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A Scotland Yard inspector holds the key when a college professor is shot behind a series of locked gates in this classic British mystery series opener. The usually quiet campus of St. Anthony's College is abuzz with talk of murder. Someone shot Prof. Josiah Umpleby, the college's president, in his room during the night. Word spreads all the way to London, and Insp. John Appleby of New Scotland Yard is dispatched to consult on the case. The local authorities are already occupied with a string show more of burglaries and could use the help with this unusual death. Appleby learns that at night, the campus gates are locked, and a section of the college is shut off from the rest. In other words, someone would need a key to reach the president, and that limits Appleby's suspects down to seven. Now Appleby must keep his wits about him as he combs the grounds for clues. The killer is still on the loose, and they need to be taught a lesson . . . Originally published under the title Seven Suspects Praise for Michael Innes & Death at the President's Lodging "One of the best detective novels." -The Scotsman "A brilliant newcomer." -News Chronicle (UK) "Quite the most accomplished first crime-novel that I have read." -C. Day Lewis, Daily Mail. show lessTags
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This first installment of the Inspector Appleby series is a classic locked-room mystery set in the fictional St. Anthony's college, where its president, Dr. Umpleby, has just been murdered. Because of the prominence of the victim, Inspector Appleby is summoned from Scotland Yard to assist the local police. He soon learns that the layout of the college would have made it impossible for someone without a key to access the scene of the crime. Therefore, suspicion centers around the other fellows of the college, most of whom either had a key or could easily obtain one. As Appleby begins his investigation, he notices strong tensions among these men and uncovers various professional rivalries. He also begins to realize that the case is show more cluttered with many side issues and diversions. But as he sifts the relevant facts from the distractions, Appleby eventually reaches a conclusion as bizarre as it is shocking.
I've now read two mysteries by Michael Innes, and what I've learned is that I love his solutions, but I'm not terribly fond of how he gets there! In most mysteries that I read, there's not a lot of irrelevant information; every fact the detective discovers is a clue. In this book, on the other hand, much of what Appleby discovers isn't relevant to the solution of the murder. This is certainly more realistic than, say, a Poirot mystery, but it made the reading experience more difficult for me. I also didn't like the relative lack of character delineation. It's been less than a month since I read this book, and already I couldn't tell you the main suspects' names! Nobody (including Appleby) has much personality, so the murder is more like a logic puzzle than a dramatic event involving actual human beings. All that said, I really did love the solution to this one, which got downright farcical in places! So overall, I'm glad I read this book, but I doubt I'll get sucked into the rest of the series -- which is probably a good thing! show less
I've now read two mysteries by Michael Innes, and what I've learned is that I love his solutions, but I'm not terribly fond of how he gets there! In most mysteries that I read, there's not a lot of irrelevant information; every fact the detective discovers is a clue. In this book, on the other hand, much of what Appleby discovers isn't relevant to the solution of the murder. This is certainly more realistic than, say, a Poirot mystery, but it made the reading experience more difficult for me. I also didn't like the relative lack of character delineation. It's been less than a month since I read this book, and already I couldn't tell you the main suspects' names! Nobody (including Appleby) has much personality, so the murder is more like a logic puzzle than a dramatic event involving actual human beings. All that said, I really did love the solution to this one, which got downright farcical in places! So overall, I'm glad I read this book, but I doubt I'll get sucked into the rest of the series -- which is probably a good thing! show less
In this, his first mystery, Innes had not quite realized his individual voice. There are odd echoes of Ngaio Marsh's Alleyne and Fox in the interaction between Appleby and the local inspector.
Innes' undergraduate characters are generally caricatures; in this novel they are obtrusively and painfully so. By contrast, the dons are described with a certain amount of psychological insight and are a quite enjoyable bunch. The actual resolution of the crime is uninteresting; but since it occurs just a few pages short of the end and the story is so enjoyable this is not a serious flaw.
