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Sir John Appleby #14
Appleby Talks
Arbuthnot is paying for a rash decision - he recently married a beautiful but slightly amoral girl whose crazy antics caught his rather cynical professional interest. His wife has taken a lover, Rupert Slade, and Arbuthnot wants nothing more than to see him dead - but the last thing he expected was that he'd walk into his living room and find just that!
Inspector Appleby shares the details of this and many other fascinating crimes in this un-missable collection
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1954
72 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Michael Innes
125 books89 followersMichael Innes was the pseudonym of John Innes MacKintosh (J.I.M.) Stewart (J.I.M. Stewart).
He was born in Edinburgh, and educated at Edinburgh Academy and Oriel College, Oxford. He was Lecturer in English at the University of Leeds from 1930 - 1935, and spent the succeeding ten years as Jury Professor of English at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1949, to become a Lecturer at the Queen's University of Belfast. In 1949 he became a Student (Fellow) of Christ Church, Oxford, becoming a Professor by the time of his retirement in 1973.
As J.I.M. Stewart he published a number of works of non-fiction, mainly critical studies of authors, including Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, as well as about twenty works of fiction and a memoir, 'Myself and Michael Innes'.
As Michael Innes, he published numerous mystery novels and short story collections, most featuring the Scotland Yard detective John Appleby.
He was born in Edinburgh, and educated at Edinburgh Academy and Oriel College, Oxford. He was Lecturer in English at the University of Leeds from 1930 - 1935, and spent the succeeding ten years as Jury Professor of English at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1949, to become a Lecturer at the Queen's University of Belfast. In 1949 he became a Student (Fellow) of Christ Church, Oxford, becoming a Professor by the time of his retirement in 1973.
As J.I.M. Stewart he published a number of works of non-fiction, mainly critical studies of authors, including Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, as well as about twenty works of fiction and a memoir, 'Myself and Michael Innes'.
As Michael Innes, he published numerous mystery novels and short story collections, most featuring the Scotland Yard detective John Appleby.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 15, 2018
Appleby Talking is Appleby talking the whole time about his cases, some in the course of his work, some in unexpected encounters with characters bent on crime. Though most of them are too short, all are entertaining, with those ridiculous names and interesting motives.Lessons in Anatomy and Dead Man's Shoes are particularly good.
September 24, 2018
Many thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for the digital galley of this book.
Michael Innes is a favorite author for me, especially stories featuring Appleby. This collection of 23 short stories has Appleby relating crimes or just plain odd happenings to friends, often over a glass of something alcoholic. With the exception of one long story these are snapshots of a crime and the solving of the crime by Appleby. The one longer story takes the reader all the way through the crime and the solution with all details filled in. This was an enjoyable reading experience with crime solving of the old fashioned variety. If you've never read any of Michael Innes longer works, this would be a very good introduction to his style of story construction.
Michael Innes is a favorite author for me, especially stories featuring Appleby. This collection of 23 short stories has Appleby relating crimes or just plain odd happenings to friends, often over a glass of something alcoholic. With the exception of one long story these are snapshots of a crime and the solving of the crime by Appleby. The one longer story takes the reader all the way through the crime and the solution with all details filled in. This was an enjoyable reading experience with crime solving of the old fashioned variety. If you've never read any of Michael Innes longer works, this would be a very good introduction to his style of story construction.
Read
June 17, 2008A collection of short stories in which Innes' detective, Inspector Appleby, describes for the edification of his friends various cases in which he has been involved. They tend toward the bizarre, with some rather exotic rabbits being pulled from hats as the solutions. I think this is not to be read at one sitting, as the tricks wear after a bit. Dip into it from time to time, instead, and it will be more rewarding.
March 31, 2025
[Update in 2025: Six years later, I re-read this collection because I could remember none of it. I stand by my earlier observation.
[Note from 2019] Not all of Inspector Appleby's stories were fascinating, let alone plausible. Unconvincing is the word I would use to describe this collection.
[Note from 2019] Not all of Inspector Appleby's stories were fascinating, let alone plausible. Unconvincing is the word I would use to describe this collection.
December 3, 2024
Innes is known as the thinking man's mystery writer, so I'm embarrassed to admit that I couldn't get through the one of his book-length mysteries that I tried. He was a YUGE Shakespeare fan and I'm not. I shouldn't have started with one that revolves around the play "Hamlet." As I remember, I read half of it, got my fill of the Dreary Dane, and gave up.
