Musical Interlude

ms. stritch singing 'it's today' from 'mame'

NZBM Review: DIED IN THE WOOL by Ngaio Marsh

Died in the Wool
By Ngaio Marsh (HarperCollins, 1945)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

To close out NZLawyer’s celebration of New Zealand Book Month, it seems only fitting to look at a book from one of our all-time greatest authors, perhaps our most popular ever on the global stage, whose books are still in print more than 75 years after she was first published – our Grande Dame of mystery writing, Ngaio Marsh.

Christchurch born-and-raised Marsh penned 32 murder mysteries starring her English gentleman detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn between 1934 and her death in 1982, and is world-recognised as one of the ‘Queens of Crime’ of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction (alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Margery Allingham), with international critics even calling her “the finest writer in the English language of the pure, classical, puzzle whodunit”.

Died in the Wool is one of four Alleyn tales Marsh set here, and is made even more interesting as it was actually published during the Second World War, and incorporates aspects, issues, and perspectives on the war climate into the murder mystery plotline. Being written before Marsh would have even known when or how the war would end, some of the settings and characterisations can give insights into New Zealand at that time that no recently written historical novel, no matter how well researched, can match.

One summer evening in 1942, formidable Member of Parliament Florence “Flossie” Rubrick goes to the wool shed on her high country property to rehearse a patriotic speech, and disappears. Three weeks later, she’s found – dead inside a bale of wool at an auction. Inspector Alleyn, in New Zealand on war security matters, comes to the high country sheep station more than a year later, after Rubrick’s husband has also passed away from illness, and tries to piece together what really happened to the polarising MP, based on the testimonies of several acquaintances. At the same time, concerns are raised about the top-secret security work being carried out by two young men – have the blueprints for the new anti-aircraft device been leaked?

In effect, Marsh has transported the classic British ‘country house’ murder mystery, with its closed environment and small amount of characters – all of whom have a motive for killing the victim, into a rural New Zealand setting during the war. But she also does a few things differently that help Died in the Wool stand out. Alleyn arrives months after the murder, so can’t rely on the crime scene clues and observations usually available to detectives – instead he has to weigh the differing recollections of the residents (each has its own chapter, eg “According to Terence Lynne”). This device gave Marsh not only a different structure and investigative method, but the opportunity to ‘voice’ varying views and concerns about what was going on during the war, through her different characters.

In general, Marsh’s plots weren’t quite as intricate as Christie’s puzzles, but she was the superior writer when it came to setting, description, and giving her characters more depth and layers. Compared to today’s crime novels, the pace is somewhat languid, and at times, the language used dates the book, but decades after it was published, Died in the Wool remains an absorbing, enjoyable read.

Reprinted many times over the decades, Died in the Wool is now available as Volume 5 (in trio with Final Curtain and Swing, Brother, Swing) of the Ngaio Marsh Collection set of omnibus editions, published by HarperCollins UK to commemorate Marsh’s Diamond Anniversary.

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This article was published in today's (25 March 2011) issue of NZLawyer, and is republished here with permission.

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Have you read DIED IN THE WOOL? Any of Ngaio Marsh's murder mysteries? Do you still enjoy 'old style' cosy mystery novels? What makes them so re-readable decades later?

Nancy Drew KOs Jack Reacher!

Okay, so that's an unexpected headline. But it's not some cross-over mystery from Lee Child and Carolyn Keene, no it's courtesy of the online poll to find the world's favourite amateur sleuth.

As I said earlier this month, following her popular 'World's Favourite Detective' online vote last year (won in the end by Michael Connelly's terrific creation Harry Bosch, over Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe in the final), award-winning crime fiction reviewer and book blogger Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts has now launched another worldwide vote - this time to find the favourite amateur sleuth.

Like last year, the vote is in the form of a knockout tournament bracket, similar to the FA Cup or Wimbledon etc (for those in Europe) or the NCAA basketball tournament (for those in North America). It started with 64 sleuths, who were put into 32 pairings. Voters chose their favourite from each pair, the winner goes through, the loser is out.

Due to the vagaries of a random rather than seeded draw, and some interesting voting, there have already been some terrific sleuths (eg Wiki Coffin) knocked out far too early (in my opinion), and there have been some early head-to-head battles between sleuths that perhaps both should have been making it further through, while others of lesser quality, influence, or importance have sailed through 'easier brackets'.

The results of the second round (32 sleuths cut down to 16) were announced earlier this week, with perhaps being the biggest headline the one above - Jack Reacher (an early favourite to win it all) is gone! Certainly Nancy Drew would have been a pre-tourney favourite to make it at least as far as the Sweet 16, if not the Elite Eight/Final Four (to continue the NCAA vernacular), but at Reacher's expense? Wow. I was feeling bad for Nancy being up against Jack, and undeservedly being gone too soon, but with this voting group, it seems it was vice versa.

Amelia Peabody was likewise knocked out by another favourite, Jane Marple (harsh draw there for Peabody), while in another shocker, Harlan Coben's immensely popular Myron Bolitar also fell by the wayside in the second round, being pipped 51% to 49% by Gordy Schultz.

