Great Imagery of New Zealand

Besides a good detective novel, the rich descriptions of New Zealand had me looking up the cost of Airplane tickets to there.

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Old School Mystery

Too complicated, too many characters. That said, the characters were well drawn and well developed. The narrator was faultless - super job of giving each character a unique voice. I got this as it was the selection of the month for a book club. I did enjoy it and would recommend it if you want a cozy mystery that is not easy to figure out.

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Great Inspector Allyn mystery.

This is a typical Marsh yarn, with plenty of suspects playing to type. Red herrings abound! The reader’s mastery of accents is delicious! I thought that it was easy to keep up with the large cast of characters due to emphasis in the writing and in the superb narration!

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Ruined by narration

When it comes to female voices Saxon is one of the worst.They all sound middle aged and stupid. I don't know how any man would fall for them when they have the awful personality ex Saxon performs for them. Love these books but have to avoid James Saxon

Aussie accent...not NewZealand

In general I like Mr Saxon's work, but this is not a New Zealand accent. More close to an Australian accent.
Not Ngaio Marsh's best work either. I miss the Scotland yard team. However Died in the Wool is one of my favourites and that is set in NZ. Sorry, but I am a Kiwi and have lived here all my life. The idiom is correct for the period but not the accent. NZ middle classes of that time pretty much spoke BBC English. This got many Kiwis going abroad a foot into English broadcasting.

Quintessential Marsh

Vintage Murder is rampant with wonderful characters, significant detail that keeps you guessing until the last. Very Inspector Allyn. Very Ngaio Marsh. The narration is SUPERB! A good “ listen.”

Meh

Vintage Murder was rather bland. I caught myself drifting off and trying to hurry towards the conclusion. I do adore this series however this novel could be skipped in my opinion. The narrator James Saxon did a wonderful job, yet the story just wasn't there.

Perhaps an advisory?

I enjoyed this. I know it was written/set in the 30’s and it may not be appropriate to alter the author’s original language but perhaps a warning of the overtly racist passages near the end might be appropriate? For the most part, the Māori is treated well in the text but the reference to the “20% savage” during an altercation is difficult to hear. Otherwise enjoyable experience.

How did he do it?

Ngaio Marsh has been a favorite of mine for many...years. I'm "rereading" her with Audible. The reader James Saxon is excellent!
Inspector Alleyn is recovering, and needing rest, he decides to visit another country. He happens to be present at a murder. Trying his best to not be recognized nor pulled into the case, he fails.
Take a trip with Chief Inspector Allyn. You will be glad you did.

Ngaio Marsh always hits the mark.

I love all of her books. This one in New Zealand is delightful and gives the narrator a chance to show his talent at dialects. Each character is well drawn and well played. A great read.