A classic Ngaio Marsh novel in which a game of darts in an English pub has gruesome consequences. At the Plume of Feathers in south Devon one midsummer evening, eight people are gathered together in the tap-room. They are in the habit of playing darts, but on this occasion an experiment takes the place of the usual game -- a fatal experiment which calls for investigation. A distinguished painter, a celebrated actor, a woman graduate, a plump lady from County Clare, and a Devonshire farmer all play their parts in the unravelling of the problem...
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'Full marks... a really clever problem in detection. It will need a really sharp brain to discover the criminal' Times Literary Supplement 'Read just one of Ngaio Marsh's novels and you've got to read them all...' Daily Mail 'The finest writer in the English language of the pure, classical puzzle whodunit. Among the crime queens, Ngaio Marsh stands out as an Empress.' The Sun
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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 the received what she called her 'damery' in 1966.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very clever plot,
By MK Writer "hedwig_owl" (United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Death at the Bar (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
I've just started reading Ngaio Marsh's mysteries, so I don't know if this book is a "typical" Marsh mystery, but I certainly hope so. The characters were well-drawn, and the plot quite brilliant. A man dies while playing darts, because it appears that a dart daubed with cyanide sticks in the back of his hand. Almost everyone has a motive, and the evidence at hand can point to almost any of them. Reading this novel is like threading a conch-shell. You slip in a piece of string and it snakes through various chambers and entries until it finally comes out at the end. I was a big Christie fan, but now I think I'll be moving on to Marsh.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Intricate Poisoning,
This review is from: Death at the Bar (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
One of Marsh's most tightly-knit jobs. Victim a famous K.C., poisoned with KNC in the private taproom of a Devon inn while taking part in a demonstration of darts-throwing; plenty of good circumstantial detail leads to supposition of impossible crime. Alleyn, called in both by publican and by local police, does a splendid and fast (24 hours) job of discovering murderer, whose identity is a masterly demonstration in diverting suspicion from the most likely person. Method ingeniously simple, and hence convincing: a very neat job. Virtuoso display of logic at the end, including a delightful false solution propounded by a most amusing Chief Constable.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dart over to this one!,
By c. john evans (Northport, AL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Death at the Bar (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
Perhaps not one of her more richly written efforts, but buoyed by a marvellous mystery plot, set in a wonderful English pub. Darts and beer, a fatal combination.
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First Sentence:
As Luke Watchman drove across Otterbrook Bridge the setting sun shone full in his eyes. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
private tap, iodine bottle, new darts, private bar, prussic acid, public bar, dart board Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Darragh, Will Pomeroy, Miss Moore, Colonel Brammington, Abel Pomeroy, Bob Legge, George Nark, Sebastian Parish, Decima Moore, Norman Cubitt, Plume of Feathers, Luke Watchman, Br'er Fox, Coombe Rock, Cary Edge, Miss Dessy, Nick Harper, South Devon, Coombe Left Movement, Fish Lane, Robert Legge, Treble Extra, Montague Thringle, Superintendent Harper, Lord Bryonie New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
As Luke Watchman drove across Otterbrook Bridge the setting sun shone full in his eyes. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
private tap, iodine bottle, new darts, private bar, prussic acid, public bar, dart board Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Darragh, Will Pomeroy, Miss Moore, Colonel Brammington, Abel Pomeroy, Bob Legge, George Nark, Sebastian Parish, Decima Moore, Norman Cubitt, Plume of Feathers, Luke Watchman, Br'er Fox, Coombe Rock, Cary Edge, Miss Dessy, Nick Harper, South Devon, Coombe Left Movement, Fish Lane, Robert Legge, Treble Extra, Montague Thringle, Superintendent Harper, Lord Bryonie New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4
books:
22
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cite this book:
See all 22 books citing this book
- What Of by Skip Fox on page 116, and page 293
- Death of a Fool (St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries) by Ngaio Marsh in Front Matter
- Overture To Death (Dead Letter Mysteries) by Ngaio Marsh in Front Matter
- Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh in Front Matter
- Mystery!: A Celebration by Ron Miller on page 111, and Back Matter
- A Dictionary of Writers and Their Works by Michael Cox on page 194, and page 367
- Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh in Front Matter
- Way Down On The High Lonely (Dead Letter Mysteries) by Don Winslow in Front Matter
- Night at the Vulcan (Inspector Roderick Alleyn Mysteries) by Ngaio Marsh in Front Matter
See all 22 books citing this book
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