What do you think?
Rate this book
Roderick Alleyn #3
The Nursing Home Murder
Ngaio Marsh's bestselling and ingenious third novel remains one of the most popular pieces of crime fiction of all time. Sir John Phillips, the Harley Street surgeon, and his beautiful nurse Jane Harden are almost too nervous to operate. The emergency case on the table before them is the Home Secretary -- and they both have very good, personal reasons to wish him dead. Within hours he does die, although the operation itself was a complete success, and Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn must find out why!
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1935
401 people are currently reading
1147 people want to read
About the author
Ngaio Marsh
197 books831 followersDame Ngaio Marsh, born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900, but she was born in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Of all the "Great Ladies" of the English mystery's golden age, including Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh alone survived to publish in the 1980s. Over a fifty-year span, from 1932 to 1982, Marsh wrote thirty-two classic English detective novels, which gained international acclaim. She did not always see herself as a writer, but first planned a career as a painter.
Marsh's first novel, A MAN LAY DEAD (1934), which she wrote in London in 1931-32, introduced the detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn: a combination of Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey and a realistically depicted police official at work. Throughout the 1930s Marsh painted occasionally, wrote plays for local repertory societies in New Zealand, and published detective novels. In 1937 Marsh went to England for a period. Before going back to her home country, she spent six months travelling about Europe.
All her novels feature British CID detective Roderick Alleyn. Several novels feature Marsh's other loves, the theatre and painting. A number are set around theatrical productions (Enter a Murderer, Vintage Murder, Overture to Death, Opening Night, Death at the Dolphin, and Light Thickens), and two others are about actors off stage (Final Curtain and False Scent). Her short story "'I Can Find My Way Out" is also set around a theatrical production and is the earlier "Jupiter case" referred to in Opening Night. Alleyn marries a painter, Agatha Troy, whom he meets during an investigation (Artists in Crime), and who features in several later novels.
Series:
* Roderick Alleyn
Of all the "Great Ladies" of the English mystery's golden age, including Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh alone survived to publish in the 1980s. Over a fifty-year span, from 1932 to 1982, Marsh wrote thirty-two classic English detective novels, which gained international acclaim. She did not always see herself as a writer, but first planned a career as a painter.
Marsh's first novel, A MAN LAY DEAD (1934), which she wrote in London in 1931-32, introduced the detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn: a combination of Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey and a realistically depicted police official at work. Throughout the 1930s Marsh painted occasionally, wrote plays for local repertory societies in New Zealand, and published detective novels. In 1937 Marsh went to England for a period. Before going back to her home country, she spent six months travelling about Europe.
All her novels feature British CID detective Roderick Alleyn. Several novels feature Marsh's other loves, the theatre and painting. A number are set around theatrical productions (Enter a Murderer, Vintage Murder, Overture to Death, Opening Night, Death at the Dolphin, and Light Thickens), and two others are about actors off stage (Final Curtain and False Scent). Her short story "'I Can Find My Way Out" is also set around a theatrical production and is the earlier "Jupiter case" referred to in Opening Night. Alleyn marries a painter, Agatha Troy, whom he meets during an investigation (Artists in Crime), and who features in several later novels.
Series:
* Roderick Alleyn
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 429 reviews
July 29, 2018
Things I've Learned From British Mysteries
1. When a detective says, "oh, one other small thing...," it isn't.
2. Brush up on your vocabulary when asking the pathologist for favors:
"Alleyn went out, changed his mind and stuck his head round the door.
'If I send you a pill or two, will you have them dissected for me?'
'Analysed?'
'If you'd rather. Good-bye.'
3. When dealing with nobility, it is best to mind your manners:
"'I asked you to come and see me,' she began very quietly, 'because I believe my husband to have been murdered.
Fox did not speak for a moment. He sat stockily, very still, looking gravely before him.
'I'm sorry to hear that, Lady O'Callaghan,' he said at last. 'It sounds rather serious.'
Apparently she had met her match in understatement."
4. Don't try for pretentious with the police:
"'Do you know that Sir Derek O'Callaghan was probably murdered?'
'My Gawd, yes.'
'Yes... With hyoscine.'
'My Gawd, yes.'
'Yes. So you see we want to be sure of our facts.'
'He 'had no hoverdose of 'yoscine from 'ere,' said Mr. Sage, incontinently casting his aitches all over the place."
5. Get your P.M.s straight:
"'Everybody talks to me about 'P.M.s,' complained Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn to Inspector Fox on Monday afternoon, 'and I never know whether they mean post-mortem or Prime Minister. Really, it's very difficult when you happen to be involved with both."
Alright, Christie she ain't--though the mystery is full of red herrings, including a group of Bolsheviks, it resorts to an ultimately ridiculous solution--but Marsh does write an entertaining story. Plotting here surrounded an ill Home Secretary who is rushed to emergency surgery. Per a friend review, Marsh relied on one of her doctors (her gynecologist?) for part of the story. I found that interesting; the scenes in the operating room and details with the surgery had the air of verisimilitude, and I enjoyed the trip down Historical Medicine Lane (thank heavens I don't have to calculate grains of a drug for dosing!).
The dialogue, characters, and setting are all interesting and entertaining. Reoccurring characters Nigel and girlfriend Angela appear for a brief interlude, but their appearance is so short as to be amusing over distracting. As far as plotting, however, there is no real sense of impending danger; more an intellectual type of whodunnit. Still quite a bit of fun that still allows one to comfortably put down the book and go to sleep when it's late.
1. When a detective says, "oh, one other small thing...," it isn't.
2. Brush up on your vocabulary when asking the pathologist for favors:
"Alleyn went out, changed his mind and stuck his head round the door.
'If I send you a pill or two, will you have them dissected for me?'
'Analysed?'
'If you'd rather. Good-bye.'
3. When dealing with nobility, it is best to mind your manners:
"'I asked you to come and see me,' she began very quietly, 'because I believe my husband to have been murdered.
Fox did not speak for a moment. He sat stockily, very still, looking gravely before him.
'I'm sorry to hear that, Lady O'Callaghan,' he said at last. 'It sounds rather serious.'
Apparently she had met her match in understatement."
4. Don't try for pretentious with the police:
"'Do you know that Sir Derek O'Callaghan was probably murdered?'
'My Gawd, yes.'
'Yes... With hyoscine.'
'My Gawd, yes.'
'Yes. So you see we want to be sure of our facts.'
'He 'had no hoverdose of 'yoscine from 'ere,' said Mr. Sage, incontinently casting his aitches all over the place."
5. Get your P.M.s straight:
"'Everybody talks to me about 'P.M.s,' complained Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn to Inspector Fox on Monday afternoon, 'and I never know whether they mean post-mortem or Prime Minister. Really, it's very difficult when you happen to be involved with both."
Alright, Christie she ain't--though the mystery is full of red herrings, including a group of Bolsheviks, it resorts to an ultimately ridiculous solution--but Marsh does write an entertaining story. Plotting here surrounded an ill Home Secretary who is rushed to emergency surgery. Per a friend review, Marsh relied on one of her doctors (her gynecologist?) for part of the story. I found that interesting; the scenes in the operating room and details with the surgery had the air of verisimilitude, and I enjoyed the trip down Historical Medicine Lane (thank heavens I don't have to calculate grains of a drug for dosing!).
