Operation Pax

Vintage Penguin First Edition. #C2203. Operation Pax in the Penguin edition is one of Michael Innes’s more fantastical, high-velocity thrillers, beginning with a seemingly simple disappearance and spiralling into a conspiracy involving secret research, shadowy organisations and a remote country estate with unsettling experiments underway. Appleby’s pursuit of the truth takes him through layers of deception, coded clues and eccentric characters, blending classic detection with elements of espionage and near-science-fiction intrigue. Innes keeps the tone brisk and witty even as the plot grows increasingly bizarre. It’s an energetic, off-beat adventure that showcases his taste for intellectual play and elaborate invention.