However, I like Appleby (can't imagine who wouldn't, really) and I love short stories, so I figured I was safe buying this book and I was right. Of the twenty-three stories in it, I enjoyed all but two. Those two (you may have seen this coming) involve amateur groups staging Shakespeare plays in which the "victim" is really murdered. I skimmed those.
Many of these are stories of past cases told by Appleby to his friends, usually at his club. The vicar and the doctor are regulars, but there's a QC who drops in occasionally. Cops have good stories and most of us are happy to listen to them. Appleby starts with his first "case", showing his bent toward detecting and his logical turn of mind, even as a young teen.
Don't look for deep psychological delving. These are short stories with a problem that Appleby must solve quickly so we can get on to the next story. They are rabbit-out-of-the-hat stories and none the worse for it, IMHO. Appleby's charm, intelligence, and humor set them apart from lesser efforts.
Was the Scotsman who wrote mysteries under the name "Michael Innes" a snob or did he assume his readers would be more interested in crime among the aristocracy? You can't swing a dead cat in this book without hitting "Sir So-and-So" or "Lady Whatsit."
Maybe Innes wrote with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. "The Spendlove Papers" is a very funny tale of a recently dead nobleman who's left a tell-all memoir guaranteed to set High Society on its ear. Those lined up to steal the manuscript to 1) keep it out of circulation or 2) for blackmail fodder form a delightful gang of potential burglars.
On the other hand, even Appleby himself ends up with a knighthood and I'm curious when and how it happened. The Royals now hand out "k's" like we disperse candy at Halloween, but I think civil servants are usually rewarded at retirement. How is it that Chief Inspector Sir John Appleby investigates some of these and plan old Chief Inspector John Appleby investigates others? Maybe those who've read the whole series know the answer.
Unlike many fictional detectives, Appleby aged along with his creator. He progressed in his career and got married. I don't think his family features as prominently as (say) Ruth Rendell's Inspector Reg Wexford's, but Mrs Appleby shows up in at least two of these stories. And Appleby stumbles into several mysteries while he's on business for his strong-minded aunt. Apparently even a Scotland Yard officer can be turned into an errand by an imperious old lady who still thinks of him as child.
Speaking of knighthoods.... Am I the only one who thinks it's odd that Innes was never recognized by the Queen for his long series of best-selling books? As a Scotsman, he was eligible to be dubbed "Sir John Innes Macintosh Stewart." He was an Oxford-based academic with a respectable private life. So how does Mick Jagger rate and this fine writer doesn't?
Now I'm on to "Appleby Talks Again." Maybe then I'll be able to attack his book-length mysteries and finish them. If not, I'll have had the pleasure of two volumes of fine stories by an outstanding writer. Given the dearth of short mystery stories today, I could do worse.
However, I like Appleby (can't imagine who wouldn't, really) and I love short stories, so I figured I was safe buying this book and I was right. Of the twenty-three stories in it, I enjoyed all but two. Those two (you may have seen this coming) involve amateur groups staging Shakespeare plays in which the "victim" is really murdered. I skimmed those.
Many of these are stories of past cases told by Appleby to his friends, usually at his club. The vicar and the doctor are regulars, but there's a QC who drops in occasionally. Cops have good stories and most of us are happy to listen to them. Appleby starts with his first "case", showing his bent toward detecting and his logical turn of mind, even as a young teen.
Don't look for deep psychological delving. These are short stories with a problem that Appleby must solve quickly so we can get on to the next story. They are rabbit-out-of-the-hat stories and none the worse for it, IMHO. Appleby's charm, intelligence, and humor set them apart from lesser efforts.
Was the Scotsman who wrote mysteries under the name "Michael Innes" a snob or did he assume his readers would be more interested in crime among the aristocracy? You can't swing a dead cat in this book without hitting "Sir So-and-So" or "Lady Whatsit."
Maybe Innes wrote with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. "The Spendlove Papers" is a very funny tale of a recently dead nobleman who's left a tell-all memoir guaranteed to set High Society on its ear. Those lined up to steal the manuscript to 1) keep it out of circulation or 2) for blackmail fodder form a delightful gang of potential burglars.
On the other hand, even Appleby himself ends up with a knighthood and I'm curious when and how it happened. The Royals now hand out "k's" like we disperse candy at Halloween, but I think civil servants are usually rewarded at retirement. How is it that Chief Inspector Sir John Appleby investigates some of these and plan old Chief Inspector John Appleby investigates others? Maybe those who've read the whole series know the answer.
