Review: The Nursing Home Murder (Roderick Alleyn, #3)
Gaby Meares
This was my first Ngaio Marsh novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a classic puzzle whodunit. Although written in 1935, I found it has stood the test of time. Marsh is considered one of the Queens of Crime, and is often compared to Agatha Christie. She does tick all the usual crime trope boxes, but where she’s different (and dare I say better) is in her leading man, Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn. He is extremely likeable: funny, kind and undamaged! Marsh also injects a lot more humour in her novels than others of her ilk. Just as an example, when Alleyn is asked “how’s the case going?” he replies “It’s too young to be called a case. So far it’s only a naughty thought.”
I really enjoyed this novel from the golden ages of crime, and will certainly be spending more time in the very fine company of C.I. Roderick Alleyn.