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Sir John Appleby #8
Daffodil Affair
Light after light goes out, including two luminaries from Scotland Yard.
In the midst of the Blitz, a house in Bloomsbury disappears. In York and London, two young girls have been kidnapped. And in Harrogate, a cab horse named Daffodil has gone missing.
Appleby is sent to look into the Daffodil affair, while vice detective Hudspith investigates the cases of human trafficking. But they must work in tandem to piece this mystery together. And they soon find that the links among the disappearances are odder than they could possibly the house is haunted, one is girl a witch, the other has multiple personalities, and the horse can count. Whoever is behind this is trafficking in marvels.
Appleby and Hudspith pursue their victims deep into the South American jungle where they discover the terrifying sprawl of this bizarre vision. Surrounded by rivers filled with alligators and the swirling mist of the Amazon, the pair are confronted with questions of magic and the supernatural. But when the madman’s machinations turn to the two police officers, Appleby must race against the clock to stop this weird experiment before it costs him his life.
In the midst of the Blitz, a house in Bloomsbury disappears. In York and London, two young girls have been kidnapped. And in Harrogate, a cab horse named Daffodil has gone missing.
Appleby is sent to look into the Daffodil affair, while vice detective Hudspith investigates the cases of human trafficking. But they must work in tandem to piece this mystery together. And they soon find that the links among the disappearances are odder than they could possibly the house is haunted, one is girl a witch, the other has multiple personalities, and the horse can count. Whoever is behind this is trafficking in marvels.
Appleby and Hudspith pursue their victims deep into the South American jungle where they discover the terrifying sprawl of this bizarre vision. Surrounded by rivers filled with alligators and the swirling mist of the Amazon, the pair are confronted with questions of magic and the supernatural. But when the madman’s machinations turn to the two police officers, Appleby must race against the clock to stop this weird experiment before it costs him his life.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1942
About the author
Michael Innes
119 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 - 30 of 60 reviews
March 24, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
This is the 8th Inspector Appleby book and the 3rd one I’ve read. Each one seems very different. This one is pure escapism and I think Michael Innes must have enjoyed himself immensely whilst writing it. It’s full of literary allusions and quotations and has a completely unrealistic plot. I think his writing is an acquired taste with long, meandering sentences, and formal language, including many unfamiliar words to me that I wasn’t sure of their meaning.
But I enjoyed reading it, once I’d come to terms with Innes’ style – and the crazy plot. I enjoyed spotting many of the literary references, although I probably missed as many as I recognised. There are allusions to Wordsworth’s poem Daffodils, to Moby Dick, Ulysses, Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Shelley, Dr Johnson, Australian Aboriginal mythology, Browning, Yeats and Shakespeare amongst others. And in the South American jungle with its alligator–infested rivers, their ‘plop’,’plop’ as they disposed of Mr Wine’s victims reminded me of the crocodile in Peter Pan. The characters’ unlikely names, such as Mr Wine – Mrs Nurse, a high-class medium, seemingly nice, honest and capable, the enigmatic Miss Mood, with her ethereal, gibberish talk, husky and glamorous and Mr Beaglehole, Mr Wine’s secretary, whose name is a corrupt form of Bogle Hole, Scots for the lair of the demon, who lures his victims in, all contribute to this allegorical tale.
I particularly like his thoughts about detective stories, referring to them as stories that take one out of oneself, and as Hudspith tells Appleby they are in ‘a sort of hodge-podge of fantasy and harumscarum adventure that isn’t a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes.’ ‘Innes? I’ve never heard of him.’ Appleby spoke with decided exasperation.’
Throughout the book Innes drops in his thoughts on a variety of topics including philosophy, the nature of evil, witchcraft, paranormal manifestations, telepathy, superstition versus scientific inquiry, and multiple personalities. The arch-villain, Mr Wine, is a madman attempting to conquer the world with his physic circus of mediums through superstition and the supernatural.
I wasn’t at all sure where this book was taking me. It’s more a book of suspense than a detective story. There is nothing straight forward about it; it’s richly descriptive and surreal as it proceeds from one absurd situation to the next, but with serious undertones. It predicts that under such a madman as Mr Wine weird fantasies would spread, and sub-rational deceits and mumbo-jumbo would put power in the hands of whoever had control of a vast and efficient organization.
