Brilliant

Great writing by Ms March and excellently narrated. Could not stop listening. looking forward to more of her work

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Excellent

Superb story, and the narration was first rate. Will get more of Ms Marsh's books

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Highly Recommend

Great plot, involved but not over-complicated. Alleyn meets his future wife which adds additional interest to the novel but in no way detracts from the story. This is third third Alleyn audio book I have listened to - each with different but equally good narrators - Philip Franks is excellent but I also wish he pronounced Alleyn's name correctly!

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Wrong name

love this book read it many years ago but how sad that the narrator mispronounces the main characters name. In the name Alleyn the y is silent therefore name is pronounced Allen not Alain. Sorry to be so picky but when you know and love a character its really irritating and spoils an otherwise enjoyable story.

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2 people found this helpful

Narration was brilliant

How I wish Philip Franks had narrated all of the unabridged Ngaio Marsh! You forget it is one man doing it all. His voices and accents are marvellous. The story itself is pretty more gruesome in parts. But then as with all the best 'Golden Age' mysteries, everything comes right in the end, justice is done and comforting cosiness is restored.

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Wonderful narration by Philip Frank'

I've always enjoyed Ngaio Marsh's writing, her discriptive passages are sensational getting right down to the facts of the matter. love them. Truly transportative.

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At last, more Golden Age Mysteries!

What made the experience of listening to Artists in Crime the most enjoyable?

Obviously, to me, the experience of hearing one of the few New Zealand authors to belong in the Golden Age of murder mysteries. Ngaio Marsh was also a member of The Detection Club in the UK in the 1930's.

Philip Franks does a superb job on this book. The characters are clearly sketched but not overdone (he even manages to get the Australian accent about right).

Overall, I'd have to say that this is my favourite Marsh book. The story combined with the narration make it a pure joy to listen to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Artists in Crime?

The first meeting between Troy and Alleyn.

Which character – as performed by Philip Franks – was your favourite?

To be honest, they all were. He did such a great job.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No real emotional reaction. This book (and the others by Ngaio Marsh) rate up there with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. They're what I'd call cozy murders.

Any additional comments?

Can we have the rest please?

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Wonderful

I devoured all the Alleyn books many years ago and still re read them. This Audible reading had me riveted. Although I knew the story well I was drawn completely into the world of the artists, Troy and Alleyn. Philip Franks has a very subtle style, the characters were credible and very distinctive, he never over plays things. So many male readers sound like pantomime dames when interpreting female parts...but his are quiet and distinctive. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Well done to all concerned.

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The pronunciation of Alleyn grates

It's pronounced Allen, the y is silent. Ngaio Marsh herself said so. Shame because the rest is fine. But I get a jolt every time I hear the pronunciation of Alleyn. And he's the main character. So he gets mentioned a lot. Groan.

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11 people found this helpful

Highly recommended, but read the earlier novels first

Ngaio Marsh's detective novels are not quite as well-known today as those of Agatha Christie. I think one reason might be that Marsh's books follow an overarching storyline – each novel stands alone as a separate work, but it is a bit harder to get into them if you pick up a random book in the series. It is well worth doing that, though. I find myself well and truly hooked on these novels now.

This particular novel (the sixth in the series) is the best one yet. In addition to being a really well-crafted and plotted mystery, it offers a window into a time that's not all that distant, but which is already very much a foreign country. The characters are superbly written and (unlike Christie's characters) rounded and three-dimensional; it's hard to sympathise with some of their more essentialist ways of reasoning, but it really seems like these are realistic people, whose lives are shaped by their time. And Alleyn's mother is a lovely character (very much like Lord Peter Wimsey's mother, to make a comparison to another Golden Age detective.)

There is a romantic sub-plot, which never takes over the story, but is relevant to the overall story arch. In addition, passion, real or simulated, shows up in various forms. The effects, positive or negative, of passion are the driving force underlying almost everything – but we are never subjected to it directly, only to its traces.

The performance is excellent, and I did not notice any of the audio problems reported by other reviewers.

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