This anthology includes three Inspector Roderick Alleyn short stories as well as several other stories and a television screenplay. I have always been a fan of Alleyn’s wife, Troy, so my favorite of the three Alleyn stories is “The Little Copplestone Mystery” since it featured Troy, and also because it has a family history angle to the mystery. Many of the other stories are set in Marsh’s native New Zealand. My favorite of these stories is “A Fool About Money”, which is lighter fare than Marsh’s typical crime story. Marsh wrote the screenplay “Evil Liver” for an episode of Granada Television’s Crown Court. I would love to see a recording of this drama, not least because Joan Hickson, who later became famous as Miss Marple, played the accused. ( )

This is an eclectic collection of Ngaio Marsh's short stories. Some feature Inspector Alleyn, others are independent. One, a never-been-solved true crime case, was of little interest to me. Anyone could have recounted it, and there was really no place for Marsh to put her mark on it. The most notable is apparently a story called "Morepork," involving a family camping in the remote New Zealand forest. I was more taken by the Alleyn stories. "Death on the Air" is classic Alleyn style. "Chapter and Verse" is also quite good. This is not a good place for those who have no experience with Marsh to start. Her novels are better. ( )

A nice introduction to Ngaio Marsh (Nye-oh), including an essay where she describes how she created her famous character, Inspector Roderick Alleyn. A few short stories with Inspector Alleyn, a few other short stories, and a fun tv script of a court-room murder mystery. I haven't read any other Ngaio Marsh so I cannot compare, but I suspect this is a good indicator of her writing and her handling of mysteries. Her love of theater is evident in the stories as well. ( )