The ending of the book continues the fantastical aspects of this book and as Hudspith considers how they can escape from Wine and his gang he concludes that their only hope is for a ‘deus ex machina to wind everything up happily after all.’ And that is precisely what Innes provided.
This is the 8th Inspector Appleby book and the 3rd one I’ve read. Each one seems very different. This one is pure escapism and I think Michael Innes must have enjoyed himself immensely whilst writing it. It’s full of literary allusions and quotations and has a completely unrealistic plot. I think his writing is an acquired taste with long, meandering sentences, and formal language, including many unfamiliar words to me that I wasn’t sure of their meaning.
But I enjoyed reading it, once I’d come to terms with Innes’ style – and the crazy plot. I enjoyed spotting many of the literary references, although I probably missed as many as I recognised. There are allusions to Wordsworth’s poem Daffodils, to Moby Dick, Ulysses, Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Shelley, Dr Johnson, Australian Aboriginal mythology, Browning, Yeats and Shakespeare amongst others. And in the South American jungle with its alligator–infested rivers, their ‘plop’,’plop’ as they disposed of Mr Wine’s victims reminded me of the crocodile in Peter Pan. The characters’ unlikely names, such as Mr Wine – Mrs Nurse, a high-class medium, seemingly nice, honest and capable, the enigmatic Miss Mood, with her ethereal, gibberish talk, husky and glamorous and Mr Beaglehole, Mr Wine’s secretary, whose name is a corrupt form of Bogle Hole, Scots for the lair of the demon, who lures his victims in, all contribute to this allegorical tale.
I particularly like his thoughts about detective stories, referring to them as stories that take one out of oneself, and as Hudspith tells Appleby they are in ‘a sort of hodge-podge of fantasy and harumscarum adventure that isn’t a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes.’ ‘Innes? I’ve never heard of him.’ Appleby spoke with decided exasperation.’
Throughout the book Innes drops in his thoughts on a variety of topics including philosophy, the nature of evil, witchcraft, paranormal manifestations, telepathy, superstition versus scientific inquiry, and multiple personalities. The arch-villain, Mr Wine, is a madman attempting to conquer the world with his physic circus of mediums through superstition and the supernatural.
I wasn’t at all sure where this book was taking me. It’s more a book of suspense than a detective story. There is nothing straight forward about it; it’s richly descriptive and surreal as it proceeds from one absurd situation to the next, but with serious undertones. It predicts that under such a madman as Mr Wine weird fantasies would spread, and sub-rational deceits and mumbo-jumbo would put power in the hands of whoever had control of a vast and efficient organization.
The ending of the book continues the fantastical aspects of this book and as Hudspith considers how they can escape from Wine and his gang he concludes that their only hope is for a ‘deus ex machina to wind everything up happily after all.’ And that is precisely what Innes provided.
October 8, 2022
I am a great fan of Michael Innes/J. I. M. Stewart, but these wartime fantasies of his are really trying my patience. Like his previous novel in the series, this story reads like an erudite comic book.
I liked the setup: three mysterious disappearances—a horse, a Cockney girl with multiple personality disorder, and a London townhouse—baffle three different detectives. I was delighted to see Inspector Appleby on the case, and howled my way through a daft scene in a carriage in Harrogate, but all too soon the story jumped the shark. In no time we find Appleby and a colleague preposterously sent abroad on a cargo ship headed for South America, uncovering a plot too ridiculous even to outline. Escapism is one thing, but there wasn’t even psychological plausibility to cling to here. Innes’s prose style is always entertaining for me, though his grasp of the realities of the Amazon (bamboo??) is tenuous and the story takes great leaps in time and space as if the author found it as tedious to write as I did to read.
I have always taken an interest in comic books, especially the ones with superheroes and supervillains, which offer the simple thrill of a cosmic-scale battle of Good versus Evil, with the promise of Good triumphing over even the most skillfully designed nefarious plot for global domination. This book draws on that tradition, but the nefarious plot is too nebulous to strike fear. Innes seems at times to want us to see the villain as a metaphor for the banality of evil, a jungle Hitler wanna-be, but his antagonist fails utterly to strike fear, and in defeating him the good guys tarnish their own souls to an uncomfortable degree. Even the timeliness of a villain who seeks to control through misinformation pumped out through new media couldn’t save this effort for me. And as in the previous book, set in the South Pacific, the presence of nameless brown “savages” beating drums is offensive to modern sensibilities. I can’t wait for the war to be over and Appleby to settle down to detecting more ordinary crimes in England.
