Ngaio Marsh is an author whose work certainly deserves to stand beside those of Britain's other crime queens. A New Zealander, Marsh's mysteries were quintessential British Golden Age dramas - even the ones set all, or in part, in New Zealand. And as Marsh developed her characters of Scotland Yard Detective Roderick Alleyn and his associates, they became more endearing and more real to us.
I think that's particularly true of Agatha Troy - the woman whom Alleyn met during a murder case and eventually married. That murder is at the center of "Artists in Crime," Marsh's sixth novel, which first appeared in 1938. But if murder is the center, the developing relationship between Alleyn and Troy is really at the heart of this book, so to speak. "Artists in Crime" is reviewed on this week's Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the whole review here.
Troy is never seriously suspected of murdering one of her pupils, but she is the central figure of the artists' colony in which the murder occurs, and, as such, she is deeply involved in the events of the book. The murders are fairly gruesome, but the real focus is on the characters - and, most particularly, on Alleyn and Troy. The book also introduces us to Alleyn's mother, by the way, who is a warm and funny character, very much worth knowing. I think "Artists in Crime" is among the best of the Alleyn books.
"Artists in Crime," by Ngaio Marsh, is another entry in the "Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge" sponsored by the My Reader's Block blog. I encourage all my readers to check out some of the books other bloggers are reading and reviewing there!
Another great entry for the Challenge! Great review. I've got it added to your tally.
Posted by: Bev@ My Readers | January 10, 2011 at 11:30 AM
LOVE this book. Gruesome murder yes, but one of Marsh's best, I think. I am fond of mysteries set in the artist's milieu. I recommend reading A CLUTCH OF CONSTABLES after this one. It's set a few years later, but features Agatha Troy in another prominent role.
Posted by: Yvette | January 10, 2011 at 05:15 PM
I agree completely about "A Clutch of Constables" - in fact, I reviewed it here more than two years ago - http://www.classicmysteries.net/2008/07/clutch-of-const.html . Troy is a wonderful character, and I think she appears in many of Marsh's best novels.
Posted by: Les Blatt | January 10, 2011 at 08:25 PM