The dialogue, characters, and setting are all interesting and entertaining. Reoccurring characters Nigel and girlfriend Angela appear for a brief interlude, but their appearance is so short as to be amusing over distracting. As far as plotting, however, there is no real sense of impending danger; more an intellectual type of whodunnit. Still quite a bit of fun that still allows one to comfortably put down the book and go to sleep when it's late.
August 4, 2018
3.5★
I'm starting to see a pattern - I prefer Marsh's crime novels when they have a theatrical setting.
But this title has a very authentic feel. It was co-written with Marsh's gynaecologist, Henry Jellet (he gets an author credit on my edition.) You can almost smell the antiseptic. So the hospital setting felt fine.
Even the political world felt real. It is when Marsh strays into the world of "Bolshies" (with the quite annoyingly perky Nigel & Angela) that things come a little unstuck, with cardboard characters and a feeling that Marsh just isn't comfortable here.
Fox, as always, is a dignified delight. And I didn't guess the culprit. For me, that is always a plus.
My edition old enough to feature one mildly racist comment.
Edit; Just in case some overly zealous librarian removes Jellet's name from the book - on my 1970 Fontana he is credited as co author of the book
I'm starting to see a pattern - I prefer Marsh's crime novels when they have a theatrical setting.
But this title has a very authentic feel. It was co-written with Marsh's gynaecologist, Henry Jellet (he gets an author credit on my edition.) You can almost smell the antiseptic. So the hospital setting felt fine.
Even the political world felt real. It is when Marsh strays into the world of "Bolshies" (with the quite annoyingly perky Nigel & Angela) that things come a little unstuck, with cardboard characters and a feeling that Marsh just isn't comfortable here.
Fox, as always, is a dignified delight. And I didn't guess the culprit. For me, that is always a plus.
My edition old enough to feature one mildly racist comment.
Edit; Just in case some overly zealous librarian removes Jellet's name from the book - on my 1970 Fontana he is credited as co author of the book
April 25, 2018
Hmm, now I’ve given this book 3 stars, is it 20% less good than the first 2 books, well no, but it is not a 4 star book in my opinion. I mean, I still enjoyed it, and I'm liking Alleyn and Fox, but felt this novel was a little weaker than the first two. I said I wasn't going to read number 3 straight away as I didn't want to overdose on Alleyn just to play catch up, but I was enjoying these so much I went ahead. So is my 3 stars a result of this overdose or not. I shall seriously take a break this time before number 4 and we shall see.
February 13, 2018
This is the third novel featuring Roderick Alleyn and was first published in 1935. Home Secretary, Sir Derek O’Callaghan is very involved in introducing a Bill to deal with anarchists and has received several threats to his life. During the beginning of this novel, we are aware that Sir Derek has been having serious abdominal pains and has ignored suggestions he seek medical help until after the Bill has been successful. Sir Derek’s wife, the icy cool Cicely, does not press him to accept help, but his rather naïve and enthusiastic sister, Ruth, constantly tries to press miracle cures upon him. To add to Sir Derek’s problems, a casual affair he recently, has been taken very seriously by the young woman, now a nurse, who has taken to sending him impassioned, and threatening, letters. Complicating matters still more is the fact that his friend, and doctor, Sir John Phillips, is in love with her.
When Sir Derek collapses in the House of Commons, he is taken off to the nursing home to have an emergency operation. In the operating theatre is, of course, Sir John Phillips, the young nurse he had an affair with and at least one person with communist leanings. When Sir Derek dies, Lady Cicely demands that his death is not natural, but murder. Alleyn investigates and this involves his old friend, Nigel Bathgate, who we met in the first Detective Chief-Inspector Alleyn mystery, as well as Nigel’s fiancée Angela. We are taken from the operating theatre to communist meetings, in a wonderfully evocative Golden Age mystery. This is a delightful mystery and will appeal to anyone who enjoys 1930’s mysteries, with a good setting and an interesting cast of suspects.
When Sir Derek collapses in the House of Commons, he is taken off to the nursing home to have an emergency operation. In the operating theatre is, of course, Sir John Phillips, the young nurse he had an affair with and at least one person with communist leanings. When Sir Derek dies, Lady Cicely demands that his death is not natural, but murder. Alleyn investigates and this involves his old friend, Nigel Bathgate, who we met in the first Detective Chief-Inspector Alleyn mystery, as well as Nigel’s fiancée Angela. We are taken from the operating theatre to communist meetings, in a wonderfully evocative Golden Age mystery. This is a delightful mystery and will appeal to anyone who enjoys 1930’s mysteries, with a good setting and an interesting cast of suspects.
June 8, 2014
This is my third Ngaio Marsh novel and I still have somewhat mixed feelings. I'm not into her detective character at all -- there's been too little personality and depth, just a lot of surface shine -- and the structure is now formulaic. Set-up for a murder with many potential motives -> murder which is very awkward for lots of people -> Alleyn investigates without explaining much to anyone -> Alleyn has a reconstruction done -> this flushes out the murderer, who incriminates himself without need for a trial, and who is the least suspected person -> an epilogue in which Alleyn explains everything.
I have got the next three books now, though. There's something relaxing and easy about these, even a little compulsive, perhaps because I don't care much for the characters and so for me, there are no high stakes. Generally the plots are full of coincidence, misdirection, and meta-nods at the genre ("if this were a murder story, you would suspect the least obvious one, of course!").
I think you could pretty much class these as cozy mysteries.
I have got the next three books now, though. There's something relaxing and easy about these, even a little compulsive, perhaps because I don't care much for the characters and so for me, there are no high stakes. Generally the plots are full of coincidence, misdirection, and meta-nods at the genre ("if this were a murder story, you would suspect the least obvious one, of course!").
I think you could pretty much class these as cozy mysteries.
April 24, 2020
Sir Derek O'Callaghan an MP has an attack of acute appendicitis. He goes into a private hospital for an operation. Sir John Philip operates assisted by Dr. Roberts, the anaesthetist; Dr. Thoms, the assistant surgeon; Sister Marigold, the matron; Nurse Banks, the circulating nurse; and Jane Harden, the scrub nurse. The operation apparently goes well, but O'Callaghan suddenly weakens and within an hour is dead. Interesting in those days a nursing home was a private hospital. Lots of suspects with communism, eugenics and madness.
Hyoscine a strange drug and curiously I looked it up. I liked Alleyn and Fox and the plot was good but I preferred Dead Water and one set around Shakespeare themes. I am going to stick with Marsh as I like her style but she is no Agatha Christie.
I enjoyed the us versus them class war which is evident in Marsh’s fixation on reds under the bed. Disguises, dysfunctional family members, madness, atmospheric London and a lot of red herrings. A good read.
Hyoscine a strange drug and curiously I looked it up. I liked Alleyn and Fox and the plot was good but I preferred Dead Water and one set around Shakespeare themes. I am going to stick with Marsh as I like her style but she is no Agatha Christie.
I enjoyed the us versus them class war which is evident in Marsh’s fixation on reds under the bed. Disguises, dysfunctional family members, madness, atmospheric London and a lot of red herrings. A good read.
May 30, 2016
I’ve read nearly two dozen of Ngaio Marsh’s wonderful novels featuring Roderick Alleyn, a detective inspector and the younger son of a baronet, but somehow I managed to skip The Nursing Home Murder, the third novel in the series. Thanks to Uncle Silas for pointing that out, and I’ve now remedied the situation.
