Death Of A Fool Lib/E (Inspector Alleyn Mysteries)

Review [Narrator May] Enlivens An Eccentric Cast Of Characters Led By The Town Matriarch, A Crotchety Old Blacksmith, And The Village Idiot.May'S Narration Soars. Audiofileit'S Time To Start Comparing Christie To Marsh Instead Of The Other Way Around. New York Magazine'The Incomparable Ngaio Marsh.' Daily Express 'Mrs Marsh'S Work Has The Hallmark Of The Master. She Is At The Top Of Her Form. Definitely Firstclass Plus.' Queen 'The Finest Writer In The English Language Of The Pure, Classical Puzzle Whodunit. Among The Crime Queens, Ngaio Marsh Stands Out As An Empress.' The Sun Product Description The Village Of South Mardian Always Observes The Winter Solstice With An Ancient, Mystical Sword Dance, Complete With Costumed Performers. But For One Of Them, The Excitement Proves Too Heady, And His Decapitation Turns The Fertility Rite Into A Pageant Of Death. Now Inspector Roderick Alleyn Must Penetrate Not Only The Mysteries Of Folklore, But The Secrets And Sins Of An Eccentric Group Which Includes A Surly Blacksmith, A Domineering Dowager, And A Notsosimple Village Idiot. From Library Journal The Dance Of The Five Sons Has Been Performed At The Winter Solstice For Over 200 Years. William (A.K.A The Guiser) Andersen, The Village Blacksmith, Maintains The Old Traditions, Vigorously Rehearsing His Sons In Their Accustomed Roles. This Year The Guiser'S Neverbeforeseen Granddaughter Has Come For A Visit. Another Newcomer Is Mrs. Bonz, The Morris Dance Fanatic; Her Relentless Questions And Constant Snooping Are Annoying The Whole Village. Even Worse, Ernie, The Youngest Andersen Brother, Has Become Dissatisfied With His Customary Role. Still, The Performance Goes On As Usual, At Least Until The Finale. The Guiser'S Character Is Supposed To Rise From The Dead; Instead, He Is Discovered With His Head Cut Off. Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Roderick Alleyn Is Called In, Investigates, And, As Always, Solves The Case. Alas, The Descriptions Are Excessively Long And Tedious. Even Nadia May'S Flexible Voice And Expert Reading Cannot Impart Interest To The Rather Wooden Detective And His Scanty Deductive Processes. Fortunately, The Supporting Characters, While Stereotypical, Radiate Warmth And Charm. Death Of A Fool May Be One Of The Worst Books Ever Written By This Firstclass Mystery Author. Recommended For Moderate To Large Libraries With A Strong Demand For Classic Mysteries. I. Pourel, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, Iacopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. About The Author Ngaio Marsh, A Native Of New Zealand, Was Awarded The Order Of The British Empire For Her Classic Mysteries. The Continuing Popularity Of Her Hero, Scotland Yard'S Inspector Roderick Alleyn, Has Assured Her A Lasting Place Among The World'S Top Mystery Authors. From Audiofile Ancient Ritual And Murder Combine For A Romp Through Merry Old England. Nadia May'S Narration Covers Territory Throughout Britain And Germany. She Enlivens An Eccentric Cast Of Characters Led By The Town Matriarch, A Crotchety Old Blacksmith, And The Village Idiot. As A Folklore Connoisseur Delves A Little Too Deeply Into Local Tradition, A Fertility Rite Turns Into A Ceremony Of Death. May'S Narration Soars As The Granddaughter Of The Deceased Practices Vocal Exercises And Further Complicates Matters With Her Romantic Entanglement And Family History. Before Inspector Roderick Alleyn Gets His Man, Misogyny, Greed, And The Mysteries Of Folklore Are Revealed. J.J.B. Audiofile 2002, Portland, Maine Copyright Audiofile, Portland, Maine