Product Description

Ngaio Marsh's most popular novel begins when a young New Zealander's first contact with the English gentry is the body of Lord Wutherford -- with a meat skewer through the eye...The Lampreys had plenty of charm -- but no cash. They all knew they were peculiar -- and rather gloried in it. The double and triple charades, for instance, with which they would entertain their guests -- like rich but awful Uncle Gabriel, who was always such a bore. The Lampreys thought if they jollied him up he would bail them out -- yet again. Instead, Uncle Gabriel met a violent end. And Chief Inspector Alleyn had to work our which of them killed him...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56570 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
'The brilliant Ngaio Marsh ranks with Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers' Times Literary Supplement 'Brilliantly readable... first class detection.' Observer 'Ngaio Marsh transcended the detective genre by the power of her writing and the rich variety of characters who people her novels.' P.D. James 'Ngaio Marsh is among the most brilliant of those authors who are transforming the detective story from a mere puzzle into a novel with many other qualities.' Times Literary Supplement 'The finest writer in the English languange of the pure, classical puzzle whodunnit. Among the crime queens, Ngaio Marsh stands out as an Empress.' The Sun

About the Author
Dame Ngaio Marsh was born in New Zealand in 1895 and died in February 1982. She wrote over 30 detective novels and many of her stories have theatrical settings, for Ngaio Marsh's real passion was the theatre. She was both actress and producer and almost single-handedly revived the New Zealand public's interest in the theatre. It was for this work that she received what she called her 'damery' in 1966.

Customer Reviews

A Surfeit of Lampreys
I can't improve on the previous review - however I thought some Ngaio Marsh addicts should know that this book was previously released under the title A Surfeit of Lampreys; this might prevent duplicate purchases.

a near-perfect Marsh
The Surfeit of Lampreys is a nearly "perfect" R. Alleyn mystery in that it is funny, engaging and has that flair of light humour and deep sentiment that is vintage Marsh. There is a dash of New Zealand, lots of aristocratic strutting and genuine fun in the slightly overdrawn portrait of poor gentility with no sense of responsibility. Still, those who live on glimpses of the detective's personal life will be dissappointed; no Troy in this book!

The golden age revisited
A thoroughly enjoyable dip back into the Golden Age of detective fiction by one of its most talented exponents. I'm a #1 Christie fan but Marsh is a very very close #2.