Death on the Air and Other Stories

Roderick Alleyn

by Ngaio Marsh

The only collection of Ngaio Marsh's short stories, published to celebrate her centenary.
Contents:

Introduction
Essays: Roderick Alleyn
Portrait of Troy
Cases of Roderick Alleyn [list]
Short cases of Roderick Alleyn: Death on the air
I can find my way out
Chapter and verse: the little Copplestone mystery
Other stories: Hand in the sand
Cupid mirror
Fool about money
Morepork
Telescript: Evil liver
Comments: the case with five solutions
Newly discovered: The figure quoted.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Golden Age Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 1989

About the author

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 alone survived to publish in the 1980s. Over a fifty-year span, from 1932 to 1982, Marsh wrote thirty-two classic English detective novels, which gained international acclaim. She did not always see herself as a writer, but first planned a career as a painter.

Marsh's first novel, A MAN LAY DEAD (1934), which she wrote in London in 1931-32, introduced the detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn: a combination of Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey and a realistically depicted police official at work. Throughout the 1930s Marsh painted occasionally, wrote plays for local repertory societies in New Zealand, and published detective novels. In 1937 Marsh went to England for a period. Before going back to her home country, she spent six months travelling about Europe.

All her novels feature British CID detective Roderick Alleyn. Several novels feature Marsh's other loves, the theatre and painting. A number are set around theatrical productions (Enter a Murderer, Vintage Murder, Overture to Death, Opening Night, Death at the Dolphin, and Light Thickens), and two others are about actors off stage (Final Curtain and False Scent). Her short story "'I Can Find My Way Out" is also set around a theatrical production and is the earlier "Jupiter case" referred to in Opening Night. Alleyn marries a painter, Agatha Troy, whom he meets during an investigation (Artists in Crime), and who features in several later novels.

Series:
* Roderick Alleyn

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very surprising book to me since I did not know it was a collection of stories. They are all not mysteries. Ms. marsh is a skillful author and the reader is excellent. All the tales are slightly dated, but that does not take away from their quality. The story I liked best, Evil Liver, did not actually solve the two murders, but it was very satisfactory, anyway.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never read any short stories by Ngaio Marsh until I came across this book and I really enjoyed reading them. Her short stories are just as well crafted as her novels. The plots are intriguing and the characters never less than convincing. Some of the stories are only a few pages - others are longer and one - 'Evil Liver' - is in the form of a script for a television programme.

My particular favourites are 'Chapter and Verse: The Little Copplestone Mystery' which involves a Bible and a coded message and the last 'story' in the book which is in the form of a letter to a budding author which could be useful for anyone bent on writing books and which anyone who has tried to write will appreciate. It is full of humour and will cause any writer to wince in sympathy.

This book, which includes short pieces by the author about how she came to create the characters of Roderick Alleyn and Agatha Troy which will be of interest to anyone who likes to know authors work.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent sampler of Ms. Marsh's talent. It contains several stories which include Inspector Alleyn and his wife Troy. This collection was put out in celebration of Ngaio Marsh's 100th birthday and would be a great book to introduce a reader to the amazing talent she had.

[Sep · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for writers and readers because it includes some essays by Ms. Marsh on HOW she figured out her characters. The mysteries are short and sweet. Roderick Allyne solves them along with Sergeant Fox. It is also a trip to "yester-year" (to quote the Long Ranger).

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best Marsh I've read. Most of the stories ended abruptly, with the subsequent ones begun before I could digest the ending of the previous one.

[Deanna]

DNF

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Narrated by Nadia May.
Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A set of short stories, not all confined the the Inspector Alleyn world. I did not know the author was a success in three creative arenas: she was an actress, an artist, AND a writer. sheesh. But as if we could not have guessed? Those elements are present in a LOT of her stories. Alleyn’s lovely wife Troy is a famous artist, and a lot of the murders often take place in theatres or around theatre people.

Borrowed in the Audible Plus catalogue.

The final story is a response to a guy who wrote to her to offer his story idea. It is hilarious. 5 stars for that one. And of course he tries the old ‘I have a great idea and you can write it with me’ thing. Rolls eyes, honestly.