In this novel, first released in 1935, Sir Derek O’Callaghan, the English Home Secretary, is rushed to the hospital for unbearable abominable pains only to die soon after his operation. Soon enough, it emerges that Sir Derek’s death was murder, not a medical malady. Intrepid journalist Nigel Bathgate, who was featured in Marsh’s first two novels — A Man Lay Dead and Enter a Murderer — returns to great effect in this one to serve as Alleyn’s informal assistant and publicist. Still, The Nursing Home Murder, which takes place in a private hospital rather than what today we’d term a nursing home, isn’t up to Marsh’s usual high standard: the turgid plot until Detective Inspector Alleyn shows up, Marsh’s confusing anarchists and communists, the cardboard secondary characters (in particular, O’Callaghan’s crackpot sister, Harold Sage the jumped-up chemist, and the fanatical communist Nurse Banks), and the murderer’s completely implausible motivation. A worthwhile read for Dame Ngaio’s aficionados, but others should skip this one.
In this novel, first released in 1935, Sir Derek O’Callaghan, the English Home Secretary, is rushed to the hospital for unbearable abominable pains only to die soon after his operation. Soon enough, it emerges that Sir Derek’s death was murder, not a medical malady. Intrepid journalist Nigel Bathgate, who was featured in Marsh’s first two novels — A Man Lay Dead and Enter a Murderer — returns to great effect in this one to serve as Alleyn’s informal assistant and publicist. Still, The Nursing Home Murder, which takes place in a private hospital rather than what today we’d term a nursing home, isn’t up to Marsh’s usual high standard: the turgid plot until Detective Inspector Alleyn shows up, Marsh’s confusing anarchists and communists, the cardboard secondary characters (in particular, O’Callaghan’s crackpot sister, Harold Sage the jumped-up chemist, and the fanatical communist Nurse Banks), and the murderer’s completely implausible motivation. A worthwhile read for Dame Ngaio’s aficionados, but others should skip this one.
August 24, 2021
DNF Page 148. This plot wasn't going anywhere. I shouldn't have even started reading this book because on Scrib the rating isn't very good. Scribd.com's English text, and translation for Portuguese + audio in English from Google Translate. Continuing the Project Learning English by myself.
July 20, 2015
A singularly cold and dull mystery finished off with a ridiculous solution.
November 19, 2022
His life in their hands...
The Home Secretary, Sir Derek O’Callaghan, is in the middle of steering an important bill through Parliament to counter the threat from anarchists and Bolshevists. So although he is suffering from intermittent abdominal pains, he is ignoring them until he has more time to deal with personal issues. And the personal issues are piling up! As well as his health and threats against his life from those Bolshies, his doctor, Sir John Phillips, is furious at the way he has treated a nurse who works in Sir John’s clinic, having seduced and then dumped her. It’s probable his wife won’t be too happy if she learns about that little episode either! His sister, meantime, thinks that all his woes and ills can be cured by one of the many patent medicines she acquires from her pharmacist friend. It all comes to a crisis when Sir Derek collapses while giving a speech in the House of Commons. He is rushed to Sir John’s clinic where he is diagnosed with peritonitis requiring immediate surgery. Hmm… surgery carried out by the doctor who’s furious at him, the nurse he seduced, an anaesthetist who previously accidentally killed a patient, and another nurse who is a Bolshevist in her spare time. So when he subsequently dies, it’s not altogether surprising that suspicions of murder arise! Enter Chief Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn of the Yard…
It’s a long time since I last read a Ngaio Marsh, but I was very fond of her books back in the day, and happily this was a pleasant revisit. It’s a nice mix of whodunit and howdunit, and the investigation is mostly carried out through a series of interviews Alleyn has with the various suspects. It soon transpires that Sir Derek had been poisoned with hyoscine, a drug that had been used as part of his preparation for surgery. So suspicion naturally falls on Sir John, since he gave the hyoscine injection. But Alleyn quickly realises that many other people had the opportunity to give him another injection or perhaps to have given him the drug in another form. So it all comes down to motive and method – who wanted him dead (lots of people!) and who could have given him the drug, and how.
The one thing that makes me not wholeheartedly love Marsh as much as I do, for example, Christie, is the snobbishness in the books – a fault she of course shares with many of the Golden Age writers. Alleyn is one of these aristocratic policeman (did they ever exist in real life, I wonder?) and his sidekick, Inspector Fox, is a “common man”. Alleyn is very fond of Fox but is horribly patronising towards him, as is Marsh herself. When thinking about it, I wonder if part of the reason that Christie has remained so popular is that Poirot’s sidekick is a man of the same or even higher class than Poirot himself, so that while Poirot may mock his intelligence from time to time there’s no feeling of snobbery. Alleyn’s Fox, Sayers’ portrayal of Wimsey’s sidekick, Bunter, and Allingham’s Lugg, sidekick for Campion, all make the books feel much more dated than Christie and in a way of which modern audiences are less tolerant, I feel. Although I do often wonder what contemporary working class readers, who surely made up the bulk of the readership for all these authors, made of their mockery of the working classes. We were more deferential, for sure, back then, but even so. Anyway, I digress.
Alleyn also has another occasional sidekick in the person of a young journalist, Nigel Bathgate, and he and his fiancée, Angela, appear in this one. Alleyn sends them off to infiltrate an anarchist meeting, and has fun with the portrayal of these bogeymen of the era, complete with stock bearded Russian Bolshevist. Nigel and Angela are Bright Young Things, and provide some levity which lightens the tone. Alleyn himself is quite a cheerful detective, who enjoys his job and has a keen sense of justice. So while the books aren’t quite cosy, nor are they dark and grim.
The eventual solution veers over the credibility line but the general tone of the book means this doesn’t matter as much as it would in a darker style of novel. I was rather proud of the fact that I spotted one or two clues, but I was still surprised when all was revealed.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Philip Franks, and he did a very good job, getting into the spirit of the more caricatured characters (the Bolshevists, for instance) while making both Alleyn and Fox likeable, as they are on the page.
Overall, an enjoyable reunion with some old friends, and I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the other books. This is an early one, and I may try a late one next, to see if the snobbery gets toned down as time passes.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
The Home Secretary, Sir Derek O’Callaghan, is in the middle of steering an important bill through Parliament to counter the threat from anarchists and Bolshevists. So although he is suffering from intermittent abdominal pains, he is ignoring them until he has more time to deal with personal issues. And the personal issues are piling up! As well as his health and threats against his life from those Bolshies, his doctor, Sir John Phillips, is furious at the way he has treated a nurse who works in Sir John’s clinic, having seduced and then dumped her. It’s probable his wife won’t be too happy if she learns about that little episode either! His sister, meantime, thinks that all his woes and ills can be cured by one of the many patent medicines she acquires from her pharmacist friend. It all comes to a crisis when Sir Derek collapses while giving a speech in the House of Commons. He is rushed to Sir John’s clinic where he is diagnosed with peritonitis requiring immediate surgery. Hmm… surgery carried out by the doctor who’s furious at him, the nurse he seduced, an anaesthetist who previously accidentally killed a patient, and another nurse who is a Bolshevist in her spare time. So when he subsequently dies, it’s not altogether surprising that suspicions of murder arise! Enter Chief Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn of the Yard…
It’s a long time since I last read a Ngaio Marsh, but I was very fond of her books back in the day, and happily this was a pleasant revisit. It’s a nice mix of whodunit and howdunit, and the investigation is mostly carried out through a series of interviews Alleyn has with the various suspects. It soon transpires that Sir Derek had been poisoned with hyoscine, a drug that had been used as part of his preparation for surgery. So suspicion naturally falls on Sir John, since he gave the hyoscine injection. But Alleyn quickly realises that many other people had the opportunity to give him another injection or perhaps to have given him the drug in another form. So it all comes down to motive and method – who wanted him dead (lots of people!) and who could have given him the drug, and how.
