From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

A Man Lay Dead (Roderick Alleyn, #1)

Ngaio Marsh

Start date: January 1, 2018

Finish date: January 31, 2018

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: The first book in our Ngaio Marsh/ Inspector Alleyn challenge
[close] The first book in our Ngaio Marsh/ Inspector Alleyn challenge

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Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 16 posts · 18 views

last updated Sep 12, 2025 08:12PM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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last updated Sep 16, 2025 12:58PM

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What Members Thought

Dec 19, 2017 Adrian rated it really liked it

Shelves: det-ngaio-marsh, detectives-challenge-nm-2018

Now I am way behind with my Ngaio Marsh challenge , not because I was delaying reading these books, but for other book reasons. So when I started reading this book I was hoping I would enjoy it, and I did. I have seen a few TV episodes with Patrick Malahide, but had no pre-conceived ideas of Chief Inspector Alleyn, that said, I must admit he did come across very Patrick Malahide -ish.
My previous book was another detective story Pietr the Latvian and it was to me a fantastic, albeit short detecti ...more

42 likes · Like · see review

Sep 12, 2016 Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: aotearoa-authors, mystery-murder-crime-20th-century

2.5 ★

& that high only because this was Marsh's first book. Makes you realise what a remarkable achievement Christie's first ,

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1) by Agatha Christie

was.

Other reviewers have criticised Marsh for inconsistencies in Alleyn's characterisation. I actually don't mind this. I prefer it to having Alleyn & various aristocrats angsting over being involved in something as low bred as a murder! This is very tedious in Marsh's other novels. And I did enjoy the start- although for some strange reason, the frenetic pace had me ...more

40 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2020 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ngaio-marsh

This is Ngaio’s first Roderick Alleyn novel and it is a good introduction to the series I am slowly working through in no particular order. The story is set at Sir Hubert Handsley is well-known country house, Frantock where he is having a murder mystery party. He has invited his friend invited Charles Rankin a bachelor who likes the ladies and is a bit of a scoundrel and managed to annoy everyone he meets.

The other guests include: Charle’s cousin Nigel Bathgate a journalist; Rosemund Grant who ...more

26 likes · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2017 Jazz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, mystery-british, golden-age-mystery-pre-1950, mystery-country-house

Only my second Ngaio Marsh mystery, so I decided to go back to the beginning. I really enjoyed most of the book, carried along by an intriguing country-house "murder game" suddenly gone bad, which kept it intriguing overall. I found the ending stretched credibility somewhat, after a set-up of what seemed an "impossible" murder, but it was wrapped up quickly. A nice introduction to Inspector Alleyn. I'm curious to watch the BBC version of this to see how it plays out on film.
...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 22, 2020 Tania rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery

I really enjoyed the beginning of this and found the writing rather humourous, but it did get a bit ludicrous with the Russian plots, a bit of a cliche. I hear her later books are a lot better, so I look forward to reading them. This on certainly shows promise.

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2017 Gillian Kevern rated it liked it

I really like Inspector Alleyn, but there were times in this book that I wanted to shake him and go 'stop being so damn refined and just arrest someone!'

Also, I was totally wrong about the murderer. ...more

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