4 stars

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Montana Library2Go |

A mixed bag, some better than others, and of various styles and even genres. |

The title story was the first Marsh I read, and was my introduction to her, as it was included in a short story collection. There are a couple of Roderick Alleyn stories here, but the vast majority of the tales do not have him present at all. Some are not mysteries, one is a screenplay with no resolution (a courtroom drama, it was aired with the intent that the audience should decide guilt or innocence), one is nonfiction with no resolution, and many are so short that there isn't time to create false trails or land suspicion on more than the one guilty party. Some authors are better at the short story format than others, and with mysteries that's even more challenging. I have to say that in my opinion, Marsh is not the best with it. I should add that every one of her books I've read so far has been very transparent to me, so this is not a surprise in my opinion. Those who find her plots at all mysterious or challenging may find this to be a four-star book, but I cannot award it more than three.

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updating after listening to the audiobook read by Wanda McCadden. The stories are even more enjoyable with a good reader telling them to you.

As soon as I started reading this book, I realized that I'd read some of the stories before. It must have been a long time ago and it wasn't this exact book, because some of them weren't familiar. But I definitely remember Death on the Air. This collection proves that Marsh was just as good at writing in short form as she was with full length novels. Death on the Air is especially good at laying out the clues and coming to a satisfying conclusion in a short space. I would certainly recommend it. This is a nice, quick read.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I've never read this before! I've read all of the Alleyn novels several times each. This book contained some Alleyn stories, some other mystery stories, a teleplay, two character sketches (of Roderick Alleyn and Agatha Troy), and a very funny letter from Marsh to a wannabe writer. Definitely worth a read for fans, but could also be used as a good introduction to the Alleyn series.

[Hannah Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am quite the fan of Ngaio Marsh in general and, although some of the stories on here do strike me as a little weak, the overall quality is as one would expect from a writer of her calibre.

I particularly like the letter "My poor boy" which she wrote in response to a correspondent who claimed to be an aspiring writer. Pure class.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

While interesting stories, I think I prefer Marsh's novels to short stories. I think she needs more room to develop the characters and plot. The stories felt compressed and more like just the clever puzzle type of mystery. I did like her pieces about the origins of Alleyn and Troy, however.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got bored and abandoned...

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

enjoyed some of the short stories but a few I really hated

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag. The only story I liked included Mike Lamprey from Surfeit of Lampreys lore. Goodbye, Dame Marsh. I have greatly enjoyed your work.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good short stories, but I was so put off by the Dorothy Sayers shade in the forward that it tainted my enjoyment of the rest of the book.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook. DNF

[Nancy Nash Keefer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two of the nine short stories were written without an actual ending. I suspect Ms Marsh couldn’t figure out how she wanted to end them.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars for DEATH ON THE AIR and Other Stories by Ngaio Marsh (1895-d1982). A fair number in this collection didn’t feature Inspector Detective Roderick Alleyn, CID and he is the main reason I read Marsh’s mysteries. In general, I enjoyed the earlier stories in the collection more than the latter. They vary quite a bit.

MY RATING GUIDE: 1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= THIS WAS OKAY but not a favorite; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot!; 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I rarely give 5 Stars).

Ngaio Marsh’s Inspector Roderick Alleyn Mysteries are well developed character mysteries and I prefer the titles that feature him. Yet Marsh’s writing, whether or not Alleyn is present, depict England well during the time of each title, particularly among the upper and occasionally lower classes. Marsh’s writing style is somewhat dry with low angst (the former being fine and the latter I prefer).

Roderick Alleyn mystery novels might be best enjoyed by those who read Classic English mysteries and/or Historical Police Procedurals. Ngaio Marsh, along with Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie and Margery Allingham, is known as one of the “Queens of Crime” in writing and her titles are worthy of checking out - although this particular collection is not among my favorite. New Zealander, Ngaio Marsh was 87yrs when her last novel was published. Amazing.

