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"Michael Innes" was the pseudonym under which J. I. M. Stewart wrote nearly fifty detective novels between 1936 and 1986.
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"Michael Innes" was the pseudonym under which J. I. M. Stewart wrote nearly fifty detective novels between 1936 and 1986.
1986, a majority of which feature the police detective John Appleby.
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* ExactWords: In "A Connoisseur's Case", Daphne Binns has a possible motive for murder, if the murdered man had been blackmailing her. At TheSummation, Appleby deliberately phrases his question to clear her: "Could he have said or revealed anything which could in any way reflect discredit on anything you ever did?" to which she can truthfully answer "No". [[spoiler:He could have cast doubt on her parentage, reflecting discredit on who she is rather than what she did.]]
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* TheCuckooLanderWasRight: In "Carson's Conspiracy", Mrs Carson, whom everyone considers to be "dotty", seems to be under a delusion that she and Carson have a son by the name of Robin. Carson knows they don't, and takes advantage of this fact in his plans. What he doesn't know is that Robin is [[spoiler:actually Mrs Carson's son by a previous marriage.]]
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* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The ending of "Carson's Conspiracy". Who's going to solve the mystery, the official police with their manpower and organisation, or a single retired detective who has his name on the cover of the book, using his knowledge and deductive skills ? [[spoiler:For once, it's the official police.]]
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* ReverseWhodunnit: The first half of "Carson's Conspiracy" follows a corrupt businessman as he plans to fake the kidnapping of his (imaginary) son and then himself. Then the second half shows the events as they play out from Appleby's viewpoint.
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** In "Carson's Conspiracy", Appleby compares Carson's conveniently rare blood type to Alexis's haemophilia in ''[[Literature/LordPeterWimsey Have His Carcase]]''.
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* LifeImitatesArt: In-universe in "Appleby's End". Strange incidents in the villages around Appleby's End seem to be copying the stories of forgotten Victorian novelist Ranulf Raven.
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* LifeImitatesArt: In-universe in "Appleby's End". Strange incidents in the villages around Appleby's End seem to be copying the stories of forgotten Victorian novelist Ranulf Ranulph Raven.
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* CallToAgriculture: When Appleby marries, he retires from the police with the intention of taking up farming. It doesn't stick.
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* LifeImitatesArt: In-universe in "Appleby's End". Strange incidents in the villages around Appleby's End seem to be copying the stories of forgotten Victorian novelist Ranulf Raven.
* LoveAtFirstSight: Appleby meets his wife-to-be Judith one evening; the following day they're engaged, with the wedding set for the next week.
* LoveAtFirstSight: Appleby meets his wife-to-be Judith one evening; the following day they're engaged, with the wedding set for the next week.
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* ShoutOut: The name of Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence" -- [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Andrews_Nesfield William Andrews Nesfield]] was a garden designer who worked on the gardens for several Big Fancy Houses.
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* ShoutOut: ShoutOut:
** The name of Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence" -- [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Andrews_Nesfield William Andrews Nesfield]] was a garden designer who worked on the gardens for several Big FancyHouses.Houses.
** In "Appleby's End", Appleby describes the plot of ''Literature/TheABCMurders'' (slightly obfuscated) to another police inspector, wondering if they're dealing with a similar trail of crimes intended to obscure the villain's real aim.
** The name of Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence" -- [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Andrews_Nesfield William Andrews Nesfield]] was a garden designer who worked on the gardens for several Big Fancy
** In "Appleby's End", Appleby describes the plot of ''Literature/TheABCMurders'' (slightly obfuscated) to another police inspector, wondering if they're dealing with a similar trail of crimes intended to obscure the villain's real aim.
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* LaserGuidedKarma: Cheel's punishment in "Money From Holme" is pretty much what he was inflicting on Holme. [[spoiler:Now he's the one who's being blackmailed into painting for a pittance, while his blackmailer gets the money for the paintings.]]
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* LaserGuidedKarma: Cheel's punishment in at the end of "Money From Holme" is pretty much what he was inflicting on Holme. [[spoiler:Now he's the one who's being blackmailed into painting for a pittance, while his blackmailer gets the money for the paintings.]]
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* LaserGuidedKarma: Cheel's punishment in "Money From Holme" is pretty much what he was inflicting on Holme. [[spoiler:Now he's the one who's being blackmailed into painting for a pittance, while his blackmailer gets the money for the paintings.]]
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* DineAndDash: In "Money from Holme", Cheel does this twice. Once it's incidental to his real purpose of distracting Mrs Holme before she recognises her husband; the other time, he just can't stand his fellow diners and decides to stick them with the bill.
