Windows To The World

ARTISTS IN CRIME

NGAIO MARSH

Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn has been having a long holiday in New Zealand, which turned out to be a bus man's holiday in chronicled in VINTAGE MURDER. He has taken the long way home starting with an ocean cruise which stopped at ports in Fiji, Hawaii and lastly at San Francisco. While in the port of Suva, Fiji his eye is caught by a lovely young artist, Agatha Troy. She is sitting on a lifeboat trying to capture the harbor scene. They seem to strike sparks off each other so they avoid each other all the way from the ocean liner to the wonderful trip across Canada on the Canadian Pacific railroad.

Agatha Troy is going back to a household of art students that she is to teach for the next several weeks. Alleyn who still has some few days of leave left is going to spend sometime with his mother. Both of these households are somewhat close to each other.

There is a motley crew of artists at Tatler's End, Troys home. The students  and the model settle in for the painting of a recumbent nude. As with all artistic people there are some disturbances but the greatest of these is the accidental murder of the vivacious young model.  The question arises about the nature of the death and since Alleyn is staying in the vicinity he is asked to go to Tatler's End.

He is not sure about this case because he really wants to follow his heart which tells him that the woman he is falling in love with cannot possibly be a murderer. His head on the other hand is very well trained and he has associates who will keep his mind on the job.

Tatler's End

The cast of suspects  is large, all the people in the house and much of the story revolves around who was where and when, then who left and at what time and the merry-go-round somewhat typical of some classic mysteries. My eyes did glaze over once or twice with the recounting over and again of time schedules and itineraries.

All's well that ends well except for the model who was in any case walking a perilous line. Readers of Marsh know that Alleyn and Troy are made for each other and are together in future books so this is a delightful introduction to their relationship.