Enter a Murderer

This is the second mystery featuring Alleyn. The first is "A Man Lay Dead" (1934). Marsh is one of the grand dames from the golden age of mysteries. You learn a lot about the theater, painting and New Zealand while reading her books.

Ngaio Marsh was the best mystery writer in my opinion. All of her books are excellent and I highly recommend.

This is an early Marsh and a good one--I've now read over ½ of her mysteries. Several of them have dramatic murders on stage (e.g. Vintage Murder & A WREATH FOR RIVERA - An Inspector Suptendent Roderick Alleyn Mystery) even right in front of Alleyn. This one is tough for a reader to figure out--though I did suspect the actual murderer, I couldn't prove it at all. It's also one of the ones in which Alleyn's journalist friend Nigel Bathgate is a major player. IMHO the charm of the book (and it's a very charming one) revolves around Bathgate's repartee with Alleyn as well as his mental/emotional conflicts among his job, friendship with Alleyn, and relationship with Felix. The interplay--psychological, emotional, rational, etc. is VERY well done and human--thus, not entirely consistent or obvious. This is a very enjoyable book. It's also available in a 3-mystery collection called Curtain Calls: Three Great Mysteries..Enter a Murderer..Night At the Vulcan...Killer Dolphin (with Night at the Vulcan (Roderick Alleyn Mysteries) and Killer Dolphin).

Nagaio Marsh's Enter A Murderer appears unabridged, with James Saxon narrating the story of a theater murder and an actor. It's up to Inspector Roderick Alleyn to sort out whodunit. The narration brings the story to life, with all its strengths.