I liked the setup: three mysterious disappearances—a horse, a Cockney girl with multiple personality disorder, and a London townhouse—baffle three different detectives. I was delighted to see Inspector Appleby on the case, and howled my way through a daft scene in a carriage in Harrogate, but all too soon the story jumped the shark. In no time we find Appleby and a colleague preposterously sent abroad on a cargo ship headed for South America, uncovering a plot too ridiculous even to outline. Escapism is one thing, but there wasn’t even psychological plausibility to cling to here. Innes’s prose style is always entertaining for me, though his grasp of the realities of the Amazon (bamboo??) is tenuous and the story takes great leaps in time and space as if the author found it as tedious to write as I did to read.
I have always taken an interest in comic books, especially the ones with superheroes and supervillains, which offer the simple thrill of a cosmic-scale battle of Good versus Evil, with the promise of Good triumphing over even the most skillfully designed nefarious plot for global domination. This book draws on that tradition, but the nefarious plot is too nebulous to strike fear. Innes seems at times to want us to see the villain as a metaphor for the banality of evil, a jungle Hitler wanna-be, but his antagonist fails utterly to strike fear, and in defeating him the good guys tarnish their own souls to an uncomfortable degree. Even the timeliness of a villain who seeks to control through misinformation pumped out through new media couldn’t save this effort for me. And as in the previous book, set in the South Pacific, the presence of nameless brown “savages” beating drums is offensive to modern sensibilities. I can’t wait for the war to be over and Appleby to settle down to detecting more ordinary crimes in England.
February 2, 2025
This book will have your head reeling... but in a pleasurable way. The story is implausible, crazy, cobbled together by strange coincidences... and yet fun to read.
London, 1942. Detective Appleby is irritated that he is asked, as a personal favor to a superior's eccentric aunt, to investigate the disappearance of her favorite cab horse, a dimwitted animal called Daffodil. And it appears that his abductors also took with them a young woman called Hannah Metcalfe, last descendant of a famous witch. Appleby's Vice Squad colleague Hudspith, meanwhile, is on the trail of Lucy Rideout, a flirtatious teenager who seems to have been sold into white slavery. Then it appears that an entire house has been lifted from Bloomsbury and carted off in the night, an event that passed unnoticed in a city where the Blitz altered the cityscape nightly. Appleby notices that the common link between all these events is the uncanny : Daffodil appeared to be able to count, Hannah Metcalfe pretended to have occult powers, Lucy Rideout has multiple personalities, and the house in Bloomsbury, the scene of no less than 2 murders, was reputed to be haunted.
The trail leads to South America, and soon Appleby and Hudspith find themselves on a boat to the Amazon. Appleby has an epiphany after surveying his fellow passengers : most of them have some connection with the occult and the mysterious. And Mr. Wine,the quiet businessman, is in fact a criminal mastermind collecting a crew of mediums, spiritualists and tricksters. These he hopes to use as a tool to obtain world domination in the miracle-starved world of the second world war. Appleby and Hudspith manage to get themselves invited to Mr. Wine's crazy utopia of haunted hauses in the middle of the rain forest along a crocodile-infested river. It soon becomes clear that Mr. Wine has understood perfectly that they are policemen. His plan is for Mr. Hudspith to die in the reconstructed Bloomsbury house, in a way comparable to the 2 previous murders in that house, and to observe whether Appleby, like the previous occupants of the house, can see his friend's ghost. With the help of the resourceful Lucy, they manage to turn the tables on Mr. Wine and escape, just as the natives are storming the compound.
Didn't I tell you your head would be reeling? The plot is so implausible that you just have to go with the flow and enjoy the ride. The writing is very dense and full of literary allusions. The philosophical ruminations about how exactly Mr. Wine intended to use his circus of faith-healers and crystal-ball gazers to dominate the world, were unclear to me. But I enjoyed the descriptions of the sultry nights in the Amazon, the snapping of the crocodiles, the haunting songs of the natives. Pure fiction, but it must have been great escapism during WWII!
