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La vengeance d'Hamlet
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La vengeance d'Hamlet (Sir John Appleby #2)
Un meurtre a lieu durant une représentation privée d'"Hamlet". Derrière la scène on dénombre pas moins de 31 suspects alors que le public compte 27 membres de la haute société britannique. L'inspecteur John Appleby devra bien réviser ses classiques pour parvenir à redistribuer sans fausses notes les rôles de chacun.
Mass Market Paperback, 382 pages
Published
May 7th 1998
by Editions 10/18
(first published 1937)
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Hamlet, revenge! was first published in 1937, and while it conforms to the conventions of the Golden Age crime novel, with a series of murders committed during a weekend house party in an isolated country home, the concept seems subverted through exaggeration. For Scamnum Court is built on a scale that dwarfs Blenheim Palace, with an extensive staff and a large number of guests. There are threats, all unclear and undirected, quoting lines taken from Shakespeare or referring to his plays. And the...more
Hamlet, Revenge is the first mystery novel I've read by Michael Innes. It was published in 1937 and stars Inspector Appleby. The first half of the novel focuses on Scamnum Court, the family is producing a private showing of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Family, family friends, friendly acquaintances will star in this tragedy. Of course, from the start, readers know that all will not go well. (It is a mystery, after all. But there is plenty of foreshadowing in the introductory chapters.) The second half...more
This is the second book in the Appleby series. Giles Gott – who featured in the first book in the series as Appleby’s Dr Watson – reappears in this one as a guest of the Duke of Horton at Seammum Court. He is directing an amateur performance of Hamlet which includes the Lord Chancellor as Polonius. When the Lord Chancellor is murdered during the play enemy action is suspected and Appleby is sent with all haste to investigate the crime.
With a huge cast of suspects this crime novel threatens to be...more
With a huge cast of suspects this crime novel threatens to be...more
Originally published on my blog here in June 1998.
This is a much earlier Appleby novel than the two Michael Innes books I had read previously, and much more in the detective fiction mould than the thriller mould of Operation Pax. In fact, the background to Hamlet, Revenge! is about as archetypal as you can get: an amateur dramatic performance of Hamlet during a country house house-party at which the actor playing a character who is killed (in this case Polonius) is actually murdered.
Everything i...more
This is a much earlier Appleby novel than the two Michael Innes books I had read previously, and much more in the detective fiction mould than the thriller mould of Operation Pax. In fact, the background to Hamlet, Revenge! is about as archetypal as you can get: an amateur dramatic performance of Hamlet during a country house house-party at which the actor playing a character who is killed (in this case Polonius) is actually murdered.
Everything i...more
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As with all detective novels, the solution to the central puzzle of "Hamlet, Revenge" is somewhat arbitrary, the mystery itself merely providing a context for the author to show off his ingenious plotting. Unlike most detective novels, "Hamlet, Revenge" offers character portraits so complex and sharply observed that the mystery becomes secondary to the thrill of discovery of a world much more sophisticated and witty than everyday reality. Occasionally offending with anachronistic colonialisms an...more
I read several of Michael Innes' Inspector Appleby novels in my teens and really enjoyed them. Re-reading this one 30 years later, I notice how different the pacing of the book is from any contemporary detective/crime fic/mystery novels. there's a prologue, that gives a lovingly detailed description of the history of the (fictional) Crispin family, from Tudor times until when the book was written (the 1930s), including the changing architecture and landscaping of their estate/manor house, Scamnu...more
I haven't read it for years, but I've kept it a long time, so I decided to re-read it before it was consigned to the thinning-out pile. And I still like it a lot. It's a real period piece now, and I wish I'd re-read Hamlet before I started it, but it's still a really good country house murder with plot twists. I love the language and the hundreds of literary references scattered throughout, and even though I didn't recognise them all there was enough pace to keep me turning the page.
One of the great literate inter-war thrillers. 4R2C2E, often find myself chanting "bunchy cushiony bunch" at times of stress or lightheadedness. A perfect Evelyn Waugh-ish house party, a production of Hamlet, a spy story, and the greatest of all English C20 detectives, John Appleby.
An entertaining read of a murder at a country house during the presentation of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
A brief write up over here:
http://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2012/0...
A brief write up over here:
http://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2012/0...
Jan 24, 2013
John Frankham
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-detective
One of the earliest and best (Sir) John Appleby detective novels (1937). A murder during an amateur Hamlet at a country house.
Lots of fun for the fan of golden age detective fiction, with many references and in-jokes, plus a nicely complex story.
I am definitely going to have to read this one again, even though I know who did it. Well written. Erudite.
Funny and clever, an entertaining read.
When the Lord Chancellor of England is killed during an amateur performance of Hamlet, John Appleby must first determine whether a confidential document has been stolen before he can begin to investigate the murder. This novel, set in pre-World War II England, is totally delightful (if not entirely politically correct by today's standards) and a good introduction to Appleby's crime solving abilities.
This was a repeat read for me. This author's books can be a mixed bag, but this is one of my favorites. The witty, intelligent writing appeals to me along with the interesting and (to me) perplexing mystery.
If I had a gripe about this one, it would be that the case on which the first (and mistaken) arrest was made was hard to believe, even in a book.
If I had a gripe about this one, it would be that the case on which the first (and mistaken) arrest was made was hard to believe, even in a book.
As I said, the racism of the first third or so of the book makes it very hard to read, and I thought I would be unable to finish it. But it is cleverly plotted, and clearly the work of a Shakespearean -- even down to the importance of textual cruces, stagecraft, and characterization in the play around which the mystery circulates.
Apr 23, 2013
Eddy Allen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-and-suspense
At Seamnum Court, seat of the Duke of Horton, The Lord Chancellor of England is murdered at the climax of a private presentation of Hamlet, in which he plays Polonius. Inspector Appleby pursues some of the most famous names in the country, unearthing dreadful suspicion.
A Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide Must-Read Crime Novel
A mystery for the Shakespeare lover.
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Michael Innes was the pseudonym of John Innes MacKintosh (J.I.M.) Stewart (J.I.M. Stewart).
He was born in Edinburgh, and educated at Edinburgh Academy and Oriel College, Oxford. He was Lecturer in English at the University of Leeds from 1930-1935, and spent the succeeding ten years as Jury Professor of English at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 19...more
More about Michael Innes...
He was born in Edinburgh, and educated at Edinburgh Academy and Oriel College, Oxford. He was Lecturer in English at the University of Leeds from 1930-1935, and spent the succeeding ten years as Jury Professor of English at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 19...more
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May 17, 2013 07:26am