I'm missing about four of them, which is strange, because I thought my collection was complete, but I'm guessing I loaned out some and never got them back.Marsh, a contemporary of Christie, wrote 32 books, of which, as you see I have 28. Her books are delightful, better plotted than Christie. Well worth a read.
The first one I ever read was Death of a Dancing Footman (1947). Above, it's 5th from the left. Lovely old paperback with a heady aroma of Used Bookshop or perhaps Grandma's Attic. Delicious.
I remember the first time I read it. I was on Long Island with my grandparents in a house they were renting and I wandered into a little summer house near the vegetable garden (oh! those zukes!) and there were all these beautiful well-read vintage paperbacks. They actually had this very edition. The one I have, though, I bought at Murder Ink from a consignment of used books.
I was thinking about Ngaio Marsh the other day, unusually. I've never read any of her books (not much of a mystery-genre fan) but it was in the context of "what my boys are going to remenber me reading when they're bigger". My mum, you see, read lots of Marsh when I was young, and I was intrigued by her name - it seemed so odd, so foreign to my white Australian eyes. Where is she from? And should I give her a spin? There is one murder mystery writer I like, and she often writes in the old-school style...
ReplyDeleteInteresting...I just read my first-ever Marsh (Death in a White Tie) and I didn't like it much at all. I'll have to give anohter one a try, though, given your enthusiasm. I also have Josephine Tey on my summer to-find list, thanks to you.
ReplyDeleteTry Tey first, Susan, if you like her you can go back to Marsh after.
ReplyDeleteNgaio Marsh was a New Zealander, made a Dame of the British Empire for her books, first published in 1934, she wrote her last book shortly before her death in 1982.
Light Thickens is my favorite - I recently reread it after seeing Macbeth at the Folger. It captures the play so fabulously.
ReplyDeleteI also like all the ones with Troy in them, and with Ricky. Haven't read those in a long time.
Thanks Liz. I had guessed from her name that she might be an NZer. i'll have to ask mum if she still has any...
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