Vintage Murder: Inspector Roderick Alleyn #5

The solution was not clear. I get the basics of how the murderer did it but am still confused by a lot of coming and going. Of course, I am a nurse and I am sleep deprived so it might be I am just slow. I really like Alleyn though.

Like her contemporaries Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh possessed a sort of patronizing racism typical of the “British Empire” mentality. Sayers was very mild; Christie would shake hers after the horrors of World War II; but Marsh persisted in it throughout her career, and it is particularly noticeable when she writes about the Maori of her native New Zealand, which is the setting for her fifth novel, VINTAGE MURDER.Today Marsh is best recalled as a writer, but she was also a professional stage actress and director, and once again she gives her story a theatrical setting, with Alleyn unexpectedly involved with a touring theatrical company that stars noted actress Caroline Dakers. Although Alleyn is on a long vacation after an unspecified illness, Miss Dakers herself reaches out to him when her husband and manager declares someone has tried to murder him—and then, in almost the same breath, a supporting actress announces she has been robbed of a large sum of money. Most of the company (including Susan Max, who we met in ENTER A MURDERER) suspect the attempted murder was really an accident, and the robbed actress suddenly seems unwilling to pursue the matter of her stolen cash—but crime strikes again in a particularly bizarre way when Alleyn is invited to attend Miss Daker’s birthday party in the aftermath of a sold out performance.In telling her story, Marsh has characters state that there is no “color barrier” in New Zealand, but at the same time presents Dr. Te Pokiha, an extremely Anglicized, high caste Maori who is nonetheless intrinsically “savage.” By 1930s standards Marsh’s attitudes are enlightened, but in the modern world it is an unattractive gloss. The novel is further marred by a not-entirely-successful denouement. Even so, Marsh knows how to cast a spell, and she captures the off-stage drama of the theatrical world she knew so well and she also endows New Zealand with an impressive literary beauty. Worth reading for those points alone.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Before she became the “Queen of Crime,” Ngaio Marsh was an artist and then an actress. She toured her native New Zealand with an acting company, and this novel reflects her time on the stage. I enjoyed the New Zealand setting and the colorful language of the New Zealand characters. Too right!The actors travel on trains just as Marsh did. And there’s an attempt at murder on the train. A later successful attempt at murder involves complicated riggings onstage. Chief Inspector Alleyn is only in New Zealand on holiday, but inevitably gets involved in the case. He interacts smoothly with the local police, who spout such charming expressions as, “Aw dikkon!” They appreciate Alleyn’s laid-back, gentlemanly ways and are pleased to have his insights.Solving the murder involves exhaustive examination and re-examination of the movements of many characters, which was sometimes hard for me to follow. But there are also suggestive interviews. Alleyn falls a bit under the spell of the leading lady.Marsh is clearly sympathetic to the Maori, as is her detective. I always wondered about her first name Ngaio, which just I found out is the Maori word for the name of a flowering tree. I’m following this series from early days. There will be more mysteries about artists and actors and New Zealand. It’s nice to have so many books to look forward to (their are 32 Roderick Alleyn mysteries in all).

I read a few Marshes at random and liked them very much so decided to start again and read the series straight through from the start. Not the best idea I ever had. I didn't really enjoy the first four books. But this one is very fine, hits the quality level I was expecting. The New Zealand setting is lovely and the book is opened up well out of offices and rooms full of men talking. Alleyn is finally Alleyn and the mystery is satisfying. Contains some racism as all golden agers do but at least Marsh attempts to make Alleyn well-meaning towards Maori people and culture.

I love mysteries and especially like old British ones. I really like Ngaio Marsh's style. It's clean. She also adds terrific descriptions of people and their surroundings. This book had it all.

These books are very good. I am rereading them. I will say take into account of the time it was written. Some may find some things offensive in respect to race, or sexuality. It was indeed a different time.

A delightful mystery on the stage in New Zealand. Beautiful descriptions of scenery, accents and colloquialisms. A real page turner

Ngaio Marsh truly deserves all the praise she gets for being one of the top four female mystery writers of the golden age. I wish however that there would have been a picture of the theater map that was in the office. It was hard for me to fully visualize it from the written description.

