Singing in the Shrouds (Roderick Alleyn Series #20)

by Ngaio Marsh

Overview

It’s foul play on a freighter: “Enthralling . . .keeps the reader on tenterhooks until the dramatic finale.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The good ship Cape Farewell is steaming out to sea, with a passenger-list and crew fairly littered with the shifty, the twitchy, the peculiar, and the up-to-no-good. Arguably the up-to-no-goodest is a strangler with a romantic streak: He likes to leave his ladies with a flower and a charming little song. The latest of the ladies is currently lying on a fogbound London dock, mute witness to the fact that Inspector Alleyn—long on the strangler’s trail—has so far failed to catch his man. A wintertime sailing on a low-rent cargo ship is not Alleyn’s idea of a terrific time, but he nevertheless boards the Cape at Portsmouth, determined that no one else is going to get strangled on his watch . . ..

“This is the Classic Puzzle at its purest . . .embellished by literate dialogue and attractive characterization.” —The New York Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631940187
Publisher:	Felony & Mayhem Press
Publication date:	11/12/2020
Series:	Roderick Alleyn Series , #20
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	235
Sales rank:	162,989
File size:	696 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 compare Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around.

New York Magazine

A serial killer has been strangling young women; his trademark is broken beads and flowers strewn over the bodies. But Singing in the Shrouds is no bloody, psychological thriller; instead, it is a gentle, mannered "cozy" by a famous classic mystery writer. When a victim is found on the docks, an incognito Inspector Alleyn becomes a passenger on a departing vessel. The other nine passengers include a TV talk show star; a middle-aged femme fatale; a crotchety, retired schoolmaster; and a sober spinster. As the ship sails to the tropics, Alleyn tries desperately to discover who the killer is and then to protect the other passengers. James Saxon does an outstanding reading job; his vocalization of a woman's "masculine voice" is particularly admirable. Unfortunately, while this late work by Marsh follows the standard golden age format, the classic simplistic plot is accompanied by a set of characters who are remarkably one-dimensional, even for the subgenre. Still, someone looking for light listening could do much worse. Recommended for all medium to large libraries.DI. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Ngaio Marsh at her intelligent best.

Times Literary Supplement

"It's time to start comparing Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around." --New York magazine

From the Publisher