‘I cannot feel very confident that he did take his own life.’ Rood delivered himself of this opinion entirely without emphasis or excitement. ‘In fact, I should suppose it highly probable that he was murdered.’

After being found shot in his library with a note beside him, the police are satisfied that Lewis Packford’s death was a suicide. But his solicitor isn’t convinced. It seems Packford was in possession of a valuable scholarly discovery, a book annotated by Shakespeare. But, upon his death, the book was nowhere to be found.

When Inspector Appleby arrives at Packford’s home, he finds no shortage of suspects. All the guests present on the fateful night are still lurking in the house: scholars and collectors possibly tempted by the book; not one but two wives perhaps overcome with passion; or, Packford’s own brother looking to inherit the house.

The deeper Appleby dives into this case, the more secrets he uncovers. And as they start to stack up, so too do the bodies. Can Appleby get to the bottom of this before anymore lives are lost?

Filled with Innes’ classic eccentricities and a touch of farce, The Long Farewell was first published in 1958.