The Open House

"The Open House" (1972) is one of my favorite Sir John Appleby mysteries--a slightly hallucinatory murder mystery set in what at first appears to be a fully furnished, but abandoned English manor. When Sir John stumbles across the house after his car breaks down in the middle of a very dark night, its front doors are open wide, all of the lights are on, and there is a cold collation set out in the dining room, along with a bottle of champagne on ice. In the bedroom, there is even a hot water bottle tucked under the bedclothes--and it is still warm.Sir John, retired Assistant Commissioner of New Scotland Yard, can't help feeling like Goldilocks in 'The Three Bears' when no one answers his shouted requests for assistance.Michael Innes (J.I.M. Stewart) has been compared to James in his use of allusion and his exquisitely drawn characterizations, done mainly through dialogue. Also Jamesian is his loving, detailed description of Ledward Park. With all of the description and dialogue, you might assume there isn't much action but Appleby, in spite of his claims to be elderly involves himself in a couple of rousing chases and fights, one in an octagonal room that is completely lined with mirrors.The plot is complicated by two sets of villains, but Sir John sorts everything out with his usual élan. South American politics, a multitude of heirs, an outrageous butler, and a false marriage, plus two accidental pummelings of a perfectly blameless rector are explained away by breakfast. In fact, Sir John toddles off with the rector, whom he had twice mistaken for a villain, and clarifies ALL in the best tradition of British Golden Age mysteries.If you are a already a fan of Margery Allingham, Edmund Crispin, or Dorothy Sayers, you definitely need to add Michael Innes's mysteries to your reading list. "The Open House" is perfect in its class, and you will also learn quite a bit about Carolingian architecture.