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judyward's review
3.0
Published in 1942, this book is from one of the "queens" of the golden age of mysteries. A number of highly unpleasant people are invited to a country house weekend. The host knows that everyone at the party has at least one secret and a rivalry with at least one of the other guests. Once everyone has arrived, there is a large snowstorm that isolates the house. Delicious. Of course, a murder is commited and someone in the house is guilty. Double Delicious. Everyone seems to have an alibi, but the the footman who couldn't resist dancing for a minute or two in the hall to a song playing on the wireless in the library might just hold the key to events. Enjoyable.
the_maggieg's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mbondlamberty's review
4.0
Very interesting presentation of the case. Alleyn comes in a little Deus ex machina, but shows you enough of the reasoning to explain how he got there so fast.
A few red herrings but not really that much.
A few red herrings but not really that much.
1mpossiblealice's review
3.5
Enjoyed this one - it has some of my favourite aspects - country house, snowed in, murder mystery. It does take quite a long time for the murder to happen and Alleyn doesn't show up until quite far into the book. Some of the characters were interesting, some not that well developed, I did like Mandrake though, who is sort of the protagonist.
The idea of the host inviting loads of people who all have issues with each other sounds like the premise of a reality show but thankfully they mostly aren't that open about it, at least at first.
I think there are quite obvious clues to the solution, so while I enjoyed this, it's not as good as some of the other Marsh novels I've read.
The idea of the host inviting loads of people who all have issues with each other sounds like the premise of a reality show but thankfully they mostly aren't that open about it, at least at first.
I think there are quite obvious clues to the solution, so while I enjoyed this, it's not as good as some of the other Marsh novels I've read.
dlmoldovan's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the premise of this story. The characters were really well developed-as usual, and quirky-as usual. And the description of the dancing footman had me in stitches. Marsh's descriptions are so well done that I could almost see the footman dancing to Boops-a-Daisy. And yes, like every other Marsh mystery, she takes a very long time to set up the plot and cast of characters, but I really enjoy that part.
carrieclothwright's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One of Marsh's last (maybe the last?) pre-WWII Alleyn novels. Rich and complicated, similar to Overture to Death, in the way the characters are drawn and in the detail given about their relationships. Some may find the build-up to the corpse a bit lengthy, and the presence of Alleyn too brief (though Color Scheme surely takes the prize in that regard). It's an excellent example of its time and genre.
dvo19's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ungildedlily's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
Death & the Dancing Footman (1941) by Ngaio Marsh is one of those Golden Age mystery stand-bys: a murder at a country house party--and in the middle of a snow storm no less. But Marsh gives the standard a slight twist. Jonathan Royal, who by his own reckoning is a stifled artist, has decided to use human beings in a drama of his own contrivance. He has deliberately invited a houseful of guests where each person is at odds with at least one other person (and sometimes more). And he has invited Aubrey Mandrake, a poet dramatist, to be his impartial audience.
It came to me that human beings could, with a little judicious arrangement, be as carefully "composed" as the figures in a picture. One had only to restrict them a little, confine them within the decent boundaries of a suitable canvas, and they would make a pattern...Of course, the right--how shall I put it?--the right ingredients must be selected, and this was where I came in. I would set my palette with human colours, and the picture would paint itself.
Aubrey Mandrake is horrified. "It seems to me that you have invited stark murder to your house. Frankly, I can imagine nothing more terrifying than the prospect of this week-end." And, yet, it is the horrified fascination of someone watching a train-wreck. He can't not stay and watch the drama unfold.
And unfold it does though the guests do try to keep a civil and even sometimes party atmosphere going until Aubrey is shoved into the freezing waters of the outdoor pool and both Nicholas Compline and Dr. Francis Hart each claim the other has mistaken Aubrey for themselves and that murder has been attempted. Other attempts are made...but when death final comes, it strikes an unexpected target. Mandrake sets out through the drifts of snow to bring back Inspector Roderick Alleyn--who he knows to be staying in the near-by village. Alleyn will have to comb through all the clues to discover if it is a case of a victim by mistake or if the murderer got the results intended all along.
One of the delights of this book for me is the naming of the butler. A butler named Caper just seems so perfect for a mystery given one of its definitions as "an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous." It's also quite apt in a book that has a dancing footman to have someone named after a word for "skip or dance about in a lively or playful way." Marsh must have thought it a bit much to actually name the footman Caper, but obviously couldn't resist implying that the butler might once have capered about himself when he was young.
I did find myself missing Alleyn for a huge chunk of the book. He doesn't show up until the story is two-thirds along and even then he's without Fox, his right-hand man. I enjoy their interactions very much and wish that we had had more time with their investigation. But the twist on the country house murder was very interesting and made for an enjoyable read overall.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
It came to me that human beings could, with a little judicious arrangement, be as carefully "composed" as the figures in a picture. One had only to restrict them a little, confine them within the decent boundaries of a suitable canvas, and they would make a pattern...Of course, the right--how shall I put it?--the right ingredients must be selected, and this was where I came in. I would set my palette with human colours, and the picture would paint itself.
Aubrey Mandrake is horrified. "It seems to me that you have invited stark murder to your house. Frankly, I can imagine nothing more terrifying than the prospect of this week-end." And, yet, it is the horrified fascination of someone watching a train-wreck. He can't not stay and watch the drama unfold.
And unfold it does though the guests do try to keep a civil and even sometimes party atmosphere going until Aubrey is shoved into the freezing waters of the outdoor pool and both Nicholas Compline and Dr. Francis Hart each claim the other has mistaken Aubrey for themselves and that murder has been attempted. Other attempts are made...but when death final comes, it strikes an unexpected target. Mandrake sets out through the drifts of snow to bring back Inspector Roderick Alleyn--who he knows to be staying in the near-by village. Alleyn will have to comb through all the clues to discover if it is a case of a victim by mistake or if the murderer got the results intended all along.
One of the delights of this book for me is the naming of the butler. A butler named Caper just seems so perfect for a mystery given one of its definitions as "an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous." It's also quite apt in a book that has a dancing footman to have someone named after a word for "skip or dance about in a lively or playful way." Marsh must have thought it a bit much to actually name the footman Caper, but obviously couldn't resist implying that the butler might once have capered about himself when he was young.
I did find myself missing Alleyn for a huge chunk of the book. He doesn't show up until the story is two-thirds along and even then he's without Fox, his right-hand man. I enjoy their interactions very much and wish that we had had more time with their investigation. But the twist on the country house murder was very interesting and made for an enjoyable read overall.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.