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Charles Honeybath #1
The Mysterious Commission
Portrait painter Charles Honeybath is intrigued when he is visited by a mysterious Mr Peach and is commissioned to paint an anonymous, aristocratic sitter, known only as 'Mr X', whom relatives claim is insane. Under cover of night, Honeybath is taken to the house and asked to stay while he completes his work; but when he returns to his studio, he discovers that the bank next door has been robbed and that he is under suspicion!
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
About the author
Michael Innes
130 books92 followersMichael 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 1949, to become a Lecturer at the Queen's University of Belfast. In 1949 he became a Student (Fellow) of Christ Church, Oxford, becoming a Professor by the time of his retirement in 1973.
As J.I.M. Stewart he published a number of works of non-fiction, mainly critical studies of authors, including Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, as well as about twenty works of fiction and a memoir, 'Myself and Michael Innes'.
As Michael Innes, he published numerous mystery novels and short story collections, most featuring the Scotland Yard detective John Appleby.
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 1949, to become a Lecturer at the Queen's University of Belfast. In 1949 he became a Student (Fellow) of Christ Church, Oxford, becoming a Professor by the time of his retirement in 1973.
As J.I.M. Stewart he published a number of works of non-fiction, mainly critical studies of authors, including Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, as well as about twenty works of fiction and a memoir, 'Myself and Michael Innes'.
As Michael Innes, he published numerous mystery novels and short story collections, most featuring the Scotland Yard detective John Appleby.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 2, 2017
I love it when the main character’s an artist. (Except when it hurts a lot, of course; that is the life I wanted. For some reason this didn’t hurt, even though one of my dreams was to paint portraits like the hero.) Charles Honeybath is a renowned portrait painter – anyone who is anyone has their portrait made by Honeybath – but in the economy at the time of the book’s setting (which could be today’s) portraiture is a luxury many are putting off till more bullish times. While Honeybath is not worried about his next meal as yet, he is feeling a bit of a pinch … so when a not-quite-gentleman calling himself Peach shows up at his studio one day offering him a Mysterious Commission, for which Honeybath is amazed to discover he can demand nearly twice his usual rate, Our Hero finds it difficult to refuse. Despite the fact that the details are so very mysterious – he cannot know the name of his subject, and in fact, to his dismay, he is told (after agreeing) that he will be taken to an undisclosed location where he will remain until the painting is done.
Still, the money is awfully good – and as it turns out, so is the subject and the portrait thereof – and Honeybath is relatively willing. It’s when the painting is finished and he is on his way home that things really get strange. And dangerous.
I don’t know as this really and truly rates four stars; it was fun, and it was well written, and it kept me interested and engaged and amused by the painting details. It also kept me confused along with Honeybath, which was, I believe, one of the author’s aims. It was funny, and fun, and smart, and (as I mentioned well-crafted (although the slang scattered throughout felt a little like rough spots that needed smoothing out), and Honeybath as the artist hero was lovely. Innes knew a bit about art, and it shows. The police, once they get involved, are not the dimwitted bunch Honeybath and I half expected them to be, and the criminals are garden variety thugs nor (thank goodness) part of an international conspiracy. The ending of the story may be a bit too pat and tidy – but, yes, all in all, I think I will stand on the four stars. It was very good at being what it was.
Still, the money is awfully good – and as it turns out, so is the subject and the portrait thereof – and Honeybath is relatively willing. It’s when the painting is finished and he is on his way home that things really get strange. And dangerous.
I don’t know as this really and truly rates four stars; it was fun, and it was well written, and it kept me interested and engaged and amused by the painting details. It also kept me confused along with Honeybath, which was, I believe, one of the author’s aims. It was funny, and fun, and smart, and (as I mentioned well-crafted (although the slang scattered throughout felt a little like rough spots that needed smoothing out), and Honeybath as the artist hero was lovely. Innes knew a bit about art, and it shows. The police, once they get involved, are not the dimwitted bunch Honeybath and I half expected them to be, and the criminals are garden variety thugs nor (thank goodness) part of an international conspiracy. The ending of the story may be a bit too pat and tidy – but, yes, all in all, I think I will stand on the four stars. It was very good at being what it was.
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May 17, 2018
Audiobook - 5:49 hours - Narrator: Jeremy Clyde
3.0 stars of 5.0
* 35% "A lighter 'mystery' written in 1974 but in a 1930-40's style. Not quite 'tea-cosy' but might be just what I need ATM :)"
* 50% "I am finding this to be quite enjoyable listening. Lovely English phrasing and pronunciation and a fairly interesting story - so far!"
Finally I was able to determine from the impeccable reading by Jeremy Clyde that the story is set in 1970's but there is no doubt that the vocabulary and the writing style are from a much earlier era. The plot had a few twists but I thought that ultimately the both the plot and the story-line were disappointing. The story came to a rushed and unsatisfactory ending, there being little doubt that one or more sequels would be in the offing. They were and I have the two of them which I will listen to them in the near future.
