The famous writer, a recognized master of the intellectual detective, Ngaio Marsh was born in New Zealand, but most of her life she spent in England, where she took a prominent place among authors such as A. Christie, D. Sayers, and P. Wambforth. In her novels, whose main character is the aristocrat and detective Roderick Alleyn, the reader is always faced with an intricate plot, excellent literary language, and genuine English humor. For her literary achievements, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom awarded the writer the Order of the British Empire in 1966, and in 1978 she was honored with the Grand Master Award given by the Mystery Writers of America to the best of the best.
Five guests are invited to a parlor “murder game” at a wealthy country home. It’s all very amusing—until the lights are switched on and the guests discover a completely real corpse in the drawing room—the body of the mysterious charmer Charles…