Final Curtain [Paperback]

Ngaio Marsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 1999

A country house murder, artistic insight and the post-war reunion of Alleyn and Troy combine in Ngaio Marsh's wittiest and most readable novel. Agatha Troy, world famous portrait painter, is inveigled into accepting a commission to paint the 70-year-old Sir Henry Ancred, Bart., the Grand Old Man of the stage. But just as she has completed her portrait, the old actor dies. The dramatic circumstances of his death are such that Scotland Yard is called in -- in the person of Troy's long-absent husband, Chief Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn!

Editorial Reviews

Review

'!purty ngai perfect.' Saturday Review of Literature 'She uses the old formula brilliantly.' Julian Symons 'A better novel than a detective story.' Toronto Globe and 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

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins Pod (August 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006512410
• ISBN-13: 978-0006512417
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,939,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good portrait of a dysfunctional family, July 27, 2000

By 

MK Writer "hedwig_owl" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Curtain (Mass Market Paperback)

Troy Alleyn is commissioned to paint a portrait of the great actor Sir Henry Ancred. Though thanks to journalist/friend Nigel Bathgate she has some idea of what's in store for her, nothing fully prepares her for the amount of in-fighting, jealousy and histrionics the Ancred family can provide. Against this backdrop, Troy is reunited with her husband, Inspector Alleyn, who has been away on CID business for a couple of years. This book is one of the more interesting novels, in that: A) You get to see the beginning of the mystery from Troy's point of view. B)Marsh really knows how to write about awkward reunions and C) You get to see something of the artist's process (not surprising, I suppose, since Marsh herself painted). Another good read by Marsh.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Author's Best!, April 19, 2000

By 

Jeannette Vargas (Northeast, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Curtain (Mass Market Paperback)

Perhaps it is because I love the character of Troy, Superintendent Alleyn's wife, that this book has over time become one of my favorites in the series. But as with all of Marsh's books, this entry has twists and turns that left this veteran mystery reader guessing until at least two thirds of the way through.

The first third of the book follows Troy as she accepts an assignment to paint the portrait of a famous Shakespearan actor at his family estate. The cast of characters is drawn vividly and humorously, and yet as the house party continues, an ominous tone begins to creep into the proceedings, in the best gothic manner.

Of course, as Marsh wrote these books over the course of several decades, she allows the characters to age and mature as she does. In the previous several novels, Alleyn, the main detective hero of her novels, had been away from England doing Foreign Office work during World War II. This is the first book following the war. The post WWII reunion of Troy and Alleyn is therefore a highlight. Marsh never hesitates to let the real and messy emotions of her main characters from entering into the story. To me, this is what particularly elevates this book and this series from the sterile-solve-it-by-the-numbers mysteries that can sometimes be associated with early 20th century British mystery novelists.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Encore!, November 27, 2000

By 

c. john evans (Northport, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Curtain (Mass Market Paperback)

A very good big-family-run-by-hated-rich-old-patriarch mystery, complete with a gloomy old house and lots of poison. Has one of Marsh's engaging "mystery queens." While stereotypical, these characters are always amusing and witty, if nasty as well. Unlike Christie, Marsh often alluded to homosexuality in her books. Lots of Troy, which will be a plus or a minus depending on how you feel about her.