Book Note: Ngaio Marsh, Light Thickens

This is book 32 of the "Roderick Alleyn" series.

This note contains spoilers for the book.

Her last book; copyright 1982. She far outlasted Sayers and Stout and Doc Smith, authors I've read a lot that overlapped the start of her career. And a very fine example of an author who did not succumb to the brain eater, whatever it may actually be.

This is another theatrical one. Peregrine Jay (from her earlier book Killer Dolphin) is still directing at The Dolphin theater. He's producing Macbeth, and more than the first half of the book is devoted to the rehearsals, before any crime or myster begins. It's really quite marvelous, at least as somebody not really familiar with directing and rehearsals and acting.

Then, inevitably, something happens; in this case Macbeth really does get decapitated at the end of his fight, and the real head is brought back on stage on the sword. People only gradually realize it's not the prop head. Luckily, Alleyn was in the audience, and fairly quickly sorts it out.