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* TheVerse: Though "Money from Holme" is not an Appleby novel, it does include Hildebert Braunkopf, a FunnyForeigner art dealer who appears with Appleby in other books.
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* ShoutOut: The name of Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence" -- [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Andrews_Nesfield William Andrews Nesfield]] was a garden designer who worked on the gardens for several Big Fancy Houses.
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* RankUp: Over the course of the series, Appleby rises in rank from an inspector to commissioner of Scotland Yard.
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* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
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* BigFancyHouse: BigFancyHouse:
** Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually inuse.use.
** The action of "The Open House" takes place in a stately home, which Appleby compares to a smaller version of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedleston_Hall Kedleston]].
** Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in
** The action of "The Open House" takes place in a stately home, which Appleby compares to a smaller version of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedleston_Hall Kedleston]].
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* ShoutOutToShakespeare: At the end of ''Money from Holme'', as Cheel's plans come crashing down, he channels Malvolio in ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'': "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you!"
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* ShoutOutToShakespeare: At the end of ''Money "Money from Holme'', Holme", as Cheel's plans come crashing down, he channels Malvolio in ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'': "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you!"
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* TapOnTheHead: In "Death at the President's Lodging", Inspector Appleby is knocked out by a blow to the head. One of the suspects, an author of detective novels, points out how dangerous it could have been.
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* TapOnTheHead: In "Death at the President's Lodging", Inspector Appleby is knocked out by a blow to the head. One of the suspects, an author of detective novels, points out how dangerous it could have been.been.
* VillainProtagonist: The protagonist of "Money from Holme" is a slimy art critic who sees nothing wrong with fraud or sexual assault. Over the course of the book, this repeatedly comes back to bite him.
* YouAllShareMyStory: At the end of "Money from Holme", most of the other characters in the book, whom Cheel used to his advantage, join forces to put an end to his plans.
* VillainProtagonist: The protagonist of "Money from Holme" is a slimy art critic who sees nothing wrong with fraud or sexual assault. Over the course of the book, this repeatedly comes back to bite him.
* YouAllShareMyStory: At the end of "Money from Holme", most of the other characters in the book, whom Cheel used to his advantage, join forces to put an end to his plans.
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* ShoutOutToShakespeare: At the end of ''Money from Holme'', as Cheel's plans come crashing down, he channels Malvolio in ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'': "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you!"
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/michael_innes.jpg]]
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* FreeRangeChildren: In ''Operation Pax / The Paper Thunderbolt,'' shoals of them, bicycling through rural Oxfordshire, play a significant part.
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* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: In "The Daffodil Affair", the title character is a horse that, like Clever Hans, can apparently recognise numbers.
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* {{Fauxreigner}}: In "The Daffodil Affair," Appleby and Hudspith play up their cover story as hard-drinking Australian wool-traders for all they're worth.
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* HauntedHouse: One gets stolen (dismantled over the course of a few days and reassembled elsewhere) in "The Daffodil Affair". People took a while to realise, because this was in London during the Blitz and the initial assumption was that it had been destroyed by a bomb.
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: In "The Daffodil Affair", Appleby and Hudspith are undercover policemen posing as Australians. The BigBad knows they're policemen, but is letting them think that he doesn't know. What he doesn't know is that Appleby and Hudspith know he knows.
* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: In "The Daffodil Affair", Appleby and Hudspith are undercover policemen posing as Australians. The BigBad knows they're policemen, but is letting them think that he doesn't know. What he doesn't know is that Appleby and Hudspith know he knows.
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* PathOfInspiration: The BigBad's plan in "The Daffodil Affair" is to create one.
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Not sure where that example came from, but it wasn\'t from an Innes book.
* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
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* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
* ConfrontingYourImposter: Averted, the novelization explains that Trowa DIDN'T use the name "Trowa Barton" when infiltrating the Mariemaia Army at all. Doubles as ContinuityNod, since the pseudonym he chose was "Ralph Kurt", a character from the side story manga "Blind Target".
* ConfrontingYourImposter: Averted, the novelization explains that Trowa DIDN'T use the name "Trowa Barton" when infiltrating the Mariemaia Army at all. Doubles as ContinuityNod, since the pseudonym he chose was "Ralph Kurt", a character from the side story manga "Blind Target".
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* SternChase: The bulk of "The Secret Vanguard" involves Sheila Grant being pursued through the lonelier parts of Scotland by Nazi spies.
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* SternChase: The bulk of SplitPersonality: Lucy Rideout in "The Secret Vanguard" involves Sheila Grant being pursued through Daffodil Affair" has three personalities: Young Lucy, Sick Lucy and Real Lucy. Appleby [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath kills the lonelier parts of Scotland by Nazi spies.first two with carefully-chosen words]], leaving Real Lucy in sole possession.
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* SternChase: The bulk of "The Secret Vanguard" involves Sheila Grant being pursued through the lonelier parts of Scotland by Nazi spies.
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* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: At the end of a chapter in "The Secret Vanguard", Sheila steals a motor-boat and escapes from the Nazis' headquarters:
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* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** At the end of a chapter in "The Secret Vanguard", Sheila steals a motor-boat and escapes from the Nazis' headquarters:
** At the end of a chapter in "The Secret Vanguard", Sheila steals a motor-boat and escapes from the Nazis' headquarters:
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** In "The Daffodil Affair":
--> '''Hudspith:''' We're in a sort of hodgepodge of fantasy and harum-scarum adventure that isn't a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes. \\
'''Appleby:''' Innes? [[SelfDeprecation I've never heard of him.]]
--> '''Hudspith:''' We're in a sort of hodgepodge of fantasy and harum-scarum adventure that isn't a proper detective story at all. We might be by Michael Innes. \\
'''Appleby:''' Innes? [[SelfDeprecation I've never heard of him.]]
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* ConfrontingYourImposter: How Philip Ploss in "The Secret Vanguard" met his end. He was a minor poet who overheard two spies exchanging information disguised as a poem. One claimed it was by Ploss; the real Ploss pointed out that it wasn't, and got murdered for his pains.
* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
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: How Philip Ploss in "The Secret Vanguard" met his end. He was a minor poet who overheard two spies exchanging information disguised as a poem. One claimed it was by Ploss; the real Ploss pointed out that it wasn't, and got murdered for his pains.
* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
* ConfrontingYourImposter: Averted, the novelization explains that Trowa DIDN'T use the name "Trowa Barton" when infiltrating the Mariemaia Army at all. Doubles as ContinuityNod, since the pseudonym he chose was "Ralph Kurt", a character from the side story manga "Blind Target".
* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
* ConfrontingYourImposter: Averted, the novelization explains that Trowa DIDN'T use the name "Trowa Barton" when infiltrating the Mariemaia Army at all. Doubles as ContinuityNod, since the pseudonym he chose was "Ralph Kurt", a character from the side story manga "Blind Target".
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* BecauseImJonesy: How Philip Ploss in "The Secret Vanguard" met his end. He was a minor poet who overheard two spies exchanging information disguised as a poem. One claimed it was by Ploss; the real Ploss pointed out that it wasn't, and got murdered for his pains.
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* BecauseImJonesy: ConfrontingYourImposter: Averted, the novelization explains that Trowa DIDN'T use the name "Trowa Barton" when infiltrating the Mariemaia Army at all. Doubles as ContinuityNod, since the pseudonym he chose was "Ralph Kurt", a character from the side story manga "Blind Target".
: How Philip Ploss in "The Secret Vanguard" met his end. He was a minor poet who overheard two spies exchanging information disguised as a poem. One claimed it was by Ploss; the real Ploss pointed out that it wasn't, and got murdered for his pains.
: How Philip Ploss in "The Secret Vanguard" met his end. He was a minor poet who overheard two spies exchanging information disguised as a poem. One claimed it was by Ploss; the real Ploss pointed out that it wasn't, and got murdered for his pains.
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* ConfrontingYourImposter: Averted, the novelization explains that Trowa DIDN'T use the name "Trowa Barton" when infiltrating the Mariemaia Army at all. Doubles as ContinuityNod, since the pseudonym he chose was "Ralph Kurt", a character from the side story manga "Blind Target".
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* ThePrankster: Professor Pluckrose, the victim in "The Weight of the Evidence", plays spiteful tricks on his fellow academics. As Appleby finds, that gave a lot of people a motive to drop a meteorite on his head.
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* BigFancyHouse: Nesfield Court in "The Weight of the Evidence"; the description is at pains to point out how vast and sprawling it is, and it takes Appleby several attempts to find which of the entrances is the one actually in use.
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* LazyBum: Lasscock in "The Weight of the Evidence", an academic who's invariably to be found lounging in a deckchair rather than doing any work. His tendency to come down with a 'slight chill' is a running joke among his colleagues.
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* BecauseImJonesy: How Philip Ploss in "The Secret Vanguard" met his end. He was a minor poet who overheard two spies exchanging information disguised as a poem. One claimed it was by Ploss; the real Ploss pointed out that it wasn't, and got murdered for his pains.
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* GenreSavvy: Sheila in "The Secret Vanguard". Knowing she's pursued by a spy ring, she's well aware of what it means when she's asked "HaveYouToldAnyoneElse", and quickly changes her answer from "No" to "Yes", giving her enough time to escape.