The one thing that makes me not wholeheartedly love Marsh as much as I do, for example, Christie, is the snobbishness in the books – a fault she of course shares with many of the Golden Age writers. Alleyn is one of these aristocratic policeman (did they ever exist in real life, I wonder?) and his sidekick, Inspector Fox, is a “common man”. Alleyn is very fond of Fox but is horribly patronising towards him, as is Marsh herself. When thinking about it, I wonder if part of the reason that Christie has remained so popular is that Poirot’s sidekick is a man of the same or even higher class than Poirot himself, so that while Poirot may mock his intelligence from time to time there’s no feeling of snobbery. Alleyn’s Fox, Sayers’ portrayal of Wimsey’s sidekick, Bunter, and Allingham’s Lugg, sidekick for Campion, all make the books feel much more dated than Christie and in a way of which modern audiences are less tolerant, I feel. Although I do often wonder what contemporary working class readers, who surely made up the bulk of the readership for all these authors, made of their mockery of the working classes. We were more deferential, for sure, back then, but even so. Anyway, I digress.
Alleyn also has another occasional sidekick in the person of a young journalist, Nigel Bathgate, and he and his fiancée, Angela, appear in this one. Alleyn sends them off to infiltrate an anarchist meeting, and has fun with the portrayal of these bogeymen of the era, complete with stock bearded Russian Bolshevist. Nigel and Angela are Bright Young Things, and provide some levity which lightens the tone. Alleyn himself is quite a cheerful detective, who enjoys his job and has a keen sense of justice. So while the books aren’t quite cosy, nor are they dark and grim.
The eventual solution veers over the credibility line but the general tone of the book means this doesn’t matter as much as it would in a darker style of novel. I was rather proud of the fact that I spotted one or two clues, but I was still surprised when all was revealed.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Philip Franks, and he did a very good job, getting into the spirit of the more caricatured characters (the Bolshevists, for instance) while making both Alleyn and Fox likeable, as they are on the page.
Overall, an enjoyable reunion with some old friends, and I’m looking forward to revisiting some of the other books. This is an early one, and I may try a late one next, to see if the snobbery gets toned down as time passes.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
March 3, 2018
I'm reading through the Inspector Alleyn mysteries in order with the Reading the Detectives group at Goodreads. This third mystery is the best yet, with Alleyn really starting to come into his own as a character. He is still witty and sometimes silly, but there are a few more hints of hidden depths.
The title could be a bit misleading to contemporary readers, suggesting the book is set in a care home. In fact, though, the setting is a private hospital, well before the arrival of the NHS. A top politician, the home secretary, is rushed in for surgery after collapsing in the Commons. But by this point readers have already met a long list of people with reason to want him dead, so his prospects of recovery don't look too good.
The hospital atmosphere is well done, and there is a good selection of suspects and motives, though perhaps Marsh could have featured the victim's political rivals more than she does. I realised that I must have read this one many years ago and remembered whodunit, but if I hadn't previously read it, I am not sure if I would have guessed right.
As well as Alleyn starting to mature in this book, Sgt Fox is also starting to emerge as a worthy partner, with some enjoyable dialogue between the pair. Posh journalist Nigel Bathgate, Alleyn's "Boswell" in the first two books, does appear again, together with his girlfriend Angela, but I get the feeling they are starting to be edged out.
The title could be a bit misleading to contemporary readers, suggesting the book is set in a care home. In fact, though, the setting is a private hospital, well before the arrival of the NHS. A top politician, the home secretary, is rushed in for surgery after collapsing in the Commons. But by this point readers have already met a long list of people with reason to want him dead, so his prospects of recovery don't look too good.
The hospital atmosphere is well done, and there is a good selection of suspects and motives, though perhaps Marsh could have featured the victim's political rivals more than she does. I realised that I must have read this one many years ago and remembered whodunit, but if I hadn't previously read it, I am not sure if I would have guessed right.
As well as Alleyn starting to mature in this book, Sgt Fox is also starting to emerge as a worthy partner, with some enjoyable dialogue between the pair. Posh journalist Nigel Bathgate, Alleyn's "Boswell" in the first two books, does appear again, together with his girlfriend Angela, but I get the feeling they are starting to be edged out.
May 15, 2019
Say it ain’t so Ngaio. Finding out a writer who is like a favorite aunt used to have an interest in eugenics is pretty depressing. It pretty much wrecked this book for me and if I read another it will have to be one written after World War II. I can only hope she evolved and I believe in allowing people to evolve. This wasn’t a full on book about it but just that somebody so smart didn’t reject that lethal fascist bullshit out of hand puts me off. Big time.
While intellectually I can see that there’s a possible debate about the fairness of holding people in the past to our modern standards, there were plenty of people who opposed it. Check out Buck v Bell, horrific. I didn’t enjoy the feeling of reading this book. I don’t want to be part of it.
While intellectually I can see that there’s a possible debate about the fairness of holding people in the past to our modern standards, there were plenty of people who opposed it. Check out Buck v Bell, horrific. I didn’t enjoy the feeling of reading this book. I don’t want to be part of it.
March 18, 2019
Just the third in the Roderick Alleyn series, this book supplies us with a very interesting set of circumstances and characters featuring the Home Secretary, Prime Minister, Bolsheviks, and some helpful friends of Alleyn's in his rather complete way of investigating anyone and everyone before reaching his conclusion of who killed the Home Secretary. His co-worker Fox plays a small role in this case. In a nutshell, the Home Secretary has been suffering stomach pain he tries to ignore but then requires emergency appendectomy. He does not survive. His wife calls Scotland Yard.
There are many people with motives to kill and a great deal of medical minutiae to examine. After careful planning, Alleyn holds a re-enactment of the crime to catch the killer.
It is a very well plotted and written book.
224 pages - Good
Felony & Mayhem Press - Good
Library Loan - Good
There are many people with motives to kill and a great deal of medical minutiae to examine. After careful planning, Alleyn holds a re-enactment of the crime to catch the killer.
It is a very well plotted and written book.
224 pages - Good
Felony & Mayhem Press - Good
Library Loan - Good
May 15, 2015
This is the third novel featuring Roderick Alleyn and was first published in 1935. Home Secretary, Sir Derek O’Callaghan is very involved in introducing a Bill to deal with anarchists and has received several threats to his life. During the beginning of this novel, we are aware that Sir Derek has been having serious abdominal pains and has ignored suggestions he seek medical help until after the Bill has been successful. Sir Derek’s wife, the icy cool Cicely, does not press him to accept help, but his rather naïve and enthusiastic sister, Ruth, constantly tries to press miracle cures upon him. To add to Sir Derek’s problems, a casual affair he recently, has been taken very seriously by the young woman, now a nurse, who has taken to sending him impassioned, and threatening, letters. Complicating matters still more is the fact that his friend, and doctor, Sir John Phillips, is in love with her.
When Sir Derek collapses in the House of Commons, he is taken off to the nursing home to have an emergency operation. In the operating theatre is, of course, Sir John Phillips, the young nurse he had an affair with and at least one person with communist leanings. When Sir Derek dies, Lady Cicely demands that his death is not natural, but murder. Alleyn investigates and this involves his old friend, Nigel Bathgate, who we met in the first Detective Chief-Inspector Alleyn mystery, as well as Nigel’s fiancée Angela. We are taken from the operating theatre to communist meetings, in a wonderfully evocative Golden Age mystery. This is a delightful mystery and will appeal to anyone who enjoys 1930’s mysteries, with a good setting and an interesting cast of suspects.
When Sir Derek collapses in the House of Commons, he is taken off to the nursing home to have an emergency operation. In the operating theatre is, of course, Sir John Phillips, the young nurse he had an affair with and at least one person with communist leanings. When Sir Derek dies, Lady Cicely demands that his death is not natural, but murder. Alleyn investigates and this involves his old friend, Nigel Bathgate, who we met in the first Detective Chief-Inspector Alleyn mystery, as well as Nigel’s fiancée Angela. We are taken from the operating theatre to communist meetings, in a wonderfully evocative Golden Age mystery. This is a delightful mystery and will appeal to anyone who enjoys 1930’s mysteries, with a good setting and an interesting cast of suspects.
March 24, 2023
Enjoyable 3rd entry in the Roderick Alleyn series.
January 11, 2013
Ngaio Marsh, a New Zealander, was one of a group of women writers who dominated what is sometimes known as the Golden Age of British detective fiction that occurred in the 1930s and the 1940s. The others were Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and Margery Allingham. Marsh does not have Christie's fiendish ingenuity when it comes to plotting (a characteristic which, in my view, is what sets Christie apart from other writers of her era and since, and which has resulted in her continued pre-eminence in the field even though it is almost 40 years since her death). However, Marsh is usually very good at characterisation. "The Nursing Home Murder" is not perhaps one of her best books. The characterisation is not as good as in many of her others. The story is a straightforward potboiler of a whodunit. Its purpose is to provide a few hours of entertainment (on a train journey, before sleep, etc.). And, on that basis, it succeeds.
The plot concerns the murder of the Home Secretary, Sir Derek O'Callaghan, who dies a short time after having an operation for acute appendicitis at a private hospital. The surgeon who was in charge of the operation, the eminent Sir John Phillips, had good reasons for committing the murder - but so did several other people, some of whom were also involved in the surgical process that resulted in Sir Derek's demise. The investigation into the murder is led by Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn, a professional policeman, who appears in most of Marsh's novels. Although a career detective, Alleyn is not your usual police officer (even by the standards of the 1930s, the decade in which this story was first published and is set). He is an aristocrat. He has a servant (Vassily) and an apartment in central London. He knows the Prime Minister personally. He sports a dinner jacket when dining at home. And, to cap it all, he has a love of Shakespeare (he is partial to the first scene in Hamlet!). He is at ease with people (for example, Establishment figures) with whom most professional detectives would be uneasy. I give nothing away when I tell you that he does, of course, get to the bottom of the events depicted in the story.
Although not one of Ngaio Marsh's best books, "The Nursing Home Murder" is a reasonably good read. The plot, which revolves around the use of the drug hyoscine, is complex. (As with many such stories of this type, the novel is perhaps best read in one sitting, if the reader has the necessary time. In that way, it is easier to follow the detail of the plot.) It goes almost without saying that it is frankly incredible and unrealistic in places - but that tends to be a feature of stories such as this (after all, the plot of one of Agatha Christie's very best books, "And Then There Were None", is completely implausible!). The characterisation is limited and, indeed, in a number of instances, is stereotypical. I was not convinced, for example, by the meeting of Communist sympathisers described in the story or by the seemingly simplistic portrayal of some of its participants. Another problem is that there is only a very limited change of scenery during the book's 187 pages. However, Marsh writes in a readable style that has one turning the pages eager to find out what happens next.
"The Nursing Home Murder" is by no means a classic of the genre. It is unlikely to live long in the memory. But it provides a few hours of solid diversion from the stresses and anxieties of modern life - no bad thing in itself. 6/10.
The plot concerns the murder of the Home Secretary, Sir Derek O'Callaghan, who dies a short time after having an operation for acute appendicitis at a private hospital. The surgeon who was in charge of the operation, the eminent Sir John Phillips, had good reasons for committing the murder - but so did several other people, some of whom were also involved in the surgical process that resulted in Sir Derek's demise. The investigation into the murder is led by Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn, a professional policeman, who appears in most of Marsh's novels. Although a career detective, Alleyn is not your usual police officer (even by the standards of the 1930s, the decade in which this story was first published and is set). He is an aristocrat. He has a servant (Vassily) and an apartment in central London. He knows the Prime Minister personally. He sports a dinner jacket when dining at home. And, to cap it all, he has a love of Shakespeare (he is partial to the first scene in Hamlet!). He is at ease with people (for example, Establishment figures) with whom most professional detectives would be uneasy. I give nothing away when I tell you that he does, of course, get to the bottom of the events depicted in the story.
Although not one of Ngaio Marsh's best books, "The Nursing Home Murder" is a reasonably good read. The plot, which revolves around the use of the drug hyoscine, is complex. (As with many such stories of this type, the novel is perhaps best read in one sitting, if the reader has the necessary time. In that way, it is easier to follow the detail of the plot.) It goes almost without saying that it is frankly incredible and unrealistic in places - but that tends to be a feature of stories such as this (after all, the plot of one of Agatha Christie's very best books, "And Then There Were None", is completely implausible!). The characterisation is limited and, indeed, in a number of instances, is stereotypical. I was not convinced, for example, by the meeting of Communist sympathisers described in the story or by the seemingly simplistic portrayal of some of its participants. Another problem is that there is only a very limited change of scenery during the book's 187 pages. However, Marsh writes in a readable style that has one turning the pages eager to find out what happens next.
"The Nursing Home Murder" is by no means a classic of the genre. It is unlikely to live long in the memory. But it provides a few hours of solid diversion from the stresses and anxieties of modern life - no bad thing in itself. 6/10.
August 5, 2024
The Stage Is Set
Only this time, the theatre is in a hospital, and the patient is a man of eminence – the British Home Secretary Sir Derek O’Callaghan, who is about to bring through a bill for the suppression of anarchism – and a man of lowness – after a brief affair he has no scruples about jilting the young hospital nurse Jane Harding. When coming down with acute appendicitis, O’Callaghan is taken to a private hospital run by his friend Sir John Phillips, and at Lady O’Callaghan’s request, he is operated on by Sir John himself. All seems to go well, but after the operation, Sir Derek does not recover and dies, leaving a wife who is convinced of foul play, which assumption is borne out by a post-mortem that certifies an overdose of hyoscine. Time for Roderick Alleyn and his helpmate Inspector Fox to look into the matter.
The list of suspects is long: First of all, there is Jane Harding, who assisted at the operation, and then there is Sir John himself, who performed it and who also wrote a threatening letter to the Home Secretary when he found about the latter’s disgraceful behaviour towards Jane, whom he, Sir John, is in love with. There is also Nurse Banks, a dyed-in-the-wool “Bolshie”, who regards Sir Derek’s demise as a blessing to the communist movement, and two more doctors, the buffoon Mr. Thom and the anæsthetist, both without apparent motive but with ample opportunity to commit the crime. Finally, we have another communist, Harold Sage, who might have used the unsuspecting and rather foolish sister of the deceased in order to administer a lethal dose of hyoscine to the victim.
