Death of a Fool (Roderick Alleyn Series #19)

by Ngaio Marsh

Overview

Folkways turn fatal in a very old-fashioned English village, in this witty mystery filled with “ingenious” detective work (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

The village of South Mardian likes the old ways. The very old ways. This may be 1957, but South Mardian still features a blacksmith, a village idiot, and an elaborate fertility ritual performed at the winter solstice. There’s squabbling, of course, and worse—like when one of the ritual’s main players is found beheaded, everything north of his neck having been neatly lopped off by a ritual sword. Inspector Alleyn does have to contain a certain incredulous amusement at the village’s fetishistic embrace of the eighteenth century—he does not, for example, have a real passion for morris dancing—but he’ll try to keep a straight face long enough to find the killer and let South Mardian return to the warm embrace of pre-Industrial Britain.

“A peerless practitioner of the slightly surreal, English-village comedy-mystery.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The doyenne of traditional mystery writers.” —The New York Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631940156
Publisher:	Felony & Mayhem Press
Publication date:	11/12/2020
Series:	Roderick Alleyn Series , #19
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	281
Sales rank:	96,112
File size:	757 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 start comparing Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around.

New York Magazine

The Dance of the Five Sons has been performed at the winter solstice for over 200 years. William (a.k.a "The Guiser") Andersen, the village blacksmith, maintains the old traditions, vigorously rehearsing his sons in their accustomed roles. This year the Guiser's never-before-seen granddaughter has come for a visit. Another newcomer is Mrs. Bonz, the morris dance fanatic; her relentless questions and constant snooping are annoying the whole village. Even worse, Ernie, the youngest Andersen brother, has become dissatisfied with his customary role. Still, the performance goes on as usual, at least until the finale. The Guiser's character is supposed to rise from the dead; instead, he is discovered with his head cut off. Scotland Yard detective superintendent Roderick Alleyn is called in, investigates, and, as always, solves the case. Alas, the descriptions are excessively long and tedious. Even Nadia May's flexible voice and expert reading cannot impart interest to the rather wooden detective and his scanty deductive processes. Fortunately, the supporting characters, while stereotypical, radiate warmth and charm. Death of a Fool may be one of the worst books ever written by this first-class mystery author. Recommended for moderate to large libraries with a strong demand for classic mysteries. I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

The Mardian Morris Sword Dance and Play of the Five Sons, performed annually on the first Wednesday after the winter solstice, is as tantalizingly half-meaningful, as hauntingly evocative as anything you've ever read in the annals of folklore; and it furnishes a superb background for murder.

The New York Times

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

From the Publisher

Ancient ritual and murder combine for a romp through merry old England. Nadia May’s narration covers territory throughout Britain and Germany. She enlivens an eccentric cast of characters led by the town matriarch, a crotchety old blacksmith, and the village idiot. As a folklore connoisseur delves a little too deeply into local tradition, a fertility rite turns into a ceremony of death. May’s narration soars as the granddaughter of the deceased practices vocal exercises and further complicates matters with her romantic entanglement and family history. Before Inspector Roderick Alleyn gets his man, misogyny, greed, and the mysteries of folklore are revealed. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

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