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* GenreSavvy: Sheila in "The Secret Vanguard". Knowing she's being pursued by a spy ring, she's well aware of what it means when she's asked "HaveYouToldAnyoneElse", and quickly changes her answer from "No" to "Yes", giving her enough time to escape.
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* EvilGloating: One of the spies in "The Secret Vanguard" tries this on Sheila. Unfortunately for him, she's got a pistol and is prepared to use it.
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* TapOnTheHead: In "Death at the President's Lodging", Inspector Appleby is knocked out by a blow to the head. One of the suspects, an author of detective novels, points out how dangerous it could have been.
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* SpySpeak:
** In "From London Far" the main character absently quoted a line or two of verse in a tobacconist's. When the clerk gave him a funny look he said simply "London: a Poem." and the clerk, who thought he'd said "London's goin'," replied "Rotterdam's gone" and allowed him entry to what turned out to be a base of operations for some rather high-class art smugglers/thieves.
** In "The Secret Vanguard" the spies communicate by quoting poems, into which they slip extra verses containing the necessary information.
* TapOnTheHead: In "Death at the President's Lodging", Inspector Appleby is knocked out by a blow to the head. One of the suspects, an author of detective novels, points out how dangerous it could have been.
** In "From London Far" the main character absently quoted a line or two of verse in a tobacconist's. When the clerk gave him a funny look he said simply "London: a Poem." and the clerk, who thought he'd said "London's goin'," replied "Rotterdam's gone" and allowed him entry to what turned out to be a base of operations for some rather high-class art smugglers/thieves.
** In "The Secret Vanguard" the spies communicate by quoting poems, into which they slip extra verses containing the necessary information.
* TapOnTheHead: In "Death at the President's Lodging", Inspector Appleby is knocked out by a blow to the head. One of the suspects, an author of detective novels, points out how dangerous it could have been.
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"Michael Innes" was the pseudonym under which J. I. M. Stewart wrote nearly fifty detective novels between 1936 and 1986.
!! His works contain the following tropes:
* ActionGirl: Sheila Grant in "The Secret Vanguard" is forced to become one in fairly short order.
* DecoyProtagonist / GenreShift: "The Secret Vanguard" opens as a conventional detective novel might: the first chapter introduces the murder victim, and the second and third have Inspector Appleby beginning his investigation. Then the point of view switches to Sheila Grant, who unwittingly stumbles across a Nazi spy network, and for most of the rest of the book she's the protagonist of a spy thriller.
* GenreSavvy: Sheila in "The Secret Vanguard". Knowing she's pursued by a spy ring, she's well aware of what it means when she's asked "HaveYouToldAnyoneElse", and quickly changes her answer from "No" to "Yes", giving her enough time to escape.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: At the end of a chapter in "The Secret Vanguard", Sheila steals a motor-boat and escapes from the Nazis' headquarters:
--> At this point, she thought, the instalment should end. Will the heroine get away? Come next week and see.
* SternChase: The bulk of "The Secret Vanguard" involves Sheila Grant being pursued through the lonelier parts of Scotland by Nazi spies.
* TapOnTheHead: In "Death at the President's Lodging", Inspector Appleby is knocked out by a blow to the head. One of the suspects, an author of detective novels, points out how dangerous it could have been.
!! His works contain the following tropes:
* ActionGirl: Sheila Grant in "The Secret Vanguard" is forced to become one in fairly short order.
* DecoyProtagonist / GenreShift: "The Secret Vanguard" opens as a conventional detective novel might: the first chapter introduces the murder victim, and the second and third have Inspector Appleby beginning his investigation. Then the point of view switches to Sheila Grant, who unwittingly stumbles across a Nazi spy network, and for most of the rest of the book she's the protagonist of a spy thriller.
* GenreSavvy: Sheila in "The Secret Vanguard". Knowing she's pursued by a spy ring, she's well aware of what it means when she's asked "HaveYouToldAnyoneElse", and quickly changes her answer from "No" to "Yes", giving her enough time to escape.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: At the end of a chapter in "The Secret Vanguard", Sheila steals a motor-boat and escapes from the Nazis' headquarters:
--> At this point, she thought, the instalment should end. Will the heroine get away? Come next week and see.
* SternChase: The bulk of "The Secret Vanguard" involves Sheila Grant being pursued through the lonelier parts of Scotland by Nazi spies.
* TapOnTheHead: In "Death at the President's Lodging", Inspector Appleby is knocked out by a blow to the head. One of the suspects, an author of detective novels, points out how dangerous it could have been.
