Traitor’s Purse by Margery Allingham
Albert Campion, a well-known amateur investigator, awakens in the hospital with acute amnesia and is charged with assaulting a police officer. He only recalls being on a mission that was crucial to the government of His Majesty before the accident.
Campion desperately tries to piece together the puzzle while on the run from the police, unable to recognize even his loyal servant or his beautiful fiancée, and while the very future of England is at stake.
Traitor’s Purse is a steadfast classic of wartime literature that is expertly structured and beautifully illustrated. and was initially released in 1941.
The Sabotage Murder Mystery and Traitor’s Purse are both versions of the same 1941 book.
Traitor’s Purse by Margery Allingham
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Campion wakes up completely numb at the hospital at the beginning of the story. He has no idea of his identity, where he is, or why he is there. He’s been in an accident, he’s hurt his head, and he has no concept of what’s happening. However, he simply feels the overpowering sense that there is something very essential that he ought to be doing. He has no idea what it is. From what he overhears others talking, from contextual cues, and from who visits him in the hospital, he must piece together his identity and the case that he must be working on. He is attempting to uncover a wartime mystery while also seeking to unravel the mystery of himself.
In an effort to undermine the economy and increase the likelihood that Britain will lose the war, a group of counterfeit currency conspirators is attempting to flood the country with fake money. It’s interesting to note that this book had many positive reviews at the time, but one comment that consistently comes up is that everything seems quite improbable. People at the time reasoned that there couldn’t possibly be covert Nazi accomplices creating counterfeit coins or dumping counterfeit bills. However, Allingham received a press clipping from a German fan around 15 years later stating, “No, actually you were right.” This was actually happening. The operation has the name, Bernhard. It was 100 per cent genuine. She had made up a situation that actually existed.
