Sweet Danger Hardcover – May 16, 2017

At first I was put off by the rigmarole surrounding Campion’s secret mission for the government. But Campion is assisted by a group of lively, well-bred, somewhat reckless young people, and their improbable adventures are fun.There are dauntless women in the cast of characters. They live in a decrepit old mill. Amanda is a seventeen-year-old beauty who’s obsessed with electronics and braves danger like a man. Mary, her older sister, is just as courageous but less impulsive. Aunt Hatt is a distant relative who turned up from America and has taken charge of the young and disorganized household. The girls’ sixteen-year-old brother Hal is probably the Earl of Pontisbright, but can’t prove it. Campion wants to help him prove his claim, among the other things keeping him busy.The object of Campion’s secret mission is so complex and unlikely that I quickly lost interest in it. But the villains trying to thwart Campion and his friends are entertaining. And almost everything Amanda says and does is amusing, she’s so outlandishly frank and charmingly bold. The characters are what kept me reading this book. There’s also a doctor who dabbles in the occult. He’s a digression, but a diverting one.I would not recommend this book to a first-time reader of the Campion mysteries. But a fan of the series should find it worth a read.

No idea what other reviewers were complaining about. Formal writing? Nonsense. The book is wonderfully written. Very easy reading, highly entertaining and elegantly presented.As a period piece, I can't find anything I would fault. Well, libraries on demonology were probably not that common, even in the Suffolk countryside, but certainly there was an avid interest in collecting arcane lore (actual or spun from moonbeams and strong wine) during the 1800s. I imagine Margery Allingham was thinking along those lines. It's a very minor part of the tale, an aside in a plot device for tying up loose ends, so I don't consider it a spoiler.As a detective story, there is an obvious parallel Arthur Conan Doyle story, though not nearly as sophisticated as this. Plenty of older stories yet exist of riddles hiding treasures. This is in no way a rehash of well-trodden ground, though. This story is original and ingenious. It has become an over-used plot device in more recent times, but you can't fault an author for the future use of a story idea.Characterizations - the characters are all vividly described, never veering off-character. The only issue I have is that the characters of Campion and Amanda are the only ones of depth. The others exist to prod the story forward. But, when you examine most novels, that is true. Very few stories have complex characterization outside the main one or two people as it is too hard to follow otherwise. Colour and texture, rather than detail, for everything around the main subject.

Along with  Traitor's Purse: Albert Campion #11  this is my favorite Campion so far. It's a puzzler though not a murder mystery with Campion acting more like a spy than a policeman. There's also considerable suspense and some thriller moments towards the end. But the best IMHO is Campion's initial meeting with Amanda Fitton whose just turning 18 years old. She will reappear in a number of the later volumes and IMHO adds a great deal to the fun. Also, Guffy will also reappear with Mary later on. In addition, there is a lot of humor in this particular novel.p. 38: Augustus (Guffy) Randall--"I see myself as a sort of Watson with a club." [who meets Mary Fitton for the first time herein]p. 39: Lugg, lost while driving in the countryside--"While we see England first." [during a very funny scene[p. 40: Lugg, who seemed to have developed a beer-divining gift.p. 202: Campion--"I was going to take you [Amanda] into partnership as soon as you were over school age." [which she references at the end of the book]p. 262: Lugg, lugubrious and...Through much of the book, Campion calls himself "The Hereditary Paladin of Averna with Guffy as his Grand Vizier. The book is basically a mysterious and dangerous treasure hunt with Wodehouse-like humor. This work is included in Allingham Omnibus #2.1965's  Mr Champion's Lady The Second Allingham Omnibus , sometimes referred to as Omnibus #2--each novel includes Amanda Fitton thus the title.--Preface with description of the development of Amanda Fitton as a love interest--Campion #5=Sweet Danger or Fear Sign or Kingdom of Death (1933)--Campion #10= The Fashion in Shrouds: Albert Campion Mystery #10  (1938)--Campion #11 = Traitor's Purse: Albert Campion #11  or The Sabotage Murder Mystery (1941)--Word in Season: Story for Christmas [a short story]If you're not used to reading authors from the Golden Age of British Mysteries (e.g. Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Josephine Tey, etc.), it might take you a bit of time to adjust to the cozier and more descriptive style than the more recent (and more violent) American mysteries--especially those that could be classified as Thrillers. However, you might like  The Tiger in the Smoke: Albert Campion #14  and  Tether's End: also titled, "Hide My Eyes"  = Hide My Eyes which are, perhaps, more thriller than mystery. American authors with less description but of a more armchair or highly deductive (vs. lots of action) nature include Rex Stout, John Dickson Carr, and Ellery Queen. If, however, you can enjoy more literary mysteries, I'd strongly recommend Ngaio Marsh.

I was very pleased with this copy of Sweet Danger. I still enjoyed the book which I last read years ago. The copy I received was from the Macmillan CollectorsLibrary and was a most attractive book.

Havent quite finished reading this but Im really enjoying Sweet Danger and cant wait to see what happens next. An excellent Campion book with all its clever twists and turns.

one of her best...good plot, good pacing, good characters...charming heroine...a bit too much of the old boy network..but atmospheric and fantastic, as usual...recommended...the cover picture is not accurate, and there are some typos...oh well...

i first got interested in Margery Allingham when i was about 17 years old when the t.v series ran.Sweet Danger is fundemental to the progress of the character of Campion. It is in Sweet Danger that he meets Amanda Fitton his wife to be for the first time.To have Philip Franks read this book is very pleasing to the ear. If i am listening at night i will fall asleep to it, which is a shame, so i treat myself and start to listen to it again.Mr Franks put the emphasis in the right places and also does different voices for the characters and the narration.

Love this bought all I could and listen to them in the car. They are good and expertly read, really enjoying them.