APPLEBY AND THE OSPREYS. de Innes, Michael - 1986

London: Gollancz, 1986. 188 pp, 8vo (8" H). "Clusters (a great English country house) is being troubled by bats - bats in the belfry, bats around the moat, as Lord and Lady Osprey complain to their luncheon guests, who include Sir John Appleby, sometime Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and, though now retired, still keenly interested in any puzzling crime. In the matter of the bats he is unhelpful, but soon he faces the challenge of a murder: the murder of Lord Osprey, stabbed with an oriental dagger, and in the library too. The conventions are properly observed. There's an omniscient butler, Bagot. The moat gleams darkly, guarding its secrets. Inspector Ringwood sets up his 'incident room' in the ballroom, which dazzles with mirrors, chandeliers and trompe l'oeil. The house guests include another title, a QC, and two or three experts on numismatics. And that last point takes us to the heart of the mystery: where, in this vast architectural pile, did Lord Osprey conceal his collection of antique coins? There are clues: the key in the library, the skiff on the moat, the intruder glimpsed through the French doors; even, possibly, the local publican's claim that an Osprey has raped his daughter. Appleby solves the problem with all his usual wit, ingenuity and aplomb. And the bats have the last word: very startling so." Previous owner's name in ink on free front endpaper, book is slightly cocked. Dust jacket has minor edge wrinkling, soft crease at top of rear flap.. First British Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good.