Money in the Morgue by Ngaio Marsh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Sadly disappointed in this series continuation. Ngaio Marsh has always been a favorite. I love the tone of her writing–erudite, artistic, filled with inner thoughts of characters, and deeply probing of protagonists’ feelings. Reading her novels is like watching a play. Her love of theater shines through.
Stella Duffy didn’t slaughter Sir Roderick Alleyn but neither did she achieve the level of writing we came to expect from Marsh. The plot is ok, but the dialogue and scene setting are weak compared to what Marsh does. Marsh clearly adores Alleyn, and we get no where near that feeling from Duffy.
Do yourself a favor if you’ve never read Marsh and start at the beginning. Go straight through to the end and give this one a miss.
