Colour Scheme

This is set in New Zealand during WWII. Alleyn has been sent to New Zealand to hunt fifth columnists. As with the above novel, he is working undercover, but in this novel he only makes an appearance part way through. The story focuses on the Claire family, owners of the thermal resort Wai-ata-tapu, their guests, and their dependents and their Māori neighbours. Staying at the resort are Maurice Questing, a vulgar businessman, and Geoffrey Gaunt, a celebrity actor, and his entourage.

The Claires are a somewhat dysfunctional family, consisting of Colonel and Mrs Claire, their children Barbara and Simon, and Mrs Claire's brother, Dr James Accrington who has retired to the resort to write a book on anatomy. Colonel Claire was formerly in the show more Indian Army, and is by no stretch of the imagination a businessman - by the time the story opens, he is in debt to Maurice Questing and is about to lose control of the resort (which is shabby and run down). Part of the problem as well is the Claire's Edwardian attitudes - they only want guests of the right sort. On the other hand, they enjoy good relations with their Māori neighbours; actually treating them decently. Also resident at the resort is Herbert Smith, a remittance man, who theoretically is the resort's odd job man, but in fact does as little work as possible and gets blotto monthly when his allowance arrives.

Maurice Questing is now the de-facto owner of the resort as Colonel Claire is behind on the interest on the loan, and the term of the loan is up; and Colonel Claire is in no position to repay the principal. Questing has plans to modernise the resort, and will be kicking out the Claires, with the exception of Barbara Claire (to whom he has proposed marriage) and her uncle, Dr Accrington, who he plans to retain as an on-site doctor. Geoffrey Gaunt has been recommended to the resort by an acquaintance of Dr Accrington; he didn't want to go to Rotorua because he would be disturbed by people after autographs and the like. He is accompanied by his secretary, Dickon Bell, and his manservant, Colly.

The story opens following the sinking of a ship, the Hippolyte, by what is thought to be a Japanese submarine (this would be around 1942). Dr Accrington believes there to be a fifth columnist in operation in the area as lights have been seen at night on Rangi's Peak, a coastal extinct volcano on the Māori reserve which was a burial ground and hence off-limits to all and especially paheka. Simon Claire has also seen the lights. It's also possible that the lights are from curio hunters, operating at night. Accrington has communicated with the authorities, and apparently got nowhere. Into this mix, Gaunt and his entourage arrive. Cue a rather explosive mix of personalities, another ship sinking (probably based on the sinking of the RMS Niagara in 1940), culminating in Questing's disappearance while crossing the thermal reserve at night (it being a short-cut to and from the Māori village).

I preferred this to Money in the Morgue, reading the two back-to-back showed Marsh's hand to be much better than Duffy's (almost certainly because of the generational and background differences). Marsh herself was also a theatrical director (this is why she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) and the theatrical references in this are handled much better. It was also adapted for New Zealand television - I seem to recall seeing it in the 1980s.

Recommended. show less

A rather suspicious and unbelievable set of circumstances finds Inspector Alleyn in New Zealand. In the midst of the thermal springs of northern New Zealand, a rather unpleasant character meets his death by drowning in a pool of boiling mud. The blundering Claire family owns the local resort, and they are well in debt to Maurice Questing, the unfortunate victim. Many wanted Questing dead.

At first I found the setting of this mystery to be quite interesting. The landscape is dramatic. That said, the solution to the mystery, the how, is deceptively simple. The who is rather unsatisfying, as the killer's character is not as developed as it could be. The side-plot about WWII spies operated at such a level of simplicity as to be somewhat show more absurd. A significant part of this mystery is figuring out how, exactly, Alleyn will come to be involved. I had that part figured about well before the end. This is not the best of Marsh's work. Her New Zealand mysteries never are. show less

What passes for mediocre Ngaio Marsh is better than the best from many mystery writers. This isn't the worst that Miss Marsh penned. (That dubious honor must go to the plodding Overture To Death.) But Colour Scheme suffers from one of the same setbacks: Inspector Alleyn isn't introduced until too late in the novel. (Actually, I didn't realize he was in the novel until late in the 11th chapter!) The description of Rotorua on the North Island was enchanting; I loved learning about the Maoris and the thermal springs. However, the Claires were stereotypical Poms and the resolution to the mystery wasn't very plausible. Colour Scheme simply doesn't rank with Marsh's better works, such as A Man Lay Dead, Artists in Crime, or Death In A White show more Tie.

Most readers will prefer the very next novel Ngaio Marsh wrote, Died In The Wool, which is likewise set in New Zealand. It provides a different glimpse into the country, this time at life on New Zealand's sheep stations, but the story is more absorbing and more lively, and, happily, Inspector Alleyn in introduced right from the start. The latter, by itself, is enough to make all the difference! show less

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

This is the sort of book I would have enjoyed more if I had received just a little bit more information beforehand. This is billed as a Roderick Alleyn mystery, but for most of the book we don't see Alleyn at all. This distracted me from the business at hand as I waited for him to arrive. Instead there was a team of amateur detectives solving the case. Now that is perfectly fine, but I could have done without the distraction.

The story takes place at a hot springs resort in New Zealand, where there is suspicion of spies helping the enemy sink Allied ships in the bay. Dr. Ackrington, the brother of the resort owner, suspects interloper and generally obnoxious fellow Maurice Questing of being such a show more spy ("Just call him 'Quisling' and get it over with!" he says at one point). Indeed, as the object of murder, Questing is a pretty good choice: he's a hustler, scheming, and when he propositions Barbara Claire, daughter of the resort owner, he makes the reader's skin crawl with horror at his odiousness.

As a reading experience, the book is kind of slow in the first half but then picks up the pace. Along the way we are treated to detailed descriptions of scenery, clever asides about the theatre and actors' personas (ample opportunity for same being provided by actor Geoffrey Gaunt), and very easy-to-picture characters. The aforementioned Questing provokes a reaction for sure, and I found myself rather uncomfortably closely identifying with Barbara, at least in the social awkwardness and goofy-face-pulling, trying to be funny departments. I do think the solution was a bit more sudden than I would have liked, just pulling this guy's name out because he hasn't said much for a good deal of the book. And I actually groaned out loud when it was revealed on the very last page that *DOUBLE SPOILER* Septimus Falls was actually Roderick Alleyn in disguise. That felt like a bit of a kick in the gut to be honest. Here I was waiting for him, being distracted from the story because of it, and he was right there all along! Boy did I feel stupid. It was rather clever, so I'll award points for that, but still. *END DOUBLE SPOILER*

I would recommend this for fans of WW2-era mysteries with inventive means of murder, those who like New Zealand culture (or want to get a taste of the landscape), and existing fans of the author. show less

Taking place in Marsh's native New Zeland, this book deals with the murder of a very unsavory gentleman who no one seems to miss. Mr. Questing was ruthless, unplesant, and unsavory, but does that make him a spy? When he goes missing has he been bumped off or did he escape before his cover got blown? A fun read.

Summary: A struggling New Zealand spa by some sulphur springs becomes the scene of espionage, the visit of a famous stage actor, and murder.

This is one of Marsh’s New Zealand novels, in which Roderick Alleyn is engaged in anti-espionage World War II. The story is set at a down-at-heel struggling resort by the fictional town of Harpoon, near the coast on New Zealand’s North Island. The resort, a spa located near sulphur springs and pits is run by Colonel Claire, his wife, and daughter, Barbara and son, Simon. They’ve recruited the Colonel’s brother-in-law, Dr. James Ackrington, a retired physician of some reknown to be the house doctor. The “staff” is rounded out by Bert Smith, an often-drunk handyman, and Huia, from the show more nearby Maori village, who serves as housekeeper and cook.

The main “guest” at the start is Maurice Questing, a businessman. It becomes apparent that he has an interest in the spa, having given the Colonel a loan on which he has fallen behind. Questing has big plans for the spa and one of his first acts is to advertise it, resulting in recruiting a distinguished guest. Geoffrey Gaunt is a Shakespearean actor with a leg that is paining him. He’s accompanied by his secretary, Dikon Bell, and his dresser, Colley.

Questing is not well liked. Both Ackrington and Simon suspect him of spying. He’s been seen on a volcanic peak, near a Maori preserve. In a couple of instances, flashing lights had been observed at times that coincided with the sinking of ships. Ackrington has written to Alleyn, a friend, sharing his suspicions. At one point, Questing was driving in sight of a railroad signal when he waved Bert Smith across a railroad bridge when a train was coming, claiming later that the signal wasn’t working, when it was. Subsequently he alienates Gaunt,

During all this, another unusual guest, Septimus Falls turns up, ostensibly to undergo treatments for lumbago. Simon suspects him to be in league with Questing, based on witnessing him tapping his pipe in what sounds like Morse code.

You guessed it. Questing ends up dead, falling into one of the dangerous sulfur pits. And there is no shortage of suspects with motives–Claire, Ackrington, Smith, Simon, Gaunt, and the mysterious Septimus Falls, as well as several people from the Maori village. Septimus Falls, who had been walking at some distance behind Questing, heard him scream, and subsequently gets them all discussing their stories, to prepare for questioning from Detective Sergeant Webley, the local man.

In all this, Alleyn is noticeably absent and you keep waiting for him to turn up, one of the interesting twists in this story. There are really three mysteries in the story: who is the spy, who murdered Questing, and where is Alleyn? Have fun figuring all that out. I sure did! show less

This book is full of disagreeable people and hardly features Mr. Alleyn at all. It's extremely dated and hardly worthy of Ms. Marsh. It's got a dreadful attitude to the native New Zealand population, a hearty disrespect for the transplanted Britishers who one supposes are the protagonists, and the murder victim is a disgusting lecherous creep. Even the romance doesn't quite come off. The only saving grace is that I borrowed the audiobook from the library and so don't have to own it.

I continued to listen to the end because I am reading all of the Alleyn books in order, but I have to say you could totally skip this one. It doesn't further Roderick or Troy's story at all, except to tell one that Roderick is in NZ as part of his foreign show more office war work. show less