Mark Pghfan’s Comments (group member since Mar 06, 2014)

Mark Pghfan’s comments from the The Parlor PI's group.

Busman's Honeymoon?

In addition to The Appleton Case, I'm listening to Go Set a Watchman, the follow-up (of sorts) to To Kill a Mockingbird.

Nicole, is all of this (your listening) on Audible? If so, I may want to look into that again. I've been trying to do four books a month, one mystery for this group, one other mystery, and two non-mysteries, on CD if possible. Hard to keep up without the listening versions!

Good with me. I got the book on Kindle but haven't started yet.

You are right, Tina. We did read one of them many years ago. I recall enjoying it, though it was quite a heavy (as in serious) read.

I have to say that it did end satisfactorily. The clues were there and the motive made sense. And Alleyn did indeed diligently work his way to the conclusion.

I'm glad you liked it, Nicole and Anastasia. I am really fond of the classic, old-school British mysteries!

A couple of thoughts on this section:

Things I liked--gathering everyone together and springing the solution (two of them actually). Also, the intricacy of the solution, which I have to admit, would have been very difficult to come up with on our own.

Things I didn't like: The characters were so stereotypical, and the language and idioms of the American, Mr. Ogden, were so bizarre. I also didn't see the point of introducing Claude and Lionel at all, much less making them effeminate.

What do you all think?

Well, I thought I'd end our discussion of Death in Ecstasy (I'm still struggling with the spelling of ecstasy!) before the end of the month. I'm not sure where our readers are in the progress of this book, but if you're not done, feel free to join us when you can.

That is interesting, Anastasia. I did not know about that cyanide sensitivity business.

Well, you all seem to have grasped the business of the church. I read the book off of a kindle, and that edition has a forward by Marsh explaining her concept of the church and that it is not to be taken as a particular church. Yeah, right!

Nigel appears in the first few of the books. I guess Marsh got tired of him early on. I kind of liked the concept of the reporter-sidekick and inspector team. As Anastasia noted, Fox stays with the series for quite a ways. (I'm not tremendously familiar with Marsh, but I've read maybe six of them.)

Here is the second part of Death in Ecstasy. Obviously the murder has happened and Alleyn is in the middle of his interviews with all of the attendees. We begin with the timid Miss Wade, who is clearly infatuated with Father Garnette. We are looking at the possibility of cyanide in the cup and whether there was any noticeable odor. This produces a lot of confusing information.

Well, there is a chance that the Death in Ecstasy discussion might run over into May, so that may help, though not later in May...

Sounds good with me, Tina.

I'm not at all sure about linking to another group from this one, but if someone does, it would be a nice thing.

I read a few Marsh books in the last few months, and I'm still not comfortable about how tricky she is with the culprits. I'm like this with most new authors! Sometimes the obvious person DOES turn out to be the villain, but sometimes we are led down with garden path, to be tricked.

Anastasia, that is a good point, about the theatricality of Marsh, and the help a great narrator can make with that.

I'd be in for Dead Bore--there are a few copies from my library. The Appleton Case is a novella and available from Amazon for 99c, which would be fine as well.

I never need an excuse to have chocolate!

Feeling bored one evening, Nigel Bathgate, Inspector Alleyn's faithful sidekick, wanders in his neighborhood and ends up at a pseudo-religious church, called The House of the Sacred Flame. There are seven "initiates" in the church and, during a ritual, one of them, Cara Quayne suddenly falls dead, having drunk from a cup used in the ritual. The Inspector is called in to investigate.

This is the fourth in Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn golden age mysteries.

No problem, Allison. I've been there before!

I hate to say this, but I thought the whole thing was too unbelievable almost from the beginning. And the extended chases throughout the final third were just too much.

How on earth could there be this many deaths and no police. Even when people left and were out of the running for the money? And even when Cashmere goes to the hospital for treatment.

I did slog through it all, though. Sorry.

I will start our side read for discussion for April, Death in Ecstasy, tomorrow. I wasn't sure there was a following, but now I see there is!

Thanks