Man Lay Dead/a [Print] [Paperback]

Ngaio Marsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1984

When one of the guests invited for the weekend to Sir Hubert Handesley's country estate turns up dead during a playful Murder Game, Scotland Yard's Roderick Alleyn must find out who spoiled all the fun. Reissue.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Faultless story-telling.' New York Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Jove (March 15, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515075353
• ISBN-13: 978-0515075359
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,161,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Matter of Taste, December 18, 1999

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Man Lay Dead (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is not my favorite Ngaio Marsh novel. One of the things I like about her later books is where they break from the more classic chamber mystery form. This, her first book, (while still being very readable and enjoyable) is much more in the line of the tried and true formula. The characters are, as always, interesting and well-drawn; the red herrings are sufficiently misleading. Solid all the way around.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful start, March 18, 2003

By 

J. P Spencer (Rochester, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Man Lay Dead (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1934 Ngaio Marsh gave us the first of a series which for lovers of the English cozy deserves to be known better than I think it is. This, the first in the series gets things off to a great start. True, this may not be Ms. Marsh's best crafted pure mystery; she got better with time and the plot here is so much a paradigm for the genre that it is at least now a cliche. But Roderick Alleyn arrives on the scene as an interesting and believable centerpiece with enough of an enigma about him to make us want to know more. I have read a half dozen others before coming to this one but wish I had started here.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The birth of a detective, January 13, 2002

By 

Kristen A. Criado (Franklin, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Man Lay Dead (Dead Letter Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

A Man Lay Dead is the first appearance of Inspector Roderick Alleyn. Alleyn is Ngaio Marsh's "handsome" creation who went on to star in over 30 novels and short stories. Marsh has often been overlooked in the mystery genre, but in my opinion she is one of the very best. Her wit, characters, and tight story-telling make all of her books very enjoyable to read. The murder may seem to be a little difficult to solve yourself, but as you get used to Marsh's tools and style, you quickly catch on and start to think like her hero. I highly recommend this book as a great introduction to Marsh's wonderful world.