Overture to Death

A Roderick Alleyn Mystery

By: Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Who in the quiet village of Chipping would kill wealthy spinster Idris Campanula? Plenty of people—among them her fellow cast members from a troubled charity production. Miss Campanula was a spiteful gossip, gleefully destroying others’ lives merely for her own excitement. But once Inspector Roderick Alleyn arrives, he quickly realizes that the murderer might have killed the wrong woman—and may soon stage a repeat performance.

Investigate another case with Roderick Alleyn.

©1956 Ngaio Marsh (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Excellent Narration

Ngaio Marsh is a favorite of mine - her writing is amusing, and clever, and descriptive. This story is all of those things, and introduces delightful and irritating characters quite amusing to meet.
Wanda McCaddon's narration is clear, animated, and at a good speed. I will look for more of her performances simply for the enjoyment of hearing her voice.

Amazing, extremely talented narrator

The story was good, but the narrator was the best I've heard. She had a different voice for every character, and there were MANY. I look forward to listening to more of her work.

Reader was great! Story felt like the old Hitchcock Hour♥️

Highly recommend for those who love the nostalgic ideal that the bad guys always get their comeuppance, & who love good “old-fashioned” writing. (And for those who have an open mind when it comes to discovering something “new”.)
Hope you enjoy this amazing author!

This particular book by Ngaio isn’t as mysterious as her others, you’ll figure out the culprit pretty early. You might start with “A Man Lay Dead” if you’re strictly looking for a whodunnit. (Also, this era of writing is great for showing how to be assertive with the abusers in life—that direct, immediate calling people out on their bull & refusal to go along with it! If everyone in the story had applied that, it wouldn’t have escalated to murder mystery!)

A Gem

Naio Marsh’s mysteries are always well thought out and presented. The storyline was clever and the clues appropriately spread out and later explained.

The narration was very well done. Each character’s voice was appropriate for that character.

Another great story

Love her books! Great British mystery with the wonderful Inspector Roderick Alleyn. I listened to the audio book. I enjoyed the performance by Wanda McCladdon. I will listen to other books she narrates .

Excellent all around.

Have always liked Ngaio Marsh's books. Yes, they are dated, but look at when they were written for heaven's sake. The narrator, Wanda McCaddon, did a wonderful job. Very entertaining.

Classic Marsh

The narration is top notch and although the story droops a bit in the middle, has a solid plot and dependably recognizable character types.

Nice story, well told.

Enjoyed the book very much. Really liked the narrator. Can't wait to read another one from this author.

This Has to Be One of Her Best

Ever since slogging through Death of a Fool, I’ve been wary of Ngaio Marsh. Then I ran across Shannon Applegate’s comment on that volume (“…usually love her books but found this one hard to follow and not as interesting”) and realized I should give Marsh another chance. I’m very glad I did.

This story is not only easy, but enjoyable to follow. Inspector Alleyn has all the charm and good humor of Lord Peter Wimsey without that aristocrat’s sardonic, world-weary streak. The writing sparkles with wit, intelligence and insight into the cauldron of our human stew. And among her many gifts, Nadia May is one of the few female readers who delivers convincing male voices.

lots of village atmosphere

Marsh sets out the village characters, many of whom are likeable. Then ugly murder and the effort to trap the murderer gets underway. The voice actress is very good. The story is better. Recommended