Review: Artists in Crime

Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The mystery was fairly complicated, the suspects were many and the side-story romance was an added bonus. In addition to coming up with complicated mysteries and compelling characters (I love Lady Alleyn and Bathgate!) Marsh can write some wonderful descriptive passages.

"The fires had died down in all the grates, the rooms had grown cold. Up and down the passages the silence was broken only by the secret sounds made by an old house at night, small expanding noises, furtive little creaks, and an occasional slow whisper as though the house sighed at the iniquity of living men." (p. 184) 

"... at seven o'clock in the thin chilly light of dawn. A thread of smoke rose from one of the chimneys. The ground was hard and the naked trees, fast asleep, stretched their lovely arms against an iron sky." (p.191) 

Overall an excellent book.