The Play's the Thing

As promised on Monday, today I am going to talk about the Ngaio Marsh book I recently read: Enter A Murderer. This is the second book in her series featuring Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn. The book also features intrepid reporter Nigel Bathgate, whom we first met in the first book in the series, A Man Lay Dead.

This book, as evidenced by the title, takes place in the world of the theater. Nigel takes his friend Inspector Alleyn to watch a play; The Rat and The Beaver. The final act is especially dramatic as one of the characters is shot on stage at the climax of the play. However, this time it is no performance - those were real bullets in the gun, not blanks and the actor is actually dead. There is a short list of characters who could have killed him: the cast of the play and the stagehands who run things behind the scenes. Inspector Alleyn must delve into the offstage world of the theater and investigate the real-lives of all the actors and actresses to determine who is the murderer.

It is a typical Christie/Marsh set-up - someone is murdered and there is only a limited number of people who could have committed the murder. I appreciate this style of murder-mystery as it is like solving a puzzle. Plus, the gore and violence are kept to a minimum. It is an exercise for the brain, not for the stomach!

Like Marsh's previous Alleyn novel, I enjoyed this one as well. It is a fast-paced quick read. Not overly challenging, but draws you in and keeps you interested as the mystery unfolds. Marsh's books, Heyer's mysteries, and Christie's books, are all set in the same time period. However, unlike Heyer's mysteries, I am not reading Marsh awaiting the arrival of Hercule Poirot! Inspector Alleyn is a real and developed character, and he carries the mystery on his own. He is intriguing, as there seems to be a hint of sadness in the character, and some mystery about his past life. I am curious to read more of the mysteries and see how the character develops. There is even a whisper of romance in this novel as it appears that Alleyn is attracted by one of the suspects. I'm curious to see if that subplot is carried through to the other novels as well.

One thing that makes Marsh's novels stand out from Christie's is that the protagonist is an actual police detective. This makes it natural and right that he should be investigating crimes. Of course, Poirot was also a consulting detective, so his involvement in crime was natural as well. Mystery writers can get into some trouble if their detective is not private or police - the writer gets tied in knots trying to find a way to involve their character in a murder without the character being suspected of the murder! After awhile, the coincidences are just too much, and the series often loses its charm. (Such as Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy/Caterer mystery series. Eventually, a caterer always stumbling on a dead body and solving the mystery gets a little far-fetched.) However, if your detective is a police or private detective, the crime comes to them and the investigation of it is their job. I like that Alleyn is a police detective and I am interested in Marsh's portrayal of the police force and its detective abilities.

In summary, I enjoyed this Ngaio Marsh book too. I will have to put the next one on hold from the library! I enjoy her police detective as an alternate to Christie's private detective, but enjoy the similar themes and puzzles that are contained in each work. The real test will come when I finish the series - will I want to read them again? I own nearly all of Christie's works and reread Poirot and Marple probably about once a year. Will I want to own the Marsh series and reread them? Only time will tell.