An ex–Scotland Yard inspector is pulled out of retirement to investigate a murder and a family''s fiery legacy in this classic British mystery.Sir John Appleby has left Scotland Yard behind to retire to the country—but there''s no escaping crime. In the middle of a hot summer night, he is woken up by a phone call. Inspector Hyland of the Sherris Magna police is in dire need of assistance after a local baronet has been murdered . . .Of course, it''s far more complex than that. Authorities believe Sir Oliver Dromio was hit over the head with a revolver then burned in his study''s fireplace. There''s also the matter of Oliver''s brothers. The late baronet was a triplet who lost his two brothers in a fire forty years ago. Was Oliver''s murder an act of retribution?Appleby makes his way to Sherris Hall where he gets caught up in a family''s melodrama in a household teeming with legend and tragedy. Sifting through family secrets in squabbles, Appleby must smoke out a killer before they strike again . . .Praise for Michael Innes and Inspector Appleby"The author''s ingenuity and wit are seemingly endless." —The Daily Telegraph"Altogether a brilliant piece of work." —Birmingham Post"Innes is in a class by himself when it comes to detective fiction." —The Times Literary Supplement

An ex–Scotland Yard inspector is pulled out of retirement to investigate a murder and a family''s fiery legacy in this classic British mystery.Sir John Appleby has left Scotland Yard behind to retire to the country—but there''s no escaping crime. In the middle of a hot summer night, he is woken up by a phone call. Inspector Hyland of the Sherris Magna police is in dire need of assistance after a local baronet has been murdered . . .Of course, it''s far more complex than that. Authorities believe Sir Oliver Dromio was hit over the head with a revolver then burned in his study''s fireplace. There''s also the matter of Oliver''s brothers. The late baronet was a triplet who lost his two brothers in a fire forty years ago. Was Oliver''s murder an act of retribution?Appleby makes his way to Sherris Hall where he gets caught up in a family''s melodrama in a household teeming with legend and tragedy. Sifting through family secrets in squabbles, Appleby must smoke out a killer before they strike again . . .Praise for Michael Innes and Inspector Appleby"The author''s ingenuity and wit are seemingly endless." —The Daily Telegraph"Altogether a brilliant piece of work." —Birmingham Post"Innes is in a class by himself when it comes to detective fiction." —The Times Literary Supplement

An ex–Scotland Yard inspector is pulled out of retirement to investigate a murder and a family''s fiery legacy in this classic British mystery.Sir John Appleby has left Scotland Yard behind to retire to the country—but there''s no escaping crime. In the middle of a hot summer night, he is woken up by a phone call. Inspector Hyland of the Sherris Magna police is in dire need of assistance after a local baronet has been murdered . . .Of course, it''s far more complex than that. Authorities believe Sir Oliver Dromio was hit over the head with a revolver then burned in his study''s fireplace. There''s also the matter of Oliver''s brothers. The late baronet was a triplet who lost his two brothers in a fire forty years ago. Was Oliver''s murder an act of retribution?Appleby makes his way to Sherris Hall where he gets caught up in a family''s melodrama in a household teeming with legend and tragedy. Sifting through family secrets in squabbles, Appleby must smoke out a killer before they strike again . . .Praise for Michael Innes and Inspector Appleby"The author''s ingenuity and wit are seemingly endless." —The Daily Telegraph"Altogether a brilliant piece of work." —Birmingham Post"Innes is in a class by himself when it comes to detective fiction." —The Times Literary Supplement