London, 1942. Detective Appleby is irritated that he is asked, as a personal favor to a superior's eccentric aunt, to investigate the disappearance of her favorite cab horse, a dimwitted animal called Daffodil. And it appears that his abductors also took with them a young woman called Hannah Metcalfe, last descendant of a famous witch. Appleby's Vice Squad colleague Hudspith, meanwhile, is on the trail of Lucy Rideout, a flirtatious teenager who seems to have been sold into white slavery. Then it appears that an entire house has been lifted from Bloomsbury and carted off in the night, an event that passed unnoticed in a city where the Blitz altered the cityscape nightly. Appleby notices that the common link between all these events is the uncanny : Daffodil appeared to be able to count, Hannah Metcalfe pretended to have occult powers, Lucy Rideout has multiple personalities, and the house in Bloomsbury, the scene of no less than 2 murders, was reputed to be haunted.
The trail leads to South America, and soon Appleby and Hudspith find themselves on a boat to the Amazon. Appleby has an epiphany after surveying his fellow passengers : most of them have some connection with the occult and the mysterious. And Mr. Wine,the quiet businessman, is in fact a criminal mastermind collecting a crew of mediums, spiritualists and tricksters. These he hopes to use as a tool to obtain world domination in the miracle-starved world of the second world war. Appleby and Hudspith manage to get themselves invited to Mr. Wine's crazy utopia of haunted hauses in the middle of the rain forest along a crocodile-infested river. It soon becomes clear that Mr. Wine has understood perfectly that they are policemen. His plan is for Mr. Hudspith to die in the reconstructed Bloomsbury house, in a way comparable to the 2 previous murders in that house, and to observe whether Appleby, like the previous occupants of the house, can see his friend's ghost. With the help of the resourceful Lucy, they manage to turn the tables on Mr. Wine and escape, just as the natives are storming the compound.
Didn't I tell you your head would be reeling? The plot is so implausible that you just have to go with the flow and enjoy the ride. The writing is very dense and full of literary allusions. The philosophical ruminations about how exactly Mr. Wine intended to use his circus of faith-healers and crystal-ball gazers to dominate the world, were unclear to me. But I enjoyed the descriptions of the sultry nights in the Amazon, the snapping of the crocodiles, the haunting songs of the natives. Pure fiction, but it must have been great escapism during WWII!
April 26, 2018
Sorry,this just didn't work for me. Kidnapped girls,eccentric ladies,a plot that was all over the place and nothing that made any sense...
March 19, 2018
I finished this book, but I really just never got into it. The plot and mystery is beyond preposterous. To trick a kidnapper into confessing, the hero police officers willing murder a man, feel bad about it, wonder about their morals, but just brush it off and just get along with things. Also, a whole host of kidnap victims end up being taken captive by an isolated South American native tribe, and everyone just shrugs and says, they are gone for good (either eaten or bring worshiped as gods - I kid you not), so there is no point in even attempting to track them down. I know the book was written something like sixty years ago, but it is amazing Imperialistic, even for that era, and doesn't even have the being it of charm or sit to rescue it. Maybe there is a subplot through the entire series that I am missing, but I just did not like this book and will not read another by the author.
March 15, 2018
I may be a bit too much of a traditionalist in my mystery tastes but this was a bridge too far - this reads like a fever dream or a story told to you by a 4-year old (in the "and then this happened and then this happened and then and then....). A hard pass.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2013
Surprisingly hard going as the book got more and more preposterous as it took Appleby from England to South America. From policeman, he morphed into psychoanalyst to some sort of James Bond character. It was incredulity that kept me turning the pages.
February 17, 2018
I struggled to read this book even though I love reading mystery books. I didn't finish reading it as I couldn't follow the story line. Too many things going on.
It might appeal to people who enjoy this tye of book.
It might appeal to people who enjoy this tye of book.
July 12, 2018
I thought the mystery itself was quite novel and fun, if a bit all over the place and really pushing the limits of what's realistic lol, but I wasn't too invested in it. I also didn't care much for any of the characters so I found myself caring even less about the story in general.
August 27, 2017
Rather odd. Innes has a fine descriptive style, but this book meanders and stretches credulity.
June 10, 2021
‘How very strange.’
London, 1942. A missing house, a missing horse and two missing women. What on earth is going on? Detective Appleby (from Scotland Yard) is a little peeved when he is asked to investigate (as a personal favour to a superior officer’s aunt) the disappearance of a cab horse named Daffodil. But is seems that Daffodil’s abductors have also taken a young woman named Hannah Metcalfe who just happens to be the descendant of a famous witch. Meanwhile, Appleby’s colleague Hudspith is searching for Lucy Rideout, who may have been sold into white slavery. It also appears that a house in Bloomsbury (37 Hawke Square) has, well, disappeared. And while the Blitz is changing the shape of London, it isn’t responsible in this case.
