Collected Short Mysteries

Familiarity doesnʼt always breed contempt. If it did, none of us would read series fiction. “Noooo,” weʼd whine. “Not another book about Inspector Alleyn!” When it comes to Ngaio Marsh—and in truth, one or two other writers we could mention—familiarity has tended mostly to breed delight. And yet. There is something wonderful about watching a writer go for the unfamiliar, write short pieces instead of novels, and in this case, without Inspector Alleyn. Heʼs here (and Troy is too); their devotees will not be disappointed. But this collection also offers a lot we havenʼt seen before, gives us access to rooms in Dame Ngaioʼs imagination that we hadnʼt known existed.

Edited and with an introduction by critic Douglas G. Greene, this volume contains all of Marsh’s short fiction (including the very first story she ever published), and a telescript Marsh wrote for British TV.