I liked The Nursing Home Murder, the third Roderick-Alleyn-novel, a lot better than the two preceding ones, especially because of the entertaining interaction between Alleyn and Fox, the intermezzo involving Nigel Bathgate and Angela North and the ludicrous excursion about the investigators’ visit at a communist meeting. Apart from that the idea of making an operating theatre the scene of a murder made this novel stand out. There were also some downsides, though, the first one being a rather personal one, namely that I really fail to warm up towards Roderick Alleyn – in contrast to Lord Peter Wimsey, or to Miss Marple, both of whom I wholeheartedly adore. Then there is the fact that once again, like in the two preceding novels, Alleyn makes use of a re-enactment of the murder in order to solve the case, which has by now worn rather thin, and, last not least, the solution is arrived at by a mere coincidence. Still, this third case of Alleyn’s made me more interested in the series.
Only this time, the theatre is in a hospital, and the patient is a man of eminence – the British Home Secretary Sir Derek O’Callaghan, who is about to bring through a bill for the suppression of anarchism – and a man of lowness – after a brief affair he has no scruples about jilting the young hospital nurse Jane Harding. When coming down with acute appendicitis, O’Callaghan is taken to a private hospital run by his friend Sir John Phillips, and at Lady O’Callaghan’s request, he is operated on by Sir John himself. All seems to go well, but after the operation, Sir Derek does not recover and dies, leaving a wife who is convinced of foul play, which assumption is borne out by a post-mortem that certifies an overdose of hyoscine. Time for Roderick Alleyn and his helpmate Inspector Fox to look into the matter.
The list of suspects is long: First of all, there is Jane Harding, who assisted at the operation, and then there is Sir John himself, who performed it and who also wrote a threatening letter to the Home Secretary when he found about the latter’s disgraceful behaviour towards Jane, whom he, Sir John, is in love with. There is also Nurse Banks, a dyed-in-the-wool “Bolshie”, who regards Sir Derek’s demise as a blessing to the communist movement, and two more doctors, the buffoon Mr. Thom and the anæsthetist, both without apparent motive but with ample opportunity to commit the crime. Finally, we have another communist, Harold Sage, who might have used the unsuspecting and rather foolish sister of the deceased in order to administer a lethal dose of hyoscine to the victim.
I liked The Nursing Home Murder, the third Roderick-Alleyn-novel, a lot better than the two preceding ones, especially because of the entertaining interaction between Alleyn and Fox, the intermezzo involving Nigel Bathgate and Angela North and the ludicrous excursion about the investigators’ visit at a communist meeting. Apart from that the idea of making an operating theatre the scene of a murder made this novel stand out. There were also some downsides, though, the first one being a rather personal one, namely that I really fail to warm up towards Roderick Alleyn – in contrast to Lord Peter Wimsey, or to Miss Marple, both of whom I wholeheartedly adore. Then there is the fact that once again, like in the two preceding novels, Alleyn makes use of a re-enactment of the murder in order to solve the case, which has by now worn rather thin, and, last not least, the solution is arrived at by a mere coincidence. Still, this third case of Alleyn’s made me more interested in the series.
May 19, 2017
1935, written with help on background by Henry Jellett.
#3 Inspector Roderick Alleyn, Scotland Yard, London;
famous - and hated - politician goes into private hospital for appendicitis operation and dies under peculiar circumstances; classic cosy thriller, three-and-one-half-stars, not her very best but still entertaining.
Sir Derek O'Callaghan, Home Secretary, is in the process of introducing a stringent anti-Bolshivism bill in Parliament when he becomes very ill and is rushed to the private hospital of his friend and doctor Sir John Phillips, for an operation. In 1935 an appendix opperation was not an easy nor terribly safe thing, so it's all rather touch-and-go, especially since Sir Derek has been battling the pain for quite a while now, and peritonitis has set in. When Sir Derek dies shortly after the operation at first no-one questions the death certificate, but as more information comes out Roderick Alleyn is called in to try and make sense of what might be an extremely tricky - and newsworthy - case of murder.
Good pacing and a lot of variety in the suspect pool move things along: there's Bolshevik activists out for his blood, an ex-lover and her wannabe husband (who just happens to be the surgeon), a peculiar anaesthetist with an unusual bee in his bonnet, a Bolshie-leaning nurse who got to be far too close to Sir Derek, Derek's loopy sister Ruth, and his very cold and brisk wife. And that's not counting all his political enemies - or friends.
This early Marsh novel has all the good things she cultivated for so many years in her writing: smooth, complex plots, gently satirical but evocative snapshots of all sorts of people in her rareified sort of circle, a decent pace, and most of the classic elements (i.e., fair play, lots of suspects, each with a perfectly viable and well-presented motive, and a "gather the suspects" moment at the end). This early novel has, however, a few things she, happily, quickly outgrew - a slight tendency towards "cute!!", a dim reporter/Watson and his adorable fiance, Bolshie plots, and a peculiar Russian manservant for Alleyn. No Troy as yet, Fox is present but has limited face-time; they're my favorite characters in her long series. And I've always disliked the reporter/Watson character and thankfully she gives him up after only a couple more books.
This is only her third novel, and despite its few flaws, it's a very creditable 1930s classic style mystery, quite dated in style now but still rather enjoyable.
#3 Inspector Roderick Alleyn, Scotland Yard, London;
famous - and hated - politician goes into private hospital for appendicitis operation and dies under peculiar circumstances; classic cosy thriller, three-and-one-half-stars, not her very best but still entertaining.
Sir Derek O'Callaghan, Home Secretary, is in the process of introducing a stringent anti-Bolshivism bill in Parliament when he becomes very ill and is rushed to the private hospital of his friend and doctor Sir John Phillips, for an operation. In 1935 an appendix opperation was not an easy nor terribly safe thing, so it's all rather touch-and-go, especially since Sir Derek has been battling the pain for quite a while now, and peritonitis has set in. When Sir Derek dies shortly after the operation at first no-one questions the death certificate, but as more information comes out Roderick Alleyn is called in to try and make sense of what might be an extremely tricky - and newsworthy - case of murder.
Good pacing and a lot of variety in the suspect pool move things along: there's Bolshevik activists out for his blood, an ex-lover and her wannabe husband (who just happens to be the surgeon), a peculiar anaesthetist with an unusual bee in his bonnet, a Bolshie-leaning nurse who got to be far too close to Sir Derek, Derek's loopy sister Ruth, and his very cold and brisk wife. And that's not counting all his political enemies - or friends.
This early Marsh novel has all the good things she cultivated for so many years in her writing: smooth, complex plots, gently satirical but evocative snapshots of all sorts of people in her rareified sort of circle, a decent pace, and most of the classic elements (i.e., fair play, lots of suspects, each with a perfectly viable and well-presented motive, and a "gather the suspects" moment at the end). This early novel has, however, a few things she, happily, quickly outgrew - a slight tendency towards "cute!!", a dim reporter/Watson and his adorable fiance, Bolshie plots, and a peculiar Russian manservant for Alleyn. No Troy as yet, Fox is present but has limited face-time; they're my favorite characters in her long series. And I've always disliked the reporter/Watson character and thankfully she gives him up after only a couple more books.
This is only her third novel, and despite its few flaws, it's a very creditable 1930s classic style mystery, quite dated in style now but still rather enjoyable.
July 21, 2023
In his third adventure Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn is on the case after the Home Secretary collapses while introducing a Bill in the House of Commons and then mysteriously dies after “routine” surgery for acute appendicitis. There are plenty of suspects and motives - politics and a tangled romantic web - to sift through which our low key hero with his “sidekick” Inspector Fox does admirably and with a sprinkling of humor. Fairly new to this author I very much enjoyed this police procedural mystery.
March 13, 2018
The Nursing Home Murder (1935) is the third Inspector Alleyn novel by Ngaio Marsh. The Bolshevik's have reared their ugly heads again (see A Man Lay Dead) and have been sending death threats to Sir Derek Callaghan, the Home Secretary. Sir Derek is due to present a very important bill before Parliament and there are those who would prefer that bill never see the light of day. He has also been experiencing bouts of extreme abdominal pain--refusing to see a doctor until he has launched his bill. But in the middle of his speech, the spasms are so great that he falls unconscious.
His colleagues are aware that his doctor is Sir John Phillips and he is rushed to Phillips' hospital where he will be in the most capable hands. But no one is aware of the serious argument the two men had just the night before or that Sir John has threatened the Home Secretary's life. Nor are they aware of Nurse Harden who will be in the operating room--a woman who has recently been cast aside as Sir Derek's mistress and is the reason for Sir John's animosity. But these aren't the only ones with cause to hate the incapacitated man. Nurse Banks is a member of the anarchist society who threatened Sir Derek's life. And though Dr. Roberts, the anesthesiologist, may not have a known hatred for the man on the table, he does have some odd and obsessive ideas about eugenics. And Dr. Thoms, also present for the operation, behaves a bit oddly as well. It doesn't help that Sir Derek's slightly loopy sister has been stuffing him with patent medicines that may have been provided by a chemist with Bolshevik leanings. Needless to say, after what seems to have been a successful operation on a perforated appendix, Sir Derek dies and his death is ascribed to heart failure.
Lady O'Callaghan isn't having it. She's quite certain that the anarchists have gotten to her husband somehow. That is...until she discovers the threatening letter that Nurse Jane Harden was foolish enough to write. Convinced that her husband has been murdered, she calls Scotland Yard and demands a postmortem. Inspector Alleyn interviews her and her butler, Nash--who reveals that he overheard Sir John threaten his employer as well--and reluctantly agrees that a postmortem is indicated. Lady O'Callaghan's fears are proved to be well-founded when the p.m. reveals that Sir Derek died from an overdose of hyoscine.
It doesn't take Alleyn and Inspector Fox long to ferret out all the motives, but they have difficulty pinpointing the opportunity. In the operating room it would be difficult for anyone to mess about with the injections without someone else noticing. Alleyn finally resorts to that standard of crime fiction--the reenactment. And it is during the performance that he is given the clue that leads him to the culprit.
This installment of the Alleyn stories again has Nigel Bathgate--but he has been relegated to the sidelines. Alleyn uses him (and his girlfriend) to help scope out a meeting of the anarchists, uses them as a sounding board for a synopsis of the case to date, and then as an audience for the final wrap-up and explanation scene. Honestly--roles that Inspector Fox could have filled more successfully (and will in later novels). Bathgate as a Watson-like character seems to be losing his charm. Fortunately, the same is not true of Alleyn and Fox and I thoroughly enjoyed their investigation--especially the reenactment scenes. ★★★ and a half. [rounded to four here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
His colleagues are aware that his doctor is Sir John Phillips and he is rushed to Phillips' hospital where he will be in the most capable hands. But no one is aware of the serious argument the two men had just the night before or that Sir John has threatened the Home Secretary's life. Nor are they aware of Nurse Harden who will be in the operating room--a woman who has recently been cast aside as Sir Derek's mistress and is the reason for Sir John's animosity. But these aren't the only ones with cause to hate the incapacitated man. Nurse Banks is a member of the anarchist society who threatened Sir Derek's life. And though Dr. Roberts, the anesthesiologist, may not have a known hatred for the man on the table, he does have some odd and obsessive ideas about eugenics. And Dr. Thoms, also present for the operation, behaves a bit oddly as well. It doesn't help that Sir Derek's slightly loopy sister has been stuffing him with patent medicines that may have been provided by a chemist with Bolshevik leanings. Needless to say, after what seems to have been a successful operation on a perforated appendix, Sir Derek dies and his death is ascribed to heart failure.
Lady O'Callaghan isn't having it. She's quite certain that the anarchists have gotten to her husband somehow. That is...until she discovers the threatening letter that Nurse Jane Harden was foolish enough to write. Convinced that her husband has been murdered, she calls Scotland Yard and demands a postmortem. Inspector Alleyn interviews her and her butler, Nash--who reveals that he overheard Sir John threaten his employer as well--and reluctantly agrees that a postmortem is indicated. Lady O'Callaghan's fears are proved to be well-founded when the p.m. reveals that Sir Derek died from an overdose of hyoscine.
It doesn't take Alleyn and Inspector Fox long to ferret out all the motives, but they have difficulty pinpointing the opportunity. In the operating room it would be difficult for anyone to mess about with the injections without someone else noticing. Alleyn finally resorts to that standard of crime fiction--the reenactment. And it is during the performance that he is given the clue that leads him to the culprit.
This installment of the Alleyn stories again has Nigel Bathgate--but he has been relegated to the sidelines. Alleyn uses him (and his girlfriend) to help scope out a meeting of the anarchists, uses them as a sounding board for a synopsis of the case to date, and then as an audience for the final wrap-up and explanation scene. Honestly--roles that Inspector Fox could have filled more successfully (and will in later novels). Bathgate as a Watson-like character seems to be losing his charm. Fortunately, the same is not true of Alleyn and Fox and I thoroughly enjoyed their investigation--especially the reenactment scenes. ★★★ and a half. [rounded to four here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
February 19, 2021
The Operating Room Murder*
Review of the Collins Crime Club hardcover edition (2017) of the 1935 original
Inspector Fox gets the best lines in this very early (i.e. #3) Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn investigation. I enjoyed this one immensely as it had all the features that would make the series great esp. the banter between Alleyn and his coworkers/watsons, the classical quotes and the craftiness of the crime.
This Collins Crime Club edition comes with an Introduction by author Stella Duffy and includes the first 3 chapters of Money in the Morgue (1945/2018), the novel abandoned by Ngaio Marsh when its World War II setting seemed outdated after the war had ended. Duffy completed the book in 2018.
In her Introduction, Duffy also provides this helpful pronunciation note:
Trivia and Link
You will probably have to look up the word cruet in order to understand a key aspect of the mystery solution. I have to confess it didn't actually make much sense to me, but to say any more would be a spoiler.
*In these days of the pandemic and the recent accusations against #KillerCuomo in New York State, I thought I'd clarify right away that the supposed 'Nursing Home' of the title, is actually a hospital and that the murder takes place during a surgical procedure.
Review of the Collins Crime Club hardcover edition (2017) of the 1935 original
'Please sit down,' she murmured. They sat facing each other. Inspector Fox regarded her with respectful attention.
'I asked you to come here and see me,' she began very quietly, 'because I believe my husband to have been murdered.'
Fox did not speak for a moment. He sat stockily, very still, looking gravely before him.
