Friday, February 17, 2017

Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh: A Review by Warren Bull





Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh: A Review by Warren Bull










It's not unusual for people to fall in love when they meet at work. However when the work is investigating a murder at the other person's home, complications are to be expected.

That is the set up Ngaio Marsh chose for her 1938 novel where Chief Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn met the love of his life, Agatha Troy. After meeting on the ship back to England and having a number of encounters in which attraction to the other person makes each one nervous, Alleyn and Troy left the ship thinking the other person had reason to dislike them.

Their second meeting follows when a model for Troy, a noted and successful painter, is murder in a particularly brutal manner. With the wrong impression from earlier meetings, both people are sensitive to anything that might implied continued dislike. But there are flashes on mutual respect and adoration.

The usual supporting is in evidence, Detective-Inspector Fox, the solid and dependable assistant who is comfortable with servants being of their class, Nigel Bathgate, journalist and friend and Alleyn’s mother, Lady Alleyn who hopes her bachelor son has finally found a potential wife.

Characters are well-drawn and three dimensional, the murder is sufficiently tangled but clear and the author is fair with the readers. I feel certain Marsh, as a Kiwi (New Zealand resident) enjoyed including an Aussie (Australian) who had all the traits that Kiwis claim the Aussies have when residents of this two countries banter back and forth.


This is another truly superb mystery that earns my highest recommendation. Read this one before Murder in a White Tie.

6 comments:

  1. Warren, are you getting a kickback from the book store? because you are sending me there for new books all the time. This one sounds great!

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  2. Hi, Warren! I haven't read Ngaio Marsh in forever and loved them then. There was a series on PBS way back when that prompted me to read the books. I'm thinking time to delve into them again.

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  3. Another winner! Looking forward to reading (or re-reading) all of Marsh's books. I remember first reading them at my grandparent's beach cottage.

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  4. Thanks for once again reminding us of one of the great mystery authors.

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  5. Warren, you got me hooked on writers from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, especially Ngaio Marsh. These books have a bit slower build-up to the murder, but that is fine with me.

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  6. Warren, another good review of a book I'm sure I'd enjoy. I need to go through my old books and see if I have a copy of this.

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