When the arrival of Australian relations produces even more turbulence amongst the Simney family than they manage by themselves, the result is murder.

I don't think I've ever read this Innes before, and it really isn't one of his better ones. When Nicolette resumes the narrative after the part narrated by Harold, Inspector Cadover's sidekick, I was momentarily confused in several places as I thought Harold was still the narrator. And even amongst the weird and wonderful solutions Michael Innes and Edmund Crispin indulge in, this solution stands out as pretty unbelievable. ( )

Shortly after the arrival of some Australian relatives, the "bad baronet" Sir George Simney is murdered. The tale of the circumstances and investigation is told at first by his wife, then taken up by the young assistant to the all-knowing investigator. The true story emerges in bits and pieces, with the usual red herrings and dead ends competing for our attention before the complicated truth is revealed.

Innes's style and pacing are enjoyable. The narration provided by each viewpoint character tells us about those characters as well as the facts of the story. The little bit of karma or comeuppance we see is fairly gentle. The detective drags in bits of Cuvier and Gilbert and Sullivan, giving a certain Victorian flair to the proceedings.

In the interest of verisimilitude, the eldest of the Australian Simneys does "drop some Ns" in the course of describing the practice of "blackbirding." To have used a more PC term would have seemed out of place in this context, and the offensive term should not have the same effect it would have in a more modern story or if spoken by a contemporary character.

Overall the book is a nice combination of police procedure and humorous telling, with some exotic background facts and an entertaining conclusion. Not a great book but definitely a fun read. ( )