I sometimes forget how strange Michael Innes novels can be--and this is an odd one, definitely a lesser work, but not too bad. The first chapter is perfect--a portrait of a group of people in a cafe on an ocean liner, right before their ship is torpedoed. The group ends up on a tropical island, where a lot of crazy stuff happens. The book veers between action-adventure, murder mystery, psychological study, comedy of manners, political thriller...all entwined with clever observations, some really obscure erudition, and even some uncomfortable racism. As I said, odd. But I liked it okay.
In this 1941 thriller, series hero John Appleby is returning to London from the Sunburnt Country by ocean liner with a zany bunch of passengers. After the liner is torpedoed, the plucky band washes up on a deserted island in the South Pacific which turns out to be not so deserted. One of the passengers is murdered. By whom? For what earthly reason? This one is more adventure story than whodunnit. It isn't too wordy or frighteningly erudite so it does not feel too long, as ones set in country houses (Death by Water) and colleges (Seven Suspects) sometimes do.