'I'm sorry to hear that, Lady O'Callaghan,' he said at last. 'It sounds rather serious.'
Apparently she had met her match in understatement.
Inspector Fox gets the best lines in this very early (i.e. #3) Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn investigation. I enjoyed this one immensely as it had all the features that would make the series great esp. the banter between Alleyn and his coworkers/watsons, the classical quotes and the craftiness of the crime.
This Collins Crime Club edition comes with an Introduction by author Stella Duffy and includes the first 3 chapters of Money in the Morgue (1945/2018), the novel abandoned by Ngaio Marsh when its World War II setting seemed outdated after the war had ended. Duffy completed the book in 2018.
In her Introduction, Duffy also provides this helpful pronunciation note:
Alleyn is pronounced 'Allen' and Ngaio is pronounced 'Nigh-oh', although the correct Maori pronunciation is closer to 'Nigh-awe.'
Trivia and Link
You will probably have to look up the word cruet in order to understand a key aspect of the mystery solution. I have to confess it didn't actually make much sense to me, but to say any more would be a spoiler.
*In these days of the pandemic and the recent accusations against #KillerCuomo in New York State, I thought I'd clarify right away that the supposed 'Nursing Home' of the title, is actually a hospital and that the murder takes place during a surgical procedure.
December 23, 2015
I discovered Ngaio Marsh my senior year in high school and over the next few years read every one of her books I could get my hands on. I am very happy to see that they are coming out as ebooks (this is the second one available through my library).
At the insistence of the deceased wife, Inspector Alleyn is puzzling over the death of the Home Secretary who died after an emergency operation. His wife insists that the HS was murdered by the Anarchists and Communists who were threatening him. The general consensus,however, is that his death was just an unfortunate occurrence. Chief Inspector Alleyn is trying to keep an open mind as he wrestles with personalities, threatening letters, infidelity, personal vendettas, illicit drugs.
With some great comic touches, the return of supporting characters Nigel and Angela, lots of red herrings and a cast of suspects, it really is a great puzzle. I love the classics because of the personalities and language, such as Inspector Alleyn using the word "tummy" during his investigation.
At the insistence of the deceased wife, Inspector Alleyn is puzzling over the death of the Home Secretary who died after an emergency operation. His wife insists that the HS was murdered by the Anarchists and Communists who were threatening him. The general consensus,however, is that his death was just an unfortunate occurrence. Chief Inspector Alleyn is trying to keep an open mind as he wrestles with personalities, threatening letters, infidelity, personal vendettas, illicit drugs.
With some great comic touches, the return of supporting characters Nigel and Angela, lots of red herrings and a cast of suspects, it really is a great puzzle. I love the classics because of the personalities and language, such as Inspector Alleyn using the word "tummy" during his investigation.
May 5, 2018
In an effort to read more of the books that I actually own rather than piling up book after book from the library, I decided to finish this book (because it's part of an omnibus). I am still very much enjoying this series, and it even inspired me to entertain the notion of perhaps getting into other British mystery books (maybe Agatha Christie will be next).
The one thing that I have to really say about these books, other than how witty they are (in a very dry sense) and that when I read them I mentally have Benedict Cumberbatch's voice narrating in my head. So, that's a plus.
The plots for these books are pretty much the same, there's a murder and Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn interviews that various characters who all have their quirks and then at the very end, he saves the day and solves the mystery, the end. Not much in the way of substance and each book doesn't really read into the next with a discernible over arching plot, but it's a good filler between books.
The one thing that I have to really say about these books, other than how witty they are (in a very dry sense) and that when I read them I mentally have Benedict Cumberbatch's voice narrating in my head. So, that's a plus.
The plots for these books are pretty much the same, there's a murder and Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn interviews that various characters who all have their quirks and then at the very end, he saves the day and solves the mystery, the end. Not much in the way of substance and each book doesn't really read into the next with a discernible over arching plot, but it's a good filler between books.
October 2, 2017
Not the best in her mystery series, "The Nursing Home Murder", although not a lengthy read, was slow-moving for me. The author attempts to illustrate how unlikely it would be for murder in the setting of a sterile hospital operating room (no fingerprints!). However she becomes a little too technical with the procedures (this syringe, that syringe. This anesthetic, this amount, that amount to be given at this time, that time...) for the reader. Characters were not as realistically drawn and it was quite easy to spot the suspect.
May 22, 2020
I am loving Ngiao Marsh's books! This one had 2 of my great loves a medical thriller and its a vintage golden age crime novel.
My partner is a Dr so there was a bit of "what's this and what's that" but that did not spoil the story for me at all.
Great characters, wonderful writing style. I loved this book!
My partner is a Dr so there was a bit of "what's this and what's that" but that did not spoil the story for me at all.
Great characters, wonderful writing style. I loved this book!
October 12, 2015
The Nursing Home Murders by Ngaio Marsh.
This was my first Ngaio Marsh/Inspector Alleyn mystery I've read in book form. Marvelously written with vivid detail given to each personality.
The Home Secretary has a painful case of appendicitis and is taken to the hospital. Unfortunately Sir Derek O'Callaghan waited a bit too late and dies shortly after the surgery. But is that all to this death?
Lady O'Callaghan doesn't believe Sir Derek died of natural causes and employs Inspector Alleyn to do some investigating. First off she makes known letters of a threatening nature sent to her husband which the Inspector acknowledges.
This book was written by one of the most renown British writers of mysteries during the gold age of mysteries. Highly recommended to any lover of exceptionally splendid mysteries.
This was my first Ngaio Marsh/Inspector Alleyn mystery I've read in book form. Marvelously written with vivid detail given to each personality.
The Home Secretary has a painful case of appendicitis and is taken to the hospital. Unfortunately Sir Derek O'Callaghan waited a bit too late and dies shortly after the surgery. But is that all to this death?
Lady O'Callaghan doesn't believe Sir Derek died of natural causes and employs Inspector Alleyn to do some investigating. First off she makes known letters of a threatening nature sent to her husband which the Inspector acknowledges.
This book was written by one of the most renown British writers of mysteries during the gold age of mysteries. Highly recommended to any lover of exceptionally splendid mysteries.
December 24, 2023
Has the Home Secretary been murdered? Roderick Allen is on the case. Despite the abundant clues, I did not spot the killer. Reminds me of Green for Danger.
October 16, 2017
Sir Derek O’Callaghan, Home Secretary of England, has been too anxiously pushing through an anti-anarchy bill in Parliament to deal with the growing pain in his stomach in 1935’s The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh. Collapsing at the introduction of the bill, O’Callaghan gets rushed to the nursing home of Sir John Phillips with a ruptured appendix, needing emergency surgery. Sir Derek gets taken right into surgery against the urgings of Sir John, who encourages Lady O’Callaghan to get a different surgeon. The surgery seems to be a success, but an hour later Sir Derek lies dead.
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
May 17, 2018
What a refreshing change from Heyer's Inspector Hemmingway, with his caustic tongue and plain rudeness to people! Inspector Alleyn has a keen mind and impeccable manners and he dignifies others around him no matter their station in life. And let's not forget the redoubtable Fox as he assists Alleyn. I like their interactions and dialogue with one another. I am truly enjoying this series.
January 16, 2026
deze was weer wat leuker qua humor en de voorleesstem is nog steeds erg prettig
Displaying 1 - 30 of 429 reviews