The New Sonia Wayward by Michael Innes (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: The New Sonia Wayward

Author: Michael Innes

Publication: 1960 (and many reprints)

Format: ebook

Wikipedia Description

The New Sonia Wayward is a 1960 thriller novel by the British writer Michael Innes. It was published in the United States by Dodd, Mead under the alternative title The Case of Sonia Wayward. It is an inverted detective story with comedy elements, with the focus on the murderous protagonist. It was one of several standalone novels by Innes, who was best known for his series featuring the Golden Age detective John Appleby. Maurice Richardson writing in The Observer felt it "rather light for a suspense story but most pleasingly written."

Synopsis 
A retired colonel is married to a bullying tyrant who also happens to be a bestselling novelist. While on a sailing trip with his wife in the English Channel he throws her overboard. However, well-practiced in her style of writing, he continues to produce her novels to considerable success.

 

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

Michael Innes doesn't get nearly enough praise -- especially not his standalone novels like The New Sonia Wayward. In fact, the only reason you're seeing it today is because I'm killing two challenge stones with one book -- my "I" author and a title that features a name. I kind of knew that I would be going back to Innes for the author angle, but I had figured that I would be continuing his Inspector Appleby series and, therefore, the name would have been Hamlet as I still have only read the first out of thirty-six (not at all daunting a task). I checked my library app before Kindle, for some reason, and I'm awfully glad that I did. At least most of the Appleby series is on Kindle Unlimited, but I've only seen The New Sonia Wayward digitally via NYPL and archive.org

"Sonia Wayward" was the pen name of Colonel Ffolliot Petticate's wife, a popular romance novelist. She died while the two of them are alone on a yachting trip and rather than try to explain to the authorities what happened (which was natural causes and not murder), Petticate put a swim suit on her and rolled her into the water for a "burial at sea" of sorts. Her latest novel was a work-in-progress and she was actually mid-sentence when her heart gave out. He decided to finish it ... and continue writing under her name ... and to not tell anyone anything. 

She was a famous author with fans and publicists and staff so you can probably imagine how easy of a charade that was.

Let me tell you, you might be able to imagine, but I doubt you would be able to put it into words as well as Innes. Hence, get the book. Read the book. Then get more Innes and read those, too. [Digitals may be few and far between, but used paperbacks are not.]

****************************************************************

Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader

Michael Innes' Death at the President's Lodging

Death at the President's Lodging is the first John Appleby mystery and was published in 1936. I stumbled upon it 79 years later while searching for an "I" for my A to Z Author Challenge and I am so very glad that I did.

I love classic mysteries. Mysteries set before you could do a background search on someone just by going to Google. Before cell phones made calling for help instantaneous. Even better than a classic mystery without all of the technological gizmos and whatnots? One set in an academic setting. (I'm that much of a geek.)

The "President" in question here is (well, was before, you know, his death) the head of St. Anthony's College in England. You've heard of the "closed room mystery,"  right? Where the crime is committed under seemingly impossible circumstances -- like a closed room with no possible entry or exit? Well, this sort of goes along those lines except that the room is the college campus and entry/exit is limited after hours to a select handful of professors who have been given keys to the school gates. The good news is that this limits the suspect list down greatly. The bad news is that of course a mysterious extra key exists and is unaccounted for.

Now, I could go on and on about plots (complicated and puzzling and, at times, I think made my eyes cross) and characters (the eccentric professors, the bumbling locals, the overly-enthusiastic student sleuths). You know, I could write a review like a "good" reviewer would do.

I never claimed to write good reviews.

What I DO claim is simply this: I'm glad that there are 36 more Appleby titles in existence. If even a quarter of them tickle me as much as Death at the President's Lodging has, I'll be ecstatic.