This is the book that turned Deb English back on to
Ngaio Marsh after reading one or two that she didn’t much
care for. Unlike her previous two books it’s set in London, but like
them she spends a great deal of time developing the characters before
the murder occurs. Usually she adopts a relatively omniscient point of
view when she does this, but in this case she gives us a delightful
viewpoint character, a young woman named Roberta Grey.

Roberta is a native of New Zealand. Her parents die, and as she’s not
quite old enough to live on her own she comes to England to live with a
maiden aunt. First on the agenda, though, when she arrives is a blissful
month with old friends, the Lampreys. The Lampreys are an amazing crowd
of popinjays who bought a farm in New Zealand on a whim; Roberta became
acquainted with them through Frid Lamprey with whom she was in school, and
soon became close friends with the entire family. The Lampreys are
eternally having money trouble–it flows through their fingers like sand–
and yet are equally unable to give up their ritzy life-style. Something
always happens, and they are saved for another day.

I didn’t warm up to the Lampreys quite as much as Debbie did–this is
far from my favorite Marsh–but it’s a good ‘un none the less.