Michael Innes: The Appleby File (2002)

From the Publisher
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.

Michael Innes: The Appleby File. House of Stratus, ISBN: 1842327178 (July, 2002), 204 p., £7.99, $14.95.

Michael Innes: The Appleby File (UK 1978)

From the Publisher
'It is difficult to believe that Sir John Appleby ever in his apprentice days pounded the mean streets of conventional crime. For him, mayhem and evil are more likely to stalk the marbled halls of Palladian country houses and elues to be presented on a silver salver. Michael Innes's ingenious and occasionally bizarre plots are well suited to the short story form, and this collection demonstrates all his highly civilized virtues: urbane wit, a delight in eccentricity, high spirits and a style whose elegance as always makes it a solace' - P.D. James

Michael Innes: The Appleby File. Detective Stories. Penguin, ISBN: 0140046488 (July, 1976), 191 p., 85p.

Michael Innes: The Appleby File (USA 1976)

From the Publisher
Here by a master of the short story is a collection of cases taken from the files of Sir John Appleby, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. In "The Ascham" the crime takes place in a thirteenth-century castle where an ancient superstition provides the pattern for a modern murder. "The Conversation Piece" is the name of a painting that gave Sir John a clue to a killer. In "The Memorial Service" a bizarre practical joke has a particularly grim denouement. Eight of the cases take place while Sir John is on holiday. Among them is "The Exploding Battleship," which begins in a cafe in Venice. And Sir John is in the Highlands when he solves the case of "The Body in the Glen."

These fifteen detective stories have a fine variety in setting and plot. Whether the case concerns a poltergeist, a dopplegänger, or trout fishermen, and whether the mysterious death takes place in the sun, by water, or in cold blood, each of these adventures in crime will baffle the reader with its ingenious twists and turns, delight him with its wit, and as with any story or novel by Michael Innes, will provide him with the most satisfying entertainment.

Contents:
I The Appleby File:
The Ascham - Poltergeist - The Fishermen - The Conversation Piece - Death by Water - A Question of Confidence - The Memorial Service
II Appleby's Holidays:
Two on a Tower - Beggar with Skull - The Exploding Battleship - The Body in the Glen - Death in the Sun - Cold Blood - The Coy Mistress - The Thirteenth Priest Hole

Michael Innes: The Appleby File. Detective Stories. Dodd, Mead & Company, ISBN: 0396072798 (January, 1976), 204 p., $5.95.