‘He doesn’t know that we know that he knows.’
Appleby deduces that there is something strange about each of these disappearances. But what links a haunted house, a counting horse, multiple personalities, and connections with the occult?
You are about to embark on a totally ridiculous but enormously amusing journey which will take you, together with Appleby and Hudspith, on a voyage to South America. Read on and enjoy, as our intrepid detectives work out how to stop an intriguing attempt at world domination.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Ipso Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
London, 1942. A missing house, a missing horse and two missing women. What on earth is going on? Detective Appleby (from Scotland Yard) is a little peeved when he is asked to investigate (as a personal favour to a superior officer’s aunt) the disappearance of a cab horse named Daffodil. But is seems that Daffodil’s abductors have also taken a young woman named Hannah Metcalfe who just happens to be the descendant of a famous witch. Meanwhile, Appleby’s colleague Hudspith is searching for Lucy Rideout, who may have been sold into white slavery. It also appears that a house in Bloomsbury (37 Hawke Square) has, well, disappeared. And while the Blitz is changing the shape of London, it isn’t responsible in this case.
‘He doesn’t know that we know that he knows.’
Appleby deduces that there is something strange about each of these disappearances. But what links a haunted house, a counting horse, multiple personalities, and connections with the occult?
You are about to embark on a totally ridiculous but enormously amusing journey which will take you, together with Appleby and Hudspith, on a voyage to South America. Read on and enjoy, as our intrepid detectives work out how to stop an intriguing attempt at world domination.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Ipso Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
August 11, 2021
Unlike a few other classic crime fans, I actually enjoyed John Appleby's books. I liked the main character and the way his mind worked. I even let the technical references of things I did not know pass me by and just enjoyed the tone of the narration and even the slow pace. I saw all this in advance because I did not like this one!
I picked it up solely because I thought it was a good way to continue to make a dent in a very long series.
This was a very, very strange book. We have magic, witches and hocus pocus all thrown in. This is further blended with con artists, scientists (of some sort) and even a psychic (sort of) horse!
Our lead protagonist Sir John Appleby (who hasn't been knighted at the time), even cures a person's multiple personality disorder! I am not making any of this up. Maybe you should pick it up to see how much it deviates from the others that I have rated and enjoyed!!
I do not want to go further into the plot only because I cannot actually coherently tell you what happens. All I know is I am glad I stuck with it and found some solace at the normal(ish) ending with some of the subtle humour I enjoyed previously make a brief appearance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
I picked it up solely because I thought it was a good way to continue to make a dent in a very long series.
This was a very, very strange book. We have magic, witches and hocus pocus all thrown in. This is further blended with con artists, scientists (of some sort) and even a psychic (sort of) horse!
Our lead protagonist Sir John Appleby (who hasn't been knighted at the time), even cures a person's multiple personality disorder! I am not making any of this up. Maybe you should pick it up to see how much it deviates from the others that I have rated and enjoyed!!
I do not want to go further into the plot only because I cannot actually coherently tell you what happens. All I know is I am glad I stuck with it and found some solace at the normal(ish) ending with some of the subtle humour I enjoyed previously make a brief appearance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
October 30, 2022
This book just did not work for me. As far as I'm concerned it was a lot of nonsense. During it Michael Innes was mentioned and the response was that the protagonist had never heard of him, and that made me wish I never had!
March 30, 2015
Michael Innes novels are often a mix of erudite, silly, clever, psychologically insightful, and weird. And those qualites are all here in this peculiar book! The plot is crazy. Several mysterious events combine (rather quickly, with Appleby's aunt handing him most of the initial connections he needs to make, in a hilarious, tossed-off scene) to lead Appleby and another detective (via an unsettling boat trip) to an island in South America. There a man is gathering mystic people and items that he plans to use to build a new, superstitious religous/world order, positioned to emerge in the likely chaotic aftermath of WWII (the book was written in 1942). It's fun, albeit sometimes bewildering. There is some quoting of Shakespeare (as there always is--Innes was an Oxford don), some amusing character description, some philosophy, some discussion of psychological states, some jokes, along with some intense action.
