This is not the best of Innes's Appleby books. As is often the case with authors who write very long series featuring one character, they can be a bit patchy at times (Gladys Mitchell is another example). Hare Sitting Up is a rather Buchan-esque romp involving missing scientists, Scottish islands, bird-watching and substituted twins. It's the Golden Age equivalent of those Tennant-era Dr Who episodes where they all run along corridors shrieking.

Having said all that, it is quite enjoyable, because Innes always does his verbal high jinks well, and any Appleby book which includes his wife Judith is, in my view, a Good Thing. I was interested to see, when offered a review copy, whether my opinion of it had changed since I first read it positively hundreds of years ago - the answer is, for an author I can cheerfully give 5 stars to, this is a 3-star book. But that's still better-than-average.

An entertaining and engaging work of detective fiction. This is the first book I've read by the author but it certainly won't be my last. Witty and enjoyable.

This book is like nothing I have ever read before, but I must admit I was not familiar with Michael Innes and his volume of work. So for me, what I had to compare it to, was at times it felt like a Robert Langdon story, which is definitely not a bad thing.
The plot, centering around a biological weapons designer going missing, was well written and executed and was brought along by the characters who I thought were well fleshed out. Appleby was fun and while it wasn't the best book I've ever read, it was fun and I found it to be enjoyable!

This was definitely not my favorite Appleby novel but even a less than favorite of these is far better than much that comes out today.

The tone was more serious and yet the mystery resolution itself seemed a bit more far fetched than his others. It was unusual to bring in his wife Judith for an active role in the investigation and it was unclear until the end what she added to it. What I did particularly enjoy was the early scene on the train where you learn the origin of the title. That conversation alone made it worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for providing a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

One of Britain's top biological weapons scientists has mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Scotland Yard Inspector Appleby is assigned to find Howard Juniper and recover any chemicals he took with him. This is to be done in strict secrecy due to the security aspects of the situation.
To prevent news of his disappearance leaking out, Appleby convinces Miles Juniper, his twin brother to take his place in his laboratory. Appleby then sets about to find Howard. This search takes him to the country estate of an eccentric earl and then to a remote Scottish island. Even his wife gets involved, briefly going undercover at a boys' school. In due course, the mystery is solved and the story comes to a dramatic violent conclusion.

It's a cleverly plotted story, although characterization could be improved. They are mainly placeholders, with little depth behind them. It's a late entry to the Appleby series which may account for the thinness of his character, it may have been developed in earlier novels. The opening chapter is a challenge and could discourage a less than committed reader. Initially it seems like a college seminar discussion among friends on a train trip. Its purpose escapes me. Despite there being some interesting locales, there was no sense of place in the story. It was a likeable but disappointing read.

The book was originally written in 1959 and but is not dated. It can easily be read as a standalone. This edition contains a short excerpt from the first Appleby mystery.

Agora Books provided a complementary advance reading copy of "Hare Sitting Up" to me via Netgalley for an independent review. The comments about it are my own.

This is an entertaining story but also a good description of Cold War era.
It's not the best Appleby and the mystery was a bit underdeveloped but it was highly entertaining because Innes developed some quirky and interesting characters that I loved.
Plenty of humor and ducks, a couple of twins, Judith Appleby investigating.
I found it engrossing and had a lot of fun, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have only read a few of the books in the Inspector Appleby series and have enjoyed them all. This one was no exception!
It had an intriguing story line and the start drew me in straightaway. There were plenty of interesting characters and, Appleby’s wife, Judith’s investigative attempts brought great amusement. There were plenty of twists and turns which kept me guessing.
I recommended the book to a friend of crime stories in this era and she rated it as highly as I did. And I would strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy classic crime.

I have to say, I was skeptical of this story...until I started reading it. Then I found it hard to put down. I can't tell you what was at the root of my skepticism but I'm glad I got past it. Top top government scientist, Professor Howard Juniper, goes missing. The professor has been research and developing biological weapons - viruses, in fact. Enter the professor's twin brother and Inspector John Appleby. When I first learned of the twin, I thought I probably had it figured out but it wasn't that simple. Michael Innes does a masterful job at the old "bait and switch." Do yourself a favor and check out this book. You will be glad you did!

Another intriguinging plot from Micheal Innes for Inspector Appleby to solve. Rather of it's time due to cold war references but an interesting perspective into the psche of that era. Lots of red herrings and twists and turns keep the reader guessing and reguessing throughout.

Another great story from Michael, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly entertaining and definitely highly recommended.

Probably three and a half stars. Not a typical Innes story.
A bit slow starting, and a bit weird at moments.
I prefer the more traditional Appleby mysteries.
Difficult to provide a synopsis without spoilers.
A good read, but not my favourite by this author.
Thanks to Crime Classics and NetGalley for a review copy.

Ordinarily, I am an avid Inspector Appleby fan, but I had a hard time getting into this book, and in fact, I gave up on it twice before finally finishing it. The story really dragged, especially the first third or so although it improved quite a bit in the second half. This novel is set during the Cold War and featuries identical twins switching places. One is the headmaster at a school and the other is a scientist working on top secret projects. The scientist has disappeared. This disappearance brings up a host of questions. Did he disappear voluntarily? Is he loyal to England? Have enemies kidnapped him? Will his discovery end up being used against England? Appleby is assigned to find him and to keep the scientists disappearance from getting out. Enter his identical twin to impersonate him. I like Appleby’s wife Judith, but not even her arrival on the scene was enough to redeem the dullness of the first third of the book. Despite my misgivings, I think that plenty of readers will enjoy this novel, which could probably be described more as a thriller than a classic mystery.

