From AudioFile
Marsh reintroduces Scotland Yard's Inspector Roderick Alleyn to listeners, and this time, he's protecting his old school chum, the president of Ng'ombwana, against potential assassins during his stay in London. Nadia May is nothing short of extraordinary in this complicated mystery dominated by multiple male characters. In fact, listeners will disregard May's gender altogether as she shifts effortlessly from one dialect to another during heated and animated conversations. Every character's eccentricity is explored and appropriately interpreted, adding spice, humor, and authenticity to a proper British mystery. B.J.P. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Review
"It's time to start comparing Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around."--New York magazine
Book Description
Portrait of a murder...
Superintendent Roderick Alleyn's old school chum-- whom his wife Troy longs to paint-- is now President of Ng'ombwana, a brand-new African republic. This handsome, charismatic dictator has enemies of every stripe: from ruddy-faced ex-colonists to new rivals, from dispossessed businessmen to racist crackpots. But when a ceremonial spear deals death at his lavish embassy party in London, Alleyn must decipher the victim's last utterance and expose an assassin's true colors...
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...
Black as He's Painted FROM THE PUBLISHER
From her first book in 1934 to her final volume just before her death in 1982, Ngaio Marsh's work has remained legendary, consistently compared to that of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Dorothy L. Sayers. During her celebrated fifty-year career, Marsh was made a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, named Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire, won numerous prestigious awards and penned 32 mystery novels. So sit back, draw the curtains, lock the doors and put yourself in the hands of the Grande Dame of detective novels . . .
Superintendent Alleyn's old school chum--whom his wife Troy longs to paint--is now President of Ng'ombwana, a brand-new African republic. This handsome, charismatic dictator has enemies of every stripe: from ruddy-faced ex-colonists to new rivals, from dispossessed businessmen to racist crackpots. But when a ceremonial spear deals death at his lavish embassy party in London, Alleyn must decipher the victim's last utterance and expose an assassin's true
FROM THE CRITICS
AudioFile
Marsh reintroduces Scotland Yard's Inspector Roderick Alleyn to listeners, and this time, he's protecting his old school chum, the president of Ng'ombwana, against potential assassins during his stay in London. Nadia May is nothing short of extraordinary in this complicated mystery dominated by multiple male characters. In fact, listeners will disregard May's gender altogether as she shifts effortlessly from one dialect to another during heated and animated conversations. Every character's eccentricity is explored and appropriately interpreted, adding spice, humor, and authenticity to a proper British mystery. B.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine