When I am reading mysteries that are part of a series, with characters who appear in several of an author's books, I often find myself liking those secondary characters as well or better than I may like the main series detective. So it is that Nero Wolfe, for example, takes a back seat of sorts to his assistant, Archie Goodwin, in Rex Stout's books. Certainly there are fans of Dorothy L. Sayers who prefer the character of Harriet Vane to that of the sometimes overly stuffy Lord Peter Wimsey. And I would argue that it is true - at least as far as my own tastes are concerned - of Agatha Troy, later to be Agatha Troy Alleyn and married to Ngaio Marsh's detective, Roderick Alleyn. If you have read some of Marsh's mysteries starring Alleyn and you haven't run across Troy yet - well, you should. I spent some time explaining that statement in my review of Artists in Crime, and I think you may enjoy reading that review - edited a bit, as usual, to update information on availability:
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It wasn’t Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn’s fault. Not really. He was pretty well focused on solving a particularly nasty murder case. The only problem was that he found himself falling in love with the beautiful artist at the center of the case. And it was pretty clear that the murderer had to be found somewhere in the household of that artist – and her pupils. That sort of thing can lead to complications. A sticky situation indeed, as documented in Artists in Crime, by Ngaio Marsh.
I must admit that I re-read the mysteries of Ngaio Marsh fairly often to re-acquaint myself with some of her characters, particularly the regular ones who surround her detective, Roderick Alleyn. Chief among these, at least in many of the later novels, is Alleyn’s wife, the painter and Royal Academician, Agatha Troy. Marsh first introduces Troy to us in Artists in Crime, published in 1938. It was the sixth novel to feature Inspector Alleyn, and it is certainly true that the love story chronicled in this book is every bit as important to Alleyn as the murder mystery – over the long run, in fact, it will prove to be much more so.
Artists in Crime begins with Alleyn’s return home to Britain from New Zealand, where he had been solving another murder case. Again, this is 1938, so that kind of travel meant a long, slow journey at sea, halfway around the world. On leaving port after a stop at Fiji, Alleyn discovers a young woman trying to paint a scenic view of the harbor. Their initial conversation is awkward – that’s an understatement – but Alleyn quickly realizes that the young woman must be Agatha Troy, a distinguished painter and royal academician – he is quite familiar with her paintings. And he realizes something more – here’s how Marsh describes the scene.
She turned quickly before he had time to look away and their gaze met. Alleyn was immediately conscious of a clarification of his emotions. As she stood before him, her face slowly reddening under his gaze, she seemed oddly familiar. He felt that he already knew her next movement, and the next inflexion of her clear, rather cold voice. It was a little as though he had thought of her a great deal, but never met her before. These impressions held him transfixed, for how long he never knew, while he still kept his eyes on hers. Then something clicked in his mind, and he realized that he had stared her out of countenance. The blush had mounted painfully to the roots of her hair and she had turned away. “I’m sorry,” said Alleyn steadily. “I’m afraid I was looking at the green smudge on your cheek.”
And that is how Marsh describes their first meeting. They will remain casual acquaintances on the ship – though Alleyn learns that Troy lives not very far from his own family home.
Troy is collecting a group of young artists whom she will be teaching at her home and studio. There are several painters, a sculptor, and a professional model. We will see relationships deteriorate among this group of mostly not-very-well behaved individuals. It will culminate in a murder – and Inspector Alleyn, who is staying at his family home not very far from the scene of the crime, will be assigned by Scotland Yard to take over the case.
And so what we, as readers, will be shown is how this rather prickly relationship between Alleyn and Troy matures – how it may or may not affect the detective’s performance of his job. And while Troy is never seriously considered as a possible villain, the impact of the crime, and the obvious involvement of her friends and students must of necessity have an impact on any relationship between her and Alleyn.
All of this, of course, is handled with Marsh’s usual wit and good humor. Very often, in Marsh’s books, the murders are both bloody and rather brutal, and that is certainly the case in Artists in Crime. Meanwhile, Troy certainly makes it clear that – at least in this case – she really has very little use for detectives. And Alleyn must fight to keep his emotions at arm’s length, at least until he has solved the case.
Now I’ve already made it clear that Troy will go on – in later books – to become Mrs. Roderick Alleyn – but I’m not really giving anything away that the reader can’t figure out from the first page of this novel. I am reminded of Dorothy L. Sayers’ final Lord Peter Wimsey book, Busman’s Honeymoon. In an introductory note to that book, Sayers says,
“It has been said, by myself and others, that a love interest is only an intrusion upon a detective story. But to the characters involved, the detective-interest might well seem an irritating intrusion upon their love-story. This book deals with such a situation.”
To which I can only add – so does Marsh’s Artists in Crime, which appeared one year after Busman’s Honeymoon was published. It’s interesting to see how a similar problem was handled by a very different author.
“Artists in Crime” is one of my favorite Ngaio Marsh books, featuring, as it does, not only Troy but also Alleyn’ mother, another memorable character. It is an excellent introduction to Ngaio Marsh’s central characters – and a powerful and well-designed puzzle mystery as well.
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You can listen to the original podcast review by clicking here.
Next: Punch With Care, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor.