Reviews

Black as He's Painted by Ngaio Marsh

tarshka's review

Go to review page

3.0

Murder mystery at an embassy party. Features several black characters and some racist people. Not sure how good Ngaio Marsh is at portraying non-white characters, I'm not really knowledgeable about that, but she seems at least to try. 

cimorene1558's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

A very fine book.

david_megginson's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Watching Marsh struggle with the end of the Colonial era is more interesting than the actual plot.

michael5000's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Light British/Kiwi fiction about post-colonial Africa from the early 70s sounds like a recipe for cringing, but ol' Ms. Marsh does a credible job with her cast, including a jovial charismatic despot, a burnt-out retired foreign-office cog restored to life by the love of a good kittycat, and a clutch of heinous former expat riff-raff. Of course, it's possible that I just liked this one because I correctly guessed whodunit, or at least who dun some of it.

naluju's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Marsh was a genius! 

judyward's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The President of Ng'ombwana, a newly independent republic in Africa, is coming to London. There have been several assassination attempts on the President before he arrives in England and the Foreign Office wants to ensure that nothing happens to him during this visit. Luckily, Scotland Yard's Superintendent Roderick Alleyn was a school boy friend of the President during their youth and so Alleyn is assigned to the case. When the Ng'omwanan ambassador is killed by a spear during an embassy reception, everyone assumes that the wrong man was attacked and it will only be a matter of time before the assassin strikes again. In the following days, Alleyn has to deal with his old friend, the President, diplomatic immunity, a wealth of suspects, and one of the most adorable little cats to appear in fiction in quite a while.

sergei_ter_tumasov's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Нормальная книжка, но звёзд с неба не хватает!!!

Как это ни странно, но одной из королев детектива, [a:Ngaio Marsh|68144|Ngaio Marsh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1237946649p2/68144.jpg], лучше удаётся именно недетективная часть сюжета, то, что было ДО, а вот само расследование порой бывает скучновато!!!

Персонажи просто замечательные: у каждого свой характер, и при минимуме описательных приёмов автору удаётся создать живой, жизнеспособный образ! Настоящий талант!!!!!! Надо было ей писать и "обычные" книжки. Думаю, у неё это неплохо получилось бы!!!

Моя любимая часть - это отношения Родерика и Агаты! Очень трогательно, без стереотипов и по-настоящему!!!

А вот шуточки инспектора в адрес Громобоя мне не понравились (я сам тоже не являюсь сторонником политкорректности ради политкорректности, но тут был явный перебор).

В целом, книжка ничего, хотя преступника я угадал уже где-то в середине книги (ну, ладно, не преступника, а заказчика), поэтому дальше читать было не очень интересно (не угодишь этим читателям!!!).

macbean221b's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I've been giving a lot of these books three stars when I mean 3.5, and I just needed to distinguish this one as difficult for me to deal with by giving it a lower rating. There was a good deal of Troy, which I always like, and some very good Fox moments, and Alleyn interacting with a cat...but the double-whammy of a TON of racism and almost as much fatphobia just made it much more emotional labor than the rest of the series.

missn80's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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

verityw's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This is a really weird one. I loved the insight into Troy and Alleyn’s marriage. I loved Sam and Lucy Locket and way she took over his life. There are some racist characters in here - but they’re meant to be hateful and racist. There are also a few outdated turns of phrase. I think that Marsh was writing with good intentions but now, 40 years on (this is a late Alleyn) it seems clumsier than you’d like. Strange.