Unlike many fictional detectives, Appleby aged along with his creator. He progressed in his career and got married. I don't think his family features as prominently as (say) Ruth Rendell's Inspector Reg Wexford's, but Mrs Appleby shows up in at least two of these stories. And Appleby stumbles into several mysteries while he's on business for his strong-minded aunt. Apparently even a Scotland Yard officer can be turned into an errand by an imperious old lady who still thinks of him as child.
Speaking of knighthoods.... Am I the only one who thinks it's odd that Innes was never recognized by the Queen for his long series of best-selling books? As a Scotsman, he was eligible to be dubbed "Sir John Innes Macintosh Stewart." He was an Oxford-based academic with a respectable private life. So how does Mick Jagger rate and this fine writer doesn't?
Now I'm on to "Appleby Talks Again." Maybe then I'll be able to attack his book-length mysteries and finish them. If not, I'll have had the pleasure of two volumes of fine stories by an outstanding writer. Given the dearth of short mystery stories today, I could do worse.
October 6, 2019
This is a collection of 23 short stories written by Michael Innes and published in 1954. I like his short stories much more than his full-length novels. Michael Innes has a habit of using very difficult and sometime arcane words in his novels which makes it very difficult to read. These short stories, however, are written with simple efficient language and is very easy to read.
The stories are structured about the same way. Each starts with Appleby having a conversation with somebody and end up telling them a story. In some stories he was talking with a vicar and a doctor, in others he was talking with a QC, a surgeon, a philosopher, etc. The stories spans his career, from the time he was a new member of the detective force, through his being a Detective Inspector until at the end when he was the Assistant Commissioner and became Sir John Appleby.
The stories all have clever plots, although some bothers on being too fantastic. My favorite stories in the collection are: (1) Pokerwork, where the use of a poker as the murder weapon and a gramophone both play an important role in solving the puzzle, (2) The Furies, which has a clever poisoning plot, (3) Eye Witness, where the baby blue eyes of new born babies became a clue, (4) The Bandertree Case, which involves a clever murder plot using a tunnel, (5) The Key, where Appleby uncovers an ingenious murder using a death trap, (6) The Sands of Thyme, which involves some interesting red herrings, (7) The X-Plan, where Appleby solved the case by inspecting the ribbons on a typewriter.
The stories are structured about the same way. Each starts with Appleby having a conversation with somebody and end up telling them a story. In some stories he was talking with a vicar and a doctor, in others he was talking with a QC, a surgeon, a philosopher, etc. The stories spans his career, from the time he was a new member of the detective force, through his being a Detective Inspector until at the end when he was the Assistant Commissioner and became Sir John Appleby.
The stories all have clever plots, although some bothers on being too fantastic. My favorite stories in the collection are: (1) Pokerwork, where the use of a poker as the murder weapon and a gramophone both play an important role in solving the puzzle, (2) The Furies, which has a clever poisoning plot, (3) Eye Witness, where the baby blue eyes of new born babies became a clue, (4) The Bandertree Case, which involves a clever murder plot using a tunnel, (5) The Key, where Appleby uncovers an ingenious murder using a death trap, (6) The Sands of Thyme, which involves some interesting red herrings, (7) The X-Plan, where Appleby solved the case by inspecting the ribbons on a typewriter.
February 29, 2024
Michael Innes was a writer from what would usually be called the end of the golden age of mystery (although like Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Rex Stout, and many others, he would keep on writing after WWII, blissfully unaware of the extremely boring arguments this would spark about whether those post-WWI novels should be “counted” in the golden age.) This anthology was published in 1954, although the stories it collects were presumably written earlier.
The stories in this collection are brief (mostly less than ten pages) and (mostly) follow a formula, while also being quite varied: Appleby exchanges a few words with some friends, then relates a story. The variations come in the nature of those stories, with some being fair-play mysteries, some being crime stories without real detection, and others being shaggy dog stories which Appleby has clearly made up for the amusement of his audience.
Michael Innes was not John O’Hara, and the brevity of these stories means that none of them will ever be remembered the way the best Stout, Christie, or Carr* short stories are. But he is consistently charming, and I like Appleby; he’s humane (for a cop) and somewhat whimsical.
*Maybe I should say, the way I think they should be remembered in the case of Carr
The stories in this collection are brief (mostly less than ten pages) and (mostly) follow a formula, while also being quite varied: Appleby exchanges a few words with some friends, then relates a story. The variations come in the nature of those stories, with some being fair-play mysteries, some being crime stories without real detection, and others being shaggy dog stories which Appleby has clearly made up for the amusement of his audience.
