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Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Essex, where they lived in an old house near Colchester. Allingham began writing short stories and plays at an early age. She received her first payment for a story published in her aunt's magazine at the age of seven. In , she returned to London to study drama and overcome a childhood stutter. Allingham's first novel, 'Blackkerchief Dick', was published in when she was just 19 years old.

Nevertheless, Allingham continued to incorporate occult themes into her writing.

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Allingham's breakthrough came in with the release of 'The Crime at Black Dudley'. This novel introduced the character of Albert Campion, initially as a minor character. American publishers urged Allingham to expand on Campion's adventures, and she embarked on a series of popular detective novels featuring the gentleman sleuth. Albert Campion is the enigmatic alter ego of a member of the upper social strata.

He moves between the aristocracy and government and the criminal underworld, often accompanied by his "ruffled and restless" manservant, Lugg. Campion's adventures blur the lines between detective work and swashbuckling. He collaborates with the police and MI-6 intelligence, falls in love, marries, and has a child, evolving into a wiser and more emotionally mature character.

As Allingham's writing matured, so did the style and format of her books. While her earlier novels fit into the genres of "light detective fiction" and "fantasy adventure," her novel 'The Tiger in the Smoke' focuses more on characterization and moral dilemmas than on conventional crime plots.