Customer Reviews

Appleby's end

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Detective Inspector John Appleby loses his heart to Judith Raven in "Appleby's End" (1945) after floating down an icy river on top of a carriage with her, then spending part of the night burrowed together in a haystack. She beguiles him with gothic tales that were written by her Victorian great-uncle, Ranulph--tales that are now seemingly coming true. Marble cows and pigs are being substituted for unsuspecting livestock. Her brother Luke received a personalized tombstone in the mail, with his date of death carved on it. Spot, the horse is found hitched up to the carriage, facing backward. These all seem like minor pranks. Then Judith and John stumble across a dead body buried neck-deep in the snow on their way home from the haystack.

Judith, herself a sculptor lives in Long Dream Manor, along with a parcel of eccentric relatives and retainers. This is certainly the perfect set of in-laws for Detective Inspector Appleby, who is sometimes referred to by his colleagues as 'that wayward Appleby.' In fact at one point in this mystery, we find him wistfully thinking, "Would it not be pleasant to retire from the elucidating of crime and give oneself to the creating of unashamed fantasies--in which champion milkers might turn to marble at one's whim..."

This is the first of the Appleby mysteries in which the reader is introduced to the Ur-folk. It never fails to astonish me how much information a good author can pack into the monosyllabic expression, 'Ur.' This conversational art reaches its zenith in "Night of Errors" (1948) which is inhabited by a butler by the name of Swindle, whose utterances consist mainly of the croaked "Urrr" sound and displeasing snuffles through his nose.

I have to read the Innes novels at least twice before I really understand the plot and the subtleties of conversation, but his mysteries are certainly worth rereading. If you are a fan of the British Golden Age of Mystery, I can almost guarantee that Michael Innes (J.I.M. Stewart) will insinuate himself somewhere near the top of your list of favorite authors.

First of all, the story begins with a train journey. We settle in for a comfortable trip down into the English countryside. But comfortable for whom? Not Inspector Appleby, in a stuffy, frigid carriage littered with Sunday papers (and their lurid contents which bear all too much relevance for the mystery ahead). He muses learnedly of mythological figures such as Persephone, and the more recent legend of Emma Bovary. But after three or so pages of this (admittedly rather heavy going), we find ourselves in the fantastical and eccentric country of the Innes' imagination, where villages bear names like Sneak, Snarl, and Abbot's Yatter--not to mention Boxer's Bottom. Oh, and did I mention a place called Drool? The mythology is relevant, but forget about trying to untangle the plot--not that you have a chance in hell.

Have you ever had the kind of English cake made of a sort of eggy batter which is just there to hold together large amounts of fruit and nuts? Appleby's End is like that cake, and the story line is just there to hold countless humorous jokes between the book covers. The conversation of Billy Bidewell, the interview with Gregory Grope, engine driver (concerning the sex life of his grandmother), the revelations chez Hoobin, the remarks of Father Smith ( a sort of English version of a Chinese zen master) and last but far from least, one of the most unusual courtships in any novel are the highlights, but there are countless little jokes as well.

There are a dozen or so Innes books which I read and reread..but Appleby's End is in a class by itself.

Wasn't there a man who told Mark Twain that he wished he had never read Huckleberry Finn? The reason: So he could read it again for the first time. I know just how he felt.

Appleby's End is the funniest book I've ever read -- and I read it at least once a year, some 28 times at last count! Other Innes books -- Candleshoe, Journeying Boy, From London Far, Awkward Lie -- have very funny sections, but this one is a delight all the way through. For my money, much more amusing than Lucky Jim etc

Detective Inspector John Appleby loses his heart to Judith Raven in "Appleby's End" (1945) after floating down an icy river on top of a carriage with her, then spending part of the night burrowed together in a haystack. She beguiles him with gothic tales that were written by her Victorian great-uncle, Ranulph--tales that are now seemingly coming true. Marble cows and pigs are being substituted for unsuspecting livestock. Her brother Luke received a personalized tombstone in the mail, with his date of death carved on it. Spot, the horse is found hitched up to the carriage, facing backward. These all seem like minor pranks. Then Judith and John stumble across a dead body buried neck-deep in the snow on their way home from the haystack.

Judith, herself a sculptor lives in Long Dream Manor, along with a parcel of eccentric relatives and retainers. This is certainly the perfect set of in-laws for Detective Inspector Appleby, who is sometimes referred to by his colleagues as 'that wayward Appleby.' In fact at one point in this mystery, we find him wistfully thinking, "Would it not be pleasant to retire from the elucidating of crime and give oneself to the creating of unashamed fantasies--in which champion milkers might turn to marble at one's whim..."

This is the first of the Appleby mysteries in which the reader is introduced to the Ur-folk. It never fails to astonish me how much information a good author can pack into the monosyllabic expression, 'Ur.' This conversational art reaches its zenith in "Night of Errors" (1948) which is inhabited by a butler by the name of Swindle, whose utterances consist mainly of the croaked "Urrr" sound and displeasing snuffles through his nose.

I have to read the Innes novels at least twice before I really understand the plot and the subtleties of conversation, but his mysteries are certainly worth rereading. If you are a fan of the British Golden Age of Mystery, I can almost guarantee that Michael Innes (J.I.M. Stewart) will insinuate himself somewhere near the top of your list of favorite authors.