Lament for a Maker (1938)

A good Christmastime read. The actions occurs during the days just before and after Christmas, but there is no celebration in the book. Noel Gylby is traveling to a Christmas gathering when he is benighted at the castle which proves to be the scene of the murder. Aljo Wedderburn packs his family off to the Christmas pantomime and himself heads to the library to work on his monograph on the history of Scottish property law. There is a good deal of snow and Scottishness.

Unfortunately, Innes saw a bit too much humor in the possibility or actuality of rape. And the grand passion of two of the characters is unconvincing or perhaps just an easily used literary convention of the time which is now obtrusively dated.

But the different narrators have distinct voices, and much humor can be found in their remarks, generally censorious or dismissive. One makes a disparaging remark about the Innes's, considered Flemish.

The cover on my edition, which shows a falling body wearing a bright red tie, is not congruous with the tale. Much better are the covers that feature the castle more prominently, like the Dodd, Mead and Co. hardcover illustration. ( )

When Erchany castle is isolated by snow during a hard winter, the laird falls to his death from the battlements. Was it suicide or murder by the crofter lad who is eloping with the laird's ward or what?

Events are told by a series of narrators, and it has to be said the sutor's Doric did get a bit much at times. I found some of the psychologising a bit implausible but the ending where the theories flowed thick and fast was terrific. ( )

As with all the Appleby books, extremely literary and quite convoluted. Quite a few twists and turns I did not see coming.

I do enjoy the series, even if it shows up my poor literary education. ( )

Not your typical mystery. Written in the style of Wilkie Collins, the first narrative may provide some challenges to the reader (it is written in Scots English, so most Americans will find it has many unfamiliar words). Don't be put off, as this story keeps getting better and better as you progress and the other narrators are written in straightforward English. Plenty of twists and surprises right up to the end. ( )

Six-word review: Far-fetched murder puzzle with unguessable ending.

Extended review:

Most detective fiction strains the bounds of credulity a little bit, but this one does involve some breakage. Even though no supernatural elements are involved, I would place this tale pretty close to the boundary of fantasy.

That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. The subtle connivance of the villain and victim, the characters of the witnesses, the increasingly complex theories of the successive narrators, and the atmospheric setting combine to create an absorbing and diverting narrative. I don't require my mystery reading to describe a sequence of events that could play out believably next door.

And this tale is anything but: set in a moody and menacing castle brooding over a snowbound Scottish landscape, it features a diverse cast of characters whose interaction is very much more complex than it appears at first, second, or third view. Wending our way to the conclusion takes us through some dark territory, dark but hardly featureless. I enjoyed the trip. ( )