The Long Farewell by Michael Innes

Lewis Packford was a Shakespearean scholar, and he was noted for finding obscure and hidden documents which he brought to the attention of other scholars with great theatrical gestures which did not endear himself to these scholars.  Sir John Appleby, who was Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, had met him several years before when Appleby had recovered some documents which had been stolen from Packford. When Appleby visited Packford in Italy in the summer, Appleby got the definite feeling that Packford was on the trail of another important document.

In the fall, Lewis Packford committed suicide at his English home of Urchins. Packford had apparently shot himself, and left a note on a postcard which said "A Long Farewell". Appleby was quite puzzled as to why Packford, who seemed to be on the brink of such a great success, should end his life. A chance encounter with Mr. Room who was Packford's solicitor, encouraged Appleby to look into the suicide because Mr. Room believed that Packford had been murdered.

Appleby traveled to Urchins, and met the very strange collection of people who had been there at the time of Packford's death. There were Packford's two wives. Yes, this was a surprise to many people who had not even known that Packford was married. It was also a surprise to Packford when they showed up at Urchins at the same time.  One was Ruth, a university professor, and the other was Alice, a very attractive bar maid. There was also Edward, the brother of Lewis, and Mrs. Husbands, the very serious housekeeper. Also there were several eccentric Shakespearean scholars and two collectors of rare books who were very anxious to get their hands on Packford's collection of books and other documents.

I enjoyed this book very much, but I am a great fan of Michael Innes. Readers who demand stark realism and believable characters may not be so pleased. The characters in the book may be a bit unrealistic, but they are fun. The writing is witty and includes some enjoyable comments on those who are dedicated to the serious study of literary fiction and on those who collect rare books. I especially enjoyed Alice, the bar maid, who seems to have a limited intelligence and just did not understand what all these scholarly types were talking about.This book was written in 1958, and is still in print.