Hand in Glove

This is a beautifully written mystery that keeps you guessing till the very end. Lots of motives, lots of opportunity... One of her better efforts (I've now read 25 of the 32 novels) IMHO--despite the dated mores & class-importance of the characters. I esp. liked two quotes, one appropriate to the novel & one not: "it had distinction without personality" & "he would dodge about among innumerable parentheses." Very enjoyable read IMHO.

Although a New Zealander by birth, Ngaio Marsh, has to be considered one of the great writers of the classic British detective novel. She has never come close to matching Agatha Christie's devious and ingenious talent for misdirection - not to mention her popularity - yet she is a far better writer than Christie. Her characters have depth and her dialogue is sharp and witty, albeit perhaps a bit too British upper crusty for some tastes. She chooses very interesting settings (as in "Died in the Wool") and milieux (as in "Artists In Crime") and describes them well - to the point where on occasions the atmosphere and mood provide half the pleasure of reading the book.In "Hand In Glove", the tranquility of Pyke Period's English country house is disrupted by the discovery of his houseguest's body in an open ditch. Harry Cartell was the victim of an ingenious trap that could have been laid by any of half a dozen characters, whose backgrounds range from highly suspicious to above suspicion. Many secrets and many motives, but the narrative never generates confusion in the reader, only a mystification that is very gratifyingly unraveled by Roderick Alleyn. The clue on which the mystery turns - Pyke Period's misdirected letters - provides one of those "Aha!" moments that mystery readers so often long for, but so seldom get.I am a practiced reader of detective stories and while I find most of Marsh's mysteries to be enjoyable reading, I do not find them particularly mystifying - I'm usually able to spot the guilty party in the early chapters. However, in "Hand In Glove" she very adroitly pulled the wool over my eyes, while playing fair every step of the way. This is a well-told story with a cast of plausible suspects, deft narration and excellent misdirection while presenting all of the clues fairly. A fun ready, and one of Marsh's best mysteries.

While I loved reading Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, there was always something a bit unreal about Sherlock Holmes and Hercules Poirot. Neither of them seemed to have any kind of personal life (except of course, Watson and brother Mycroft for Holmes and Hastings for Poirot). No family, friends, love interests (though people have speculated on the Holmes/Watson connection)or any kind of emotional life. Inspector Alleyn is of a different breed. Yes, he's a professional, but he also has a personality outside of being "the Handsome Super," as the newspapers like to call him. As does his faithful sidekick, Inspector Fox, who, though not as clever as Alleyn shows a level of intelligence well above that of Hastings or Watson. In _Hand in Glove_ Marsh sets a murder against the backdrop of a village primarily occupied by the nobility. Indeed, no one would even dream of murder tainting the house where Messrs.Pyke Period and Henry Cartell live. But when one of them ends up having his skull crushed and multiple motives come to light, it is up to Inspector Alleyn to point the finger at the guilty party. This is probably the most skillfully woven Marsh mystery I have read to date.

This is my fifth Goddard, and each maintains a freshly unique, suprising, suspensful character. The Spanish Civil War is an active character in the novel, and offers a valuable learning experience in itself. The theme of webs, connections and linkages continues from Goddard's other novels. All issues are finally resolved but not without unexpected twists and turns that make it difficult to put the book down.

The plot is well thought out. Unlike most of Goddard's books, half way through, I was sure that I fully understood what was going on and who had committed the murder. All the facts fitted my suppositions so I was a little disappointed at how easy it was to determine what was going on. Then the plot changed dramatically and all my suppositions were proved to be wrong. Red herrings galore! The final pages of the book reveal the most plausible of solutions to the scenario. As with most of RG's books, the final pages reveal a solution not thought of, but altogether too plausible. An Excellent read! Terry Hockenhull