Here's a sample of of Innes' marvelous, literate prose, taking, as is often the case, a hilarious turn at the end: "All condemned men must regard the projected execution as a quite unjustifiably lavish expenditure of life. They must feel that a decent regard for economy positively requires that the thing be commuted to a kindly rebuke." He then goes on, a page later, to have a character say, "We're in a sort of hodge-podge of fantasy and harum-scarum advanture that isn't a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes." Too right.
Here's a sample of of Innes' marvelous, literate prose, taking, as is often the case, a hilarious turn at the end: "All condemned men must regard the projected execution as a quite unjustifiably lavish expenditure of life. They must feel that a decent regard for economy positively requires that the thing be commuted to a kindly rebuke." He then goes on, a page later, to have a character say, "We're in a sort of hodge-podge of fantasy and harum-scarum advanture that isn't a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes." Too right.
June 7, 2021
Distinctly odd, crazy, zany and whacky. Not a typical mystery but Innes was a brilliant writer. Descriptions are outlandish and so is the plot. I took the story for what it was meant to be...a far-fetched farce. Not my usual go-to book for sure.
Appleby and Hudspith investigate a hoof-tapping mathematical horse and missing girls and are entangled up to their gills in alligators, vanishing languages, an inverted lamp, split personalities and a house which has disappeared. They board a boat and encounter Happy Islands and explore a scientific experiment. As Appleby responds to Hudspith who says he could not believe what he was experiencing, "I should put it stronger than that myself. Say a dream of dreams." I'm sure glad my dreams aren't like this!
Liked the wit, though. "We're in a sort of hodge-podge of fantasy and harumscarum adventure that isn't a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes." That sums it up right there!
My sincere thank you to Ipso Books and NetGalley. This book was...well...decidedly original. I give it 2.5 stars as the writing is witty and sharp but the story is stunning in its silliness!
Appleby and Hudspith investigate a hoof-tapping mathematical horse and missing girls and are entangled up to their gills in alligators, vanishing languages, an inverted lamp, split personalities and a house which has disappeared. They board a boat and encounter Happy Islands and explore a scientific experiment. As Appleby responds to Hudspith who says he could not believe what he was experiencing, "I should put it stronger than that myself. Say a dream of dreams." I'm sure glad my dreams aren't like this!
Liked the wit, though. "We're in a sort of hodge-podge of fantasy and harumscarum adventure that isn't a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes." That sums it up right there!
My sincere thank you to Ipso Books and NetGalley. This book was...well...decidedly original. I give it 2.5 stars as the writing is witty and sharp but the story is stunning in its silliness!
July 24, 2015
Beyond-preposterous plot, diverting, enjoyably learned and allusive as well as wacky. A detective-story phantasy more comedy than frightening. Two veddy proper English crimestoppers off to the upper reaches of the Amazon. If you want classical orthodox country house murders, don't try this. It's closer to Alice in Wonderland than Scotland Yard. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the literary brio.
August 29, 2007
The sort of British mystery I adore -- full of eccentrics, unlikely events (that somehow seem probable), witty dialogue, crisp pace... in short, complete escapism.
No reality, please, we're British!
No reality, please, we're British!
April 26, 2018
Sorry,this just didn't work for me,the story is just completely over the top,...There are eccentric ladies,disappearing young girls,mad scientist but frankly nothing makes sense....
February 11, 2013
One of the very best early (1942) highly imaginative adventure/detective Appleby novels.
March 7, 2023
Very BIZARRE tale, indeed not a golden age mystery at all as attested by the author himself by breaking the third wall in the last chapters. The writing style was highly literary and a bit farcical. If one is less charitable it could be very well described as verbose and rambling, but the rambling part is true for the plot as well, and is intended as feature rather than a bug by the author. The plot revolves around a harebrained scheme of Bond like supervillain which involves starting a new charismatic religion by combining different paranormal agents together in one place, meant to satirise the widespread mediums and spiritualism popular during the early Twentieth Century. Other wacky elements of the plot include enumerate animals, vanishing houses, ancestral witches, Italian ectoplasm workers and an early prototype of the Dubai World island in the middle of the Amazon. The characters are pretty opaque as that is the major mystery element of the story, except the two detectives Appleby and Hudspith, and Miss Rideout, who is sort of the protagonist of the story accompanied by the eponymous Daffodil, the paranormal horse whose disappearance in way leads to Appleby joining forces with Hudspith, specialised investigator for female human trafficking victims, who is on the lookout for Miss Rideout.
