"Death of a Peer"

There are a great many British mysteries which feature members of what (to Americans at least) appear to be typically eccentric upper-class British families. In terms of both eccentricity and charm, however, I think there are few who can compare with the Lampreys, the noble family at the center of Ngaio Marsh's "Death of a Peer." It's the featured book reviewed this week on our Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the full review here.

The Lampreys are quite charming, even loveable, woefully inadequate when it comes to money management - and up to their collective necks in the murder of the richest member of the family (in a particularly nasty way). Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn must determine whether the financial indiscretions and delightful eccentricities of the family have combined to produce a most vicious murderer.

Frankly, it's one of my favorite Ngaio Marsh stories, and I tend to re-read it every year or two, mostly for the delightful company of the Lampreys. (The original English title, in fact, was "A Surfeit of Lampreys." I note, with considerable annoyance, that the book appears to have gone out of print again, as is sadly the case with too many novels by Ngaio Marsh and other classic crime writers, but Amazon's network of second-hand booksellers appear to have a fair number of copies, and you can find them at the link above. If you have your own preferred mystery bookdealer, by all means consult them first.

Comments

[Atul S. Khot]

Hi
I just got a copy today - a nice, well worn 1940 edition - hard bound / no jacket though...
Just checked on google and it landed me here ;-)
I would make it my next - After I finish "Murder in Vienna" by E. C. R. Lorac...

--- cheerio atul

[Les Blatt]

Welcome, Atul. I think you'll enjoy the book - it's one of Marsh's best, with great characters.