The reviewer notes on the cover said it was "time to stop comparing Marsh to Agatha Christie, and start comparing Christie to Marsh", implying (and elsewhere boldly stating) that Marsh was the better writer. I've read just about everything Christie put out, and quite a bit of Marsh's oeuvre, and while I like Marsh's work, it doesn't seem to be any better than Christie's. (Yeah, I used the word "oeuvre" in a sentence. Jealous much?)This particular work is pretty good, but (of course) there are a couple things I don't like about it. There are a number of instances of the writer playing the "I think we all know what I'm talking about here" game, where I got completely lost. I got the references to Cedric being a pouf (and I realize that when this was written, in 1947, Marsh would not have been able to come right out and say Cedric was gay), but there are a number of other instances where I felt like everyone else was in on the joke and I was left out. Marsh also spent a bit of time exploring the relationship between her detective, Roderick Alleyn, and his wife. The crux of the issue here was whether, after being separated for so long by the war, the two would be able to pick up where they left off, relationship-wise, or whether they would have lost any feeling for each other. All very interesting, and probably very vital to the post-war readers of Marsh's books, but really? In a mystery novel? It just seemed to muddy the waters.As I said, overall an enjoyable example of the genre, but definitely not worthy of the "better-than-Christie" hype.
Book 14, and Marsh goes back to England, back to Troy as her main viewpoint character, and back to her two favorite worlds: painting and the theatre. The time is just after the end of World War II, when austerity measures are still in full force, and Troy is anxiously awaiting the reunion after four years with her beloved Rory Alleyn. But first she accepts a commission to paint a grand old man of the theatre at his bizarre Victorian castle amongst his large and melodramatic family—and of course with a fortune to bestow and a new young fiancee in the wings, there is murder!I like Marsh’s “grand old English manor” mysteries because to me they seem like deliberate and subtle parodies of the trope, and this book is no exception. The only thing that bothered me was her portrayal of one probably-gay character: several other characters in the book, including Troy and Alleyn, express what would today be considered derogatory and even bigoted comments about him precisely because of his florid and ostensibly effeminate manner. This attitude towards homosexuals dismays me, but it also surprises me, because some biographers believe that Marsh may have been lesbian.
Do You like book Final Curtain (2011)?
Wonderful book. It doesn't matter how many clues the author leaves, I always fail to spot the motive and murderer. With her eye for detail, she effortlessly allows the reader to enter into the world of the 1930s. Inspector Alleyn is an attractive character and as the books progress, it is very enjoyable to find out more about his background, family and wife. I'm steadily reading my way through all in the series and I'm not looking forward to the moment when I have finished them. They are interesting books on other levels as well for example the glimpse rhey give into the world of theatre, in fact Marsh's knowledge of acting makes her an acute observer on body language which means that the characters are finely drawn and really come to life. It is also interesting reading murder mystery stories written when the death penalty was still in place.
—Harriet
I'm a fan of Marsh, but the series is uneven. The best books are funny and involve inspector Fox. I also like the books in which Troy makes and appearance. Both characters were present, and Troy has the first half of the book—the first book written after several post WWII during which time Alleyn is serving in New Zealand. As a series completist, I enjoyed that aspect of it, but murder mystery took place at on an estate and was a parody of an eccentric British aristocratic family that was silly and almost mean-spirited and thus not a that funny.
—Lise Petrauskas
Ultimately a let down. Much of this book is written as an examination of a particular type of English upper class family -- a family that wallows in the "specialness" and whose eccentricities are accepted where similar behaviour would be considered acceptable in members of another class. Marsh's obsession with this type of family goes back to her earliest books. Behaviour that would be considered narcissistic and even pathological is presented as tragic, annoying but charming or quirky if expressed by members of the correct class and educational background. If the book were simply an examination of this type of family -- caught in amber at the last moment in time in which they could exist -- this book would be interesting. Marsh's need to cram a murder mystery into this scenario ultimates results in the book ending in a damp squib rather than a explosion let alone a satisfying conclusion.Books like this underline how much Marsh's Scotland Yard and her detectives are mired in a world that was already dying before WWII and was moribund by the time this book reached publication.
—Mmyoung
