Death and the Dancing Footman

By: Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by: James Saxon

A winter weekend ends in snowbound disaster in a novel which remains a favourite among Marsh readers.

It began as an entertainment: eight people, many of them enemies, gathered for a winter weekend by a host with a love for theatre. They would be the characters in a drama that he would devise.

It ended in snowbound disaster. Everyone had an alibi - and most had motives as well. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn, when he finally arrived, knew it all hung on Thomas, the dancing footman....

©1942 Original Text of 1942 by Ngaio Marsh (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"On the plane of art." ( Tatler)

"She is astoundingly good." ( Daily Express)

"The brilliant Ngaio Marsh ranks with Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers." ( Times Literary Supplement)

NOT PHILIP FRANKS READING!!!

I love James Saxon reading Ngaio Marsh. I have every Marsh he's ever read that audible offers. However, Death and the Dancing Footman is not my favorite of his readings, which is why I thought I would have Philip Franks reading of it, as Philip Franks is a WONDERFUL reader and I hope that he will do every single one of Marsh's books for us in the near future. This, however, is NOT Philip Franks reading, it is James Saxon reading . Buyer beware.

The plot

It was easy to listen to the plot easy to follow but I became a little bit confused at some of the vocabulary that is specific to New Zealand.

Never guessed it!

Once again, she had me hooked all the way to the end wondering who did it and exactly how? A peculiar and unsettling set-up this time, tinged with wartime jitters, with lots of snow and a number of unlikable suspects. The dancing footman proves to be a key witness, but the few moments he witnesses are hard to piece together even after they are recapped over and over. This is okay, of course, for the story is meant to be intricate in that way. And despite the malevolent intentions of many, I loved it.

classic manor house murder

A classic manor house murder in the play fair tradition. Beautifully acted by Saxon. Highly recommended

This is the book of Ngiao Marsh’s which broke out as far as her language

Beautifully written. It’s the first of her books that I read and the first paragraph hooked me. A fantastic Country house murder with the snow storm that isolates the house from the outside world. Great stuff! Great production and reading.