Silence Observed (1961)
Blurb:
My review:
“Art and literature and acquisitiveness. But mostly, of course, acquisitiveness.”
This is good Innes—a believable yet interesting plot, omitting his usual touch of fantasy. He gives the reader a look into the world of art and art collectors—and, of course, of forgeries. The forgeries are original, however, for they are forged forgeries, as befits a lunatic with a sense of humour. Innes’s own humour comes principally through surreal touches: an eye in a bin, and the second body found under The Destruction of Carthage. The story is the right length (144 pages) for the tale, and fast-moving (as Appleby himself coments, “Quite a lot seems to have been happening at high speed in this bad business.”) Unfortunately, the ending comes too abruptly, and the murderers are both too obvious and not properly explained.
Note the intriguing title.