since my mid teens, I used to be disappointed with the fact he appears in the post-war novels less than in the pre-war ones. However , now I'm 50, I appreciate the later stories as much or more. Historian Mortimer Kelsey is helping Campion while also conducting research in Saltey, where Dido Jones a doctor from London has recently and surprisingly inherited 'The Hollies'. However, Dr Jones has been receiving poison pen letters discouraging her from her inheritance and two dangerous men, Jim Teague and 'Target' Burrows are thought to be involved. Cargo of Eagles, which was completed by Ms Allingham's husband, Youngman-Carter is an atmospheric mystery/detective story set in a former smuggling stronghold of Saltey. However, while - like all of Allingham's books - it is crisply written with beautifully well-drawn individual characters including Jonah Woodrose, HO Wishart and Matt Parsley, it is harder to categorise than the stories of Christie, Marsh or Sayers. I cannot tell where Allingham finished and Youngman-Carter started (he was using her ideas ), but this has hallmarks of her writing including Campion's ability to mix with a wide range of characters and to use his eclectic contacts and knowledge to great effect. Cargo of Eagles is not at the level of 'The Tiger in the Smoke' or 'Hide My Eyes' , which are fabulous studies of both character, psychological depth and place (London), but it is a very enjoyable read and like almost every one of Allingham's Campion books, I'm more than happy to reread it every 2-3 years.