Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our buddy read of A A Private View aka One-Man Show / Murder Is an Art, the 13th Inspector Appleby Mystery, by Michael Innes, published in 1952.

Sir John and Lady Appleby attend a memorial exhibition of the oils, gouaches, collages and trouvailles of artist Gavin Limbert, who was recently found shot, under very suspicious circumstances. As Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sir John is already interested, but he becomes even more intrigued when Limbert's last masterpiece is stolen from the gallery under his very eyes.

Please do not post spoilers in this thread. Thank you.

Just getting our latest buddy reads under way as it's almost the middle of the month.

Who is reading this one? I read it slightly early, as I had a borrowed copy which needed to go back, and enjoyed it - I thought it was one of the best so far in this series. I think Innes's writing style is easier to follow in this than in some of the others, and the story is compelling. Also great to see Judith Appleby taking a central role - I wasn't sure if she had disappeared for good after the book where she and John met.

The spoiler thread is linked below:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I had forgotten it was next up to read, and actually re-read it last month. I do enjoy them, particularly when read by Matt Addis.

There are references in the book to events in From London Far: The Unsuspected Chasm, a non-Appleby book that is basically a ridiculous Hannayesque jaunt from London, to a Scottish island and then the USA. With a lot of discussion about art collections, and philosophy and stuff. I did think of putting it forward as a monthly read, but it really isn't a detective story.

That's intriguing about it referring to a non-Appleby book, thank you, Rosina. Would you recommend From London Far? I see it has quite a few enthusiastic reviews. Elements of the plot sound vaguely similar to something else I've read, but I'm not sure what!

The action (when it occurs) is frantic and scarcely believable. Like Hannay, Richard Meredith, the protagonist, discovers hidden depths - but he is a 50ish Classicist, not a rugged rugger type. Between the action the characters talk and think a lot, often amusing or interesting thoughts, but slow, and very erudite! There is a very capable and brave female companion.

There is a chap with a Lowlands Scots speech pattern (and I know not everyone liked that in Lament for a Maker), and foreigners who speak broken English and are decidedly Not One of Us.

I enjoy re-reading it, but I do know tastes differ.

It's not dissimilar to the pre-war The Secret Vanguard, that we read as a group. Only much less 'realistic'.

This book also makes reference to Hamlet, Revenge! one of Innes’s early mysteries. I think it’s also set at Scamnum Court. The name rang a gellband at first I thought that was a Barsetshire fake place-name so I googled it and that earlier book popped up.

Abigail wrote: "This book also makes reference to Hamlet, Revenge! one of Innes’s early mysteries. I think it’s also set at Scamnum Court. The name rang a gellband at first..."

Oh yes, good catch, I thought it sounded familiar but wasn't sure where it came from. (I've never heard of "rang a gellband", guessing it is another way of saying "rang a bell" though!)

LOLOLOL! I have turned off autocorrect and Spell Check but somehow my iPad keeps finding ways to subvert me. I doubtless came near the g instead of the b when typing “bell” and the machine autofilled a word beginning with “gell.” Makes me furious how coders always imagine they know more than I do. I begin a bunch of sentences with “As” and the machine is always changing it to “Ashland.”

Ha, I thought it was a mysterious expression I hadn't heard of, but autocorrect is always on the lookout to "correct" us!