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Re-read this a few days ago, paying more attention to the clues. The timetable is actually quite easy to keep in one's head. Ultimately, Appleby gets clues show more from lots of sources, but each source has drawn mistaken conclusions from what they have seen. It is Appleby who manages to come up with the whole, correct, story. show less
Innes' undergraduate characters are generally caricatures; in this novel they are obtrusively and painfully so. By contrast, the dons are described with a certain amount of psychological insight and are a quite enjoyable bunch. The actual resolution of the crime is uninteresting; but since it occurs just a few pages short of the end and the story is so enjoyable this is not a serious flaw.
====
Re-read this a few days ago, paying more attention to the clues. The timetable is actually quite easy to keep in one's head. Ultimately, Appleby gets clues show more from lots of sources, but each source has drawn mistaken conclusions from what they have seen. It is Appleby who manages to come up with the whole, correct, story. show less
While reading this, I was sometimes convinced that Michael Innes was writing primarily for his own amusement. This tale, which takes place in a cloistered university setting, such as those he was intimately familiar with, takes time to introduce us to all sorts of esoteric knowledge and the somewhat inexplicable, but always very peculiar, behavior of the all-male cast of characters at its center, who include the various members of the faculty under suspicion for the murder of the college President, three clever students playing as amateur sleuths, the well-educated police inspector sent from Scotland Yard (Innes’ long-running character, Appleby), the not so highly-educated, but undoubtedly clever local police representative, his staff show more who perform several useful parts of the investigation, various employees of the college, and the occasional pubkeeper or postman. The lack of females is so notable that Innes goes out of his way to point out the only appearance of a woman in the book!
To someone of the author’s intellect and cultural and educational background, this book is probably highly amusing, perhaps even side-splitting. For a more ordinary American reader of the 21st century, rather than 1936, when the book was first published, it is still mostly enjoyable, but occasionally too British for even a semi-Anglophile to decipher all the references and some of the language (being a classical scholar would help). And there is a LOT of language. Conversations go on for pages, and the characters use words I have never even seen before—good words, however, and reading on a Kindle puts their meaning close at hand. Nevertheless, the book is seriously over-verbose.
As for the mystery, we are taken through Appleby’s (and the three student sleuths’) attempts to unravel it in great detail. Clues collected by the police are described in detail as they arrive. Elaborate timetables are constructed and discussed (yes, at length). The final solution, complex though it may be, makes sense. If you are seriously interested in solving it yourself, you should keep a notebook, as Appleby does, noting the tiems and places from the various players’ accounts and the police reports. But be warned: Innes is devious.
As part of his fun here, one of the faculty is also (under a pseudonym) a well known crime author. This gives Innes the opportunity to, in a fictional setting, talk about the differences between how crimes are solved in real life (lots of loose ends go unresolved) and how they are solved in detective novels (everything is neatly tied up). Appleby, though he considers himself to be a fictional character, nevertheless prefers the detective story approach, as if he were in a novel. This is the type of game Innes likes to play with the reader, but again, I think he is mainly amusing himself. I would have been more amused if the book were ¾ its length. show less
To someone of the author’s intellect and cultural and educational background, this book is probably highly amusing, perhaps even side-splitting. For a more ordinary American reader of the 21st century, rather than 1936, when the book was first published, it is still mostly enjoyable, but occasionally too British for even a semi-Anglophile to decipher all the references and some of the language (being a classical scholar would help). And there is a LOT of language. Conversations go on for pages, and the characters use words I have never even seen before—good words, however, and reading on a Kindle puts their meaning close at hand. Nevertheless, the book is seriously over-verbose.
As for the mystery, we are taken through Appleby’s (and the three student sleuths’) attempts to unravel it in great detail. Clues collected by the police are described in detail as they arrive. Elaborate timetables are constructed and discussed (yes, at length). The final solution, complex though it may be, makes sense. If you are seriously interested in solving it yourself, you should keep a notebook, as Appleby does, noting the tiems and places from the various players’ accounts and the police reports. But be warned: Innes is devious.
As part of his fun here, one of the faculty is also (under a pseudonym) a well known crime author. This gives Innes the opportunity to, in a fictional setting, talk about the differences between how crimes are solved in real life (lots of loose ends go unresolved) and how they are solved in detective novels (everything is neatly tied up). Appleby, though he considers himself to be a fictional character, nevertheless prefers the detective story approach, as if he were in a novel. This is the type of game Innes likes to play with the reader, but again, I think he is mainly amusing himself. I would have been more amused if the book were ¾ its length. show less
Six-word review: Talky but entertaining British murder mystery.
Extended review:
This first (1936) entry in the Inspector Appleby series is also my first novel by Michael Innes. LT posts led me to expect exactly what I got: a clever, articulate, and highly vocabulous detective story in the tradition of the Golden Age of mystery writing. The author amuses himself and the reader by playing with the conventions of the genre, including the very familiar trappings of a fictitious stand-in for Oxford University and the clichés of detective fiction, and by caricaturing the dons and their learned, windy speeches.
Two recent thought-provoking remarks by jillmwo seem particularly apt in this context. In her reading journal (link) she show more writes:
Speaking entirely personally, I want to go back to the olden days of publishing mysteries when we had bodies found perhaps in the library but politely left without blood spatter or other indiscreet indications of pain or violence. Miss Marple, Monsieur Poirot--definitely more my speed.
This is a story written at that speed. And I, for one, felt some relief going in, knowing that the crime, however it might be committed, would be handled tastefully: a few drops of blood, perhaps, but no pools and no splatters. I wasn't looking for brutal realism but for diverting escapism. It's nice to know when you can trust an author for this.
The second and even more thoughtful remark appears in my own reading thread (link):
You're quite right that in a more satisfying era, detective stories were about re-creating the social order following the disruptive criminal act. I think it's a shame that we now seem to accord more visibility to the angst driving the criminal act than to the restoration of the balance.
Here she puts her finger on what is perhaps the key to the satisfying quality of old-fashioned detective stories: the return to equilibrium at the conclusion. Evil intent and evil action have disturbed the peace, but they have been found out and the perpetrator neutralized. All loss is not restored: lost life is gone forever. But justice has been served, and by simple human agency, meaning that it is within our power (even if the means and methods at times seem somewhat outside the range of probability). For a moment all is well, and we can believe in safety and order once again.
So why did I give this book only three and a half stars? On my scale, three stars are a decent mark. It does not aspire to be literature, however literary its style, and it does not achieve greatness on some cosmic scale, but it delivers what it promises, which is to me a book's most fundamental virtue.
I would read another by this author. show less
Extended review:
This first (1936) entry in the Inspector Appleby series is also my first novel by Michael Innes. LT posts led me to expect exactly what I got: a clever, articulate, and highly vocabulous detective story in the tradition of the Golden Age of mystery writing. The author amuses himself and the reader by playing with the conventions of the genre, including the very familiar trappings of a fictitious stand-in for Oxford University and the clichés of detective fiction, and by caricaturing the dons and their learned, windy speeches.
Two recent thought-provoking remarks by jillmwo seem particularly apt in this context. In her reading journal (link) she show more writes:
Speaking entirely personally, I want to go back to the olden days of publishing mysteries when we had bodies found perhaps in the library but politely left without blood spatter or other indiscreet indications of pain or violence. Miss Marple, Monsieur Poirot--definitely more my speed.
This is a story written at that speed. And I, for one, felt some relief going in, knowing that the crime, however it might be committed, would be handled tastefully: a few drops of blood, perhaps, but no pools and no splatters. I wasn't looking for brutal realism but for diverting escapism. It's nice to know when you can trust an author for this.
The second and even more thoughtful remark appears in my own reading thread (link):
You're quite right that in a more satisfying era, detective stories were about re-creating the social order following the disruptive criminal act. I think it's a shame that we now seem to accord more visibility to the angst driving the criminal act than to the restoration of the balance.
