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elizabooks's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
attytheresa's review
3.0
It's the middle of WWII, 1943 to be exact, when Inspector Alleyn is sent to the antipodes to investigate a murder on a remote sheep farm while also sniffing out just who is leaking military weapon development secrets from the R & D lab located there. The higher ups suspect there is a connection. The murder mystery opens with Alleyn being picked up at a cross roads in the middle of nowhere by Fabian, the current owner of Mount Moon homestead was eighty years old and that is a great age for a house in the antipodes. Fabian inherited Mount Moon from his uncle Arthur. It is Arthur's wife Flossie who was murdered, found smushed in a sheep bale sent to market. Fabian is also half of the team of researchers developing some weaponry for the military on the farm. The other half of the team is Captain Douglas Grace, Flossie's nephew, heir to her money, and former military. His accent was slightly antipodean but his manners were formal. He called Alleyn ‘sir’ each time he spoke to him. Yes, he's just as irritating and pompous as he sounds.
Also on the ranch, having remained after Flossie's death are Ursula who was taken under Flossie's wing when orphaned, currently in love with Fabian, and Terence [who] had been five years in New Zealand. Equipped with a knowledge of shorthand and typing and six letters of recommendation, including one from the High Commissioner in London to Flossie herself, she had sought her fortune in the antipodes. Also on the farm at the time Flossie was murdered was her husband Arthur, an older man in ill-health who died not long after his wife.
Then there is Flossie herself who thought she was a riotous success with the men working the sheep, addressing them with a pose of easy jocularity that set their teeth on edge. They took it, with a private grin, I fancy. She imagined she had converted them to a sort of antipodean feudal system. Basically, Flossie was pretty solidly unlikeable although she was a popular politician representing her antipodean district both in the antipodes and in England.
This is only one of 4 mysteries that antipodean Queen of Crime [a:Ngaio Marsh|68144|Ngaio Marsh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1237946649p2/68144.jpg] set in the antipodes. The structure of this mystery in the antipodes is classic for the era (written in the 40s): Upon Alleyn's arrival at the farm, all gather in the drawing room beneath Flossie's portrait to tell their version of events while Alleyn takes notes and occasionally interposes a question. It's like a grand confessional. Many many clues are dropped, lies told, information omitted but as each person's story unfolds (each gets a chapter) and a few events happen over the next couple of days, Alleyn of course completes both his missions just as he's yearning to leave the antipodes and head back home to his wife Troy and England.
It took me a while to settle into the vocabulary and style both because it is dated and because (I suspect) it is antipodean. The style is one not used so much these days by crime fiction writers and that actually was rather refreshing as was being in the antipodes on a sheep farm. Also, there is something about the tone that is overly arch, like fast paced dialogue in a sophisticated comedy of the era. Which of course is no surprise given the author's love of and work in the antipodean theater. In fact, it's very like reading or even watching a play -- dialogue driven, with monologues interspersed with action and interruptions, and the ending comes as a curtain dropping shocker - unless you have followed all the clues to the only conclusion it could be.
This was great fun and definitely has me wanting to revisit more of one of the grand dames of mystery. It was also fun to read something so antipodal, an antipodean mystery that was written contemporaneiously with the period of the mystery but to us reads like an historical novel full of period detail like using candlelight because in rural areas of the antipodes electricity was expensive and not generally available the more remote you were.
And just in case you are wondering:
Antipodean
/anˌtipəˈdēən/
adjective
1.
relating to Australia or New Zealand (used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere):
"Antipodean wines"
noun
1.
a person from Australia or New Zealand (used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere):
"a brisk Antipodean, she moved with speed and efficiency"
New Zealand is frequently described as the Antipodes due to its location on the far ends of the Southern Hemisphere. At least in the 40s.
Also on the ranch, having remained after Flossie's death are Ursula who was taken under Flossie's wing when orphaned, currently in love with Fabian, and Terence [who] had been five years in New Zealand. Equipped with a knowledge of shorthand and typing and six letters of recommendation, including one from the High Commissioner in London to Flossie herself, she had sought her fortune in the antipodes. Also on the farm at the time Flossie was murdered was her husband Arthur, an older man in ill-health who died not long after his wife.
Then there is Flossie herself who thought she was a riotous success with the men working the sheep, addressing them with a pose of easy jocularity that set their teeth on edge. They took it, with a private grin, I fancy. She imagined she had converted them to a sort of antipodean feudal system. Basically, Flossie was pretty solidly unlikeable although she was a popular politician representing her antipodean district both in the antipodes and in England.
This is only one of 4 mysteries that antipodean Queen of Crime [a:Ngaio Marsh|68144|Ngaio Marsh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1237946649p2/68144.jpg] set in the antipodes. The structure of this mystery in the antipodes is classic for the era (written in the 40s): Upon Alleyn's arrival at the farm, all gather in the drawing room beneath Flossie's portrait to tell their version of events while Alleyn takes notes and occasionally interposes a question. It's like a grand confessional. Many many clues are dropped, lies told, information omitted but as each person's story unfolds (each gets a chapter) and a few events happen over the next couple of days, Alleyn of course completes both his missions just as he's yearning to leave the antipodes and head back home to his wife Troy and England.
