Dame Ngaio Marsh DBEThe British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom. The system consists of three types of award: honours, decorations and medals:...
(April 23, 1895–February 18, 1982), born
Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
crime writerA crime writer is an author of crime fiction.Crime writers are often, but not exclusively, authors of detective fiction, which may form part or all of their work.A true-crime author writes about a real crime....
and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900.
Ngaio Marsh was educated at
St Margaret's CollegeSt Margaret's College is a high achieving independent Anglican girls' day and boarding school in Merivale, Christchurch, New Zealand. The school has some 145 boarders....
in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she was a foundation pupil. She studied painting at the
Canterbury CollegeThe University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
School of Art before becoming an actress with the Allan Wilkie company touring New Zealand.
Dame Ngaio Marsh DBEThe British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom. The system consists of three types of award: honours, decorations and medals:...
(April 23, 1895–February 18, 1982), born
Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
crime writerA crime writer is an author of crime fiction.Crime writers are often, but not exclusively, authors of detective fiction, which may form part or all of their work.A true-crime author writes about a real crime....
and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900.
Life
Ngaio Marsh was educated at
St Margaret's CollegeSt Margaret's College is a high achieving independent Anglican girls' day and boarding school in Merivale, Christchurch, New Zealand. The school has some 145 boarders....
in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she was a foundation pupil. She studied painting at the
Canterbury CollegeThe University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
School of Art before becoming an actress with the Allan Wilkie company touring New Zealand. From 1928 onward she divided her time between living in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and in her native New Zealand. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1966.
Internationally she is best known for her 32
detective novelsDetective fiction is a branch of crime fiction in which a detective , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder...
published between 1934 and 1982. Along with
Agatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE , was an English crime writer of novels, short stories and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but is best remembered for her 80 detective novels and her successful West End theatre plays...
,
Margery AllinghamMargery Louise Allingham was an English crime writer, best remembered for her detective stories featuring gentleman sleuth Albert Campion.- Childhood and schooling :...
and
Dorothy L. SayersDorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist...
, she was classed as one of the four original "Queens of Crime"—female British crime writers who dominated the crime fiction genre in the
Golden AgeThe Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of classic murder mystery novels produced by various authors, all following similar patterns and style.-Examples:...
of the 1920s and 1930s.
All her novels feature British
CIDThe Criminal Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service...
detective
Roderick AlleynRoderick Alleyn is a fictional character who first appeared in 1934. He is the policeman hero of the 32 detective novels of Ngaio Marsh. Marsh and her gentleman detective belong firmly in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, although the last Alleyn novel, Light Thickens, was published as late as...
. Several novels feature Marsh's other loves, the theatre and
paintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
. A number are set around theatrical productions (
Enter a Murderer,
Vintage Murder,
Overture to Death,
Opening Night,
Death at the Dolphin, and
Light Thickens), and two others about actors off stage (
Final Curtain and
False Scent). Her short story
I Can Find My Way Out is also set around a theatrical production and is the earlier "Jupiter case" referred to in
Opening Night. Alleyn marries a painter, Agatha Troy, whom he meets during an investigation (
Artists in Crime), and who features in several later novels.
Most of the novels are set in England, but four are set in
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, with Alleyn either on secondment to the New Zealand police (
Vintage Murder,
Colour Scheme, and
Died in the Wool), or on holiday (
Photo Finish);
Surfeit of Lampreys begins in New Zealand but culminates in London.
Marsh's great passion was the theatre. In 1942 she produced a modern-dress
HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then...
for the Canterbury University College Drama Society (now UCDS), the first of many Shakespearean productions with the society until 1969. In 1944,
Hamlet and a production of
OthelloOthello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
toured a theatre-starved New Zealand to rapturous acclaim. In 1949, assisted by entrepreneur Dan O'Connor, her student players toured
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
with a new version of
Othello and
Pirandello'sLuigi Pirandello was an Italian dramatist, novelist, and short story writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934,for his "bold and brilliant renovation of the drama and the stage." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and c. 40 plays, some of which are written in...
Six Characters in Search of an AuthorSix Characters in Search of an Author is the most famous and celebrated play by the Italian writer Luigi Pirandello.The play is a satirical tragicomedy...