Overall, was slightly disappointed by the book as the mystery was clearly lacking and the investigation was based more on coincidences and conjectures, than on evidence. The only true piece of detection was done by Appleby's Aunt(a very fun character). The enjoyable parts were the writing which shows clear similarities with that of Gladys Mitchell and Edmund Crispin(both authors I adore), all of whom acknowledged each others influence on their work and belonged to the Comic school of Golden Age Detective fiction. The setting of war-torn England and the Atlantic cruise are very atmospheric and apply described. On an aside, the story involves Appleby treating a character suffering from multiple personality disorder by essentially killing the other personalities by sort of therapy, which is in a way revolutionary and slightly problematic.
Overall, was slightly disappointed by the book as the mystery was clearly lacking and the investigation was based more on coincidences and conjectures, than on evidence. The only true piece of detection was done by Appleby's Aunt(a very fun character). The enjoyable parts were the writing which shows clear similarities with that of Gladys Mitchell and Edmund Crispin(both authors I adore), all of whom acknowledged each others influence on their work and belonged to the Comic school of Golden Age Detective fiction. The setting of war-torn England and the Atlantic cruise are very atmospheric and apply described. On an aside, the story involves Appleby treating a character suffering from multiple personality disorder by essentially killing the other personalities by sort of therapy, which is in a way revolutionary and slightly problematic.
January 10, 2020
Almost completely bonkers. I had to have two goes at this, managing to complete it at the second attempt after a long run up. Starting out conventionally enough with Appleby being sent to find a stolen horse in 1942 Harrogate, the tale transmogrifies into an Odyssey across the south Atlantic and up a South American river to an island where the horse thief plans world domination through rounding up all manor of oddly talented people, a bit like the plans of Dominic Cummings to liven up the civil service.
At one point even Appleby starts to wonder what the hell is going on.
Also, aren't South American alligators caymen?
I'll stick to the police procedurals, thanks all the same.
At one point even Appleby starts to wonder what the hell is going on.
"We're in a sort of hodge-podge of fantasy and harum-scarum adventure that isn't a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes."
"Innes? I've never heard of him." Appleby spoke with decided exasperation.
Also, aren't South American alligators caymen?
I'll stick to the police procedurals, thanks all the same.
Read
November 4, 2020This must have struck readers in 1942 as a welcome kind of escapism. While there are thoughtful references to the wartime situation in London, the plot takes Inspector Appleby far away from the action, into an unlikely scheme to collect paranormal talents in a South American jungle. Daffodil is a horse (a cab horse, reminding us that automobiles had not yet taken over taxi services, at least in Harrogate), and Wordsworth’s daffodils are mentioned or alluded to in the opening chapter both by characters and by the narrator. Appleby’s colleague, Hudspith, is a Scotland Yard equivalent of Dick Wolf’s Special Victims Unit detectives, obsessed with the exploitation of “half-witted” girls. Some characters do die, but the mood is prevailingly silly. Hudspith, who reads detective fiction, comments that their adventure doesn’t even qualify as a detective story: “We might be by Michael Innes,” he says. In 2020 we’re not at war, but escape is welcome now too.
June 8, 2021
Thanks to Agora Books and Net Galley for a review copy. I would give it about 2.7 stars.
The Daffodil Affair reminded me of the works of Algernon Blackwood, which I found in my high school library some 60 years ago. It is a fantasy with occult elements set in real time and place with the very solid Inspector Appleby caught at the heart of it. It requires the reader, like Appleby, to suspend their disbelief and go along for the ride. I was able to do this, but can’t say I derived much enjoyment from doing so.
Innes’s tendency to verbosity doesn’t help the modern reader, although it does fit with the queer atmosphere and plot.
The narrative is saved by Appleby’s perception, hard- headedness, leadership and capacity to recognise the same in others. For those who follow his cases or have interest in the arcane this is worth the effort. It is neither, however, a good introduction to the series, nor a page-turner.
The Daffodil Affair reminded me of the works of Algernon Blackwood, which I found in my high school library some 60 years ago. It is a fantasy with occult elements set in real time and place with the very solid Inspector Appleby caught at the heart of it. It requires the reader, like Appleby, to suspend their disbelief and go along for the ride. I was able to do this, but can’t say I derived much enjoyment from doing so.
