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31st out of 120 books
—
84 voters
Artists in Crime (Roderick Alleyn #6)
by
Ngaio Marsh
It was a bizarre pose for beautiful model Sonia Gluck--and her last. For in the draperies of her couch lay a fatal dagger, and behind her murder lies all the intrigue and acid-etched temperament of an artist's colony. Called in to investigate, Scotland Yard's Inspector Roderick Alleyn finds his own passions unexpectedly stirred by the fiesty painter Agatha Troy--brilliant...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
December 15th 2005
by Black Dog Publishing
(first published 1938)
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I picked up a handful of Marsh stories at a book sale a year or so ago because one of the covers compared her to Agatha Christie. Now, *finished all of Christie's books by the end of high school, and at the age of 35 I have read and reread and rereread them all countless times. I still love them, but at the same time I am constantly looking for something 'like' her.
Unfortunately this book - which, while not the one that claimed her as Christie's equal but has the equally questionable comment "th...more
Unfortunately this book - which, while not the one that claimed her as Christie's equal but has the equally questionable comment "th...more
better than the last one i read, but i am still rather baffled about marsh's status as one of the best golden age mystery writers. in my mind she is kind of like magnolia's cupcakes in new york. someone who has only ever had mass-produced supermarket cupcakes would probably think magnolia was the queen of all queens. but to someone who lives in new york (a haven for cupcake lovers*) and who has spent the greater part of her time there eating a wide swathe through its bakeries (= me), magnolia wo...more
Originally published on my blog here in March 1998.
Like Vintage Murder, this seems to me to be one of the very best of Ngaio Marsh's detective novels. By the time this book came out, the characters in her series (Alleyn, Fox, Bathgate and so on) were well-established, old friends. In Artists in Crime, another important series character is introduced, the painter Agatha Troy.
As so often happens in Ngaio Marsh's stories, one of the series characters interacts with one of the new characters before...more
Like Vintage Murder, this seems to me to be one of the very best of Ngaio Marsh's detective novels. By the time this book came out, the characters in her series (Alleyn, Fox, Bathgate and so on) were well-established, old friends. In Artists in Crime, another important series character is introduced, the painter Agatha Troy.
As so often happens in Ngaio Marsh's stories, one of the series characters interacts with one of the new characters before...more
I read this book a year or two ago. Ngaio Marsh was an author from New Zealand who also lived in England. The book was written in the 1930s and features Inspector Roderick Alleyn of Scotland Yard. The story is set in the English countryside. Agatha Troy is an acclaimed artist who also teaches art classes at her home and studio. She begins a new class with an assortment of students, but on the first day out, their
nude model is killed while being re-positioned in her pose - someone placed a knife...more
nude model is killed while being re-positioned in her pose - someone placed a knife...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This murder mystery as an audiobook was a very, very pleasant surprise. The recording runs to over 3 hours long and I could only hear it over drives, traffic jams, and the gluggy moments before falling asleep, so I did wonder whether it would be possible to keep track of the plot points and the characters over all the breaks in the middle. Probably some curious combination of the brain, the actual story itself and the excellent reading - over 4 days and a lot of exhaustion, I could nicely follow...more
From my blog: http://arizonatraveler.blogspot.com/2...
I had completely forgotten about Inspector Roderick (Rory) Alleyn until my friend Lisa reminded me. Dame Ngaio Marsh wrote over 30 books with British detective Alleyn as the superstar.
I'm not one to necessarily read a series in order (which surprises me since I like order). Years ago I read Death in a White Tie written in the late 1930's and liked Marsh's style but then forgot about her. Last year I enjoyed the book Last Ditch written in the...more
I had completely forgotten about Inspector Roderick (Rory) Alleyn until my friend Lisa reminded me. Dame Ngaio Marsh wrote over 30 books with British detective Alleyn as the superstar.
I'm not one to necessarily read a series in order (which surprises me since I like order). Years ago I read Death in a White Tie written in the late 1930's and liked Marsh's style but then forgot about her. Last year I enjoyed the book Last Ditch written in the...more
I listed to the audiobook version of this story, and it was a fairly good captivating mystery about a group of wanna-be authors in a fancy estate that get involved in a whodunnit type of murder. A bit like Agatha Christie, but in my opinion not necessarily as good as her stories. I was a bit surprised at the end when finding out who the killer was, I didn't see it coming the whole time, but it also wasn't the most amazing reveal either. To be honest the reason I listened to the story in the firs...more
Another very well written murder mystery, beautifully executed -- I really enjoy Marsh's characters. This time we met Alleyn's mother and Troy who quickly established herself as the love interest -- despite a few other possibilities. Apparently being in New Zealand has done wonders for him.
