Scales of Justice (Roderick Alleyn Series #18)

by Ngaio Marsh

Overview

An aristocrat dies under fishy circumstances in this tale by “the finest writer in the English language of the pure, classical puzzle whodunnit” (The Sun).

In an almost unspeakably charming little English village, one of the local aristocrats turns up dead next to the local trout-stream with, in fact, a trout at his side. Everyone is dreadfully upset, of course, but really, just a tad irritated as well—murder is so awfully messy. Inspector Alleyn doesn’t quite fit in among the inbred gentry, but they’ll allow him to do his work and clear the matter up—though they do wish he didn’t feel compelled to ask quite so many questions . . .

“The brilliant Ngaio Marsh ranks with Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.” —Times Literary Supplement

“A peerless practitioner of the slightly surreal, English-village comedy-mystery.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Any Ngaio Marsh story is certain to be Grade A.” —The New York Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937384968
Publisher:	Felony & Mayhem Press
Publication date:	11/12/2020
Series:	Roderick Alleyn Series , #18
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	266
Sales rank:	35,029
File size:	724 KB

About the Author

Ngaio Marsh (1895-1982) was one of the celebrated queens of the Golden Age of detective fiction; born in New Zealand, she wrote 32 novels in the "Inspector Alleyn" series.

Editorial Reviews

It's time to start comparing Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around.

New York Magazine

Probably the best strictly formal detective story Miss Marsh has ever written.

The New York Times

Listening to SCALES OF JUSTICE is like taking a trip back to mid-twentieth-century rural England. The classes know their place, eccentricities abound, the district nurse is named Kettle, and the story has a featured cat. No accent, implication, or physical description escapes narrator Peter Wickham’s sparkling presentation. When one of the local villagers is murdered, everyone is suspect. The indomitable Roderic Alleyn and his sidekick, Fox, wade through clues and fish scales (note the title) to find the culprit. The best part is an endearing romance that's totally unexpected. The vintage style of story and presentation make this a perfect audiobook. Like the works of Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle, Marsh's classic mysteries will live forever. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

MAY 2010 - AudioFile