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Oct 25: A Murder Is Announced (1950) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 12 posts · 11 views
By Susan · 12 posts · 11 views
last updated Oct 02, 2025 04:44PM
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Oct 25: A Murder Is Announced (1950) - SPOILER Thread
By Susan · 13 posts · 11 views
By Susan · 13 posts · 11 views
last updated 4 hours, 23 min ago
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What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread
By Judy · 4475 posts · 483 views
last updated May 21, 2019 12:15PM
What Members Thought
3.5★
I'm starting to see a pattern - I prefer Marsh's crime novels when they have a theatrical setting.
But this title has a very authentic feel. It was co-written with Marsh's gynaecologist, Henry Jellet (he gets an author credit on my edition.) You can almost smell the antiseptic. So the hospital setting felt fine.
Even the political world felt real. It is when Marsh strays into the world of "Bolshies" (with the quite annoyingly perky Nigel & Angela) that things come a little unstuck, with cardbo ...more
I'm starting to see a pattern - I prefer Marsh's crime novels when they have a theatrical setting.
But this title has a very authentic feel. It was co-written with Marsh's gynaecologist, Henry Jellet (he gets an author credit on my edition.) You can almost smell the antiseptic. So the hospital setting felt fine.
Even the political world felt real. It is when Marsh strays into the world of "Bolshies" (with the quite annoyingly perky Nigel & Angela) that things come a little unstuck, with cardbo ...more
Hmm, now I’ve given this book 3 stars, is it 20% less good than the first 2 books, well no, but it is not a 4 star book in my opinion. I mean, I still enjoyed it, and I'm liking Alleyn and Fox, but felt this novel was a little weaker than the first two. I said I wasn't going to read number 3 straight away as I didn't want to overdose on Alleyn just to play catch up, but I was enjoying these so much I went ahead. So is my 3 stars a result of this overdose or not. I shall seriously take a break th
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Sir Derek O'Callaghan an MP has an attack of acute appendicitis. He goes into a private hospital for an operation. Sir John Philip operates assisted by Dr. Roberts, the anaesthetist; Dr. Thoms, the assistant surgeon; Sister Marigold, the matron; Nurse Banks, the circulating nurse; and Jane Harden, the scrub nurse. The operation apparently goes well, but O'Callaghan suddenly weakens and within an hour is dead. Interesting in those days a nursing home was a private hospital. Lots of suspects with
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Ngaio Marsh keeps showing up in my 'Recommendations', so I've been giving her a try. Some reviewers suggest that she takes a little while to hit her stride, but this is number 3 and so far, I'm just not feeling it. Alleyn's character is unfolding nicely, but the mysteries are seriously unsatisfying.
Spoilers for earlier books, as well as this one, follow: (view spoiler) ...more
Spoilers for earlier books, as well as this one, follow: (view spoiler) ...more
This is one of the disappointments from Ngaio Marsh. I read it as March-read for the yearly detective fiction challenge but I was really disillusioned this time. The two books written before this were a lot better. Niether the nursing home setting nor the operation theatre murder succeeded in catching my interest.For me the book was boring with a dragging storyline and a completely predictable solution. Hoping better from the April-read which is next in line
I was supposed to have an early night tonight. Whoops!
An early Ngaio Marsh, so Nigel and Angela feature prominently. Really good! Tight plotting, unexpected denouement--a really solid mystery, minus the exaggerated communist threat and unnecessary disguises. Fox has dentures.
An early Ngaio Marsh, so Nigel and Angela feature prominently. Really good! Tight plotting, unexpected denouement--a really solid mystery, minus the exaggerated communist threat and unnecessary disguises. Fox has dentures.
In the third book of the series Ngaio Marsh is finding her footing and Inspector Allyen is developing an interesting personality. I'm eager to read #4.
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