Overall "The Mysterious Commission" was a likeable novel.
Author Michael Innes "inspired a lasting vogue for donnish detective fiction" by writing 35 books between 1936 and 1956 featuring his famous character "Inspector John Appleby". I have this collection also and will commence listening to them soon.
3.0 stars of 5.0
* 35% "A lighter 'mystery' written in 1974 but in a 1930-40's style. Not quite 'tea-cosy' but might be just what I need ATM :)"
* 50% "I am finding this to be quite enjoyable listening. Lovely English phrasing and pronunciation and a fairly interesting story - so far!"
Finally I was able to determine from the impeccable reading by Jeremy Clyde that the story is set in 1970's but there is no doubt that the vocabulary and the writing style are from a much earlier era. The plot had a few twists but I thought that ultimately the both the plot and the story-line were disappointing. The story came to a rushed and unsatisfactory ending, there being little doubt that one or more sequels would be in the offing. They were and I have the two of them which I will listen to them in the near future.
Overall "The Mysterious Commission" was a likeable novel.
Author Michael Innes "inspired a lasting vogue for donnish detective fiction" by writing 35 books between 1936 and 1956 featuring his famous character "Inspector John Appleby". I have this collection also and will commence listening to them soon.
December 29, 2021
Michael Innes' books are always pleasingly erudite, urbane... and full of whacky stuff! Suspend disbelief, all ye who open this book! It starts with Charles Honeybath, acclaimed portrait painter, being offered a generous sum to paint the picture of an elderly gentleman. Not only must he accept the commission without knowing his sitter's name, or the location of the country mansion where he is to paint the portrait in no more than 14 days, but on top of that, the man is a lunatic who thinks he's Napoleon.
Charles Honeybath accepts, despite his misgivings and paints a good picture. But his return to London brings a number of surprises that make it clear that he's somehow gotten himself involved in a criminal enterprise. The Yard is mainly interested in those aspects, whereas Honeybath wants to recuperate his painting. Yielding to the temptation to do a bit of amateur sleuthing, he soon finds himself encountering assassins, beautiful women and steel doors.
For most of the book the reader is as bewildered as Charles Honeybath. But then the painter has a number of flashes of insight, coupled with convenient clues, that bring the story to a roaring (if slightly strained) end. Michael Innes does not believe in applying Occam's razor - the explanation is always more complicated than one might think! As long as you follow this approach in a lighthearted spirit, these books are very enjoyable.
Charles Honeybath accepts, despite his misgivings and paints a good picture. But his return to London brings a number of surprises that make it clear that he's somehow gotten himself involved in a criminal enterprise. The Yard is mainly interested in those aspects, whereas Honeybath wants to recuperate his painting. Yielding to the temptation to do a bit of amateur sleuthing, he soon finds himself encountering assassins, beautiful women and steel doors.
For most of the book the reader is as bewildered as Charles Honeybath. But then the painter has a number of flashes of insight, coupled with convenient clues, that bring the story to a roaring (if slightly strained) end. Michael Innes does not believe in applying Occam's razor - the explanation is always more complicated than one might think! As long as you follow this approach in a lighthearted spirit, these books are very enjoyable.
November 2, 2019
A great classic English mystery novel, by the wonderful master of the genre who wrote under the name of Michael Innes. Friends who were moving gave me a stash of Michel Innes paperbacks (thank you, David and Greg!), and I grabbed one to read on the plane. I had a feeling the other books I was bringing with me would be too serious for plane reading, and this book was just right. Funny and suspenseful, it was entirely satisfying. Highly recommended.
January 20, 2024
I was really liking this but it fell out of my pocket in the Orlando airport and I didn’t miss it until it was too late.If found please return!
[Later] New copy secured and finished. Charmingly snobby academy painter solves crimes with help of policeman and his own peculiar bravery. More fun and interest than I expected from a late Innes.
[Later] New copy secured and finished. Charmingly snobby academy painter solves crimes with help of policeman and his own peculiar bravery. More fun and interest than I expected from a late Innes.
November 15, 2009
Renowned portrait painter Charles Honeybath receives a request from a man who wants him to paint someone about whom he will give no information. Calling him Mr. X, the man says only that the person in mind is a bit insane, and that Mr. X's famous family (how they are famous he won't say) would like to have their relative's portrait made. He tells Honeybath that he has exactly two weeks to paint the picture, and that it must be done at Mr. X's place of residence. Honeybath is somewhat intrigued, and then he is taken away in the dark of night to his new temporary lodgings, where for the next two weeks he remains under some rather bizarre conditions. When he is dismissed, he finds himself under suspicion from the police -- it seems that during his absence, the bank next door to Honeybath's studio had been robbed. Honeybath must not only clear his name, but he wants to get to retrieve the portrait he'd painted, which he considers one of his best works.
This book is quite good. The writing is excellent and the story is strange enough to hold the reader's attention throughout. I read it in one sitting -- it gripped me from the beginning and never let up. Honeybath is an interesting character, well executed and believable. The end is a little rushed but otherwise this was a really good read. Definitely recommendable to readers of British mystery.
