At an English pub, a dart becomes a deadly weapon: "Any Ngaio Marsh story is certain to be Grade A." —The New York Times
A game of darts does involve some danger, but it's rarely lethal. There are exceptions, however, like the famous barrister who was enjoying a pint at the Plume of Feathers pub, and is now residing at the morgue. But Inspector Roderick Alleyn has a growing hunch that this peculiar "accident" can be traced

Ngaio Marsh returns to her New Zealand roots to transplant the classic country-house murder mystery to an upland sheep station on South Island and produces one of her most exotic and intriguing novels.

Parliament member Florence Rubrick has the wool pulled over her eyes—quite literally. She's been found dead, her body pressed into a bale of wool.

When Inspector Roderick Alleyn pays a visit to her New Zealand country home, he

A British police detective looks into sinister doings in the South of France in a crime thriller with "more than a little excitement" (Kirkus Reviews).
Inspector Roderick Alleyn has decamped for the South of France on a family vacation—though for him, the vacation will involve some official poking around. Unfortunately, the object of his poking—the cultish denizens of a sinister and luxurious chateau—are not

A ritual dance becomes a murderous mambo...

The village of South Mardian always observes the winter solstice with an ancient, mystical sword dance, complete with costumed performers. But for one of them, the excitement proves too heady, and his decapitation turns the fertility rite into a pageant of death. Now Inspector Roderick Alleyn must penetrate not only the mysteries of folklore but the secrets and sins of an eccentric group that includes

An English manor house on the moors is an ideal setting for a murder—and for one of Ngaio Marsh's classic murder mysteries.

The occasion is a Christmas party hosted by Mr. Hilary Bill-Tasman, landed proprietor of Halberds Manor and authority on antiques. Santa Claus is in attendance, played by a highly unpopular servant. When he goes missing after his performance, foul play is immediately suspected. There are a number of unusual characters