Rating: 4/5
Review:
Very entertaining
I enjoyed The Secret Vanguard very much. It is a departure from Michael Innes's previous
Appleby mysteries, which are extremely intricate, donnish puzzles; this is a
1939 tale of spies and kidnapping set largely in the Scottish Highlands and
which has strong echoes of John Buchan in its plot and setting, but which
preserves much of Innes's dry wit in the telling.
The death of a minor poet and an overheard conversation on a
train lead to the discovery of a sinister plot (presumably by the Nazis,
although this is never explicitly stated) to steal a vital chemical formula. This develops into a lengthy chase story with
plenty of close shaves and unexpected turns. It's a hopelessly improbable romp with just
sufficient plausibility to be an enjoyable and rather engrossing read. In addition, Innes's characters are nicely
done – the doughty young woman, the distracted but determined academic, and the
great Appleby himself, among others – and he paints a good picture of remote Scotland.
As usual, the chief pleasure for me is in Innes's style and
in his sometimes quite acute observations about people and social mores. As a distinguished Professor of English,
Innes expects his audience to be unfazed by references to Swinburne, for
example, or exchanges like this about the murder victim, with no further
explanation:
"He had been listening to Opus 131."
"Ah."
Innes rejoices in the use of quite recondite language – the
words otiose, belletrist and crepuscular all occur in a single paragraph at one
point, for example – which gives the narrative a wry, slightly ironic feel. Personally, I find all this very entertaining,
and if you feel the same way, I can recommend The Secret Vanguard as an amusing
and surprisingly rewarding read.
(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)
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