Death In Ecstasy

A solid 3 golden mystery tale. The last paragraph reveals the murderer in the review so do not read further if you want to work out who is the killer. The wealthy attractive Cara Quayne drops dead after drinking the ritual wine at the House of the Sacred Flame. It’s a shame that nowadays writers and......more

Well, I guess I'd better give up the disclaimer about what I think of these. They're harmless, easy fun, concerned with setting up a puzzle and then working it out, with lots of red herrings and interesting people along the way. Nothing ground breaking, but comfortable. This one did give me a little......more

This one was a slow starter for me. But it did pick up. And I wound up enjoying it. Here Alleyn's reporter friend, Nigel Bathgate, discovers that he is living across the street from a cult-type church. They won't let him in the first time - he was too late. So the next time he makes a point of being......more

Ngaio Marsh's style is always a pleasure, but this tale of mystic rites in a threadbare temple in middle class London is a bit antiquated (even for its time), and the characters--often a Marsh strong point--are rather stereotypical, particularly the American businessman and the two gay "acolytes." A......more

Death in Ecstasy (1936) by Ngaio Marsh finds Inspector Roderick Alleyn's some-time Watson, Nigel Strangeways, bored on a rainy, blustery London night. He gazes discontentedly out his window and notices a sign glinting in the light as the wind gusts and jostles it about: House of the Sacred Flame. A......more