Death on the Air

April 1, 2003
Dame Marsh is best known for her golden age mystery novels featuring Scotland Yard detective Roderick Alleyn. This is a charming collection of Alleyn miscellany, including stories, essays, a television script, and an amusing letter to an unpublished author, most accompanied by brief but informative introductions. The book combines some of Marsh's best-known short stories with more unusual works and should appeal to both longtime fans and new listeners. As excellent as the text is, it is Nadia May's reading that makes this audiobook so exceptional; she has a beautifully clear and flexible reading voice, and her bell "bongs" resonate. There is both humor and compassion in her voice as she addresses the unpublished author. Television scripts are full of abrupt transitions and instructions. In this case, the stage cues, although read, are quickly forgotten in the enjoyment of the mystery. Previous audio collections have featured several of these stories, and while generally amusing, none reaches the standard set by this production. True excellence is rare. This combination of interesting and unusual story selections, a well-known "cozy" author, and an outstanding reader is recommended for all fiction collections.-I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA

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