Mr. Campion’s Coven

It’s 1971 in Ripley’s exceptional eighth outing for Margery Allingham’s sleuth Albert Campion (after 2020’s Mr. Campion’s Seance), and the yacht belonging to Dame Jocasta Upcott, a force in the British theatrical world, has been found abandoned on an Essex mudbank, with the only sign of life the boots of the yacht’s captain, Francis Jarrold, stuck in the mud 50 yards away. Dame Upcott wants Campion to search for her dog, Robespierre, who was aboard the vessel, not Jarrold. Since finding Robespierre will benefit his actor son, Rupert, Campion agrees. He winds up having to solve a murder that may be linked to an Essex witches’ coven that sailed to Massachusetts in 1692 and landed in Salem at the time of the witchcraft trials. Ripley skillfully injects humor into the twisty plot, and elements reminiscent of the classic horror film The Wicker Man add to the creepy atmosphere. Both old and new Campion fans will hope for many more exploits. (June)