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Money in the Morgue

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Money in the Morgue

By: Ngaio Marsh, Stella Duffy
Narrated by: Stella Duffy
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About this listen

Roderick Alleyn is back in this unique crime novel begun by Ngaio Marsh during the Second World War and now completed by Stella Duffy in a way that has delighted reviewers and critics alike.

Shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger Award 2018.

It’s business as usual for Mr Glossop as he does his regular round delivering wages to government buildings scattered across New Zealand’s lonely Canterbury plains. But when his car breaks down he is stranded for the night at the isolated Mount Seager Hospital, with the telephone lines down, a storm on its way and the nearby river about to burst its banks.

Trapped with him at Mount Seager are a group of quarantined soldiers with a serious case of cabin fever, three young employees embroiled in a tense love triangle, a dying elderly man, an elusive patient whose origins remain a mystery … and a potential killer.

When the payroll disappears from a locked safe and the hospital’s death toll starts to rise faster than normal, can the appearance of an English detective working in counterespionage be just a lucky coincidence – or is something more sinister afoot?

©2018 Ngaio Marsh and Stella Duffy (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedural Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Thriller Crime Exciting Suspense

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Critic reviews

"Hugely enjoyable." (Kate Mosse)
"Stella Duffy performs a remarkable act of ventriloquism with New Zealand's Queen of Crime. I defy readers to see the join." (Val McDermid)
"Ngaio Marsh fans rejoice! After 35 years Alleyn is back in a new mystery - and both are as good as ever." (John Curran)
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While the book might have been improved by another narrator I feel it would still struggle to reach the standards set by Ngaio Marsh and would probably be better left unfinished. In places it felt heavy going and 'clunky', and the characters almost became caricatures. For me, the narration was mostly to blame and for the first time in a Ngaio Marsh book I found Alleyn to be very much the upper class prig with little to redeem him. Another reader, preferably masculine might have pulled it back but altogether this book was a disappointment.

Better left unfinished

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I persevered. the story itself was pure Ngaio Marsh. credit to Stella Duffy for her finishing off this text.

but why oh why did someone choose for her to narrate it? it wasn't even clear narration, with words dribbled into each other even listening at a lower speed.

Such a shame it wasn't narrated by James Saxon

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This new novel has been written by Stella Duffy from the unfinished fragments Ngaio Marsh left before her death and it flows deftly through the many intrigues Detective Inspector Alleyn has to uncover and resolve with an easy irresistible sureness. Stella Duffy evokes a glorious richness in the specifics of the 1940s wartime New Zealand time and place setting, and voices her cast of characters, drawn with all of Ngaio Marsh’s signature complexities, with all the distinctiveness and theatrical vitality demanded by Marsh’s style. Listening to this novel is an easy, enjoyable and utterly compelling page turner. Highly recommended.

A golden age-style crime mystery read with compelling theatrical vitality by its contemporary author Stella Duffy

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Stella Duffy has done a wonderful job completing this novel and i very much hope she is allowed to write more new novels featuring the wonderful inspector

excellent book well told

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I’m sad that some reviewers have found this story ‘boring’ or objected to the voice of the narrator - indeed the co-author.

I found the story line (or should I say lines, without diving plot away) were true of the great Ngaio Marsh. One can guess at places where the dialogue has moved on a little from Ms Marsh, but Stella Duffy deserves very great praise for completing this “lost” Alleyn novel, so true to form. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this - one one day (!) - it was so compelling. Well done. And can we encourage Stella Duffy to perhaps produce a 34th Alleyn book?

Excellent Listen

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Loved the plot. Had never read any Ngaio Marsh before but works very well as a one-off. There's a lot of Adamsberg in Alleyn for those who like Fred Vargas! I had however already heard Stella Duffy read some of her stories so having her read a novel is an absolute delight: funny, lively, overall brilliant.

If only for the performance!

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While coherent, the story is not absorbing or exciting, the characteres are boring and the writing is too posh to be likeable. The narrator does a good job but cannot overcome the script. In short, not an enjoyable book. I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

Not gripping

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the most boring book I have ever listened to and I am a great Ngaio Marsh fan .

death in the morgue

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Sorry to leave a scathing review but I found nothing to like about this book. The plot was weak, the characters one dimensional yet laden with stereotypical, almost comical, traits. Did not capture my interest and ended up listening at a, very, fast speed to get the task (book club thing) done.

Glad it has finished!

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The plot became more and more of a farce. Why let the author narrate the story? The voice of the male lead sounded more like a head girl putting on her telephone voice. It ruined it for me. Shame as I enjoy Marsh stories. Think this was best left unfinished.

Ridiculous plot and strange narration

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