I have not read a Marsh mystery in some time as I was caught up with Christies in the fall. Imagine my surprise when, strolling aimlessly through the mystery section at my local library, I spotted Death on the Air: And Other Short Stories by the Princess of Crime herself, Ngaio Marsh! I had no idea that Marsh did short stories - I had thought that the sole provenance of Christie. I grabbed the book immediately.
Death on the Air is more than just short story mysteries. And they are not all about Chief-Inspector Alleyn either. In fact, not all of them are even mysteries! It is an excellent collection for the devoted Marsh fan, or for newcomers to this great mystery writer.
I very much enjoyed the opening biographies of Alleyn, and, sniff, his wife Troy. Sadly, I had thought him to remain single forever in the grand tradition of Holmes, Poirot, and Marple. I was a little annoyed that Alleyn's future had been spoiled for me in this manner - I wish I could have found out about his wife by reading the novels, rather than finding out in a collection of short stories. That said, it was really interesting to read how Marsh came up with Alleyn and the genesis of the first Alleyn mystery.
As much as I enjoyed learning about Alleyn's antecedents, and reading the short stories in which he was featured, this book is much more than an Alleyn-fest. Marsh's first love was the theatre, and included in the book is the sad play "Evil Liver", written for a BBC Television drama that had the audience, as members of the jury, decide the case. In that respect, it is somewhat unsatisfying to read, because there is no ending - the reader decides. And while there was enough evidence for the case to go either way, I made my decision fairly early on who the guilty party was. I would, however, have appreciated some commentary from the author as to her choice for the guilty party. I call it a sad play because of the nature of the crime(s) which involve the death of animals - always a sad moment for me in fiction, and usually something which I don't like to read about.
While the majority of Alleyn's novels are set in England, and Marsh herself spent a lot of time in England, New Zealand was her home. This comes out beautifully in two stories: "Morepork" and "Moonshine". "Morepork" is a mystery story, not featuring Alleyn, but is worth reading for its beautiful opening paragraphs alone. I felt like I was there, in the forests of New Zealand, with its exotic bird and tree species. Beautiful. "Moonshine" is a lovely little short story about Christmas in New Zealand, which always seems so exotic to someone for whom Christmas is synonymous with ice and snow.
And finally, Marsh closes with a humourous and thoughtful letter to a budding young writer. Her advice is good for all aspiring writers and I hope it helped the young (unnamed) author. She very carefully helps the young man along and lets him down gently when needed, while giving good advice for all writers throughout the letter. A very useful piece for any aspiring writers.
This book was an excellent little read. It is a good introduction to Alleyn and Marsh for those of us new to Marsh's world, but is also a must have for any Marsh completist out there. A good read for all who love mysteries.
omg, those photos are beautiful! They could be your banner, because really that's what reading is about ... lounging on a comfy couch on a winter afternoon, all warm and cozy and completely enthralled.
ReplyDeleteOnto the subject matter - Marsh is probably my fave crime writer (sacrilege!) by a whisker (haha!) because I find her stories more psychologically interesting than Christie's. Anyway, it's too bad about the spoilers ... although I knew Alleyn would eventually get married when I went through the entire Marsh catalogue earlier this year, it was still nice to see the evolution of their relationship through the various novels. It was not easy-going at first, I will say that.
The Brits made an Alleyn series at one point, which was quite good. I never warmed up to it, though, because I always thought the actor playing Alleyn was not good-looking enough and in fact a bit cold/sinister looking. He was a good actor otherwise. You might want to see if the DVDs are available at the library.
Yes, I really lucked out with Cessna on this one. She was sitting beside the book, and then suddenly decided to lie down on it. I was only hoping that I actually caught the shot and it wasn't blurry or anything.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read as much Marsh as Christie yet, so Christie is still my favourite. That said, I really enjoy Marsh's theatre mysteries. Her love of theatre really gives her an insider knowledge that comes out in the stories.
Even though I now know that Alleyn gets married, it will be interesting to still read about it and see how the relationship works with regards to his detective career.
I will have to have a look at the library and see if the DVDs are there! Or maybe the BBC will indulge us and commission a new series, perhaps with Colin Firth as Alleyn?
I doubt it, but that would be almost too much goodness! I'm trying to think who would be a good Alleyn ... hmm ... he's a bit young, but I recently saw Matthew Goode in the remake of Brideshead Revisited, and he's quite good. He might make a good Alleyn - dark haired, blue eyed. For some reason, I keep thinking that's how Alleyn was described in the books (though I may be just thinking of the previous actor who played him).
ReplyDeleteI don't know any recent British actors. Daniel Radcliffe is probably too young - what about Alan Rickman?
ReplyDeleteI think of him as dark-haired too - he certainly isn't blond. I'll make a special note next time I read some Marsh to specifically discuss Alleyn's appearance in my blog!