From AudioFile
When a British blue blood living in the pastoral village of Swevenings is brutally murdered, no one is spared examination by Scotland Yard's Inspector Roderick Alleyn. Nadia May lovingly brings to life a myriad of characters--Lady Lacklander's aristocratic conceit; her son's sniveling weakness; Nurse Kettle's common, busybody caring; and Inspector Alleyn's no-nonsense, logical, yet compassionate, crispness. May reads clearly, fully develops Marsh's characters and effectively builds suspense. Her lovely British voice offers a delightful rendering of Marsh's finely crafted classic. J.H.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Book Description
A country Eden blooms with murder

Swevenings village is pretty as a picture, but its secrets are ugly; and its gentry dread the publication of Sir Harold Lacklander's memoirs. When one of them is murdered, Inspector Roderick Alleyn's investigation takes him through petty vendettas, an ex-commander's blend of whiskey and archery, and cocktails on the lawn with a femme fatale. But the motive he's angling for lies even deeper than the trout stream beneath the rustic bridge...



About the Author
From her first book in 1934 to her final volume just before her death in 1982, Ngaio Marsh's work has remained legendary, and is often compared to that of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. During her celebrated fifty-year career, Marsh was made a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, was named Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire, won numerous prestigious awards, and penned 32 mystery novels.

Now St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries is thrilled to make all of Marsh's novels available again for old fans to relish and new ones to discover. So sit back, draw the curtains, lock the doors, and put yourself in the hands of Grande Dame of detective novels...

ANNOTATION

The quiet village of Swevenings is soiled by murder when the savagely beaten body of a British blue blood is found near a tranquil stream. Reissue.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Swevenings village is pretty as a picture, but its secrets are ugly;a nd its gentry dread the publication of Sir Harold Lacklander's memoirs. When one of them is murdered, Inspector Roderick Alleyn's investigation takes him through petty vendettas, an ex-commander's blend of whiskey and archery, and cocktails on the lawn with a femme fatale. But the motive he's angling for lies even deeper than the trout stream beneath the rustic bridge.

FROM THE CRITICS

New York Magazine