The following is a list of the Short Stories in this Collection ~
1. BEGINNING ~ Background info including Marsh’s main characters (Inspector Detective Roderick Alleyn, Agatha Troy (his wife), Inspector Fox).
2. DEATH ON THE AIR - pub1936. Christmas Eve; a very cruel & abusive self-made business man dies at his office radio sometime after a family drama. Features Inspector Detective Alleyn.
3. I CAN FIND MY WAY OUT - pub1946. Inspector Detective Alleyn is married. Jupiter theatre, West End, London. The lead actor dies between scenes.
4. CHAPTER & VERSE, The Little Copplestone Mystery - pub 1973. Alleyn married & out of town when a bookseller acquaintance of Alleyn visits his home. The gentleman shows Troy (Alleyn’s wife) an old family Bible he has discovered belonging to a unknown household of the village. The Bible lists birth/death dates & a few mysterious comments. The gentleman suspects an old murder (or 3) “cover ups.” Then he suddenly dies almost immediately after speaking with Troy. Alleyn returns home in time to begin an investigation.
5. THE HAND IN THE SAND - pub 1950. This story is based upon a true story occurring in New Zealand in 1885, not featuring Inspector Alleyn.
6. THE CUPID MIRROR/The Case of the Vanished Spinster - pub 1972. A woman is murdered in a hotel, not featuring Alleyn.
7. A FOOL ABOUT MONEY - pub 1983. Set in New Zealand. The telling of an oft told story regarding a wife’s lapse regarding financial details, not featuring Alleyn.
8.MOREPORK (a bird specie) - pub 1979. A husband dies during a birdwatching family and friends camping trip, not featuring Alleyn.
9. MOON SHINE - pub 1936. A Christmas Eve story not featuring Alleyn.
10. EVIL LIVER/Crown Court - televised in 1974. A fictitious courtroom drama, not featuring Alleyn.
11. CLOSING ~ MY POOR BOY - written 1959. Last words & advice by Ngaio Marsh to a wanna-be author.


READER CAUTIONS for this collection ~
VIOLENCE - Not really. This collection includes murder mysteries but the deaths occurs off-scene. Descriptions are minimal and the focus moves to discovering the perpetrators and evidence for conviction.
PROFANITY - Cannot recall. If so, Strong language (and English slang) is used rarely.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - No, none.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Finally read this! Chose it because it was the only non-audiobook Book from Ngaio Marsh that the NLB had.

I skipped over the introduction (stopped when they mentioned she writes better than Agatha Christie because I do not need to have inflated expectations) and dove straight into the stories.

The first two 'stories' are Ngaio Marsh discussing two of her recurring characters - Alleyn and Troy. It was interesting but I don't know them so I wasn't emotionally engaged.

And then it was time for the short stories. On the whole, I enjoyed them, although the shorter short stories were a bit confusing. Perhaps it's because of the constraints of length (or lack of), but with the short stories, I had trouble understanding how a deduction was reached. A lot of the time, it felt like a hunch or a natural series of events rather than a deduction. But they were still enjoyable.

Two stories that I particularly liked were:

Chapter and Verse: concerning an old family Bible that hints at murders having been committed. The only problem is that the victims never existed!

The Cupid Mirror: great twist at the end, won't say anymore so I won't spoil it.

The last story is a screenplay which was actually more exciting than I thought. I'm not very fond of screenplays, but this one held my attention. It's about the trial of the murder of the dog and both the plaintiff and the defendant are unpleasant characters and the case was very ambiguous, which made for a head-scratcher.

The last entry is her advice to a young person who wants to be a writer. The parts concerning publishing companies are out of date, but the rest of the letter was really good (especially her reply to the offer to write a book together).

On the whole, I don't think that starting with a collection of short stories was a good idea, but I enjoyed the book and I definitely would read a full-length novel starring Alleyn if I had the chance.

This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories are not many detective fiction authors' forte, and Marsh is no exception. Many of these stories are scrappy in the extreme, as if she just patched on an ending when she reached her word-limit. However what really killed the third star for me was her nasty asides re: Christie and especially Sayers. Ms Marsh had serious issues with our Dorothy, who was a much better writer than she ever thought of being.
The "clever" epistolary essay "Poor Boy" shows Marsh's ever-superior attitude that I first met up with in her autobiography Black Beech and Honeydew and repeatedly set my teeth on edge. The underlying tone is "oh you poor fool, don't bother me, I haven't time to deal with beginners because I'm so busy, successful and important." You can hear her enjoyment at knocking down the "poor boy's" castle in the air. After all, how could anyone equal her lovely self?
Among the short stories is a teleplay written for Granada TV, in which apparently members of the audience have the deciding vote as to what actually happened. As it stands, I got the impression Marsh didn't know where it was going, either.
If this hadn't been an audiobook, I wouldn't have bothered. If I hadn't been too busy to delete it from my mp3 player, I wouldn't have either. As it was, a resounding MEH.

