As is frequently the case with debut novels, Innes’s first is overburdened with evidence and, additionally, clothed in a heavy academic mantle. Although it is laced with psychological and other learned hints and pointers, in essence we have a puzzle, pure and unadulterated. We are supposed to puzzle it out, and it means expenditure of quite a lot of mental work. This is of those detective stories that proffer best enjoyment to a reader intent on unravelling all the knots and follow all the leads meticulously; I have tried it but failed to pick up all the clues, there being too many of those. Death at the President’s Lodgings, though, makes a delightful introduction into the activities of this wonderful officer, Inspector Appleby, and, as such, is a momentous volume for admirers: you can’t miss the first chord in the glorious Innes symphony.
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