I've finished reading my first mystery by Ngaio Marsh, called A Man Lay Dead. Ngaio Marsh, along with Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Dorothy L. Sayers constituted the "Queens of Crime". They wrote mysteries during the 1920s and 30s, which is considered the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. I love mysteries, and why I've not read more (or in a couple of cases anything at all) by these authors is beyond me. I've been in the mood lately for a really traditional type of murder mystery and this fit the bill perfectly. Marsh wrote 32 mystery novels, and this is the first introducing Inspector Roderick Alleyn.
A Man Lay Dead is a classic murder mystery. Five guests have been invited to the country house of Sir Hubert Handesley, where they are going to take part in a parlor game called "Murder". Nearly all are of the British upper crust and wealthy, and maybe a few have one or two secrets they'd prefer to keep under wraps. What begins as an entertaining weekend filled with a bit of (pretend) murder and mayhem ends quickly in the death of Handesley's good friend, Charles Rankin. Although Rankin was nearing middle age, he was still quite handsome, rather wealthy and a bit of a womanizer, burning the candle at both ends even at this weekend party. And he made the mistake of bringing with him an unusual Russian dagger that the murderer will use to dispatch him. Conveniently (well not for him anyway) more than one house guest has something to gain by his death.
Of course Scotland Yard is called in and we are introduced to Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn. I always like to get a good handle on my sleuths. Marsh was very careful not to reveal too much, too soon, and I still don't feel like I really know him. Handesley's niece, Angela, remarks:
"Alleyn did not resemble a plain-clothes policeman she felt sure, nor was he in the romantic manner--white-faced and gimlet-eyed. He looked like one of her uncle Hubert's friends, the sort that they knew would 'do' for house-parties. He was very tall, and lean, his hair was dark, and his eyes grey with corners that turned down. They looked as if they would smile easily but his mouth didn't."
He seems to have a very dry sense of humor and has this self-deprecating manner. You feel from his words that maybe he's not entirely in control, but his actions put that idea to rest. Quite often in mystery novels the detective is an everyday sort of guy, but you get the feeling that Alleyn is equally as distinguished as the guests at Handesley's house party with his 'cultured voice', and he's most certainly a bright fellow and well-educated. He's a gentleman detective, but he most certainly doesn't play up any of these facts.
I've never been very good at figuring out who the culprit is, and this story was no exception. Marsh gave me every chance, leaving clues to follow or maybe to trip me up. On a couple of occasions when a detail was revealed I know I mentally uttered an "oh, so that's what happened, why didn't I figure it out". She did have a couple of twists that took the story onto an entirely different track, throwing in a little international intrigue along with simple run of the mill murder. All in all this was a very satisfying read. I've already ordered or am mooching the next couple of Inspector Alleyn mysteries, Enter a Murderer and The Nursing Home Murder, but it appears that some of her books have gone out of print. I guess I'll be looking be keeping an eye out for them used. I'd also like to read more Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, and I've yet to even try Margery Allingham.
In the meantime, however, I have Elizabeth George's new mystery Careless in Red. It's been at least three years since the last Inspector Lynley mystery, and I'm curious to see where she takes the story after killing off one of the main characters last time around! Lynley is another posh detective, titled and all, and I am completely addicted to the series. It's one of the few that I've read each and every installment since the very beginning. Some of the last few have been a bit uneven, but I still can't help myself and will read them irregardless. I'm disappointed that the BBC canceled the TV series, but at least I still have the books!