Before going into this review, I should admit that there is something about Sir John Appelby and his style of 'sleuthing' and the way the author talks about the cast of characters around him appeals very strongly to me. In the other books that I have picked up by the same author, they leaned a lot on 'classics' according to the British and knowing nothing of Latin or Greek, I was at a loss during parts of conversations that might have otherwise held nuggets of something. This particular volume hardly mentions such lofty things while simultaneously pondering some philosophical questions about the state of mind of good vs evil.
It begins with overheard conversations on a train between students who just graduated. They argue about things that sound profound but might have no direct impact on any of their lives (as all of us are wont to do at that age!). This banter is interrupted unexpectedly by the other man in the train carriage. This man is at the core of what is set to unfold. We have a missing man and the repercussions of what that might mean quickly introduced to us after this train journey.
Now the plot itself is not very convoluted, and everyone (I am sure) will have some inkling about the small parts of the solution, if not the whole. What I enjoyed most has to be the overall narration of the entire tale. The author had me chuckling so many times during the book that I felt like this might actually be one of those books I would not have trouble re-reading. There was a lot of clever humour disguised as ordinary conversation. I read it as slowly as I could (which in itself is not something I do).
There are few times when a book not rated or recommended highly by the majority of the web just clicks, and this was one of those times. I felt energized enough to write this review immediately after reading (at least the same day), and it has been months since something like that has happened.
It might not be for everyone, but this particular visit with Sir John Appelby, his wife and some of his colleagues was very entertaining, and I cannot wait for the next time I get to come back to this world.
My copy was a reprint ARC by the publishers, which has not affected my review in any way. My only bias would be my previous affinity with the author's writing.

Michael Innes first published this book in 1959. The fascinating thing, though, is that this story is fairly relevant today. In this installment, Sir John Appleby tracks a rogue scientist, Howard Juniper, who has gone missing, possibly with a deadly bioweapon in his possession. Why did he disappear? Was he kidnapped? Did he walk away of his own volition? Is he ill and wandering aimlessly? Was he forced to flee? Will he unleash a deadly plague on mankind? Appleby is not sure, and his job is to keep this disappearance out of the public light so that sheer pandemonium doesn't erupt. Thank goodness that Howard Juniper has an identical twin! Or maybe that isn't such a great thing...Inspector Appleby has to get to the bottom of the mystery, and time is not on his side. What a fun read! I love all the Appleby books, and I recommend this one to all fans of classic crime fiction.

Again Michael Innes dose not fail to entertain, this book really is a red herring from start to finish. again we have a Inspector Appleby mystery and to give a quick resume of the book would spoil the ending, suffice to say that if you read this book your in for a very wild ride.
Very enjoyable book

Hare Sitting Up by Michael Innes features identical twins. Miles Juniper is the headmaster of a small prep school and Howard Juniper is a scientist researching chemical weapons. Howard has disappeared and that’s worrying a lot of important people, including the Prime Minister. Sir John Appleby has been instructed by the PM to find Howard with utmost haste. Has he been kidnapped? Has he been murdered? Has he decided to finish the world off with one of his weapons or has someone taken both him and one of his deadly inventions?

I have really enjoyed all of Innes’ books so far – apart from this one. I’m afraid I’m only lukewarm about Hare Sitting Up. Appleby involves his wife, Judith, in his quest. I normally enjoy Judith’s appearances yet even that didn’t swing me in favour of the book. If I had to sum up the book in one word, I think the word would be “Irritating”. Miles/Howard needed a smack – I’ve never used the description “naughty boy” for a headmaster before it’s very tempting this time. I shall conjoin the twins because I got confused as third parties described them: was one a real bird-watcher and the other twin a closet one who kept his hobby a secret? Or was it not a secret? Or was one of them pretending? There were definitely birds, though. Lord Ailsworth didn’t strike me as a believable character – someone who allows Donkey Ducks to colonize the drawing-room and wild duck to take over the attics isn’t mad; they are obviously fictional. Although I enjoy the sly erudite humour in the Appleby novels, this bird-loving peer was more suited to PG Wodehouse than a detective novel.

Maybe the book caught me in a grumpy mood and you will respond to the humour. Perhaps I will grin rather than sigh next time I read about the Fulvous Whistling Duck.

#HareSittingUp #NetGalley

Although I am a Michael Innes fan, Hare Sitting Up is not up to his usual standards. The story drags. The tired trick of identical twins switching (and reswitching) places is obvious. The eccentric British gentleman is stereotypical. The traitorous figure (who incidental knows the main characters) shows up too late in the story. I enjoy rereading the Inspector Appleby stories, but this one will not be among them - except in case of insomnia!

So a bit mixed on this one - once it got going I enjoyed it, particularly the last third, but it was fairly heavy going until then and somewhat confusing too. My third in the Appleby series - and they do seem to be a bit hit or miss for me, but when it has worked, it works well enough that it has kept me coming back for more!

Another excellent novel by Michael Innes with his main character Sir John Appleby of New Scotland Yard and the strange case of the ‘Hare Sitting Up’. Twin studious brothers Miles and Howard Juniper swap roles from time to time to relieve boredom, stress and give each other break when one of them goes missing. The authorities are informed including the Prime Minister due to Howard Juniper’s role who at once engages Sir John Appleby to investigate the case.

Michael Innes' Appleby series are always very readable, and vary between more classic whodunnits to thrillers. This one is a page turning thriller involving identical twins, biological weapons, secret weapons stations and demented ornithologists. A very entertaining read.