Death at the Bar

By: Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by: James Saxon

A classic Ngaio Marsh novel in which a game of darts in an English pub has gruesome consequences.

At the Plume of Feathers in south Devon one midsummer evening, eight people are gathered together in the taproom. They are in the habit of playing darts, but on this occasion an experiment takes the place of the usual game - a fatal experiment which calls for investigation.

A distinguished painter, a celebrated actor, a woman graduate, a plump lady from County Clare, and a Devonshire farmer all play their parts in the unravelling of the problem....

©1940 Original Text of 1940 by Ngaio Marsh (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Full marks...a really clever problem in detection. It will need a really sharp brain to discover the criminal." ( Times Literary Supplement)

"Read just one of Ngaio Marsh’s novels and you’ve got to read them all...." ( Daily Mail)

"The finest writer in the English language of the pure, classical puzzle whodunit. Among the crime queens, Ngaio Marsh stands out as an Empress." ( The Sun)

Characters

I love the vivid character descriptions which are detailed and the dialogue adds additional character nuance.

Mystery Maven

Good story, great narration. The mystery was clearly, and concisely, laid out and the few options to the solution could have worked but the answer was good! Enjoy.

Another good story.

NM like all of us had some bad days but this wasn’t one of them. The denouement was a little complex and a bit of a letdown because I was hoping for another character to hit the dust but that just shows I was was quite engaged. Recommended.

murder or accident by the sea

famous barrister dies in seaside village. is it accident or murder. marsh provides lots of red herrings and a bit of humor followed by suspense. brilliantly read by Paxon. recommended

One of Marsh’s Best

I loved this book. Marsh wrote a deceptively simple yet compelling and intricate story. To sum up:
1. Plot - excellent. A bit disappointed in the abrupt ending but that’s only worth a half-star demerit
2. Characters - well developed and compelling
3. Intrigue - first class
4. Narrator - superb job job of reading and bringing the characters to life.