So it's a topsy turvy poll this time around - with plenty of fireworks left to come, as Round Three (you can vote now, here) is underway. And again, two all-time-classic sleuths that could deserve to be in the semifinals or final are head to head; The Hardy Boys and Jane Marple.

Here's the line-up for this week's vote:

• Ellie Foreman vs Goldy Schultz
• James Qwilleran vs Nancy Drew
• Lord Peter Wimsey vs Stephanie Plum
• The Hardy Boys vs Jane Marple
• Carter Ross vs Amanda Pepper
• Benni Harper vs Flavia de Luce
• Lisbeth Salander vs Annie Darling
• Brett Kavanaugh vs Amlingmeyer Brothers

Wow - that's a tough top half of the draw still, even with Reacher and Bolitar already knocked out! Nancy Drew, Wimsey, Stephanie Plum, the Hardy Boys and Marple all on one side of the draw, talk about lop-sided. The path seems pretty clear for someone like Salander or Flavia de Luce to whip through the bottom half to the latter rounds.

Happy voting!

Who do you think should be named world's favourite amateur sleuth? What do you think of the voting and results thusfar? Of the upcoming battles?

A Brief History of Title Art

Biography on John le Carré planned for 2014

Recently I was lucky enough to be granted the only New Zealand interview with superstar Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell, whose 10th and final Wallander tale, THE TROUBLED MAN (written a decade after the ninth book) is about to be released downunder. I had a very enjoyable 40mins or so discussion with Mankell, who is a very interesting guy, passionate about many things. My feature article based on the interview will be coming out in an upcoming issue of the New Zealand Listener - I will let you know when it's available.

One of the things that was clear from our interview was that Mankell really, really rates thriller writer John le Carré (pictured) as a shining example of terrific writing, regardless of genre. As someone whom the 'literary establishment' should have far greater affection for when it comes to recognising the best in literature. Not just one of the 'greatest spy novelists of our time', as he's been described, but one of the greatest novelists.

As such, I'm pleased to note the news (hat tip to Graham Beattie for the heads-up) that a biography on le Carré will be written to mark the fiftieth anniversary of THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. Here's the press release:

Adam Sisman is to write the definitive life of John le Carré. Bloomsbury plan to publish in 2014, half a century after the worldwide success of The Spy who came in from the Cold, which Graham Greene dubbed "the best spy story I have ever read."Le Carré will provide Sisman with information and introductions, as well as access to his hitherto unseen private archive but he will have no control over the biography. Sisman will have a free hand, which is at the wish of both the biographer and his subject.

Sisman approached le Carré, whose real name is David Cornwell, last summer. Sisman says: "David Cornwell is a rich subject for a biographer. His writing is intensely personal, and permeated by strongly-held values. From the moment when his identity became public, readers around the world have speculated about the degree to which he has drawn on his own experiences in his fiction, in particular on his career with the intelligence services. His semi-autobiographical novel A Perfect Spy provided tantalising clues to his extraordinary childhood."

The book will deal openly with these subjects, and with Cornwell's personal life, including the difficulties that led to the breakdown of his first marriage, depicted in his novel The Naive and Sentimental Lover."I have admired and enjoyed David's work since I discovered him in my teens," Sisman continues, "and believe that his enormous commercial success has hindered recognition that he is writer of the highest quality, who will eventually be acknowledged as one of the finest British post-War novelists. Philip Roth rated le Carré's A Perfect Spy as "the best English novel since the war".

Le Carré's twenty-second novel, Our Kind of Traitor, was published in September 2010 by Penguin. Le Carré's agent is Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown.

Sisman has written four previous biographies, including Boswell's Presumptuous Task, which received a National Books Critics Circle award. His most recent book, a life of the historian and intelligence officer Hugh Trevor-Roper, was published in the UK in July 2010, and will be published in the US later this year. He is represented by Andrew Wylie.

You can read some of Le Carre's own thoughts on himself and his work at his website here.

Have you read any of John Le Carre's work? Is THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD an all-time classic, of any type of literature? Should thriller and crime novelists be more recognised by the 'mainstream' literary awards like the Booker Prize or Nobel Prize?

Vanda Symon tours the West Coast next week

As part of the New Zealand Book Month celebrations, acclaimed Kiwi crime queen Vanda Symon (whose latest Sam Shephard tale, BOUND, debuted at the #1 spot earlier this year, and has remained on the NZ bestseller list since) will be touring the West Coast next week.

Symon will be giving a series of author talks at local libraries.

It's great to see our local crime writers getting out and talking directly with readers, and I'm sure that those who head along to any of Symon's events will have a terrific time - as all of us who attended last year's Whodunnit and Whowunnit event in Christchurch (where Symon, along with Paul Cleave and Neil Cross, spoke) did.

Here are the event details for Symon's West Coast tour:

VENUE: Westland District Library, Hokitika.
DATE: 28th March
TIME: 5.45pm - 6.45pm

VENUE: Grey District Library, Greymouth
DATE: 29th March
TIME: 3.00pm - 4.00pm

VENUE: Buller District Library, Westport
DATE: 30th March
TIME: 1.00pm - 2.00pm

You can read my recent feature article on Vanda Symon for the Weekend Herald here, and Symon's 9mm interview with Crime Watch here.

R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor