Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Marsh, one of the queens of Golden Age crime fiction, along with Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, penned the first 32 Roderick Alleyn mysteries between 1934 and 1982. This novel, started by Marsh during WWII but then abandoned, is now artfully threaded together, using the original first chapters and author notes, by mystery writer Duffy. Set during a storm in a remote New Zealand hospital, the tale takes the form of a one-night drama, which inexorably unfolds under the watchful eye of much-lauded London detective Alleyn, who is in the country on an undisclosed secret mission. A multitude of characters, all stuck in place and hiding secrets that only Alleyn can tease out of them, play their roles vicar, matron, soldier, doctor, nurse against a background of ancient Maori traditions, a tumble-down hospital overgrown in roses, and, of course, murder. Told with subtle humor, this midsummer masque, more nightmare than dream, features a remarkably complicated and satisfying plot, very much in the Golden Age tradition of Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. In a different way, the book also could be a good fit for readers who love the combination of native culture and mystery found in Arthur Upfield's Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte series, set in Australia.--Jen Baker Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Duffy (The Hidden Room) does an excellent job building a taut atmospheric whodunit based on the opening chapters and a few notes that Marsh (1895-1982) left behind for her 33rd mystery featuring Scotland Yard's Chief Det. Insp. Roderick Alleyn. During WWII, Alleyn takes on a sensitive undercover assignment at a New Zealand military hospital, Mount Seager, after counterespionage suspects that radio transmissions from its vicinity are intended for the Japanese. Alleyn poses as a Mount Seager patient, a writer suffering from a nervous disorder. For a week, he discovers nothing of significance, until he's confronted with "a major robbery, the missing corpse of an elderly man, and the found body of the most senior and longest-serving staff member in the hospital." A storm that cuts off the hospital from the outside world hampers Alleyn's efforts to sort out what happened. Duffy's facility at injecting wit into fair-play detecting will make Marsh fans hope she'll continue the series. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Gernert Co. (Nov.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In World War II, Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn is sent undercover to Mount Seager Hospital in New Zealand watching for a spy. But shortly before Alleyn's deadline for action, all hell breaks loose. Glossop, a payroll clerk, is stuck at the hospital with a flat tire and a storm coming. Because he has the payroll for four sites, the matron locks it up in her safe. But she's distracted by an old man's death. By the time Glossop realizes the safe is open, the payroll is gone, and Matron is missing. It's Alleyn who finds her body, and the old man's corpse has vanished. The bridge is impassible, so Alleyn is forced to reveal himself and deal with love-struck couples, missing money, AWOL soldiers, bodies, tunnels, murder, and that espionage case. Author Duffy (Mouths of Babes) was given a few chapters and notes that golden age mystery writer Marsh left when she died in 1982. While the plot is supposed to resemble A Midsummer Night's Dream, it's a plodding story with a slow start that intensifies toward a pell-mell ending. VERDICT This confusing mystery is suggested only for those who are desperate to read another Inspector Alleyn adventure.-Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
