Youngman Carter (1904–1969)

This is the final adventure for Albert Campion.

Campion is called upon by an old friend to help locate a man who has suddenly disappeared, a Mr. Makepeace. Makepeace is well respected for his geographical knowledge of oil sources around the world. He has worked for Omega Oil for a long time and Omega is afraid Makepeace may be considering selling his knowledge to a competitor.

A Mr. Porteous is searching for something a Mr. Matthews, and Porteous is a man who gets what he sets out to get. His methods are not gentlemanly. But Mr. Matthews has suddenly died and Miss Anthea Peregrine is now handling Matthews’ affairs. She also finds she must deal with Porteous.

As Campion goes about unravelling Makepeace’s disappearance, he find there is much more than oil secrets involved and missing persons. There is a question of relationships between Makepeace, Matthews and Porteous. There are double agents, murder, and kidnapping. It isn’t a simple last case.

With multiple threads going on, it can be quite a tangle to undo. Campion may seem laid back and maybe a bit slow, but that is just a front. He checks each possible lead — good ones and dead ends — until he can finally weave a solid solution to the mystery and the parties involved.… (more)

This is the final book in the Albert Campion series; it was actually completed by Allingham's husband after her death. The book features Campion at the end of his career, and unlike earlier books he takes a backseat in the investigation of this case. Campion acts more as an adviser to a young American, Morty Kelsey, and his love interest, an attractive young doctor who has just inherited a country house in a seaside town. The town has quite a history of ghosts and pirates, among other things.

I enjoyed seeing Campion late in his career. He is world-weary in this book, happy to leave the actual investigating to younger associates. The end brings a surprising twist, and finally reveals to the reader the meaning of the title. As with other Campion books this one relies heavily on space and time- who was where when. Also like other books in the series this can get overwhelming. Still, it's interesting to see the gentleman sleuth in old age, and the books makes for a satisfying mystery.… (more)