Here she puts her finger on what is perhaps the key to the satisfying quality of old-fashioned detective stories: the return to equilibrium at the conclusion. Evil intent and evil action have disturbed the peace, but they have been found out and the perpetrator neutralized. All loss is not restored: lost life is gone forever. But justice has been served, and by simple human agency, meaning that it is within our power (even if the means and methods at times seem somewhat outside the range of probability). For a moment all is well, and we can believe in safety and order once again.
So why did I give this book only three and a half stars? On my scale, three stars are a decent mark. It does not aspire to be literature, however literary its style, and it does not achieve greatness on some cosmic scale, but it delivers what it promises, which is to me a book's most fundamental virtue.
I would read another by this author. show less
Innes's first Appleby mystery is not my favorite by a long shot. It tries to hard to distance itself from detective fiction with elaborate meta-commentary, every character is described in arch pseudo-psychological style, the mystery is a locked room murder but tied up repeatedly in the minute by minute analysis of every suspect's movements, and the solution, while admirably complex, also depends far too much on multiple characters doing actions that later they confess was hard to defend. Also, the repeated mention of how challenging Appleby found this case because of all the suspects were academics and hence more intelligent than the average person is both incredibly elitist and simply untrue. Perhaps that was meant satirically (by the show more author, not Appleby) but it still left me annoyed.
OK for completists and those for whom a cozy British murder novel can do no wrong. show less
OK for completists and those for whom a cozy British murder novel can do no wrong. show less
First published in 1936, Death at the President’s Lodging is both author Michael Innes first novel and the first book in his Inspector Appleby series. The body of the President of St. Anthony’s College is discovered in his study, and it’s appearance appears rather staged as his head is swathed in an academic gown and his body is surrounded by bones. The suspect list is narrowed down to seven men, the only ones with keys to the area surrounding the study and Inspector Appleby is called in to investigate.
The book is set totally within St. Anthony’s College, with a map of the college and it’s grounds supplied at the beginning of the book. With seven suspects I thought I would be able to figure out who the murderer was but I was show more totally in the dark. The plot was very clever but I wasn’t such a fan of the intricate discussions that occurred among the academics, a little too high-brow for me. The mystery was slowly put together by Appleby who comes across as an intelligent gentlemanly detective who relies upon his brain to work out the clues.
Death at the President’s Lodging is both a creative and complex mystery that takes full advantage of it’s academic atmosphere. I have previously read a couple of Michael Innes stand-alone mysteries and I have a couple of the Appleby series on my Kindle so I will definitely be reading more from this golden-age author. show less
The book is set totally within St. Anthony’s College, with a map of the college and it’s grounds supplied at the beginning of the book. With seven suspects I thought I would be able to figure out who the murderer was but I was show more totally in the dark. The plot was very clever but I wasn’t such a fan of the intricate discussions that occurred among the academics, a little too high-brow for me. The mystery was slowly put together by Appleby who comes across as an intelligent gentlemanly detective who relies upon his brain to work out the clues.
Death at the President’s Lodging is both a creative and complex mystery that takes full advantage of it’s academic atmosphere. I have previously read a couple of Michael Innes stand-alone mysteries and I have a couple of the Appleby series on my Kindle so I will definitely be reading more from this golden-age author. show less
Very much a classic, not least in its status as Stewart's first book as "Michael Innes".
The characterisation of the college fellows is both entertaining and believable, and the trouble Innes has gone to to create a plausible third Ancient University in the neighbourhood of Bletchley (the railway junction where passengers from Oxford to Cambridge used to have to change trains) is very impressive. All it takes are a few names of streets, pubs and colleges thrown in as though we know exactly where they are. There are quite a few little throwaway literary references, though nothing too obscure: one clue or bit of misdirection hinges on the only bit of Kant most of us are likely to be aware of. At one point Appleby finds himself show more co-operating with a don who writes crime novels in his spare time. Some literature graduates may raise a weary smile of recognition on spotting a character called Empson in a story in which both ambiguity and the number seven play a significant role, although Innes takes care to make E. an elderly scholar in the field of psychology (the real William Empson was thirty and teaching in Asia in 1936).
There aren't any characters apart from the dons, Appleby, a couple of local policemen, and three rather generic silly undergraduates. No women with speaking parts at all, and no love-interest of any kind, just a ridiculous number of conflicting alibis, red herrings, and a crazy obsession with precise timings. A lot of method and opportunity, but not much real examination of motive. The premise seems to be that the Head of a college is ipso facto fair game, no additional motive being required. It's a straightforward single murder, but the solution is almost absurdly complicated. Entertaining, but a bit trying. show less
The characterisation of the college fellows is both entertaining and believable, and the trouble Innes has gone to to create a plausible third Ancient University in the neighbourhood of Bletchley (the railway junction where passengers from Oxford to Cambridge used to have to change trains) is very impressive. All it takes are a few names of streets, pubs and colleges thrown in as though we know exactly where they are. There are quite a few little throwaway literary references, though nothing too obscure: one clue or bit of misdirection hinges on the only bit of Kant most of us are likely to be aware of. At one point Appleby finds himself show more co-operating with a don who writes crime novels in his spare time. Some literature graduates may raise a weary smile of recognition on spotting a character called Empson in a story in which both ambiguity and the number seven play a significant role, although Innes takes care to make E. an elderly scholar in the field of psychology (the real William Empson was thirty and teaching in Asia in 1936).
There aren't any characters apart from the dons, Appleby, a couple of local policemen, and three rather generic silly undergraduates. No women with speaking parts at all, and no love-interest of any kind, just a ridiculous number of conflicting alibis, red herrings, and a crazy obsession with precise timings. A lot of method and opportunity, but not much real examination of motive. The premise seems to be that the Head of a college is ipso facto fair game, no additional motive being required. It's a straightforward single murder, but the solution is almost absurdly complicated. Entertaining, but a bit trying. show less
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Author Information
103+ Works 10,661 Members
John Innes Mackintosh Stewart was born in Edinburgh. He attended Oxford where he studied English. He taught English in universities at the University of Adelaide, in South Australia. Stewart published novels, short stories, studies in literature, biographies, and plays. Under his name, he wrote scholarly works such as Character and Motive in show more Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, and Thomas Hardy. As Michael Innes, he wrote over fifty detective novels with Inspector John Appleby of Scotland Yard in London as the main character. These titles include Death at the President's Lodging, The Journeying Boy, Lament for a Maker, Operation Pax, the Crabtree Affair and Silence Observed. Stewart died on November 12, 1994. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Death at the President's Lodging
- Original title
- Death at the president's lodging
- Alternate titles
- Seven Suspects
- Original publication date
- 1936
- People/Characters
- John Appleby; Inspector Dodd
- Important places
- St Anthony's College
- First words
- An academic life, Dr Johnson observed, puts one little in the way of extraordinary casualties.
- Quotations
- "The Titlows", he replied at length, with a gesture that took in the whole academic world of Appleby's question, "would not fake a text, for a text belongs to a realm of pure knowledge which they would not betray. There can b... (show all)e no question of expediency in that realm. But in the world of affairs, knowledge is not serene: it is often obscured - sometimes by human wickedness, often by human stupidity. In the world, truth may require for its vindication the weapons of the world - and the necessity will justify their use. The Titlows do not think of the world - your world perhaps, Señor - as very perceptive, as very pertinacious for the truth. They live themselves remote from the world - too remote today. And when the world suddenly thrusts its crisis, its decisions upon them, their response is uncertain, erratic - like that of children. But in intelligence, in pertinacious thought, they regard the world as a child. And so, although they will not fake a text to pass about among themselves, they might, to guide the world ... put out a simplified edition."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'A title for the book you may never be able to write: Death at the President's Lodging.'
- Original language*
- Inglés
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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