It took me a while to settle into the vocabulary and style both because it is dated and because (I suspect) it is antipodean. The style is one not used so much these days by crime fiction writers and that actually was rather refreshing as was being in the antipodes on a sheep farm. Also, there is something about the tone that is overly arch, like fast paced dialogue in a sophisticated comedy of the era. Which of course is no surprise given the author's love of and work in the antipodean theater. In fact, it's very like reading or even watching a play -- dialogue driven, with monologues interspersed with action and interruptions, and the ending comes as a curtain dropping shocker - unless you have followed all the clues to the only conclusion it could be.
This was great fun and definitely has me wanting to revisit more of one of the grand dames of mystery. It was also fun to read something so antipodal, an antipodean mystery that was written contemporaneiously with the period of the mystery but to us reads like an historical novel full of period detail like using candlelight because in rural areas of the antipodes electricity was expensive and not generally available the more remote you were.
And just in case you are wondering:
Antipodean
/anˌtipəˈdēən/
adjective
1.
relating to Australia or New Zealand (used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere):
"Antipodean wines"
noun
1.
a person from Australia or New Zealand (used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere):
"a brisk Antipodean, she moved with speed and efficiency"
New Zealand is frequently described as the Antipodes due to its location on the far ends of the Southern Hemisphere. At least in the 40s.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
3.0
Died in the Wool (1945) by Ngaio Marsh finds Inspector Alleyn still in New Zealand hunting spies in World War II. Alleyn had already been hard at work in the counter-espionage business in Marsh's previous novel, Colour Scheme. This time he's asked to investigate the death of a member of New Zealand's Parliament--Florence "Flossie" Rubrick. The Rubricks own a large country property which includes sheep herds and wool processing quarters. She had gone missing one evening after announcing she was headed to the wool shed to practice an up-coming speech. It isn't until sometime later that her body is found packed into a bundle of wool that has been sold.
Her nephew, Douglas Grace, fears that a spy is at work on the farm. He and Fabian Losse (nephew to Flossie's husband Arthur) have been working on a top-secret, hush-hush gadget that will greatly aid the war efforts and Grace is certain that Flossie must have discovered proof of the spy's identity and been killed because of it. Losse doesn't believe in the spy theory, but he does want the murder solved and after the local police flounder for over a year he writes to the "big wigs" and asks for Alleyn to drop in...dangling the possibility of a spy in front him as justification.
Since the case is so cold (no clues lying helpfully about to be picked up), Alleyn spends most of his time listening to every member of the household's account of the night in question and their impressions of Flossie. Arthur is no longer around--he died shortly after Flossie disappeared--but the two nephews, Flossie's ward Ursula Harme, and Terence Lynne, Flossie's secretary all give Alleyn their version of events. It isn't long before Alleyn realizes that there are several currents of motive running beneath the surface. There's a local boy who was Flossie's favorite until they had a grand row. And there's the growing affection between Terry (Terence) and her employer's husband. Not to mention the sudden fall from favor that Douglas experience with his aunt. A late-night hunt in the wool shed (yes--even all this time later) is called for and Alleyn becomes the target for the murderer himself before the curtain falls on this one.
What is particularly nice about this one is the way Alleyn's interviews so clearly underline that no one is the same person to each person they interact with. Every member of the household produces a different Flossie for the Inspector to understand. Marsh uses the psychology of each person's version to help Alleyn to understand what Flossie did in the days leading up to her murder that made her death imperative for the killer. Some may find this a bit slow going--there's a lot of talk and little action until the last third or so of the book--but in this instance I think it works. A good closed group mystery with excellent setting and background. ★★★ and 1/2.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Her nephew, Douglas Grace, fears that a spy is at work on the farm. He and Fabian Losse (nephew to Flossie's husband Arthur) have been working on a top-secret, hush-hush gadget that will greatly aid the war efforts and Grace is certain that Flossie must have discovered proof of the spy's identity and been killed because of it. Losse doesn't believe in the spy theory, but he does want the murder solved and after the local police flounder for over a year he writes to the "big wigs" and asks for Alleyn to drop in...dangling the possibility of a spy in front him as justification.
Since the case is so cold (no clues lying helpfully about to be picked up), Alleyn spends most of his time listening to every member of the household's account of the night in question and their impressions of Flossie. Arthur is no longer around--he died shortly after Flossie disappeared--but the two nephews, Flossie's ward Ursula Harme, and Terence Lynne, Flossie's secretary all give Alleyn their version of events. It isn't long before Alleyn realizes that there are several currents of motive running beneath the surface. There's a local boy who was Flossie's favorite until they had a grand row. And there's the growing affection between Terry (Terence) and her employer's husband. Not to mention the sudden fall from favor that Douglas experience with his aunt. A late-night hunt in the wool shed (yes--even all this time later) is called for and Alleyn becomes the target for the murderer himself before the curtain falls on this one.
