Reviews

Hand in Glove: Inspector Roderick Alleyn #22 by Ngaio Marsh

tarshka's review against another edition

2.0

I found it kind-of boring.

sarahmatthews's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

Hand in Glove by Ngaio Marsh

read on audio

Narrator: Marie McCarthy

Harpercollins

Pub. 1962, 251pp

___

This is a classic crime read set in a village among a group of neighbours who’re related in various ways. I knew I was going to get on well with the audiobook from the start as the narrator was instantly engaging, expressing the dialogue brilliantly.

The action centres around the home of snobbish Percival Pyke Period, an eccentric figure who’s writing his memoirs, alongside the cook Mrs Mitchell, his loyal servant Alfred and his new lodger Mr Cartell who has a rather troublesome dog, Pixie. The first chapters set up the world surrounding this household with the introduction of a cast of distinctive characters. I particularly liked Mr Cartell’s ex-wife, the Flamboyant Desiree Bantling, and this great description:

“with her incredible hair brushed up into a kind of bonfire, her carefree makeup, her eyebrows and her general air of raffishness she belonged, asMr Period mildly reflected, to Toulouse Lautrec rather than any contemporary background.”

She’s known for her amusing parties and there’s a long build up to her April Fool’s treasure hunt which is set to end in tragedy. In fact, as the murder doesn’t take place until about Chapter 14 I felt I knew everyone involved very well and of course there were plenty of strong motives for possible killers.

The central idea of a letter being sent in condolence to someone for the death of a loved one before the deceased was discovered was unique and played out well.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of period details to root the story to the 1960s. It seemed to me that it could’ve very easily been set in the 30s or 50s, though there were a few passing references like mentioning TV. I guess it stuck out as my other read for the 1962 club week was The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side by Agatha Christie which was very much about social change.

This is my first Ngiao Marsh novel and I’ll be returning to her in future

kdtarvainen's review against another edition

5.0

A fun, classic whodunnit with all the character, clues and country houses you’d want.

anzunagi's review

3.0

This is an acceptable cozy murder mystery a la Agatha Christie. Not as good. But ok.

bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition

4.0

April Fool's Day seems to Lady Bantling to be the perfect time to throw a scavenger hunt dinner party. Known for her outrageous parties, she goes all out, sending her guests on a village-wide hunt for rhyming clues that will lead them to the grand prize--a magnum of champagne. But the festivities come to a disagreeable end when Mr. Harold Cartell is found dead face down in a drainage ditch the next morning. A drainage ditch that was the site for one of the clues. Superintendent Alleyn and company are called in right away so the trail is fresh and the evidence (such as it is) as undisturbed as possible.

The question Alleyn will have to answer is whose hands were in the gloves that set a fatal booby for the disagreeable elderly lawyer Mr. Cartell? Leading up to the fateful night, there are all sorts of relationship troubles. The sweet but snobbish bachelor Mr. Pyke Period has been forced by post-war circumstances to share his lodgings with the prickly Mr. Cartell. It causes all sorts of domestic upheavals from unexpected (dare I say unwanted) extra guests at meal times to the outrageous antics of Cartell's disagreeable dog Pixie to Cartell's indelicate references to Period's claims of ancestry. But has Mr. Period's life been disrupted enough to cause him feel murderous towards his housemate?

Then there's Cartell's relationship to his sister Connie--a childless woman who has taken an unaccountable fancy to a "poor orphan girl" (of 20 or so, mind you) and is willing to turn a blind eye to anything Moppet (what a nickname) and her disreputable boyfriend might get up to. When it becomes apparent that Leonard (said boyfriend) is a thief and a man out to con a local garage man out of a fancy car, Cartell lowers the boom. Connie must disentangle Moppet from her boyfriend or Moppet and Leonard will face the police. Would Connie kill her brother over a girl who's no relation? Would Moppet and/or Leonard kill to prevent a more minor run-in with the police?

We mustn't forget Lady Desiree Bantling and her delightful (key sarcasm font) third husband Bimbo (who is not Lord Bantling). Bimbo was mixed up in some unsavory doings at a club in London. Would he kill over that ancient history? Or are there more recent doings to cover up? Nor should we overlook Lady Bantling's son, Andrew. Cartell and Period are the trustees of Lord Bantling's will and Andrew has had a fairly heated argument with the lawyer over his future plans. Andrew paints (rather well according to Troy Alleyn who should know) and wants an advance on his trust funds to start his own gallery. Cartell refuses to consider such "nonsense" and insists that the young man stay in the Guards and stick to a proper job. Would Andrew kill for his dreams or would his mother kill to help her son?

Warning: A few spoilery bits in my observations below....

Spoiler

Marsh's characters in this one are a little more intensely eccentric than usual. P.P. (as he's known) is definitely larger than life as a man snobbishly aware of breeding. And Connie's snorting laugh is a little much (but definitely better on paper than when heard--as in the filmed version with Patrick Malahide as Alleyn--more on that in a bit). But--even with characters that take a bit of believing in at times, this is still a quite enjoyable mystery with a good dose of comedic turns. One might question the motive of the killer, but the theme of twisted love/devotion is a popular one (Sayers addressed it Gaudy Night). Becoming obsessed with the love object, whether a lover or a child, does strange things to people.

And...while I enjoy Andrew and Nicola (temporary typist for P.P.) and their blooming romance...wouldn't it have been interesting if just once Dame Ngaio had made one of her charming young lovers (or both in cahoots) the guilty party? It's a sure bet that if you've got a pair of young things making eyes at each other in a sweet way (not the antics of Moppet & Leonard!), then neither of them did it.

★★★ and 3/4.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any review content. Thanks.

verityw's review against another edition

3.0

I didn't adore this, but I still liked a lot about it. A tricky mystery with lots of false leads and misdirection. Roderick Alleyn is so much fun.

missn80's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

kpeninger's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I thought this was pretty good, especially for the later books, although I thought the murderer was a tad obvious. But it was enjoyable, and that's all I ask!

jlmb's review against another edition

4.0

It was hard to not want to start singing The Smith's song Hand in Glove every time I picked up the book, haha. Enjoyable mystery. Love the Inspector Alleyn series. The early 1960's setting was fun.

innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition

3.0

Ngaio Marsh is an incorrigible snob, and not even remotely shy about it. This story could have been written about any time in the early 20th century, the only thing that gave its real age away was a tiny reference to the "telly". I honestly had no clear idea of where it was going or why, even right up until the very end. She certainly writes a good mystery!