Hare Sitting Up is part of Michael Innes’ Inspector Appleby mystery series.

‘Isn’t madness,’ he asked, ‘one of the possibilities we’ve been talking about?’

When top government scientist, Professor Howard Juniper, goes missing it’s not simply a missing persons case. At the height of the Cold War, Juniper has been researching and developing biological weapons. Thought to be carrying a biological culture of inconceivable virulence, Juniper must be found… and fast.

Inspector John Appleby is called upon to solve this mystery. Enlisting the help of Howard’s twin brother, Miles, Appleby hatches a plan for Miles impersonate his brother in order to buy some time. But Appleby has three terrifying leads to follow: has Juniper been kidnapped, has he defected, or has he simply gone mad?

In a case where the stakes could not be higher, Appleby races from boarding schools to remote islands in order to find the missing scientist before humanity itself is lost.

This taut and suspenseful mystery explores the terror surrounding the potential rapid spread and effect of viruses.

Hare Sitting Up was first published in 1959.

PRAISE FOR MICHAEL INNES & HARE SITTING UP

★★★★ ‘highly entertaining’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘There were plenty of twists and turns which kept me guessing… I would strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy classic crime.’ — Reader Review

★★★★★ ‘I was skeptical of this story…until I started reading it.  Then I found it hard to put down. Do yourself a favor and check out this book. You will be glad you did!’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘Lots of red herrings and twists and turns keep the reader guessing’ — Reader Review

★★★★★ ‘Highly entertaining and definitely highly recommended.’ — Reader Review

★★★★★ ‘very entertaining, and I cannot wait for the next time I get to come back to this world.’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘this story is fairly relevant today… What a fun read! I love all the Appleby books, and I recommend this one to all fans of classic crime fiction.’ — Reader Review

★★★★★ ‘Again Michael Innes does not fail to entertain…suffice to say that if you read this book you’re in for a very wild ride.’ — Reader Review

★★★★★ ‘Another excellent novel by Michael Innes’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘a page turning thriller’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘a very clever classic British crime book’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘an uncanny resemblance to conditions today, but also has many fun Golden Age mystery characteristics.’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘a both funny and intriguing story’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘enjoyable classic crime with red herrings aplenty, an eccentric cast of well drawn characters and told with author’s trademark dry wit.’ — Reader Review

★★★★★ ‘Great plot, interesting characters, and it seemed to move along at a good pace. Very much enjoyed!’ — Reader Review

★★★★ ‘enjoyable and clever’ — Reader Review

★★★★★ ‘Great fun to read, intriguing and engaging.’ — Reader Review

‘Brilliant’ — Evening Standard

‘Mr Innes is in a class by himself among detective story writers.’ — Times Literary Supplement

‘Wickedly witty.’ — The Daily Mail

‘As farfetched and literary as Sayers’ — Cambridge Companion on Crime Fiction

‘the Inspector Appleby novels by Michael Innes can be read again and again’ — Reader Review

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