Michael Innes was not John O’Hara, and the brevity of these stories means that none of them will ever be remembered the way the best Stout, Christie, or Carr* short stories are. But he is consistently charming, and I like Appleby; he’s humane (for a cop) and somewhat whimsical.
*Maybe I should say, the way I think they should be remembered in the case of Carr
September 8, 2018
Bonbons or amuse-bouches, are, I think, the correct way to describe these tales. They give the reader a glimpse into the writer’s approach to his art.
The 23 stories are mostly short, light and vaguely amusing. Interestingly, the most successful is the longest, “Dead Man’s Shoes”, which has elements of a thriller in addition to the mystery.
Those who are unfamiliar with Michael innes and John Appleby would be tempted by this book to search out the novels, and old hands, familiar with the appealing and sometimes overwhelming blend of erudition and detection, will find much here to enjoy, albeit in abbreviated form.
Recommended to readers old and new.
Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for the digital review copy.
The 23 stories are mostly short, light and vaguely amusing. Interestingly, the most successful is the longest, “Dead Man’s Shoes”, which has elements of a thriller in addition to the mystery.
Those who are unfamiliar with Michael innes and John Appleby would be tempted by this book to search out the novels, and old hands, familiar with the appealing and sometimes overwhelming blend of erudition and detection, will find much here to enjoy, albeit in abbreviated form.
Recommended to readers old and new.
Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for the digital review copy.
September 24, 2018
Engaging collection of Appleby mysteries with one truly outstanding and surprising longer piece to close out the book. Be prepared for the limits of the short story form here, more so than in other collections I read in the last few years, as you'll never guess the resolutions in about 75% of these stories (although I guess that could be more Mr. Innes' style rather than the type of book). Anyhoo, totally recommend either to dip into as a nightcap or or hunker down with a blanket and tea and finish in one sitting.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 9, 2018
Where Inspector Appleby recounts some of his cases to a few of his friends over drinks. These are mainly very short stories, unfortunately too short to really get involved in the stories and characters. But enjoyable enough when you have a spare ten minutes to spend reading.
A NetGalley Book
A NetGalley Book
November 25, 2018
What does a dead scientist and a man with mismatched shoes have to do with each other? Is the main question in the story. It is spun out well.
Want to read
January 6, 2019Synopsis: a collection of 23 short stories. In one, a man finds his wife's lover dead in his living room. Appleby recounts the details to friends.
August 25, 2022
Enjoyable read of Golden Age era short stories. More puzzles than crimes. Plausibility not the strongest point.
August 25, 2023
Good for passing the time and fitting into brief moments. Not as good as the novels I have read by him. Some misogynist remarks or thoughts by characters, and one hopes not the views of the author.
March 29, 2025
ok but not great
I prefer the whole story with details rather than a synopsis. This abbreviated form is less interesting.i am a big fan of Golden age mysteries.
I prefer the whole story with details rather than a synopsis. This abbreviated form is less interesting.i am a big fan of Golden age mysteries.
September 5, 2025
3.5 stars
February 28, 2023
This book is a collection of short stories, all featuring Appleby relating one of his cases to friends (usually the Vicar and the Doctor). Interestingly many of them do not feature murder. They do all share that sense of the slightly bizarre or fantastic for which Innes has such a flair :)
It has been several years since I last read any of the Appleby books - I had finished all the ones I own and was finding the later books in the series increasingly difficult to get from the library. So when I saw this one was available in Kindle Unlimited, I finally took the plunge and got a trial membership. I am gobbling up several other Appleby books I haven't read before!
Note: For some reason, Goodreads has changed the edition I selected. I read the Kindle edition which is entitled "Appleby Talks".
It has been several years since I last read any of the Appleby books - I had finished all the ones I own and was finding the later books in the series increasingly difficult to get from the library. So when I saw this one was available in Kindle Unlimited, I finally took the plunge and got a trial membership. I am gobbling up several other Appleby books I haven't read before!
Note: For some reason, Goodreads has changed the edition I selected. I read the Kindle edition which is entitled "Appleby Talks".
August 27, 2014
The novella that leads off the collection (and shares its title) features a dead body with one black and one brown shoe...After that are many shorter stories, ranging in seriousness from no crime at all to murder, and covering John Appleby's career from his schooldays, before he'd even considered the police as a vocation, to his pinnacle as Sir John, assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard.
October 10, 2012
I just read Joan's review and find that I can't add to or improve on it.
Not a great book, but short and inoffensive.
Not a great book, but short and inoffensive.
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June 14, 2016beautifully well-written book that makes you unable to expect what's coming next .
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews