The Open House (1972)

by Michael Innes

Series: Inspector Appleby (26)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
140	9	196,449	(3.92)	11
When Inspector Appleby's car breaks down on a deserted road one dark night, he happens upon an imposing mansion, whose windows are all illuminated. His sense of curiosity gets the better of him when he discovers that the front door is wide open, and he gets a funny feeling of being watched as he wanders round this splendid house, looking for signs of life. When he finds an elaborate feast laid out, he wonders who is expected?… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)

An unexpected late night breakdown of his car leads Appleby into this case as he stumbles upon 'the open house' in his quest for an inn. The house is lit up and the door open but there is no-one to be found inside - at least, at first!

A fun entry in the Appleby series. (

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leslie.98 | Jun 27, 2023 |

I confess ... the writing seemed more convoluted than in other Appleby books. I gave up trying to follow the clues and just enjoyed the ride. (

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ReadMeAnother | Jun 22, 2020 |

A fair-play detective story, presented in Innes’s improbable mode. In this mode, one is not initially sure whether fantasy has intruded—but in fact rational explanations appear. The fight in the octagonal mirrored room (in the “hypertrophied” house of the title) is superb. All the action takes place over the course of one long night; as he promises himself, Appleby solves the murder mystery before breakfast. (

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NinieB | Jul 1, 2018 |

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leslie.98 | Dec 8, 2017 |

One of the better Appleby mysteries, and another quick read in the series. (

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JBD1 | May 3, 2017 |

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Belongs to Series

Inspector Appleby (26)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Vampiro (584)

Is contained in

Appleby's End | The Open House by Michael Innes

▾Awards and Honors

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New York Times Best Mysteries of the Year (1972)

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Original publication date

1972

People/Characters

John Appleby

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Epigraph

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First words

The sudden immobilizing of his car hadn't much discomposed John Appleby, but the subsequent failure of his electric torch was another matter.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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Original language

English

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▾Book descriptions

When Inspector Appleby's car breaks down on a deserted road one dark night, he happens upon an imposing mansion, whose windows are all illuminated. His sense of curiosity gets the better of him when he discovers that the front door is wide open, and he gets a funny feeling of being watched as he wanders round this splendid house, looking for signs of life. When he finds an elaborate feast laid out, he wonders who is expected?

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