. In the 1950s she was involved with the New Zealand Players, a relatively short-lived attempt at a national professional touring repertory company.
She lived long enough to see New Zealand with a viable professional theatre industry with realistic Arts Council support, with many of her protégés to the forefront. The 430-seat
Ngaio Marsh TheatreThe Ngaio Marsh Theatre is a 400-seat proscenium-arch theatre housed within the University of Canterbury Students' Association building in Christchurch, New Zealand...
at the
University of CanterburyThe University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
is named in her honour.
She never married or had any children. Ngaio Marsh published a lyrical but not very revealing autobiography,
Black Beech & Honeydew (Collins) in 1965. British author and publisher Margaret Lewis wrote an authorized biography,
Ngaio Marsh, A Life (
Chatto and WindusChatto and Windus has been, since 1987, an imprint of Random House, publishers. It was originally an important publisher of books in London, founded in the Victorian era....
, ISBN 0-908912-06-4) in 1991.
Detective Novels
- A Man Lay Dead
A Man Lay Dead is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the first novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1934. The plot concerns a murder committed during a detective game of murder at a weekend party in a country house...
(1934)
- Enter a Murderer
Enter a Murderer is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the second novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1935. The novel is the first of the theatrical novels for which Marsh was to become famous, taking its title from a line of stage direction in Macbeth, and the plot...
(1935)
- The Nursing Home Murder
The Nursing Home Murder is a work of detective fiction by New Zealand author Ngaio Marsh.-Synopsis:After passing a controversial bill in Parliament, Home Secretary Sir Derek O'Callaghan collapses and is taken into a nursing home for treatment. Following a seemingly successful surgical operation,...
(1935)
- Death in Ecstasy
Death in Ecstasy is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the fourth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1936....
(1936)
- Vintage Murder
Vintage Murder is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the fourth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1937. The plot centers on a traveling theatrical troupe in New Zealand. One of the cast members was a minor character in Enter a Murderer, and refers to that case early...
(1937)
- Artists in Crime
Artists in Crime is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the sixth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1938. The plot concerns the murder of an artists' model; Agatha Troy is introduced for the first time....
(1938)
- Death in a White Tie
Death in a White Tie is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the seventh novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1938. The plot concerns the murder of a British lord after a party....
(1938)
- Overture to Death
Overture to Death is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the eighth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1939. The plot concerns a murder during a village theatrical performance; Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor plays a prominent part in the story....
(1939)
- Death at the Bar
Death at the Bar is a 1940 novel by Ngaio Marsh which was adapted for television in 1993 as part of the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. The episode was directed by Michael Winterbottom and starred Patrick Malahide as Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn. The title is a pun on the legal term the bar, and...
(1940)
- Surfeit of Lampreys
Surfeit of Lampreys is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the tenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1941. The plot concerns the murder of a British peer, a theme to which Marsh would return; the novel was published as Death of a Peer in the United States....
(1941), published in USA as Death of a Peer
- Death and the Dancing Footman
Death and the Dancing Footman is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the eleventh novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1942. The plot concerns a murder committed at a country house....
(1942)
- Colour Scheme
Colour Scheme is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twelfth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1943. The novel takes place in New Zealand during World War II. Alleyn is working for military intelligence and is assigned to counterespionage. The plot involves...
(1943)
- Died in the Wool
Died in the Wool is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the thirteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1945. The novel concerns the murder of a New Zealand parliamentarian on a remote sheep farm, said to be located near Mount Cook...
(1945)
- Final Curtain
Final Curtain is a 1947 novel by Ngaio Marsh, which was adapted for television in 1993 as part of the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries.-Plot:Troy Alleyn is waiting for the return of her husband Roderick Alleyn after a long separation during World War II...
(1947)
- Swing Brother Swing
Swing Brother Swing is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the fifteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1949. The plot concerns the murder of a big band leader in London; the novel was published as A Wreath for Rivera in the United States....
(1949), published in USA as A Wreath for Rivera
- Opening Night
Opening Night is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the sixteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1951. It was published in the United states as Night at the Vulcan....
(1951), published in USA as Night at the Vulcan
- Spinsters in Jeopardy
Spinsters in Jeopardy is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the seventeenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1954. The novel takes place in the countryside of France, where Alleyn is vacationing with Agatha Troy, now his wife, and their son Ricky; it concerns an...
(1954), republished in the USA as The Bride of Death (1955)
- Scales of Justice
Scales of Justice is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the eighteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1955. The plot concerns the murder of Colonel Carterette, an enthusiastic fisherman in charge of publishing the controversial memoirs of the local baronet....
(1955)
- Off With His Head
Off With His Head is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the nineteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1957. The plot concerns a village festival in the English countryside, and features Morris dancing among other folkloric elements...
(1957), published in USA as Death of a Fool
- Singing in the Shrouds
Singing in the Shrouds is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twentieth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1959....
(1959)
- False Scent
False Scent is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-first novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1960. The plot concerns the murder of an aging stage actress, and continues Marsh's fascination with the theater and with acting....
(1960)
- Hand in Glove
Hand in Glove is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-second novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1962. This story finds its way into an upper society party gone astray into the path of precarious murder....
(1962)
- Dead Water
Dead Water is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-third novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1964.The plot concerns a murder in a small coastal village, where a local spring believed to have miraculous healing properties is enriching many of the local...
(1964)
- Death at the Dolphin
Death at the Dolphin is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-fourth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1967. The plot centers on a glove once owned by Hamnet Shakespeare, on display at a newly-renovated theater called the Dolphin; the novel was published as...
(1967), published in USA as Killer Dolphin
- Clutch of Constables
Clutch of Constables is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-fifth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1968. The plot concerns art forgery, and takes place on a cruise on a fictional river in the Norfolk Broads; the "Constable" referred to in the title is...
(1968)
- When in Rome
When in Rome is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-sixth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1970. The novel takes place in Rome, and concerns a number of murders among a group of tourists visiting the city; much of the action takes place in the "Basilica...
(1970)
- Tied Up in Tinsel
Tied Up in Tinsel is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-seventh novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1972. The novel takes place at a country house in England over the course of a few days during the Christmas season....
(1972)
- Black As He's Painted
Black As He's Painted is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-eighth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1974. The plot concerns the newly-independent fictional African nation of Ng'ombwana, whose president and Alleyn went to school together, and a series...
(1974)
- Last Ditch
Last Ditch is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-ninth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1977. The plot concerns drug smuggling in the Channel Islands, and features Alleyn's son, Ricky, in a central role....
(1977)
- Grave Mistake
Grave Mistake is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the thirtieth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1978. The plot concerns the murder of an elderly widow in a nursing home, and involves a rare, and famous, postage stamp....
(1978)
- Photo Finish
Photo Finish is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the thirty-first, and penultimate, novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1980. The novel takes place on a millionaire's private island in New Zealand, and features the world premiere of an opera entitled The Alien...
(1980)
- Light Thickens
Light Thickens is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the thirty-second, and final, novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1982. The plot concerns the murder of the lead actor in a production of Macbeth in London, and the novel takes its title from a line in the play...
(1982)
Short Stories
Collected in the book
Death on the Air and Other Stories, first published in Great Britain by HarperCollins
Publishers in 1995:
Roderick Alleyn Stories:
- Death on the Air (1936)
- I Can Find My Way Out (1946 - USA)
- Chapter and Verse: The Little Copplestone Mystery (1974 - USA)
Other Stories:
- The Hand in the Sand (1953 - USA)
- The Cupid Mirror (1972)
- A Fool about Money (1973 - USA)
- Morepork (1979 - USA)
- Moonshine (1936 - NZ)
- Evil Liver (script of an episode of the series Crown Court
Crown Court was an ITV afternoon television courtroom drama that started in 1972, which was the same year the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in England and Wales...
by Granada Television Ltd; recorded in England in 1975)
- My Poor Boy (1959)
The book also includes two "biographical" essays written by Ngaio Marsh:
Roderick Alleyn and
Portrait of Troy
Non-Fiction
- Black Beech and Honeydew (1965, autobiography)
- New Zealand (1968)
- Singing Land (1974)
External links