Vintage Murder, Marsh’s 5th book in her Inspector Alleyn series, published in 1937 is, like the second one, Enter A Murderer, given a theatrical setting. This was of course the author’s true home anyway. As is the slightly surprising location of this one – New Zealand which is, again, Ngaio Marsh’s home. Just as the reader is getting used to Alleyn’s regular companions – ‘Brer’ Fox, Bailey and Thompson from the Yard and the bumptiously enthusiastic journalist Nigel Bathgate, we have to journey with Alleyn sans regulars, though assiduous readers will be pleased to see that the sensible character actress Susan Max, from book 2, is also ‘down under’ as one of the members of The Carolyn Dacres English Comedy Company, touring New Zealand. Alleyn, on extended recuperation leave from Scotland Yard following some kind of major operation (we are not party to his medical records) encounters the company and renews his acquaintance with Max on the train travelling to their first New Zealand performance in North Island. The urbane Alleyn gets to meet the company, and is invited to a celebratory back stage party.Unfortunately as a death occurs, and is, of course, murder most horrid, and Alleyn was present at the scene of the crime, he begins as a witness and potential suspect, as the local police investigate. Quickly realising his impressive credentials – he is the author of the major manual for young Police Investigators in cop school – the locals are happy to have him join the investigating team. Far from viewing the locals as ‘hicks’ and crashing in with offensive superiority, there is a nice give and take between the New Zealand professionals and the Brit, with respect shown on both sides. Something I particularly like about Marsh is her relative freedom from the class and race attitudes which are rather prevalent in ‘Golden Age’ To be sure, prejudice does show, in attitudes towards another person present at the murder scene – a Maori physician – but Alleyn is interested to gain knowledge about a culture so very far from his own.Ngaio Marsh continues to delight me with her wonderful crafted writing, depth characterisation, fiendish by believable plotting. She gets better, so far, book on book, and has effortless wit and style in the person of the marvellous Alleyn.I was particularly enchanted, in this book, by the inclusion of various sketches from Alleyn’s notebook – the ingenious mechanism by which murder most horrid was done, and the methodical method by which Alleyn records the precise sequence of events, movements of suspects, locations, motives, alibis and allWhat good fun she has. Unlike modern crime novels, there is a lack of grisly detail on the very bloody way violent death happens, which suits me fine, having a somewhat vivid imagination and delicate stomach!

This year I have embarked on a Ngaio Marsh challenge and, so far, am finding her books a little mixed. So far I have really enjoyed some and others, like this one, have left me a little under-whelmed.Roderick Alleyn is on holiday, with the suggestion that he is ‘recovering,’ from an illness, or injury. However, he is not destined to get much relaxation after falling in with the Carolyn Dacres English Comedy Company, who are on tour in New Zealand. One of the players is Susan Max, a character actress who appeared in an earlier novel, which gives some suggestion as to why he is travelling with them.After arriving by ship, the company are travelling by train to their first stop, when Alfred Meyer, Proprietor and Managing Director of the company, says that someone tried to push him off the train. His wife, and leading lady, Carolyn Dacres, is upset, but as she is having a long time flirtation with leading man, Hailey Hambledon, perhaps she is not as upset as she says. Then, a silly young girl, Valerie Gaynes, who has been taken on by the company as a favour to her rich father, has a lot of money stolen. It is not the best start and then, when the company arrive, their initial on stage success is dampened by murder.All throughout her life, author Ngaio Marsh was heavily involved in the theatre and so this is obviously a world she knows well – as well as being set in her native New Zealand – so possibly I anticipated more from this. There are a number of suspects and motives; from love, jealousy, greed and secrets. Alleyn is present at the murder and, when the local detectives discover who he is, he is immediately involved in the investigation. Personally, though, the mystery seemed a fairly unsatisfactory cataloguing of endless motives. Which got somewhat bogged down in loose ends, alibi’s and timings and did not have a particularly satisfying ending. Still, I have really enjoyed some of the series, so look forward to reading on and exploring more of her work.Rated 3.5

In this Marsh novel the reader gets two of her great strengths, the worlds of theatre and New Zealand. Her respect for both displays itself in the detail. For instance, you can almost smell the manuka bush, and feel the changes of air in the (fictional) town and its wild hinterland. Her ability to create such different characters as Weston and Dr Rangi Te Pokiha is one of Ms Marsh's great strengths, but every single character is rounded and engaging. The crime, which begins by seeming incredible, turns out to be just what you might expect, but you won't guess the killer until the end. Just buy it and get involved.I have now read all of Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn novels and, although the earliest one, (A Man Lay Dead) creaks here and there, because she was very young when she wrote it, she got into her stride very quickly and there isn't a dud. Even Alleyn's facetiousness in some of them has its explanation: he hates murder and yet pities the damned soul.Interestingly, however, at least one killer, not in this book, wins her sympathy and escapes the law...

DCI Roderick Alleyn is on holiday in New Zealand recuperating from an operation. He travels on the same train as an English touring theatre company. He has met two of the company's members before and tries to make sure his job his kept secret but he is not successful. When an attempt is made on the life of one of the owners of the company Alleyn is drawn into the mystery. When the man is subsequently murdered Alleyn finds himself helping the New Zealand police in their investigations.This is a complex and intriguing mystery which is very well plotted and certainly kept me guessing until the last few pages. I loved the background of the theatre and thought the way actors behave when they aren't acting was very well done. I liked the detail about Maori culture and I thought New Zealand and its scenery were brought to life in evocative writing.Vintage Murder is a classic of detective fiction and any aspiring crime writer would do well to study it closely. It is also a very enjoyable read for those who like their crime fiction in the classic mould.

I had high hopes for this Alleyn Mystery but found, before long, that my attention began to flag & I found myself looking for another story to read. I can’t put my finger on the whole reason in order to express it in a nutshell other than to say I became bored. The characters did not capture my imagination. The story line was more-of-the-same. Even Alleyn seemed too predictable, if a little annoyingly superior in his attitude.