Innes’s tendency to verbosity doesn’t help the modern reader, although it does fit with the queer atmosphere and plot.
The narrative is saved by Appleby’s perception, hard- headedness, leadership and capacity to recognise the same in others. For those who follow his cases or have interest in the arcane this is worth the effort. It is neither, however, a good introduction to the series, nor a page-turner.
June 22, 2021
Scottish author and academic Michael Innes wrote this splendid novel while he was Jury Professor of English at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. After he had discarded all the tropes of golden age crime fiction he wrote to entertain himself, his family and his ever-growing number of fans, using a combination of intellectual charm and mischievous wit. It was 1942 but he didn't let a little thing like the Second World War interfere with his plot.
Amidst many a Shakespeare quote, Appleby finds himself in the company of a witch, an Italian medium, a girl possessed by demons, and a tribe of cannibals, in search of a horse who can count, a house stolen from a Bloomsbury square, in an adventure crossing oceans.
This is Michael Innes at his playful best - fantasy at its most fantastic. A classic not to be missed.
Amidst many a Shakespeare quote, Appleby finds himself in the company of a witch, an Italian medium, a girl possessed by demons, and a tribe of cannibals, in search of a horse who can count, a house stolen from a Bloomsbury square, in an adventure crossing oceans.
This is Michael Innes at his playful best - fantasy at its most fantastic. A classic not to be missed.
March 11, 2019
A bit of a far fetched tale. A horse goes missing - this horse is a bit different, good at numbers!
At the same time two young girls go missing, presumably kidnapped, probably human trafficking and the best part is yet to come, during the Blitz a house in Bloomsbury actually goes missing.
Now to put the three strands together - they are connected though not obviously so is the work of our Inspector and his side kick.
This is a quirky read, lots of literary references splattered throughout the book, all adding a piquancy to the read. It is a detective story with a lot of suspense. I like the references to the author himself in the book all adding great interest. Also very descriptive.
At the same time two young girls go missing, presumably kidnapped, probably human trafficking and the best part is yet to come, during the Blitz a house in Bloomsbury actually goes missing.
Now to put the three strands together - they are connected though not obviously so is the work of our Inspector and his side kick.
This is a quirky read, lots of literary references splattered throughout the book, all adding a piquancy to the read. It is a detective story with a lot of suspense. I like the references to the author himself in the book all adding great interest. Also very descriptive.
May 19, 2026
Ok, Innes often has his moments of archness and whimsy—and sometimes they last through the whole book. This one is an experiment in unabashed fantasy that he’s trying to get a hold of, but now that Appleby and another policemen are pretending to be Australian wool merchants while we’re sailing to South America with a haunted house, a cart horse that can count, and others with psychic powers, I have more than lost interest. It may have been a response to the war, but if it is, I prefer The Secret Vanguard, which was much more compelling. Stopped on page 88.
May 18, 2021
The plot was absurd - a real mix of sleuthing and thriller and fantasy. It starts in London, moves to Harrogate with a detour in York, then onto a ship, and then up a South American river ... in pursuit of a missing horse, a missing girl, and a missing house. In war-time. Some of the characters were wonderful, some were fantastic, and it was not so much as who-dun-it as a how-do-they-escape-and-foil-the-plot ... it's not my favorite Appleby.
February 17, 2024
This book is part of the 50 Classics of Crime Fiction 1900–1950 series. This is not your usual detective story. In fact, this story is unique. Liberally salted with unusual characters and expertly conveying fantastic scenery and atmosphere, this story keeps your attention not so much by the plot, but by curiosity. Where is this going?! With delightful use of language, humor and the unexpected, as well as a horse, you can't go wrong.
December 23, 2017
Innes’ Appleby and Hudspeth remind me a lot of Christopher Fowler’s Bryant and May mysteries. They have the same improbabilities wrapped up in a (sort of) reasonable explanation. Appleby travels to South America to solve the disappearance of a witch, a house, and a horse. He sorted out the explanation far before I did!
January 13, 2018
This book gave me a blend of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes vibes. It took me such a long time to get the writing flow because the characters were as dynamic as they came and once I got the pace and the humor it became an enjoyable read.
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery with diverse characters, you'll love this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery with diverse characters, you'll love this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
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