Lord Pastern fired his revolver. The figure in the spotlight fell and the coup-de-theatre had become murder. Could Inspector Alleyn believe Pastern had let hatred of his future son-in-law go too far?
When Lord Pastern Bagott takes up with the hot music of Breezy Bellair and His Boys, his disapproving wife Cecile has more than usual to be unhappy about. The band's devastatingly handsome but roguish accordionist, Carlos Rivera, has taken a rather intense and mutual interest in her precious daughter, Felicite. So when a bit of stage business goes awry and actually kills him, it's lucky that Inspector Roderick Alleyn is in the audience. Now Alleyn must follow a confusing score that features a chorus of family and friends desperate to hide the truth and perhaps shelter a murderer in their midst.
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"Not my favourite Ngaio Marsh, but well worth reading and re-reading. Very funny, but with a rather unpleasant conclusion--but you don't realize how unpleasant until the last page." — Polly (4 out of 5 stars)
"Not my favourite Ngaio Marsh, but well worth reading and re-reading. Very funny, but with a rather unpleasant conclusion--but you don't realize how unpleasant until the last page."
“A succulent novel.”
“It’s time to compare Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around.”
“Reader [McCaddon]…gives a lively, fully voiced reading that captures all the character nuances of this heterogeneous cast of characters.”
" A little dishevelled Marsh. I enjoy it for the colourful characters and rich vocabulary. "
" A fun light mystery read - like a slightly more sophisticated Agatha Christie book. "
" Entertaining, but not one of her best. I can seldom guess whodunit, but this one was obvious to me. The method was interesting, though. "
" Characters ridiculous enough for P.G. Wodehouse but with all the cunning of Ngaio Marsh. :) "
" This old book by Ngaio Marsh has been newly re-recorded & I enjoyed listening to it, but it pales next to newer stuff. "
" Memorable characters, memorable setting, interesting mode of murder = another great Roderick Alleyn mystery. "
" This one was weird - lots of "hip" talk and strangeness. I gather Marsh had made a few forays into jazz clubs.... "
" I never have liked Marsh's famous detective Roderick Alleyn. I think he is such a snob. "
" This one was OK but not one of the best "
" A Wreath for Rivera by Ngaio Marsh (1998) "
" Did I detect an intent to parody Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey in Marsh's Lord Pastern? "
Ngaio Marsh (1895–1982), born in New Zealand, wrote over thirty detective novels. Many of her stories had theatrical settings, as her real passion was for the theater. She was both an actress and a producer and almost single-handedly revived the New Zealand public’s interest in live theater. In 1966 she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.
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