This was already the 13th book in the Detective Appleby series, and unfortunately I haven't read any of the previous books in the series. The book was well written, and gripping, and in my opinion reads nicely as a standalone. I will however start reading the previous books in the series. Recommended.

My first Appleby mystery but I would certainly seek out others. Some quirky characters and an interesting setting within the art world. I liked finding out about the detectives personal life but feel that I would have benefited from reading earlier ones from the series first.

I approached this book with some caution having had mixed opinions about the Michael Innes' novels which I have read in the past. I was, however, very pleasantly surprised.

This is an inventive story which begins with Chief Inspector Appleby being taken to the opening of an art exhibition at a gallery by his wife. Whilst there the star exhibit disappears and the mystery begins. The artist has only been dead a matter of days and is though to have committed suicide but when it turns out that a girl who lived in the same shared house has disappeared Sir John starts to take an active interest.

From there the story moves along at a cracking pace with spies and an elderly nobleman joining the cast, and the book does not suffer from the slightly verbose prose of some of the earlier novels. Whilst Sir John does engage in some escapades which most assistant commissioners of Scotland Yard might consider to be jobs more suited to energetic young constables he does so with a style and integrity worthy of his office.

This is not the most complicated story of the age but is a fun and enjoyable adventure in a time when the police and criminals behaved in a more civilised manner. Highly recommended.

Typically good Innes. Well paced and holds the readers interest. Old fans of Appleby will enjoy the familiar pleasures and new readers will appreciate the well drawn characters, red herrings and satisfying conclusion. Well worth reading.

Hi Karen,

My Next review is:-



“A Private View(An Inspector Appleby Mystery)”, written by Michael Innes and published on 11th July 2018 in Kindle by Angora Books. 230 pages ISBN: 1912194597



Michael Innes has written a number of very entertaining stories about a Scotland Yard detective named Inspector John Appleby. This is one of the later ones when Appleby had been knighted for his police service.



Lady Appleby, who is a sculptor,persuades Sir John Appleby to accompany her to a central London art gallery for a private view to which she has been invited. Sir John is very reluctant but goes anyway. The exhibition is for a young artist named Gavin Limbert who was recently shot dead.



Whilst in attendance at this very crowded exhibition the late artists most famous work is stolen apparently right under the eyes of Sir John. Sir John is now very interested in solving this case and also interested in the whole world of art theft and smuggling.



Sir John and separately Lady Appleby both become involved in separate elements of the story. Sir John goes to a particular warehouse where he believes art smuggling is coming from but unfortunately he gets stuck on a large furniture truck that has several art works amongst various other items. The truck with Sir John hidden aboard gets driven out of London.



Separately, Lady Appleby is with the assistant Scotland Yard detective to Sir John and she helps him with some information about the various people involved in the smuggling operation that she has discovered.



The story continues with the couple having many other adventures before the very dramatic but entertaining conclusion. This story was originally published in 1952 but the story was very gripping and apart from the rather limited telecommunications available at that time very little else seems to have changed. I enjoyed it tremendously and hope to read more similar stories in the future.



Best wishes,



Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk in due course)

This is my fourth Michael Innes Inspector Appleby novel and if definitely my favourite so far. Written in Innes own inimitable style its exciting. amusing in parts, a great cast of quirky characters and a convaluted plot taking in suicide or is it murder,Art theft, forgery a missing girl rival criminal gangs Terrific!.
It starts with Appleby being dragged to A Private Viewing of a promosing young artists work ,an artist who tragically commited suicide..At this a large painting is stolen under Applebys nose from a packed gallert.From then on the plot zips along at pace.The great mans wife ,an artist herself takes an active interest in the case and although this at times seems a little too much as does Appleby going off on his own in pursuit of a lead the verve with which its written makes up for it as does the performance of Appleby's assistant who shows himself to be decisive efficient in fact an officer who is well worth his position in the force.No bumbling oaf, there to make his principal look better this.
There are as I have said some flaws but these are I believe forgivable for the sheer enjoyment of reading this book.
I look forward to my next Appleby novel.

Another Appleby mystery, with even more twists and turns than usual. Art, theft and murder all combine to form an exhilarating adventure. The Duke of Horton joins in the fun. Lady Appleby, a sculptress herself, also tries to unravel the mystery. There are secret agents, missing plans, and Sir John Appleby barely escapes with his life.

I am really starting to enjoy Michael Innes’ work; I have read a few of his Appleby novels over the last number of months and each one has been quite distinct in its content and there is a distinctive voice.

However, Appleby novels are unusual in a number of ways, not least that the protagonist although often referred to is not involved in much of the story. In ‘A Private View’ the major player and indeed detective turns out to be Lady Appleby, the wife of the detective (his sister played the major role in a previous novel). Here, a serious crime is dealt with in a serious manor, nevertheless, another unusual feature presented is the well-handled humour in these stories. This does not detract from the serious nature of the crimes, or the genuine sense of peril in some scenes, however I am always caught off-guard by the quantity of slapstick involved…

This may be a truly odd mix of a novel but once again Innes has provided us with an intelligent and intriguing story with enough substance to sustain most readers. And once again I am hooked.

Copy provided by Crime Classics Advance Readers Club

A Private View (also known as One-Man Show and Murder Is an Art) is the 13th Inspector Appleby mystery by Michael Innes. Originally published in 1952, this re-release from Agora Books 12 July, 2018 is available in ebook format. Other formats are available for previous releases of the book.

This plot manages to incorporate everything and the kitchen sink. Murder, mayhem, big time art theft, espionage, more murder, archetypal murder-mystery-minor nobility (what? I say!), artsy bohemians, thugs, disappearing secondary characters and more.

I really enjoyed this one and finished it in a couple of sittings. The writing hearkens back to a more classical golden age British mystery vibe. Even though the writing's on the very edge of being self indulgent and too sarcastic for its own good, it's gently written and wryly tongue-in-cheek. I found it very appealing and I liked that Lady Appleby was very central to this plot. She got a lot of good scenes.

There were plot twists up to the very last page.

They don't make them like this any more, more's the pity.

Four stars.

In this classic British crime series, the off-duty Inspector Appleby has been dragged by his wife to an exclusive showing of abstract art. To Appleby's chagrin, a painting is stolen while he is in the gallery and it, along with Appleby's picture, becomes front page news. Despite dead bodies and dangers, there are hilarious scenes scattered about. Definitely worth reading and enjoyable.

I loved this book! What a great read. Sir John and Lady Appleby attend a memorial exhibition of a recently deceased, young and somewhat struggling artist who's apparent suicide leads to other, more sinister happenings. At first, it doesn't look like a real case for Scotland Yard, but that very quickly changes. The interplay between Sir John and Lady Appleby is humorous, and Lady Appleby reveals herself as quite a detective and quick on her feet!

This story made me want to find others in the series and get busy reading. The characters are well thought out and developed. What I liked about Mr. Innes's writing is that I felt I could actually see the characters in front of me acting out the plot. I highly recommend this book.

<b>A Private View</b> by Michael Innes starts off well. An amusing look at the art world that leads to a robbery that leads to a murder with what seems to be a finite set of suspects. A perfect set-up for a mystery. And for the first half of the book, it seems to be a typical Golden Age play fair mystery. Even the shift from Sir John's POV to his wife's worked well and her initial work as a detective worked well. But then the tone shifts to more of a thriller/police procedural chase and while I kept reading to see how it all turned out, the final resolution comes more from serendipity rather than any deductions by anyone. It's true everything is explained at the end, but much of the final solution did not relie on clues in the book. The style of the book was enjoyable, and I found the amusing tone and somewhat satiric authorial tone. I enjoyed it more that Operation Pax, the last Michael Innes I read. However in both books, Innes leans more toward the thrillers of Buchan and Sapper than the cozy mysteries of Christie, Sayers, or Marsh.

I received a free review copy via Crime Classics. This did not influence my review.

It took me awhile to get into this story, but I enjoyed it once I did. A large chunk of the unwinding centers around Lady Appleby, which was enjoyable. The only question I have is, was The Aquarium a real painting? I can't find any record of it online, so was it real or not??

I really enjoyed this book. Delivered as conversation and thought processes. loved including Lady Appleby in the process. I received a copy from Crime Classics. Opinions are my own.

My first introduction to Inspector Appleby mysteries and a pleasant surprise it was. I enjoyed the wife being part of the story and a light hearted touch as well. Nice blend of humor and mystery makes it an easy and pleasant. The plot is not too complicated and that might appeal to a wider audience.

This was my first Inspector Appleby book, and what a great find! I enjoyed the interaction between him and his wife; it was a nice twist to have her fill such a large role in the plot. The storyline moved along at the right pace and the characters were interesting. I enjoy being challenged by references which would have been much better understood at the time of writing; Wikipedia to the rescue! Highly recommend for lovers of this genre!

I’ve been lucky enough to read a number of the Inspector Appleby mysteries, and highly recommend them. In general I like vintage mysteries a lot and this one didn’t disappoint. Like many other vintage novels, the writing is elegant and descriptive, sometimes a bit scholarly even. The book is probably best described as a traditional mystery, but I think it will appeal to many cozy mystery lovers, as well as those who love police procedurals.
This book blends adventure and mystery along with some humor. In fact there are scenes which would make excellent comedy sketches if it weren’t for the sense of menace and suspense that overlay them. In particular the scene in the junk shop and Appleby’s subsequent ride in the “get-away” van come to mind.
Appleby’s wife, lady Judith is a bit more prominent in this book than in some of the others in the series, and her presence definitely adds to the book.
I don’t know how many Appleby books Innes wrote, but I hope there are lots more. I enjoyed this book, and recommend it highly.

Michael Innes has a flair for painting the scene. He is a gifted wordsmith. This Inspector Appleby mystery does occasionally get bogged down in extraneous detail. but overall the action and humor roll smoothly. This tale is set in post war Britain in the mid 20th century and the atmosphere and dialogue ring true to that era. An enjoyable read.

What I like about the Inspector Appleby novels is that they're all different - they vary from action packed to being full of cerebral problem solving. This one satirises the art world and modern art, with lots of unusual detail, including a Victorian themed nightclub, eccentric aristocrats and starving artists. All finished off with a nail biting chase at the end. A great and enjoyable read.

I had read some of the earliest Appleby stories and really liked them. Then I got bogged down in a couple that were very introspective, slow paced and almost boring at times. However not all were like that. So, when I was offered this a
s a free read for my review, I naturally jumped on it.

Pleasantly surprised was I. I loved the pace, the wrenching involvement of Lady Appleby and the intricacy of the plot. The plotline was so twisted that it was impossible for me to unravel. And I frequently do. But the opening of books like this should always be regarded!

Worth your time, you readers of Golden Age writers!