What is particularly nice about this one is the way Alleyn's interviews so clearly underline that no one is the same person to each person they interact with. Every member of the household produces a different Flossie for the Inspector to understand. Marsh uses the psychology of each person's version to help Alleyn to understand what Flossie did in the days leading up to her murder that made her death imperative for the killer. Some may find this a bit slow going--there's a lot of talk and little action until the last third or so of the book--but in this instance I think it works. A good closed group mystery with excellent setting and background. ★★★ and 1/2.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
verityw's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this - I've got another couple of Ngaio Marsh omnibuses in to satisfy my craving for Golden age murder mystery - and this certainly hit the spot. The murder was intriguing and unusual - and the solution had plenty of twists and turns as it wended its way towards the solution. V good.
missn80's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
margardenlady's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A murder at a sheep farm in New Zealand. And the murder was originally considered too be a disappearance. Lots of suspects and a particularly arrogant and obnoxious woman dead. But Inspector Alleyn manages to find out the whole story. I enjoyed the slice of life at a sheep farm quite a lot, and found the petty squabbles pretty typical of small town life.
carolsnotebook's review against another edition
4.0
It’s reminiscent of an English country manor mystery, although it takes place on a sheep farm. Florence Rubrick, a member of parliament and the owner of the sheep farm is found murdered after missing for three weeks, encased in a bale of her own wool. Roderick Alleyn, Marsh’s series detective, is called in by a family member to investigate after the local police have gotten nowhere in over a year. Apparently Roderick is a distant relation to the dead woman. Also, he is doing War duty in England and there is some suspicion that the death is connected to a case of espionage.
It’s a closed environment and there is a small pool of suspects, those that live on the farm. What stood out for me, though, is that since Alleyn is called in so long after the crime was committed, he can’t rely on the standard search for concrete clues. Instead, he listens. Each of the suspects, two nephews, a young woman who was Flossie’s Ward, and the deceased woman’s secretary now gardener, tell their version of the events and their versions of Flossie. Listening to all the doings at the household, dragging up all the secrets, Alleyn has to ferret out who the killer, and therefore spy, is.
It’s a thinking mystery.There is a little action and some danger, but mostly we have all the clues from the players themselves, in that way Marsh plays fair with the reader. We have the same information as Alleyn, but I have to admit that I just didn’t put it together. I guessed at who the bad guy was, but it was more of a feeling than a logical conclusion.
It’s a closed environment and there is a small pool of suspects, those that live on the farm. What stood out for me, though, is that since Alleyn is called in so long after the crime was committed, he can’t rely on the standard search for concrete clues. Instead, he listens. Each of the suspects, two nephews, a young woman who was Flossie’s Ward, and the deceased woman’s secretary now gardener, tell their version of the events and their versions of Flossie. Listening to all the doings at the household, dragging up all the secrets, Alleyn has to ferret out who the killer, and therefore spy, is.
It’s a thinking mystery.There is a little action and some danger, but mostly we have all the clues from the players themselves, in that way Marsh plays fair with the reader. We have the same information as Alleyn, but I have to admit that I just didn’t put it together. I guessed at who the bad guy was, but it was more of a feeling than a logical conclusion.
emmkayt's review
3.0
Very enjoyable. I read this series in my teens and I don't think I'd returned to it since. The setting was quite interesting, and the story was diverting.
soelo's review
4.0
This was the first book I’ve read that comes from the Golden Age of mysteries. I liked it well enough and was surprised when I realized how long the first conversation with the main group is. I just watched the version made in the seventies and aired on NZ television. It was pretty soapy but enjoyable as any 90 minute mystery show from that era.
scorpionturtle's review
4.0
One my favorite in the series so far. While like most Marsh stories I figure out the murderer in a few pages this one despite being 2/3rd dialogue is much brisker than her previous novels. The murder happens with in a few pages and Alleyn is on the scene shortly after that. In one of her previous books it was 80 pages before the murder even happened. I really like this book because it gave me a very clear picture of what it was like in New Zealand and the world in during WWII including soldiers dealing with wartime injuries. Of course since it was written then there is no handy descriptions of land girls and various German terms which I had to look up. I also liked how human and relatable the characters were. Rather than being tropes or an outsider's view of people like when Marsh writes about the British gentry and nobles, you have a feeling Marsh has actually met these people before. While it was sad not to have Troy or Foxkins there Alleyn is front and center and instead of ending she often uses of the big denouncement with everyone assembled we get what is probably the most action you will find in a Marsh mystery up to this point. As with even her best works the whodid is secondary to the process of uncovering the why and the how and I always like how the Alleyn is always about trying to find evidence and following the laws such as they were at that time.