Artists in Crime

By: Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch

It started as a student exercise, the knife under the drape, the model's pose chalked in place. But before Agatha Troy, artist and instructor, returns to the class, the pose has been re-enacted in earnest: the model is dead, fixed for ever in one of the most dramatic poses Troy has ever seen.

It's a difficult case for Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn. How can he believe that the woman he loves is a murderess? And yet no one can be above suspicion.

©1938 Ngaio Marsh (P)2008 Hachette Digital

Very Enjoyable Indeed

I listened to this audiobook – read by the ever-wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch – in one sitting, and had a great deal of fun doing so. True, I did work out "whodunnit" before the detective himself did, but I didn't particularly mind, having grown rather fond of Alleyn, and therefore finding myself more than happy to excuse his slowness.

Besides, I simply enjoyed the world created in this tale. And the subtle romance. And the marvellous voice of the narrator, who rather surprised me with his ability to make me forget that there was just one man behind the multiplicity of characters. You know how it goes.

As if in the room!

what an amazing find! the writing is so vivid and of course the performance! bravo!

A new addiction

Yes, I bought it because it was Benedict Cumberbatch reading it. He is wonderful with the different voices and accents. He didn't just read. It truly was a performance. Good job Benedict! I am hooked on this series. Beautifully written and rich detail and feeling. I love the gentle humor as well. You truly enjoy these characters. I've bought several more in the series although he has only read two others. One word of warning on this series. Do not buy the ones that Nadia May reads. Dull and flat and she sounds like she needs to blow her nose. Pick another performer. Ben! Read some more please!

Why, oh WHY, Abridged?

What did you love best about Artists in Crime?

As a devoted, not to say compulsive, fan of Ngaio Marsh's Roderick Alleyn stories, I was delighted not to find a few on Audible, including two of my three favorites. ("Death of a Peer" is my personal favorite, if only for the characters, but "Death in a White Tie" is a very close second, and "Artists in Crime" a competitive third.) When I saw that they were narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch I couldn't believe how perfectly my stars had aligned. Like millions of others who discovered Cumberbatch through the Sherlock series, I'm going through a fairly craven withdrawal period just now while waiting for Series 3. Cumberbatch is wonderfully versatile and natural in all the parts, especially the male ones, and is perfect as Alleyn. His voice is rich and expressive and he has excellent control -- even minor hesitations help make a character's personality clearer. And as Alleyn he captures the character's combination of aristocratic gentility, urbanity, masculinity and keen, wry intelligence, mixed with just the right amount of diffidence and insecurity for this story. I wouldn't have trusted this sleuth to any less capable tonsils. (And I guessed right on how the name is pronounced! Close but not quite on Dame Marsh's first name! What a joy to hear them spoken them aloud.) The original story is well-plotted, the characters satisfying in the "English country house murder" style, and the budding love interest WOULD have been poignant, had the story not been abridged! These are such short novels to begin with that the abridgment cheats us a little of time to savor the building plot, characterizations and subplot. Given that these classic mysteries ARE short to begin with, abridging them is a real shame, and I think a missed opportunity. I'd love to hear Cumberbatch perform the other two Marshes available, but I hesitate to pay to hear an abridged version of books that I own and love in their entirety, just for the pleasure of hearing Cumberbatch's voice. (But it's tempting. Very.)

What other book might you compare Artists in Crime to and why?

Margery Allingham's "The Estate of the Beckoning Lady" or other Campion stories, Sayers's "Strong Poison" (but a simpler story).

Which character – as performed by Benedict Cumberbatch – was your favorite?

Roderick Alleyn.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have liked to, but didn't.

Any additional comments?

I would be very grateful for more titles narrated by Cumberbatch. He would do a wonderful job with Allingham's Albert Campion, and could bring a new sexiness to Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey. He really should consider taking on the Conan Doyle cannon. More Marsh stories would be great, especially if unabridged.

Wonderful read

Would you listen to Artists in Crime again? Why?

Yes. Cumberbatch's read was exceptionally nuanced and interesting.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not on the edge of my seat, no. That genre of detective fiction is not thrilling--it unfolds as we get to know the characters and put the pieces together.

Have you listened to any of Benedict Cumberbatch’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. He is always excellent. A truly gifted actor and reader.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Love the English country house mystery genre. So delightful because it's not of this time and place. Never crass or ultra violent. Eccentric. Always surprising. Marsh is a master.