The fact that the mystery dragged towards the end was the only reason this got a four -- Marsh makes the procedural approach work brilliantly, and it is really a joy to read, but the repetition did get a bit...more
The fact that the mystery dragged towards the end was the only reason this got a four -- Marsh makes the procedural approach work brilliantly, and it is really a joy to read, but the repetition did get a bit...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Marsh does a wonderful job, as always, of giving motives to each of her rather quirky suspects, and parceling out the clues but in a way that they are easily missed, allowing her to lead us down the wrong path right until the twist at the end. For me though, the highlight here was the interactions between Troy and Alleyn, the tension, the misunderstandings, and Alleyn's trying to keep his feelings seperate from the case. Troy is, after all, a suspect. The blooming romance is a good edition, it d...more
This was the first I have read of Ngaio Marsh's mysteries. I've heard her work compared to Agatha Christie's and was interested to see how she compared. I would have to read more to be certain but this offering, while a decent mystery of its classic British type, lacked the ingenious twist that marked most of Christie's novels. The murderer and motive were pretty obvious from early on and the second murder a foregone conclusion, but the progression of the case went smoothly and I enjoyed the byp...more
Oh, the good writers are so very good, and Marsh is surely a master. Despite the poor audio quality on this download from Audible. com (second time I've noticed that; might stop buying from them!), the book was a pleasure. I'd read it once, I think, probably during the year my resolution was to read all the Marsh books, but not since, and it was nice to revisit it. Rory meets Troy! Racy painters and annoying posers! Much intrigue! Fox! Rory's mom! All of this and more made Artists in Crime the p...more
Since I've nearly exhausted Agatha Christie's oeuvre, I decided to try branching out into Ngaio Marsh's. This book was compelling and had many of the elements I most love from Christie's mysteries including a quirky cast of characters with complicated relationships and secret pasts, living in the English countryside in the era and social class of manservants and parlor maids. Like Christie's plot lines, most of the book is spent detailing the Scotland Yard interviews with duplicitous suspects an...more
This was my entry into Marsh's work, and it was an abridged audio version, so sometime I think I'll go back to read the full version. Marvelous performance by Benedict Cumberbatch, and a well constructed mid-twentieth-century British detective story.
I do wonder about her research: in particular, she talks about looking for fingerprints on a corpse about 12 hours after death. Granted, there was blood and clay at the scene, both of which could produce long-lasting prints, but she seemed to suggest...more
I do wonder about her research: in particular, she talks about looking for fingerprints on a corpse about 12 hours after death. Granted, there was blood and clay at the scene, both of which could produce long-lasting prints, but she seemed to suggest...more
A solidly written golden age murder mystery; and one I much enjoyed. The murder was original and the detection was as fair as the detection club could have asked for. I quite liked both Roderick Allen and Agatha Troy as well as his various partners.
Still I wasn't left with a huge desire to read more. It felt quite genre, and quite a bit like a mix of Strong Poison and Five Red Herrings without Sayer's linguistic playfulness or literary style. Which, to be honest, is more of a personal preferenc...more
Still I wasn't left with a huge desire to read more. It felt quite genre, and quite a bit like a mix of Strong Poison and Five Red Herrings without Sayer's linguistic playfulness or literary style. Which, to be honest, is more of a personal preferenc...more
May 22, 2010
Rose
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
classic mystery fans who like charming detective protagonists
Recommended to Rose by:
my twin sister
Dame Ngaio Marsh certainly crafted a rich and appealing mystery (circa 1938) within "Artists in Crime". The story finds the lead detective, Roderick Alleyn, investigating the case of a murdered nude model, Sonia Gluck. The list of suspects revolves around eight individuals within an art school, including the owner - Agatha Troy, to whom Alleyn has developed a keen relationship with. All of them have their respective dislike of Miss Gluck, but the larger question is who perpetuated the method of...more
ARTISTS IN CRIME (Pol. Proc-Ins. Roderick Alleyn-England-1938) - G+
Marsh, Ngaio - 6th in series
Jove Mystery , 1980, US Paperback
First Sentence: Alleyn leant over the deck-rail, looking at the wet brown wharf and the upturned faces of the people.
*** Inspector Roderick Alleyn, while traveling aboard ship from Australia meets well-known artist Agatha Troy. Back in England and visiting his mother, he is called back to duty early to investigate the murder of an artist. It's an investigation about whi...more
Marsh, Ngaio - 6th in series
Jove Mystery , 1980, US Paperback
First Sentence: Alleyn leant over the deck-rail, looking at the wet brown wharf and the upturned faces of the people.
*** Inspector Roderick Alleyn, while traveling aboard ship from Australia meets well-known artist Agatha Troy. Back in England and visiting his mother, he is called back to duty early to investigate the murder of an artist. It's an investigation about whi...more
Marsh was a cohort of Agatha Christie and I believe their writing styles are very similar. I am anxious to read more of her books; there's just not enough time to read all the books I want to read! I would recommend Marsh as a "classic" mystery author, with the caveat that in this book, at least, there are some "adult" themes (I usually recommend Christie for young readers moving beyond Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys); I do not know if that would hold true for her other stories or not... Good plot, lots...more
This cozy mystery was my introduction to Ngaio Marsh and her Detective
Roderick Alleyn and the artist he loves, Agatha Troy.
