Vintage Silver Age Mystery
Just the Facts Category: What — Book published under more than one title
Cloak and Dagger Challenge #71
TBR #46
Date Finished: May 31, 2018

Published as A Connoisseur’s Case in the U.K., this mystery finds Sir John and Lady Judith Appleby staying with her uncle in the English countryside. While walking along a canal, they discover the body of a man who they had just spoken to at the local pub. That man, Seth Crabtree, was a former servant at the manor house, just returned after 15 years in America. Was his murder simple robbery, or was he murdered to prevent old secrets from being revealed. It seems everyone had them, and Appleby lends a hand during his vacation.

I found this one more interesting than the other two Innes books I’ve read, perhaps just catching me at the right time. Appleby comes across as an Inspector Alleyn doppelgänger, neither terribly quirky, humorous, or original. The setting here, and the inclusion of Lady Appleby, are appreciated, as is her humorous uncle, resulting in a story that is not as stuffy as it could have been, despite its manor houses and estates. The ending was enough of a surprise that I was kicking myself for missing some of the clues.