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annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Appleby Talks Again is a re-release of the 15th book in the Inspector Appleby series. Written by Michael Innes and originally published in 1954, this collection of 16 stories, one novella, and a chapter excerpt, is now reformatted and available to a new generation of classic mystery readers.
The Appleby books are humorous light reading. Most of them are pastiches having the format of Sir John at a party or other social occasion, retelling what happened previously concerning a case. Many of these included stories are very cleverly constructed and the short format means that the plotting is very spare and fast paced. I was interested to see that the ersatz art dealer Mr. Braunkopf makes cameo appearances in several of these stories. He (Braunkopf a.k.a Hildebert Brown) first appeared in the very first Appleby mystery, 1952's A Private View (One Man Show in the USA).
The included stories in this collection are a mixed lot, but I would put the majority in the 3.5 - 4.5 star range. They are humorous, light, comical, and quintessentially British. There is nothing objectionable or graphic.
I enjoyed them all.
Worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers many (most) of the Inspector Appleby books are available for download in the KU subscription for free.
Four stars, comfort reading.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Appleby Talks Again is a re-release of the 15th book in the Inspector Appleby series. Written by Michael Innes and originally published in 1954, this collection of 16 stories, one novella, and a chapter excerpt, is now reformatted and available to a new generation of classic mystery readers.
The Appleby books are humorous light reading. Most of them are pastiches having the format of Sir John at a party or other social occasion, retelling what happened previously concerning a case. Many of these included stories are very cleverly constructed and the short format means that the plotting is very spare and fast paced. I was interested to see that the ersatz art dealer Mr. Braunkopf makes cameo appearances in several of these stories. He (Braunkopf a.k.a Hildebert Brown) first appeared in the very first Appleby mystery, 1952's A Private View (One Man Show in the USA).
The included stories in this collection are a mixed lot, but I would put the majority in the 3.5 - 4.5 star range. They are humorous, light, comical, and quintessentially British. There is nothing objectionable or graphic.
I enjoyed them all.
Worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers many (most) of the Inspector Appleby books are available for download in the KU subscription for free.
Four stars, comfort reading.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
vsbedford's review
4.0
A quick and enjoyable read - even though a few of these mysteries were confounding to me. I particularly like the stories in which Appleby regales a dinner party in these collections, as the party-goers usually interject with the same frustrations or questions that I have. Perfect while tucked up in bed with a cup of tea (or brandy). Recommended!
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.
ssejig's review
3.0
I haven't read a lot of the Appleby books but I hear about Innes' work on the Classic Mysteries podcast quite often. That made me very excited to see this book on NetGalley and even more delighted to get the ARC. The stories are interesting but very short which makes it hard for a plot to really develop. They were interesting, to be sure but I also felt the lack of character development. I really suspect it would be different had I read more Appleby stories.
Although it may not be. I recently started reading this book again and... I don't remember most of these stories. They are engaging but, as I mentioned before, some are very short which is actually sort of impressive, Innes creating a story in just a page or three.
Although it may not be. I recently started reading this book again and... I don't remember most of these stories. They are engaging but, as I mentioned before, some are very short which is actually sort of impressive, Innes creating a story in just a page or three.
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