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Learn moreEven down in New Zealand, war-fueled spy fever is running wild. Near the decaying sulphur springs of Colonel and Mrs. Claire, the strange lights and signals being sent to foreign ships at sea indicate that there's a spy in their midst.
Soon an even darker sign appears: a health-seeker with untoward intentions meets his demise in the boiling mud baths. Scotland Yard'sChief Inspector Roderick Alleyn, far from home on a wartime quest for German agents, knows that any number of people could have killed the unpleasant man: the English exiles he'd hated, the New Zealanders he'd despised, or the Maoris he'd insulted. Even the spies he'd thwarted—if he wasn't a spy himself.And when a new arrival appears, one who possesses the cunning of a criminal and the insight of a psychologist, the inspector's interest is piqued.
Often regarded as her most interesting book and set on New Zealand's North Island, Ngaio Marsh herself considered this to be her best-written novel.
Ngaio Marsh (1895–1982), born in New Zealand, wrote over thirty detective novels. Many of her stories had theatrical settings, as her real passion was for the theater. She was both an actress and a producer and almost single-handedly revived the New Zealand public’s interest in live theater. In 1966 she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Wanda McCaddon (a.k.a. Nadia May or Donada Peters) has narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, has earned numerous Earphones Awards, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.
Reviews
“The queen of the straight crime novel—long may she reign!”
“Nobody begins to touch Ngaio Marsh’s skill at creating corpses and suspects…Her dialogue is a continuous delight.”
“[McCaddon] embraces the challenge of re-creating a host of characters with varying accents, including depiction of Maori New Zealanders.”
“Technically flawless…Superbly narrated by [Wanda McCaddon] and a ‘must’ for all Ngaio Marsh fans.”
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