From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Died in the Wool (Roderick Alleyn, #13)

Ngaio Marsh

Start date: January 1, 2019

Finish date: January 31, 2019

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: We're carrying on with Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn series for our 2019 group challenge.…more
[close] We're carrying on with Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn series for our 2019 group challenge.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 166 topics — 7,784 comments total

Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 14 posts · 16 views

last updated Sep 02, 2025 12:08AM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
By Susan · 4 posts · 12 views

last updated Sep 01, 2025 04:16PM

showing 6 of 6 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Nov 13, 2024 Julie Durnell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: england-uk, mystery

3.5 Stars. I bumped it up to 4 because of the setting in New Zealand. I did not know this when I picked it off my book shelf, a nice surprise, as I will be visiting both North & South Islands over the Christmas holidays! The plot and murder were quite unique, being on a sheep farm at shearing time. I thought I had it all figured out but was wrong. I believe this was my first Ngaio Marsh/Inspector Alleyn book, but liked it enough to read more, especially as I noticed there is another in the serie ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2019 Bev rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mount-tbr-2019, british-mystery, marsh-challenge, bought-2016, mystery, vintage-mystery

Died in the Wool (1945) by Ngaio Marsh finds Inspector Alleyn still in New Zealand hunting spies in World War II. Alleyn had already been hard at work in the counter-espionage business in Marsh's previous novel, Colour Scheme. This time he's asked to investigate the death of a member of New Zealand's Parliament--Florence "Flossie" Rubrick. The Rubricks own a large country property which includes sheep herds and wool processing quarters. She had gone missing one evening after announcing she was h Died in the Wool (1945) by Ngaio Marsh finds Inspector Alleyn still in New Zealand hunting spies in World War II. Alleyn had already been hard at work in the counter-espionage business in Marsh's previous novel, Colour Scheme. This time he's asked to investigate the death of a member of New Zealand's Parliament--Florence "Flossie" Rubrick. The Rubricks own a large country property which includes sheep herds and wool processing quarters. She had gone missing one evening after announcing she was headed to the wool shed to practice an up-coming speech. It isn't until sometime later that her body is found packed into a bundle of wool that has been sold.

Her nephew, Douglas Grace, fears that a spy is at work on the farm. He and Fabian Losse (nephew to Flossie's husband Arthur) have been working on a top-secret, hush-hush gadget that will greatly aid the war efforts and Grace is certain that Flossie must have discovered proof of the spy's identity and been killed because of it. Losse doesn't believe in the spy theory, but he does want the murder solved and after the local police flounder for over a year he writes to the "big wigs" and asks for Alleyn to drop in...dangling the possibility of a spy in front him as justification.

Since the case is so cold (no clues lying helpfully about to be picked up), Alleyn spends most of his time listening to every member of the household's account of the night in question and their impressions of Flossie. Arthur is no longer around--he died shortly after Flossie disappeared--but the two nephews, Flossie's ward Ursula Harme, and Terence Lynne, Flossie's secretary all give Alleyn their version of events. It isn't long before Alleyn realizes that there are several currents of motive running beneath the surface. There's a local boy who was Flossie's favorite until they had a grand row. And there's the growing affection between Terry (Terence) and her employer's husband. Not to mention the sudden fall from favor that Douglas experience with his aunt. A late-night hunt in the wool shed (yes--even all this time later) is called for and Alleyn becomes the target for the murderer himself before the curtain falls on this one.

What is particularly nice about this one is the way Alleyn's interviews so clearly underline that no one is the same person to each person they interact with. Every member of the household produces a different Flossie for the Inspector to understand. Marsh uses the psychology of each person's version to help Alleyn to understand what Flossie did in the days leading up to her murder that made her death imperative for the killer. Some may find this a bit slow going--there's a lot of talk and little action until the last third or so of the book--but in this instance I think it works. A good closed group mystery with excellent setting and background. ★★★ and 1/2.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks. ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2019 Susan in NC rated it liked it · review of another edition

I do like Inspector Alleyn, and enjoyed the descriptions of the vast landscapes of New Zealand’s South Island in this mystery thriller set in 1942.

Alleyn is far from his usual supporting cast in NZ during WWII, sussing out espionage after the body of a female MP is found in the middle of a bale of wool. Alleyn visits the sheep station where the murder occurred to try and solve the case, but also learn if secret weapons research being carried out there is being leaked to the enemy.

I’ve not read t ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 12, 2015 Teri-K rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-golden-age, historical-mystery

This is not one of the best of the series. It starts out well, with a missing woman's body found in a bale of wool. Alleyn goes to the scene, and then... Everyone talks. They take turns talking. And talk some more. I can see how this book would be fun to write - Marsh is clearly enjoying showing her victim from different perspectives using the witnesses own words. But I found the first half dull to read. I kept hoping they'd stop talking and do something exciting - like take a walk or something. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2018 Louise Culmer rated it liked it

Shelves: owned

This is the most interesting INspector Alleyn story I have read so far. Set on a sheep station in New Zealand in WW2, it concerns the murder of the sheep station owner's wife. A very strong minded, ambitious MP, she is found dead inside a bale of wool. inspector Alleyn, who happens to be in New Zealand doing espionage work, comes to stay on the sheep station and unraveling the mystery. there are some interesting characters and some lovely descriptions of the New Zealand scenery. however, it was ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 14, 2011 Carol Evans rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, audio-book

It’s reminiscent of an English country manor mystery, although it takes place on a sheep farm. Florence Rubrick, a member of parliament and the owner of the sheep farm is found murdered after missing for three weeks, encased in a bale of her own wool. Roderick Alleyn, Marsh’s series detective, is called in by a family member to investigate after the local police have gotten nowhere in over a year. Apparently Roderick is a distant relation to the dead woman. Also, he is doing War duty in England ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 07, 2019 Zander rated it really liked it

Shelves: ngaio-marsh

One my favorite in the series so far. While like most Marsh stories I figure out the murderer in a few pages this one despite being 2/3rd dialogue is much brisker than her previous novels. The murder happens with in a few pages and Alleyn is on the scene shortly after that. In one of her previous books it was 80 pages before the murder even happened. I really like this book because it gave me a very clear picture of what it was like in New Zealand and the world in during WWII including soldiers ...more

Like · see review

Feb 08, 2025 Anna Adams rated it it was amazing

Felt a longing for some Ngaio Marsh, and it turns out I love Roderick Alleyn best when he's on his own. Plus, I also enjoy the glimpses of what life was actually like during WWII. ...more

Like · see review