A Man Lay Dead Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I think my mom collected the entire Inspector Alleyn series and she gave them to me. I have just started reading them, but I really like the main character and you have to like the main character to read a series. "

" The first third wasn't overly impressive, but once Mr. Alleyn made an appearance it got much better. I'm intruiged enough to read another one! "

" Reading this I am surprised that Marsh goes on to become one of the grande dames of mystery writing. The seeds are hard to see. An utterly routine house party murder with the usual rube goldberg murder -- with a side dish of ridiculous secret societies that did nothing to advance the plot. "

" Vintage, wonderful who done it. "

" Not too bad, particularly for a first novel. A Man Lay Dead is one of those lovely 1930s English manor mysteries--or at any rate I think they're lovely, which is probably why I love Downton Abbey so much. A bunch of people are invited to play a game called Murder, in which one of them is secretly assigned the role of murderer (by the butler, and books like this make me wonder how anyone gets by without a butler these days, they do so many things) and must "kill" one of the others, and then the survivors have to work out whodunnit. Naturally, a real murder takes place, and almost everyone has a motive for it, so Inspector Alleyn of Scotland Yard has his work cut out for him. Marsh's style is strong but her descriptions are occasionally vague, which is a problem when the mystery is based on how fast someone could get from point A to point B, or what the distance is between the hall table and the staircase. There's also a sub-plot that to me seemed like a dead end and a distraction, but not in a good way. Still, though I wasn't terribly impressed with this book, I'm willing to give the others a try. "

" Standard country house mystery by one of the genre's greats. "

" a little like wodehouse and charming. "

" Such classic mysteries, in the vein of Agatha Christie, seem best read before their contemporary, more complex cousins. A bit light for me. "

" Marsh's Inspector Allyn is one of the great detectives of the twentieth century, and based on this book, he deserves the honor. A cleverly constructed crime, well constructed characters... this is a great read for any fan of the classic mystery genre "

" loved it. realised I'd never read any Ngaio Marsh so started at the beginning "

" Having just reread this for the first time in a long while, I found it interesting to see how Chief Inspector Alleyn has changed over the course of the series. This isn't Marsh's best, but it is still a extremely enjoyable English country house murder mystery. "

" Good old fashioned murder mystery. Very enjoyable but light and superficial. "

" Good murder mystery novels. I read them years ago and am just re-acquainting myself. Not as well written as Dorothy L Sayers or as clever as Agatha Christie but similar style and period. "

" A house party with murder as its theme. Twists, turns and red herrings "

" Detective Chief Inspector Alleyn is an insouciant kind of guy and because of this the reader occasionally has trouble taking things seriously. But as with all Marsh books, it is well plotted, well charactered and nicely resolved. Good quick read. "

" Pretty standard country-house murder stuff, but this book is lifted above the norm by having the best murder method ever. Seriously. "

" It wasn't bad, but wasn't stunning - although it was the first in the Alleyn series, so it may have taken Ngaio Marsh a little while to get going. "

" Different from the movie but still enjoyable. Roderick Alleyne hunts down a killer during a house party. "

" Polished this off on the plane with time to spare. It went very quickly and easily. A house party murder is always fun to solve and the chief inspector was very efficient. I don't know if that's a complement but it's a good bite sized mystery. "

" Love a good drawing room mystery... despite being 80 years old, this series holds up as well as Christie's... Looking forward to making my way through them! "

" Old fashioned good mystery. Ngaio always fine! "

" Love a good drawing room mystery... despite being 80 years old, this series holds up as well as Christie's... Looking forward to making my way through them! "

" A house party with murder as its theme. Twists, turns and red herrings "

" Somehow not as good as some of her other works. Perhaps because it's shorter? Good twist at the end though. "

" I have started Ngaio Marsh's Alleyn mysteries on a suggestion from a fellow Agatha Christie fan. I found it quite enjoyable. Alleyn is quite the character, and I look forward to seeing where his story goes. "

" Reading this I am surprised that Marsh goes on to become one of the grande dames of mystery writing. The seeds are hard to see. An utterly routine house party murder with the usual rube goldberg murder -- with a side dish of ridiculous secret societies that did nothing to advance the plot. "

" Found this on my mother's bookshelf; discovered a good alternative to Agatha Christie. Thoroughly enjoyable whodunnit. "

" Different from the movie but still enjoyable. Roderick Alleyne hunts down a killer during a house party. "

" I never get tired of re-reading these. She, along with Christie, is truly the Queen of golden age British mysteries. It's a great introduction to the character of Roderick Alleyn. "

" Good murder mystery novels. I read them years ago and am just re-acquainting myself. Not as well written as Dorothy L Sayers or as clever as Agatha Christie but similar style and period. "

" It wasn't bad, but wasn't stunning - although it was the first in the Alleyn series, so it may have taken Ngaio Marsh a little while to get going. "