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cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Much weirder and more discursive than I remembered, and not in a good way. I think I may be over Michael Innes, I have not much enjoyed the last few I've reread.
jayelle949290's review against another edition
2.0
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.
bmip666's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A good book even if it is a bit dated, especially in the way of writing.
Entertaining, a bit weird, a bit more adventurous than the typical mystery of the specific age.
It is not always easy to be involved but it is likeable.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley
Entertaining, a bit weird, a bit more adventurous than the typical mystery of the specific age.
It is not always easy to be involved but it is likeable.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley
majkia's review against another edition
What do a horsenapped Daffodil, a missing mentally challenged girl, and a house that disappears from London have in common? Appleby is on the case...
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘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
vsbedford's review against another edition
1.0
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.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A good book even if it is a bit dated, especially in the way of writing.
Entertaining, a bit weird, a bit more adventurous than the typical mystery of the specific age.
It is not always easy to be involved but it is likeable.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley
Entertaining, a bit weird, a bit more adventurous than the typical mystery of the specific age.
It is not always easy to be involved but it is likeable.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley
renaegade's review against another edition
2.0
This book will be a nice read for fans of Detective stories and historical genre. The language and style of prose is a bit dense but if you can wade through it this is whimsical story.
annarella's review
4.0
A good book even if it is a bit dated, especially in the way of writing.
Entertaining, a bit weird, a bit more adventurous than the typical mystery of the specific age.
It is not always easy to be involved but it is likeable.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley
Entertaining, a bit weird, a bit more adventurous than the typical mystery of the specific age.
It is not always easy to be involved but it is likeable.
Many thanks to Ipso Books and Netgalley