Appleby and the Ospreys

Sir John Appleby #35

by Michael Innes

Sir John Appleby, sometime commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, faces the challenge of solving a murder after Lord Osprey of Clusters is stabbed with an oriental dagger

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook

185 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1987

About the author

Michael 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.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is there an author who rejoices more in the stately home--be it manor or castle--than Michael Innes? Here Appleby finds himself at a lunch given by Lord and Lady Osprey in their enormous house called Clusters. The lunch company isn't really very interesting, and he doesn't expect to be back--until ten days later, when he receives a call asking him for his help after Lord Osprey's bloody murder. Of course, as a retired commissioner of police, he has no business interfering. There's a perfectly good officer in charge of the case. But it wouldn't do any harm, he supposes, to pay a condolence visit to Lady Osprey...and, of course, before he knows it he's once more helping the police in charge and finding a murderer.

[Ron Amundson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reading-for-pleasure is almost entirely British mysteries, and "scholarly" ones at that. Meaning mostly pompous ones, containing words that you have to look up ...

well, no you really don't have to look them up. You never loose track of the story if you don't look them up. They just let you pretend that you're the kind of person who really knows what "jejune" means without having to look it up.

Anyhow, Michael Innes is a good example of my preferred authors. I can only take two or three of his novels in a row without losing my lunch over his reactionary attitudes towards "lower class" individuals. This book is a very nice little mystery with no overt violence and lots of fun puzzlement about motives and opportunities. Innes's rather disgusting bigotry about the character of Appleby's (lower-class, ignorant, and mumbling) gardener Hobbins is somewhat suppressed, as compared to other books, and that's nice.

However, other bits are harder to forgive. Consider, for example, a pun he makes on the Brit tradition of referring to delapidated old country mansions as "piles." On p. 70 we find Appleby speaking with a policeman about finding a criminal in a huge mansion. Here is the dialogue:

"What might be called rather a daunting pile -- wouldn't you say, Sir John?"

"Certainly a very considerable woodpile in which to be hunting for a n****r, Mr. Ringwood."

This book was published in 1986. I feel a bit grimy after reading Mr. Innes's clever books. I only buy them used.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very old fashioned British countryside murder mystery. It seems that the writing has burned out at this point. There is a 'smoking gun' set at the beginning, and improbably brought out at the end which may have seemed clever to Innes, but was kind of lame. I didn't like any of the characters, didn't learn anything about coins, bats or anything else brought up, and felt that the foil for the retired detective - the on duty Inspector - was portrayed as far too ineffective and obliging. I won't read any others.

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Innes was a cheeky devil but he might have made at least some attempt to write a proper ending. It was silly beyond words and over in a few paragraphs. I suppose by that point in his career he could scarcely be bothered. At least now I know what the bats were for.

[J Grimsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than some of the others I have read. Traditional in many ways but with the author's twist of intellect.

[Helen]

Can't remember much cos I finished it months ago but it was rather pedestrian and dry.