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Scales of Justice (Roderick Alleyn, #18)

Ngaio Marsh

Start date: June 1, 2019

Finish date: June 30, 2019

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: The next in the Ngaio Marsh/Roderick Alleyn challenge.
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* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
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* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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What Members Thought

Jun 16, 2019 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

Scales of Justice (1955) is one of Ngaio Marsh's most classically British mysteries. In fact, despite its 1955 printing date, it has a very pre-WWII feel to it. It is set in the standard small charming village with all the familiar figures--former British military types (Colonel Carterette, the murderee, and Commander Syce, an inebriate ex-navy man); the local landed gentry represented by Lady Lacklander and her son (recently elevated to Sir George Lacklander after the death of his father); the Scales of Justice (1955) is one of Ngaio Marsh's most classically British mysteries. In fact, despite its 1955 printing date, it has a very pre-WWII feel to it. It is set in the standard small charming village with all the familiar figures--former British military types (Colonel Carterette, the murderee, and Commander Syce, an inebriate ex-navy man); the local landed gentry represented by Lady Lacklander and her son (recently elevated to Sir George Lacklander after the death of his father); the nosy middle-aged woman (this time Nurse Kettle,the county nurse), the romantic young couple (Dr. Mark Lacklander--George's son--and Rose Carteretts--the Colonel's daughter; and the Outsider in the form of Colonel Carterette's second (much younger) wife. There's a nice, healthy on-going feud between Carterette and his neighbor Mr. Octavius Danberry-Phinn over fishing rights and the attempt to catch the Old Un (a rather spectacular trout).

Then Carterette manages to alienate his friends the Lacklanders when Sir Harold (while on his deathbed) commissions the colonel with taking charge of and seeing to the publication of his memoirs. That wouldn't be so bad, but Sir Harold had made some alterations and confessions that the family would rather not see the light of day. Sir George has a huge row with Carterette and tells him that any understanding between their children is now off. This is followed by another loud disagreement with Danberry-Phinn over the Old Un...and then later that evening, Nurse Kettle stumbles across the Colonel's body with the disputed fish lying beside it.

Lady Lacklander doesn't want the local bobby mucking up the investigation, so she calls in favors at Scotland Yard and asks that Inspector Alleyn take up the case. Because he is a gentleman. And..because she knew him when he was young and it appears that she thinks she may be able to manipulate him into hushing things up. She and her family also think they can keep Sir Harold's skeletons firmly in the closet. She and her family would be wrong. As they soon learn, Alleyn may be a gentleman but he is also a dedicated copper and will follow up every lead, no matter how fishy* until he has identified the murderer.

This really is quite good. There is a lot of humor in the book. Marsh pokes fun at the class distinctions--particularly the Lacklanders--without making them into caricatures. The country village setting is well done and we're given a nice overview of the landscape and social set-up in the opening with Nurse Kettle. Marsh lays a good trail of clues with a nice batch of red herrings mixed in (mixed better than my metaphors, I'm happy to add). Though I show on my reading list that I'd read this one, I had no memory of having done so and little more of the production with Patrick Malahide as Alleyn, so Marsh was able to lead me up the garden path for quite a bit of the book. I did manage to untangle the clues before Alleyn explained it all, but not long before. Overall, a satisfying read.

*forgive me, I couldn't resist

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

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Jun 08, 2019 Susan in NC rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tbr-with-gr-groups

3.5 stars - great fun as an audiobook, I’d give 4 stars for the setting, the interesting, quirky characters, but three stars for a rather questionable motive and too pat a resolution - no spoilers, but I wasn’t really satisfied with the ending and the way Inspector Alleyn arrived at his solution. So, I’d give this Inspector Alleyn mystery, Marsh’s 18th in a long series, 3.5 stars.

I did enjoy the idyllic English country setting, and the couple of old county families that Marsh provides as the vic ...more

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Dec 26, 2021 Teri-K rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really like this clever mystery, set in a small English town, where cats, a giant trout, and secrets from the past all collide in murder. I've been revisiting this one for decades, and I always remember how it was done but I'm never sure who did it! I think Marsh's books are as good as Christie's. ...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Carol Evans rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

In Scales of Justice, Marsh takes a calm little town, throws in a murder, and exposes the dark corners of everyone’s closets. It’s an enjoyable whodunnit. By the way, think fish scales when you read the title. It reminds me of the titles of many of today’s cozies, with their play on words and puns.

First of all, I have to say I loved how Marsh framed this mystery. We start with the travelling nurse surveying the town, picturing it as hand-drawn map, complete with people doing their usual things. ...more

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Apr 12, 2018 Paperbackreader rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-but-unowned, audiobook, mystery, all-collections, classic, detective, inspector-roderick-alleyn

At times, Ngaio Marsh can be very classist. Scales of Justice is even more classist than usual. But it is also very dull. Not one of Marsh's best. ...more

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