When in Rome [Mass Market Paperback]

Ngaio Marsh (Author)

Book Description

Series: St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries | Publication Date: September 15, 1999

Murder takes a Roman holiday

On an exclusive guided tour of Rome's ancient ruins, a motley crew of tourists gets more than the price of admission. For amidst the serpentine passages of an underground crypt, the shady tour guide disappears, a mysterious murder occurs, and Inspector Roderick Alleyn-undercover on an international drug bust-must focus his keen eye on more than just Rome's breathtaking sights...

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

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 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.

Now St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries is thrilled to make all of Marsh's novels available again for old fans to relish and new ones to discover. So sit back, draw the curtains, lock the doors, and put yourself in the hands of Grande Dame of detective novels...

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312970978
• ISBN-13: 978-0312970970
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,390,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As addictive as any drug, June 13, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: When in Rome (Mass Market Paperback)

From the first Ngaio Marsh book I read (_Death in a White Tie_)I was hooked. Now, reading my fourth Marsh novel, _When in Rome_, I can say that I like her even better than Agatha Christie. _When in Rome_ is about a group of tourists (incl. the famous Inspector Alleyn) whose guide suddenly disappears. Only Inspector Alleyn, who joined the tour because he suspects that the guide is a key member of a drug ring, is worried about his disappearance; most of the tour group couldn't care less. In fact, a few of them couldn't be happier that the seedy Mr. Mailer has conveniently vanished.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is time to compare Christie to Marsh, November 13, 2001

By 

Robert Louis Shaddy (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When in Rome (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read all of Agatha Christies novels I never thought that I would find an author comparable to her. Yet, after reading most of the Ngaio Marsh books I believe it is time to start comparing Agatha Christie to Ngaio Marsh. A great example of this can be found in When in Rome. In this book, Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn gets himself involved in a guided tour in an old church site in Rome. When the rather disrepeptable tour guide vanishes and a murder in unearthed in the underground portion of the old church, Alleyn finds himself in the thick of it. Together with the Italian Police, Alleyn trys to sort out the possible suspects. Marsh is at her very best as she takes the reader on a magical mystery tour of Rome. As always, her character descriptions are flawless and the plot moves along in rapid fashion. This book is on a par with Grave Mistake and many of her others. A great read and a superb mystery. Ngaio Marsh is can well be considered one of the best Brittish authors of the century.

4.0 out of 5 stars "An Away Match", December 16, 2008

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This late entry in N. Marsh's strong list of mysteries is not her best IMHO, but it's still pretty good--much better than most mysteries. It's p. 142 "an away match" wherein Superintendent Alleyn is alone in Rome--but on a mission. So, no Nigel Bathgate as Boswell and no artist wife Troy--too bad, the novels they play in seem to sparkle more. I may be stretching a bit giving it 4 stars, but it was clever--still, the necessary clues are not given until the very end. Also the information on drugs is dated if not in error. However, there is some clever commentary upon the differences in male-male vs. female-female communications a la Deborah Tannen (e.g.You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation & That's Not What I Meant!). One might object to the somewhat overdone differences in both communications & temperament between the Brits and the Italians in this book--which I think may have been an attempt at humor--but not a very successful attempt. But, as usual, Marsh's characters are unusual & jump off the page into your lap--even though many are rather sleazy in this book. It's interesting though to see Alleyn up against a complicated case without his myrmidons. Enjoy.