The characters are some of my favorites. Not overly sentimental, they are each very practical for coming from such diverse occupations. They are practical, thinking people who care for and respect each other. Intelligent comments are made about art. They deal well with murder, mayhem and the pomposity of others they themselves do well without.
Brava, Ngaio!
Roderick Alleyn and the artist he loves, Agatha Troy.
The characters are some of my favorites. Not overly sentimental, they are each very practical for coming from such diverse occupations. They are practical, thinking people who care for and respect each other. Intelligent comments are made about art. They deal well with murder, mayhem and the pomposity of others they themselves do well without.
Brava, Ngaio!
Marsh's novels are really historical novels now. Dialogue and attitudes are a wonderful insight into the period she writes about. In this novel, where Alleyn first meets Troy, there's a lovely range of attitudes about morals, artistic cliches, and a really 'of the period' way of writing about sex which some writers of the romance genre ought to study!
Delightful story and well told. An antidote to the contemporary novel where people's lives are messy and muddled but they do nothing about it!
Delightful story and well told. An antidote to the contemporary novel where people's lives are messy and muddled but they do nothing about it!
It was pretty good. I am normally not a crime genre fan and to be perfectly honest, the only reason I "read" this book was because it was actually an audiobook with Benedict Cumberbatch as the reader. He made this book for me. He was surprisingly good at character voices (and has a dead sexy voice too) which made it easy for me to read/listen to the whole thing. But I did have it figured out who the possible killer was about 2/3 of the way through. Thats usually why I don't read crime.
Good old fashioned whodunnit. Alleyn of the Yard is called in to investigate a murder at an artist's house not far from where his titled mother lives. This is quite handy because he can pop back for the occasional glass of sherry and also dress up for dinner. Behind all this quite upper crust facade are two murders and plenty of red herrings, but the eventual denouement works out well. Written about 70 years ago, this is still a good read if you like a classic crime story.
I actually am reading the omnibus which contains "Death in ecstasy" and "Vintage murder" but it seems simpler to review them separately. This is the book in which Alleyn meets Agatha Troy whom he later marries. The murder is particularly gruesome but somehow Ngaio Marsh treats it with a light touch and Alleyn is as charming as ever.
This omnibus also contains the short story "Death on the air" which is a bit convoluted but I still did not guess whodunnit.
This omnibus also contains the short story "Death on the air" which is a bit convoluted but I still did not guess whodunnit.
A very solid three stars. The flow of the narrative is quite stop and go which makes the way the plot moves on a bit chaotic in my book. Never the less, the plot is interesting, the reveal not so far from left field, the hints are there. I liked the introduction of Roderick's 'love interest' who is so far a strong character in her own right. It reminded me of Sayer's introduction of Harriet Vane. Which is by far one of my favorite introduction of a 'partner' for a lead character. Looking forward...more
Jul 27, 2010
Margaret
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
authors-mn
On the plus side, the dialogue was very good, the crime and setting were interesting, and I liked Alleyn and Troy. On the minus side, a little too much police procedural: endless interviewing of witnesses, endless measuring and note-taking. Judgment reserved for now: will read another (Last Ditch, which I already have) and see how I feel.
Just re-read for the umpteenth time. One of my favorites among Ngaio Marsh's mysteries, featuring aristocratic detective Roderick Alleyn. In which he meets, feels shy around, and ultimately falls in love with painter Agatha Troy. And then must investigate a murder in her studio. I especially like the sense of place with which the author invests all her work.
Loved this little mystery that I snapped up recently at a library book sale. I have enjoyed all of Ngaio Marsh's books and was excited to see a new-to-me title. I enjoyed this story for the tale of how Rory Alleyn and Agatha Troy met, since I have only read the books in which they are married (spoiler -- oops!). The mystery was really well done and the unraveling of it quite enjoyable.
I love all of Marsh's Roderick Alleyn mysteries and this is no exception. She was truly a master story teller. Alleyn and the faithful Fox are on the trail of a murderer in the art community. The method of death stretches credibility but that is my only complaint. The bonus in this book is the introduction of artist Agatha Troy who would become Alleyn's wife in later stories. A very satisfying entry in the Alleyn series.
This is my favorite of her books, mainly because it is the one that introduced me to the series, after having seen the pilot of the BBC Inspector Alleyn programs. Like Agatha Christie, but without all the cardboard characters. I like how in Ms. Marsh's books, the murder mystery seems like something that just happened to occur while we were reading about these people.
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Dame Ngaio Marsh, born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900, but she was born in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Of all the "Great Ladies" of the English mystery's golden age, including Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh...more
More about Ngaio Marsh...
Of all the "Great Ladies" of the English mystery's golden age, including Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh...more
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