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A gruelling night of shrouded motives and confused identities develops when the last of the Dromios is found murdered, with both of his hands burnt off. He was one of triplets, whose brothers had died in a fire forty years previously. Inspector Appleby wrenches the facts from a melodrama in which the final solution is written in fire.Tags
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A baronet killed in his study at midnight by a blow to the back of the head. What could be more commonplace in detective fiction? And yet it tests Appleby's problem-solving abilities to the limit.
A very enjoyable yarn, with lots of sly references to the Comedy of Errors and other stories so that you don't even blink at a farmer's wife called Mrs. Marple whose poultry has been pilfered.
A very enjoyable yarn, with lots of sly references to the Comedy of Errors and other stories so that you don't even blink at a farmer's wife called Mrs. Marple whose poultry has been pilfered.
Appleby has left Scotland Yard following his marriage but still gets talked into helping the local police inspector when murder strikes the Dromio family.
While this plot is convoluted in typical Innes fashion, this 11th entry in the series is more of a straight-forward police procedural than several of the previous books. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, I found this one of the more entertaining books so far.
While this plot is convoluted in typical Innes fashion, this 11th entry in the series is more of a straight-forward police procedural than several of the previous books. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, I found this one of the more entertaining books so far.
An intriguing mystery of long-lost relatives, dark family secrets, blackmail, and inter-continental intrigue, this novel borders on Gothic with its suspenseful plot and sinister twists. The plot is also remarkable as the entire story takes place in less than twenty-four hours. However, the plot never feels rushed; rather Innes moves the story along at just the right speed to maximize the suspense and horror.
Appleby has left Scotland Yard following his marriage but still gets talked into helping the local police inspector when murder strikes the Dromio family.
While this plot is convoluted in typical Innes fashion, this 11th entry in the series is more of a straight-forward police procedural than several of the previous books. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, I found this one of the more entertaining books so far.
While this plot is convoluted in typical Innes fashion, this 11th entry in the series is more of a straight-forward police procedural than several of the previous books. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, I found this one of the more entertaining books so far.
Fun read. The Appleby mysteries used to be a favorite of mine and I hadn't read this one before. This book had the literate, somewhat tricky and ridiculous plot that some of the earlier ones had. I liked it but the plot did seem really ridiculous. Also, until this book, I hadn't realized that Appleby had retired from the CID after his marriage because in later books he was back with Scotland yard.
This tale of triplets and a family curse of sorts is full of drama and unexpected twists. Appleby doesn't make his appearance until well into the book, which might account for the slow start. But the sense of something horrible waiting at the end is there right from the opening pages, and the book doesn't disappoint.
CMB
CMB
This is a Inspector Appleby mystery. It is filled with complex plot twists and is quite entertaining.
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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
- A Night of Errors
- Original publication date
- 1947
- People/Characters
- John Appleby
- Important places
- Sherris Hall
- Epigraph
- ...so that night began and continued to the
end, in nothing but confusion and errors; whereupon
it was ever afterwards called the Night of Errors.
Gesta Grayorum, 1594 - First words
- The Dromios came to England at the end of the sixteenth century, the precise date being probably 1592.
- Quotations
- The Dromios came to England at the end of the sixteenth century ...There is no certainty on where they came from - Ephesus and Syracuse have been suggested - but ... they seem to have been persons somewhat below the middle st... (show all)ation of life, and were "of servile condition".
About the beginning of the twentieth century ... Sir Romeo Dromio ... tossed his three newly-born sons about the room like tennis balls. But the infants were none the worse, having inherited from their remote ancestors a virt... (show all)ual invulnerability to drubbing.
The [gamekeeper's] wife had given birth to twins a few days before [Lady Dromio's] own children came. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'Do you know, I am constrained to think of our family's namesakes in Shakespeare's play? To the first appearance of those earlier Dromios there was sometimes given the title, The Night of Errors. I think we may say that we have been through just that.'
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- 177
- Popularity
- 184,867
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.74)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 14