[Geraldine Sidoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started re-reading Ngaio Marsh last year because while I remembered that I had read quite a lot of her Inspector Alleyn books, it was so long ago I couldn't recall individual titles. Much like Agatha Christie the stories are very much of their time but interesting enough for all that. The social mores as well as the law mean an adjustment is needed for a modern reader but I feel Marsh was more enlightened than some of her contemporaries. Alleyn himself is an intriguing mix of aloof, warmth and repressed emotion. I don't think he would be likeable at all if we weren't shown his affection for others like close colleagues as well as his mother.
I think the addition of Agatha Troy (in the next book) was timely as it allowed us to see that Alleyn wasn't merely a law-abiding automaton. If you can handle the old-fashioned dialogue these are stories that should entertain and amuse the reader

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but not as perfectly pitched as other Ngaio Marsh tales. There are flashes of her style, verve & entertaining stories.
The final story is an unpublished letter addressed to a would-be writer asking for guidance and help. In this last piece in the collection, Ngaio Marsh's voice & humor shines through rather admirably-- and quite funnily.
One example of her candid feedback & guidance is helpful to anyone who would write:

above all things, READ! Read the great stylists who cannot be copied, rather than the successful writers who must not be copied. Don't try and turn yourself into a Hemingway. Rather listen to E.M. Forster or V.S. Pritchett or Proust, or Daniel Dafoe. Read what people like Maugham have to say about style, and what people like Maurice Richardson have to say about Maugham.
And write simply. And re-write and write again. And... oh, my poor boy.
I remain, with compassion, yours sincerely, Ngaio Marsh

[Sarah Nicoloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection released posthumously to mark the centenary of Ngaio Marshs' birth would be a good introduction to anyone who hasn't read a Marsh. It includes two essays which introduces you to her two main characters that appear in her books, one is her detective, Inspector Alleyn ("Roderick Alleyn") and the other is his wife Agatha Troy ("Portrait of Troy"), who plays a supporting part in most of the novels. All the stories are enjoyable and easy reads.


My individual ratings of the stories:
— Roderick Alleyn (essay) 3/5 ⭐️
— Portrait of Troy (essay) 2.5/5 ⭐️
— Death on the Air 4/5 ⭐️
— I Can Find My Way Out 4/5 ⭐️
— The Little Copplestone Mystery 4/5 ⭐️
— The Hand in the Sand 3/5 ⭐️
— The Cupid Mirror 3/5 ⭐️
— A Fool about Money 2.5/5 ⭐️
— Morepork 3/5 ⭐️
— Evil Liver (play) 4/5 ⭐️

[Katy Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I love work by Ngaio Marsh, and while I didn't dislike the individual stories in this collection, it was a bit of a jumbled mess in terms of topic and timeline. This was especially true with the narrated version which flowed rather quickly from one story to the next.

Some of the stories I have come across in other collections, which I suppose is always the risk of a roundup of work either from an individual author or a group of them.

There were some interesting background pieces about Marsh herself (although whoever wrote the introductory piece was clearly not a Dorothy L Sayers fan!), and I did enjoy the letter at the end as I've been listening to an aspiring author's woes of late and this seemed rather apt.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often read short stories as I often find them lacking in character and plot development. But I recently listened to Six Against the Yard and found it very enjoyable, so when I was looking through my Audible library and came across this one I thought it was time to try it.

What I particularly liked was the variety, with some stories involving Inspector Alleyn, and others which were not murder mysteries at all. The book started with two short sketches on how the characters of Roderick Alleyn and Agatha Troy were created, which I found fascinating. There was even a script for a Crown Court TV episode that Ngaio Marsh wrote - I'm keen to track down the episodes and watch them now!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of short crime stories and essays, with an entertaining foreword by Susan Howatch and a 'Crown Court' script complete this collection of miscellanies by Ngaio Marsh. Unlike many of her contemporaries she doesn't seem to have been much of a short story writer, but those she did write are entertaining and play with genre.

The murder method in I Can Find My Way Out is spoiled if you've read 'Opening Night' / 'Death at the Vulcan', but I enjoyed this for a rare appearance of a minor character from a couple of Marsh's other novels, as well as the elucidation of the mystery.

[K M Laume]

Though the writing is good, and the stories interesting because they mention places from my home town and the one I live in now, I’m not sure I like the murder mystery in short story form. I am only just getting to know the characters when the murder is revealed and the story over and I’m left thinking ‘who was that again?’
Perhaps I need to read them slower! It’s nice reading these classic kiwi authors though. It only took me moving overseas to begin to appreciate my home country a little more. I can only manage it in small doses though ;)