BOOKS FROM NEW ZEALANDPhoto Finish
by Ngaio Marsh
Description:
A diva is dead in New Zealand . . . “A neat little puzzle, sparkling writing . . .a book that should make all readers happy.” —The New York Times The soprano Isabella Sommita was widely loathed, so much so that the problem with solving her murder is less a lack of plausible suspects than an embarrassment of options. On a lavish island estate, cut off from the mainland by a sudden storm, Roderick Alleyn is among the guests, and fortunately can take charge in the coppers’ absence, in this delightful detective novel by the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master. “Her socialite detective, Roderick Alleyn, has a deft touch, and combines savoir faire with keen analytical abilities, quite in the Scotland Yard tradition.” —Kirkus Reviews
Reviews:
(5 days ago) |
17 Feb, 2025
Roderick Alleyn series #31: "Photo Finish’s dead diva, the soprano Isabella Sommita, was so widely loathed that the problem is less a lack of plausible suspects than an embarrassment of options. Though the grand country-house – and with it, the country-house murder – was history by 1980, when Photo Finish was originally published, Dame Ngaio got around the problem by setting the story on a lavish island estate, cut off from the mainland by a sudden storm. Happily, Inspector Alleyn is among the guests, and can take charge in the coppers’ absence. The penultimate book in the series, Photo Finish is also one of only four books set in Marsh’s native New Zealand."
|
