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Authors: Michael Innes

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And now, with apologies for claiming your indulgence thus long,

I am,

My Lord Duke,

Your Grace’s obliged and humble servant,

S RUTGERSIUS HISSEY.

 

His Grace the Duke of Nesfield, KG

Nesfield Court

England

 

 

Note on Inspector (later, Sir John) Appleby Series

John Appleby first appears in
Death at the President’s Lodging
, by which time he has risen to the rank of Inspector in the police force. A cerebral detective, with ready wit, charm and good manners, he rose from humble origins to being educated at ‘St Anthony’s College’, Oxford, prior to joining the police as an ordinary constable.

Having decided to take early retirement just after World War II, he nonetheless continued his police career at a later stage and is subsequently appointed an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard, where his crime solving talents are put to good use, despite the lofty administrative position. Final retirement from the police force (as Commissioner and Sir John Appleby) does not, however, diminish Appleby’s taste for solving crime and he continues to be active,
Appleby and the Ospreys
marking his final appearance in the late 1980’s.

In
Appleby’s End
he meets Judith Raven, whom he marries and who has an involvement in many subsequent cases, as does their son Bobby and other members of his family.

 

 

 

Appleby Titles in order of first publication

These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

 

1.
 
Death at the President’s Lodging
 
Also as: Seven Suspects
 
1936
2.
 
Hamlet! Revenge
 
 
 
1937
3.
 
Lament for a Maker
 
 
 
1938
4.
 
Stop Press
 
Also as: The Spider Strikes
 
1939
5.
 
The Secret Vanguard
 
 
 
1940
6.
 
Their Came Both Mist and Snow
 
Also as: A Comedy of Terrors
 
1940
7.
 
Appleby on Ararat
 
 
 
1941
8.
 
The Daffodil Affair
 
 
 
1942
9.
 
The Weight of the Evidence
 
 
 
1943
10.
 
Appleby’s End
 
 
 
1945
11.
 
A Night of Errors
 
 
 
1947
12.
 
Operation Pax
 
Also as: The Paper Thunderbolt
 
1951
13.
 
A Private View
 
Also as: One Man Show and Murder is an Art
 
1952
14.
 
Appleby Talking
 
Also as: Dead Man’s Shoes
 
1954
15.
 
Appleby Talks Again
 
 
 
1956
16.
 
Appleby Plays Chicken
 
Also as: Death on a Quiet Day
 
1957
17.
 
The Long Farewell
 
 
 
1958
18.
 
Hare Sitting Up
 
 
 
1959
19.
 
Silence Observed
 
 
 
1961
20.
 
A Connoisseur’s Case
 
Also as: The Crabtree Affair
 
1962
21.
 
The Bloody Wood
 
 
 
1966
22.
 
Appleby at Allington
 
Also as: Death by Water
 
1968
23.
 
A Family Affair
 
Also as: Picture of Guilt
 
1969
24.
 
Death at the Chase
 
 
 
1970
25.
 
An Awkward Lie
 
 
 
1971
26.
 
The Open House
 
 
 
1972
27.
 
Appleby’s Answer
 
 
 
1973
28.
 
Appleby’s Other Story
 
 
 
1974
29.
 
The Appleby File
 
 
 
1975
30.
 
The Gay Phoenix
 
 
 
1976
31.
 
The Ampersand Papers
 
 
 
1978
32.
 
Shieks and Adders
 
 
 
1982
33.
 
Appleby and Honeybath
 
 
 
1983
34.
 
Carson’s Conspiracy
 
 
 
1984
35.
 
Appleby and the Ospreys
 
 
 
1986

 

 

Honeybath Titles in order of first publication

These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

 

1.
The Mysterious Commission
 
1974
2.
Honeybath’s Haven
 
1977
3.
Lord Mullion’s Secret
 
1981
4.
Appleby and Honeybath
 
1983

 

 

Synopses (Both Series & ‘Stand-alone’ Titles)

Published by House of Stratus

 

The Ampersand Papers
While Appleby is strolling along a Cornish beach, he narrowly escapes being struck by a body falling down a cliff. The body is that of Dr Sutch, an archivist, and he has fallen from the North Tower of Treskinnick Castle, home of Lord Ampersand. Two possible motivations present themselves to Appleby – the Ampersand gold, treasure from an Armada galleon; and the Ampersand papers, valuable family documents that have associations with Wordsworth and Shelley.
  
Appleby and Honeybath
Every English mansion has a locked room, and Grinton Hall is no exception – the library has hidden doors and passages…and a corpse. But when the corpse goes missing, Sir John Appleby and Charles Honeybath have an even more perplexing case on their hands – just how did it disappear when the doors and windows were securely locked? A bevy of helpful houseguests offer endless assistance, but the two detectives suspect that they are concealing vital information. Could the treasures on the library shelves be so valuable that someone would murder for them?
  
Appleby and the Ospreys
Clusters, a great country house, is troubled by bats, as Lord and Lady Osprey complain to their guests, who include first rate detective, Sir John Appleby. In the matter of bats, Appleby is indifferent, but he is soon faced with a real challenge – the murder of Lord Osprey, stabbed with an ornate dagger in the library.
  
Appleby at Allington
Sir John Appleby dines one evening at Allington Park, the Georgian home of his acquaintance Owain Allington, who is new to the area. His curiosity is aroused when Allington mentions his nephew and heir to the estate, Martin Allington, whose name Appleby recognises. The evening comes to an end but just as Appleby is leaving, they find a dead man – electrocuted in the son et lumière box which had been installed in the grounds.
  
The Appleby File
There are fifteen stories in this compelling collection, including: Poltergeist – when Appleby’s wife tells him that her aunt is experiencing trouble with a Poltergeist, he is amused but dismissive, until he discovers that several priceless artefacts have been smashed as a result; A Question of Confidence – when Bobby Appleby’s friend, Brian Button, is caught up in a scandalous murder in Oxford, Bobby’s famous detective father is their first port of call; The Ascham – an abandoned car on a narrow lane intrigues Appleby and his wife, but even more intriguing is the medieval castle they stumble upon.
BOOK: The Weight of the Evidence
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