This book is quite good. The writing is excellent and the story is strange enough to hold the reader's attention throughout. I read it in one sitting -- it gripped me from the beginning and never let up. Honeybath is an interesting character, well executed and believable. The end is a little rushed but otherwise this was a really good read. Definitely recommendable to readers of British mystery.
June 24, 2023
My first Michael Innes, and I gather not one of his best. Published in 1974, but it felt as if it had been written forty years earlier. Much whimsical humor, but it was humor built mostly on British class distinction and satire of cliches of the genre. It didn't make me laugh. The amateur sleuth is a portrait painter named Charles Honeybath. The police inspector is named Keybird. One bad guy identifies himself as Mr. Peach, but it is revealed that his real name is Crumble. He is then referred to as Peach-Crumble. There is an Admiral Mariner. A clever plot, and an Oxford don's care for precise language (Innes was actually J.I.M. Stewart, an extremely popular lecturer there in English literature.)
March 6, 2026
This book had a good start and an interesting plot development, but the ending was a bit inconsistent and didn't convince me. Some of the characters aren't very convincing either. The initial idea was nice: a portrait artist is asked to secretly paint a portrait of someone who isn't of a very sound mind, so much so that he thinks he's Napoleon Bonaparte. When the work is finished, the painter discovers that the commission he received is linked to a major robbery that occurred while he was painting, and for which he's also suspected!
In the end, everything is clarified, even involving two rival gangs, but the solution is reached through some deductions that are completely unfounded.
In the end, everything is clarified, even involving two rival gangs, but the solution is reached through some deductions that are completely unfounded.
March 27, 2023
A fun mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.
Nothing too serious, just a lot of sinister ne'er-do-well energy.
The author's style is a little odd in that it's a remote voice narrating the story.
Nothing too serious, just a lot of sinister ne'er-do-well energy.
The author's style is a little odd in that it's a remote voice narrating the story.
October 20, 2019
Good, but difficult to follow.
March 31, 2024
It was,,, a story,, but barely
June 12, 2008
Reread this one today. I enjoy the Appleby books more than the Charles Honeybath series, but this was one I didn't really remember and wanted to read again.
Honeybath has been asked to paint a portrait of a mysterious Mr. X who fancies that he is actually Napoleon Bonaparte. And he is promised a nice sum of money for the portrait. So Honeybath agrees. It is an odd interlude, but the picture is more than satisfactory, so he comes home pretty much pleased with things, until he meets the police and discovers that while he has been away, someone has broken into the bank next door through his studio, and they suspect that he has been involved. After interrogation, they decide that he is only a dupe and knows nothing. They want to get the money back. But Honeybath, smarting at the abrupt dismissal of his acumen, wants his portrait back.
The plot, as is usual with Michael Innes books, is a complicated one, and I'm not sure that my summary does it justice. But I was intrigued and rather stumped as to the ultimate outcome right up until the end. For those who like a more intellectual mystery, this is a good one.
Honeybath has been asked to paint a portrait of a mysterious Mr. X who fancies that he is actually Napoleon Bonaparte. And he is promised a nice sum of money for the portrait. So Honeybath agrees. It is an odd interlude, but the picture is more than satisfactory, so he comes home pretty much pleased with things, until he meets the police and discovers that while he has been away, someone has broken into the bank next door through his studio, and they suspect that he has been involved. After interrogation, they decide that he is only a dupe and knows nothing. They want to get the money back. But Honeybath, smarting at the abrupt dismissal of his acumen, wants his portrait back.
The plot, as is usual with Michael Innes books, is a complicated one, and I'm not sure that my summary does it justice. But I was intrigued and rather stumped as to the ultimate outcome right up until the end. For those who like a more intellectual mystery, this is a good one.
January 26, 2013
This is the introduction to Charles Honeybath a preeminent portrait artist who been commissioned to paint a portrait of a mysterious figure. This leads to a tremendous adventure for this quiet man who has to call on skills both present and long-buried to help solve the puzzle of what happened to him.
December 21, 2020
Innes fans will delight in the far fetched imaginative scenarios that determined artist Honeybath wanders into while trying to get one of his portraits back. Others will find the plotting dated, harkening back to mysteries of the 1930s. Basically, it is a reworking of the Conan Doyle's The Red-Headed League and Holmes references abound.
October 13, 2015
I thought I might like to read this because it seemed to cross mystery with a bit of the art world. The plot was pretty convoluted, although it had some interesting twists. I liked the way the author used words, but overall the book didn't keep my interest.
March 19, 2015
Quite a tortuous plot that I could not have worked out. It seems old-fashioned enough to be written before 1974.
November 2, 2015
Only the first half was truly interesting - the solution is just silly and unrealistic.
April 8, 2013
Found it a dated style of writing and plot was too convoluted.
August 27, 2016
This is a fun and original plot. Innes is a good writer with a wonderful vocabulary.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews