Reviews

When in Rome by Ngaio Marsh

applegnreads's review against another edition

4.0

I do like this author. I did know who did it though. Ah well.

tarshka's review against another edition

2.0

The characters are kind of annoying, but the stuff about Rome is interesting. 

michael5000's review against another edition

3.0

The elderly Dame Marsh gamely trying to usher the closed-room cozy past its cultural sell-by date, through all the social change of the post-War era, is not without its moments of bathos. A septuagenarian writing about youth culture in 1970 was inevitably going to have a hell of a time of it. Sure, she hits plenty of wrong notes.

So, duh, don't turn to Ngaio Marsh to get a feel for what 1970 felt like to people who were coming of age in that moment. But then, there are vast libraries of books out there that can give you a feel for that. What Marsh has on offer is a glimpse of what it must have felt like to be becoming elderly at that moment in time. She was clearly still plenty sharp, still trying to keep her hand in, not always able to hang with the kids -- but who of us will be? Who of us are?

A competent, enjoyable, forgettable genre mystery.

mbondlamberty's review

3.0

Entertaining and easy read.
You knew that there were some red herrings but still enjoyable.

lbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

saedith's review

BBC radio dramatisation.

cheryl6of8's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoy a good mystery and Ngaio Marsh is a master of the game. This one was fun because it was set in Rome and was something of a locked-room type, starring Roderick Alleyn working with the Italian forces of law and order. I didn't see the ending coming -- I knew the most obvious answer was wrong, but I was betting on the wrong dark horse. This was delightful to me because I got to reminisce on my trip to Rome in 2017, although I did end up craving pasta and gelato.

sergei_ter_tumasov's review against another edition

3.0

Ничего особенного!

С удивлением только что прочитал в Википедии, что многие считают эту книгу одной из лучших у [a:Ngaio Marsh|68144|Ngaio Marsh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1237946649p2/68144.jpg]! Мне же она показалось достаточно сухой и схематичной. Не хватило жены Родерика и Фокса. Эти персонажи всегда придавали этой серии какое-то чувство домашнего уюта и добавляли немного непритязательного юмора. Особенно мне не понравилось описание Рима (а Википедия и это считает сильной стороной данной книги): оно очень подробное и нудное, сплошные названия улиц, площадей, гостиниц, кафе и т.д. После этого тихо начинаешь ненавидеть Италию. Также я не понял, зачем будущая жертва назначила столько встреч в таком странном и неподходящем месте! По-моему, намного проще было встретиться в гостинице или в каком-нибудь из многочисленных кафе! Какие же всё-таки эти будущие жертвы несообразительные!!! И ещё: трупов многовато и убийцей (как всегда) оказался тот, на кого не падало даже малейшего подозрения!!!

missn80's review

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

verityw's review against another edition

3.0

This is a bit of a change from some of the other recent entries - Alleyn is in Rome, and he's not really in charge of the investigation. He's not aging as he should be considering the time period (but I don't mind!) but he's still as good as ever.