Overture to Death (1939)

A classic cozy British mystery from the 30's, and so a little dated, but not as much as might be.

The life and times of a small English village are described to a tea (at least the upper crust of said village), and the book in many ways makes one wish for simpler times and makes me wish a little that I lived in such a place. Simple, straightforward, uncomplicated (except by murder), every in their place as they understand it.

It is interesting to note how Marsh is able to take several sexual situations that could have been quite steamy and keep them G or maybe PG if one is prudish and yet still indicate quite adequately the general drift. Today's authors could take an example.

This is a fairly light read, certainly not "deep", but makes a great book to read on a snowy day in front of the fire. Would also work on a cruise ship, I wish.
( )

Barely a three stars. It's slow and a bit all over the place with redundant plot points. The spinsters, the young lovers, the scarlet woman and the two middle-age men easily manipulated.

The whole religious hysteria, mania and the pastor being the focal point of the spinsters whole lives didn't reach me at all. It's an historical social thing that I can't put my head around.

But it's well written, Alleyn and his cohort of DS, DI and journalist do their job but it's a weak plot and even the lovely writing of Marsh couldn't really save it for me. ( )

My favourite Ngaio Marsh. Religion, sex, Rashomon-style witness statements. A treat to read and re-read.

I listened to both the Abridged and Unabridged versions of this from Audible. The narrator for the Unabridged was less “excitable” than that of the Abridged, and so, I felt, got the rendition of the upper crust slightly mad Squire and his spinster cousin down less pat.

This is the story of a small village group, attempting to stage a piece of entertainment to raise money to buy a new piano. There are two aging spinsters, who both love and hate each other in equal measures, and who are trying to angle a marriage to the most eligible and suitable men in the parish (namely the squire and vicar – both widowers – and the married doctor). There is a rumour going around that the doctor is having an affair with a recent “blow in”, who is far too glamorous for her own good and who has secrets and plans of her own. The Squire’s son is in love with the Rector’s daughter and wants to marry her, only to be constrained by his cousin, one of the spinsters.

On the night of the play, one of the spinsters sits down to play a piece at the piano, and is killed by a singe bullet to the forehead fired from a gun hidden in the piano. Who would want to kill her, and was she really the intended target?

Alleyn is called up from Scotland Yard (there’s been a jewellery heist nearby so all local police are tied up) and has to sort it all out.

Once again Marsh delivers on all the unwritten emotional undercurrents, the secrets, the mis-directions and the omissions, giving a number of possible murderers. I doubt the denoument is a surprise to anyone however,

The little English village of Chipping has decided to put on a play starring the local rector and the two harpy spinsters who are fighting over him. When one of the women is murdered in view of the whole village, Inspector Alleyn of Scotland Yard is sent in.
This was my first Marsh and I found that it lived up to her reputation as a rival/contemporary of Christie. Her characters are layered and the mystery unusual. I think this one could have benefited by being about 50 pages shorter, but I enjoyed it to the end. ( )