Last Ditch (Inspector Roderick Alleyn, 29) (Volume 29) - Softcover

Marsh, Ngaio

Softcover

ISBN 10: 163194052X ISBN 13: 9781631940521

Publisher: Felony & Mayhem Press, 2016

Ricky Alleyn – perhaps you know his father, Roderick? – first appeared in Spinsters in Jeopardy, as a child. He's now 21, and has taken himself off to a secluded island to write a novel. Or think about writing a novel. Or look for distractions so he can avoid writing a novel. The distractions abound, mostly in the form of colorful local characters (and a rather dishy one), so all is beer and skittles (well, except for the novel) until Ricky stumbles across a murder and then gets himself kidnapped. Which is too bad for Ricky (and the murder-victim), but dandy for the reader, as it brings Inspector Alleyn to the island, and he's on top form. A subtheme involving drug-running may strike a jarring note, but remember, Last Ditch was first published in 1977, and as such, it offers a remarkable look at what happens when the characters and conventions of the Golden Age fetch up in the distinctly tarnished present.

About the Author:

Ngaio Marsh was one of the queens of the golden age of mystery, writing 32 mysteries in the Roderick Alleyn series. She grew up in New Zealand.

From AudioFile:

Set in small but cosmopolitan coastal villages in southeast England and northwest France, this Inspector Roderick Alleyn mystery centering on drugs and murder is as comforting and satisfying as a cup of Earl Grey tea. With the deft touch of a master, Marsh paints her highly visual English countryside sets and charming, gracious characters--mixing a broad canvas of upper-class aristocrats, Bohemian artists, channel-faring sailors and dock hands, with the odd village nutter thrown in for good measure. Nadia May is unfaltering in carrying off this wonderful work which, in its simplicity, is a throwback to a less complicated, more gently paced period. M.D.H. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine