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A Change of Heir
George Gadberry, 'resting actor', packs his bags and heads for obscurity when the Tax Inspector beckons. Then he receives a mysterious invitation and a proposition that could lead to enormous riches. Wealthy imbiber, Nicholas Comberford, wants George to impersonate him in order to secure a place in the will of fabulously affluent Great-Aunt Prudence, who lives in a Cistercian monastery and won't allow a single drop of liquor in the place. Gadberry's luck seems to have changed - but at what cost?
Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
About the author
Michael Innes
130 books91 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 24, 2017
One of the best Michael Innes books I've read so far. Highly amusing and very clever story of a foolish unemployed actor who takes on a role that might end his life. Droll in the extreme and tighter than some of his other novels.
July 24, 2012
Unemployed actor George Gadberry is skeptical of the idea of posing as Prudence Minton's heir. True, her real great-nephew, Nicholas Comberford, has asked him to do that very thing--he certainly doesn't want to be stuck up in the Yorkshire dales, at an old abbey, away from the beauties of France that he's currently enjoying. But George soon finds out that there are others at the abbey with plans for the Minton fortune--and they're a great deal more ruthless than poor George.
January 30, 2019
1.5*
This is my 2nd Innes book, I was trying to give him another chance as he writes in a slightly zany, rather verbalistic, offbeat tone that I find a bit of a challenge to navigate through. I think we're done – his style of storytelling and my appreciation just don’t gel, and the ending was, well, weird. Actually, the whole story was. I did enjoy some of the words that Innes penned and are not in use in my daily vocabulary: mendicancy, senescence, cogency, exiguous, euphonious, sacerdotal, circumambulated (:
This is my 2nd Innes book, I was trying to give him another chance as he writes in a slightly zany, rather verbalistic, offbeat tone that I find a bit of a challenge to navigate through. I think we're done – his style of storytelling and my appreciation just don’t gel, and the ending was, well, weird. Actually, the whole story was. I did enjoy some of the words that Innes penned and are not in use in my daily vocabulary: mendicancy, senescence, cogency, exiguous, euphonious, sacerdotal, circumambulated (:
February 13, 2016
Too old-fashioned of a writing style. I never got interested. Won't read any more by this author, if that's his style in the rest of his books.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews