Light Thickens [Mass Market Paperback]

Ngaio Marsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0312973144 | ISBN-13: 978-0312973148

"Is this a dagger which I see before me..."

Four murders. Three witches. A fiendish lady. A homicidal husband. A ghost. No wonder Macbeth is considered such bad luck by theatre people that they won't mention its name out loud. But the new London production of "the Scottish play" promises to be a smash until gruesome pranks begin plaguing rehearsals. And when the last act ends in real-life tragedy, Chief Superintendent Alleyn takes center stage-uncovering a heartbreaking secret, murderous jealousy, and a dark, desperate reason for "murder for foul"...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's time to start comparing Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around." --New York magazine

"One of her very best...No playwright could devise a better curtain!" --Los Angeles Times

About the Author

From her first book in 1934 to her final volume just before her death in 1982, Ngaio Marsh's work has remained legendary, and is often compared to that of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy L. Sayers. During her celebrated fifty-year career, Marsh was made a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, was named Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire, won numerous prestigious awards, and penned 32 mystery novels. So sit back, draw the curtains, lock the doors, and put yourself in the hands of the Grande Dame of detective novels...

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312973144
• ISBN-13: 978-0312973148
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,034,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For cozy fans and Shakespeareans, May 8, 2000

By 

Sheila L. Beaumont (South Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Light Thickens (Mass Market Paperback)

"Light Thickens" is Ngaio Marsh's last novel and one of her best. The mystery centers around a production of "Macbeth" at the Dolphin Theatre in London. Most of those involved in the play are superstitious to varying degrees about the bad-luck curse traditionally associated with "Macbeth." Even to say the play's name is considered dangerous, so it's referred to as "the Scots play." During rehearsals someone starts playing gruesome practical jokes. And somebody is sending out anonymous messages about a likable and talented child actor whose father is the Hampstead Chopper, a notorious serial killer confined in the Broadmoor asylum. One night, during a performance attended by Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn, a grisly murder involving a ceremonial sword occurs just before the final curtain. If you like traditional British cozies with mostly pleasant characters, you'll probably enjoy this mystery, and if you're also a Shakespeare aficionado, you'll enjoy it even more.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Strong on theatrical detail, weak on mystery plot, April 27, 2000

By A Customer

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This review is from: Light Thickens (Mass Market Paperback)

I have enjoyed Ngaio Marsh mysteries in the past, and I am interested in Macbeth, so I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, as a mystery it was disappointing. The lead in to the murder took the first two-thirds of this confusingly over-populated book, with the murder itself almost an afterthought. The plot centered around the production of Macbeth, and not the victim or criminal. I cannot reveal the weakness of the plot without also revealing the ending, but the solution was so excessively convenient that I wound up very frustrated. The identity of both the murderer and the victim seemed largely a matter of coincidence and not of fate.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A murder mystery associated with Shakespeare's Macbeth, September 27, 2008

By 

Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Light Thickens (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this Ngaio Marsh (1895-1982) entry a great deal, albeit it's not representative of her very best works such as False Scent (Roderick Alleyn Mysteries), which is yet another theatrical murder mystery, also featuring Scotland Yard's Inspector Roderick Alleyn.

Marsh, a New Zealander, was herself a director of theater so in this instance she naturally established an extensive wallpaper of details before she got around to knocking off her victim. I didn't mind this at all since her background for the mystery was so competently conveyed.

The story is essentially that Theater Director Peregrine Jay is putting on a top-notch production of "Macbeth," a play which reputedly brings bad luck to its principals. An apparent Herculean swing by some unknown cast or crew member's huge sword (a "Claymore" which has a difficult Scottish pronunciation and which is additionally said to have powers of its own!) brings the impending fear of doom to a head. And even though Inspector Alleyn was in the audience watching the play when the murder occurred, he still has a tough time sorting this one out.

I think that it would probably have been nice to have had just a little more of Inspector Alleyn and slightly less of the theater director, but it is what it is. I highly recommend this one for any enthusiast of Ngaio Marsh or, for British cozy murder mystery fans in general.