Case of the Late Pig

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Summary: A first person account of a detective and a late pig
Review: Albert Campion, Margery Allingham's gentleman detective, presents 'The Case of the Late Pig' in the first person, recounting his progress in the whimsical voice so accurately captured by Peter Davision in the BBC adapations of a decade ago.

Campion is invited to a most peculiar funeral, at which an old school-fellow, Roland Isidore 'Pig' Peters is the guest of honour, joined by a cast of extraordinary characters, whom Campion observes and, in his turn, dismisses. Several months pass uneventfully, then Campion is called upon by an old friend, Sir Leo Pursuivant, to investigate a death at the local country club. To his surprise, Campion finds not only that the corpse is none other than 'Pig' Peters, whom he had believed dead, but that the cast of the funeral from months before have returned to the stage, all with parts to play. As the death toll begins to climb, Campion must sort truth from fiction, not to mention determine the identity of a mysterious mole...

Some readers consider 'the Late Pig' to be one of Margery Allingham's least successful Campion novels. I cannot agree with this opinion. To my mind, this is one of the most amusing and clever of the Campion books, and well worth the time of anyone who has enjoyed any of the other pre-war stories.

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Summary: Not for Newcomers to the Campion Series...
Review: First published over 65 years ago, this entry in Allingham's long-running Campion series didn't do much to enthuse me to investigate other of Campion's adventures. It starts with the detective attending the funeral of an old schoolmate, who was rather widely despised. Several months later, Campion is called to the country to investigate a suspicious death, and the victim appears to be the same schoolmate. Wacky antics and murky mystery ensue. A kind of unsatisfying blend of P.G. Wodehouse and Agatha Christie which is unlikely to interest those who aren't already fans of the series. The one bright spot is Campion's valet, who is kind of a rough "anti-Jeeves".

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Summary: Suffolk Barbecue
Review: The Case of the Late Pig was originally part of the Mr. Campion Criminologist collection. The novelette took on a life of it's own, however. Quite short, it is ideal for audiotapes, large print novels, and even the telly.

What is most unusual about the Late Pig is that it is told by Campion in the first person. If anything, Mr. Campion's version of the crime outdoes Margery Allingham, herself. The shift is viewpoint is refreshing, and it is a shame Allingham did not try this more often.

Invited via an anonymous letter Campion attends the funeral of Pig Peters, his school bully, only to find himself invited six months later to assist in a murder case - and the victim is the very same Pig Peters.

The dead Mr. Peters has shown up under another identity in a Suffolk Village. His efforts to turn a charming country house into the 30's version of a strip mall earns him the enmity of the owner, Poppy, and all the residents of the local village. So it is no surprise when someone siezes the opportunity and drops a 300 pound flowerpot on him. Campion is called in to assist the chief constable in saving the day (and to defend the innocent).

What follows is a classic Allingham comedy of manners, full of delightful characters and unpredictable events. We have two estranged lady friends (Campion's and Pig's), the overly amorous vicar, the bored physician, the mild mannered whippet, and the mysterious mole. And there is the inevitable climax, in which Campion hares over the fields of Suffolk in an effort to save the indomitable Lugg.

All of this action helps to distract us from the somewhat thinly disguised murderer. The relative shortness of the book prevents Allingham from throwing up enough confusing red herrings, so you should be able to make a good guess in the first forty or so pages. Don't let this stop you from reading the book, though. It certainly doesn't detract from the overall fun of the novel.