Michael Innes: Appleby and Honeybath (2002)

From the Publisher
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?

Michael Innes: Appleby and Honeybath. House of Stratus, ISBN: 1842327186 (July, 2002), 165 p., £6.99.

Michael Innes: Appleby and Honeybath (UK 1984)

From the Publisher
SIR JOHN APPLEBY AND CHARLES HONEYBATH EXPECT A RELAXING WEEKEND AT GRINTON HALL -- UNTIL THE APPEARANCE (AND DISAPPEARANCE) OF A GRISLY CORPSE CHANGES THEIR PLANS.
Every English mansion has a locked room, and the library at Grinton Hall is a classic example: it has hidden doors and passages and, of course, a corpse. The situation becomes even more astounding when the body disappears. As Appleby and Honeybath join forces to solve this intriguing problem, they receive endless "assistance" from the other houseguests, who include an occultist, an art historian, and an authority on Alexander Pope. But the two detectives suspect that the guests are concealing the answers to several grave questions. Could the treasures on the library's shelves be so valuable that someone would murder for them? And just how did the body disappear from the library when the doors and windows were securely locked? This is a splendidly written, surprising tale that only Michael Innes could have conceived.

Michael Innes: Appleby and Honeybath. Penguin, ISBN: 0140073078 (December, 1984), 160 p., £1.95.