The Mind Readers (Albert Campion Number 18), Margery Allingham. Open Road Media (ASIN: B08CRRYGK7), 2020 (First published in 1965).
Summary: When Amanda’s nephews, playing with telepathic devices, are nearly kidnapped, Campion gets involved in a deadly quest.
The Mind Readers reminded me of the fascination with telepathy and extra-sensory perception in the 1960’s. In this story, a mix of mystery and science fiction, Allingham explores the implications of being able to read the thoughts of others. It is perhaps needless to say that this ability is neither benign nor desirable in her portrayal. Only children can handle it, lacking the depth of experience to comprehend the swirl of thoughts and emotions in adult minds. For adults, it can be unsettling to deranging.
The story begins at the home of Canon Avril, where Albert and Amanda are visiting. They are awaiting a visit by Amanda’s nephews, Sam and Edward, on term break. What promises to be a pleasant time is upset when someone tries to kidnap the boys on the way from the station. It comes out that the boys have been playing with telepathic devices. When taped to the jugular, allow one to read other’s thoughts and communicate telepathically.
As it turns out, the boys’ father Martin has been working on this problem at a research facility at a remote location connected by a causeway on the coast. Martin turns up with Pagan Mayo, who assumes responsibility for the devices, even though it is apparent they know nothing about them. These devices produce results they have not been able to achieve. There is an international effort to harness this technology with the English and French chief rivals. When Pagan Mayo turns up dead, it is clear the rivalry is deadly.
By this point, Edward, the older of the boys, has disappeared. Yet from what he says before he leaves, he seems to know what he is doing. But what Is he doing, and is he safe from the murderous people who seem after the telepathic devices he and Sam had been experimenting with? Meanwhile. Campion has gone to the research facility to see if he can unravel the mystery of the devices while DS Luke hunts for Edward. Campion is on the island when Pagan is murdered. The head of the facility, Ludor puts it on lockdown. Campion’s becomes a murder target. But an old associate offers unexpected help.
As the story comes to a climax, we wonder who killed Mayo, where the devices came from, and what happened to them. Most of all, we wonder, “Where’s Edward?” and what does he know about all this? At a deeper level, Allingham raises the specter of a technology that people would kill for. And in the end, would we really want to know the hidden thoughts of others? And what would it be like to be in a crowd? Would you really want to know everyone’s thoughts, simultaneously?