JOHN INNES MACKINTOSH STEWART (1906–1994), the Scottish-born author, established a great reputation as a literary critic and producer of contemporary novels and short stories. Many of those who were intimately familiar with his work, which included biographies of Rudyard Kipling and Joseph Conrad, had no idea that as Michael Innes he also was a prolific writer of detective fiction, most notably featuring the Scotland Yard inspector, later commissioner, John Appleby. Born in Edinburgh, Stewart attended Oxford University, winning the Matthew Arnold Memorial Prize and honors in English. Upon graduating, he taught at the University of Leeds (1930–1935), was a professor at the University of Adelaide for the next decade, briefly taught at Queen’s University Belfast, and, from 1949 to 1973, was on the faculty of Christ Church, Oxford. His first book was written on the long sea journey to Australia; subsequent books were produced between semesters or, during the academic year, by two hours of daily writing before breakfast. His detective novels are generally rich with literary allusions, quotations, and satire, endearing him to readers and critics alike, though these elements begin to wear in later books and have sometimes been described as showing off. Innes’s hero, Appleby, is as erudite as his creator, frequently to the bafflement of his superiors at the Yard.
“The Sands of Thyme” was first published in Appleby Talking (London, Gollancz, 1954); it was published in the United States under the title Dead Man’s Shoes (New York, Dodd, Mead, 1954).