Last Ditch

By: Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by: Nadia May

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

Young Ricky Alleyn has come to the picturesque fishing village of Deep Cove to write. Though the sleepy little town offers few diversions, Ricky manages to find the most distracting one of all: murder. For in a muddy ditch, he sees a dead equestrienne whose last leap was anything but an accident. And when Ricky himself disappears, the case becomes a horse of a different color for his father, Inspector Roderick Alleyn.

©1977 Ngaio Marsh (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"With the deft touch of a master, Marsh paints her highly visual English countryside sets and charming, gracious characters....Nadia May is unfaltering in carrying off this wonderful work which, in its simplicity, is a throwback to a less complicated, more gently paced period." (AudioFile)

Ricky Alleyn gets involved in a case with his dad

1977's <strong>Last Ditch</strong> by Ngaio Marsh turns its focus to Ricky Alleyn, the son of Detective Superintendent Roderick Alleyn, as Ricky goes to the Channel Islands to immerse himself in his work in writing a novel. There he runs into a family who met his parents once on a cruise, and Ricky finds himself falling in love with the wife, Julia Pharamond. He also makes the acquaintance of Sid Jones, a wannabe painter with a bad attitude until he learns that Ricky is the son of Agatha Troy, ther greatest painter England has ever produced. Ricky keeps suspecting Sid of nefarious behavior, especially when Sid, who works as a paint salesman in exchange for free acrylic paints toi use, gets furious when Ricky accidentally steps on one tube, causing it to burst open. Another day the Pharamonds talk Ricky into joining them going horseback riding at the stables owned by Mr. Harkness. The fire-and-brimstone religious man is furious that his daughter, the highly promiscuous Elsie, is pregnant and tries to lock her in her room. But Elsie manages to escape and takes out the bay mare against her father's express orders. When the family and Ricky return to the stable, they find the body of Elsie in a ditch behind a big bush, apparently the victim of having taken too dangerous a chance in jumping the horse where her father has forbidden her to go.

Ricky is disturbed by his experience finding the body of Elsie but also because he is bothered by the circumstances. So his father gets sent to the Channel Islands to deal with two issues: the possibility that drugs are being moved into England through the Channel Islands and the chance that Elsie Harkness was murdered. Ricky involves himself in the cases and almost becomes a case himself.

<strong>Last Ditch</strong> is but one of a few books by Marsh that deals with the illegal drug trade and the criminals who traffic in heroin in particular. We see Alleyn assigned to cases relating to drugs in <em>Spinsters in Jeopardy</em> and <em>When in Rome</em>, and in all three cases, the drug cases also force him to deal with murder cases. In this book, both cases provide plenty of interest once Roderick Alleyn arrives, but it took him a long time to show up, leaving the first part of the book less exciting. The plot picks up dramatically once the inspector comes to town.

The characters in this book have strong personalities. The Pharamonds actually hark back to the Lampreys of 1938's <em>Surfeit of Lampreys</em> in their exuberance for life and social activities. The one difference is that we don't see them going bankrupt because of spendthrift ways. But Marsh must have intended this similarity because Julia Pharaday actually explains that she was born into the Lamprey family, some relatives of hers being people Alleyn met years ago. Mr. Harkness adds flavor to the book as a wild figure who leads his own crazy religion and turns to alcohol after the death of Elise. One reason I don't like this book as much as others by Marsh is that Ricky doesn't have the suavity and charisma of his father. He lacks the personality that draws me back time and again to Marsh's books.

Nadia May continues her strong performance of the audio edition of <strong>Last Ditch</strong>. She does a fantastic job of making such a classic mystery accessible and enjoyable. The only complaint I have about the audio is that each new chapter starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous, without any pause. It even gives less time than May typically gives between sentences, making the new chapter run directly on top of the previous which is disconcerting.

<strong>Last Ditch</strong> is not one of Marsh's strongest books. Putting Ricky in as an amateur version of his father was not a big success. I did appreciate getting to see plenty of the fun interaction between Rory Alleyn and Inspector Fox. But there wasn't enough of Superintendent Alleyn to make the book as much of a success as it could have been. The trail of the drug plot was of interest, but I didn't connect as much to the trail of the murder plot. However, the book does have a very dramatic ending. I give this book three stars.

Great reader, lovely characters, interesting story

Another reviewer thought the drug topic was poorly handled, but in fact the author has precisely captured the spirit of that era, which I lived through.

As a bonus, the most charming character turns out to be a Lamprey. I have *so* missed the Lampreys!

Audible also offers this book read by James Saxon.
Although I generally like him as a reader, he cannot capture the sparkle of a vivacious young woman -- all his female characters sound haughty and elderly. Nadia May is the PERFECT reader for this story.

Nadia May reads impeccably

This charming later work in the series adds son Ricky to Roderick and Troy Alleyn’s family circle. Ricky is writing a book, but dragged into a murder mystery, shows all the wit and skill of his father. I happen to adore Marsh’s formal language, more often in Jane Austen than a who-done-it.

The narration was horrible

I just couldn’t get passed this narrator sounding like she had a butterscotch candy in her mouth. Like ewww, why narrate with something in your mouth. I’m sure I’m missing out on a great listen but that listening to a narrator smacks just turn my stomach 🤬

Love Ngaio Marsh

A mystery lover cannot go wrong with and of Marsh’s stories. Clear and vivid characters and an intriguing story. I was on the wrong track and surprised by the ending. This narrator is wonderful and changes dialects and languages with ease. What fun.

Oh no--Ngaio Marsh is writing about "dope" again

Ngaio Marsh should never have written about drugs. She makes her characters all sound completely ridiculous. The murder is incidental to the plot about the scourge of dope, all described in the most ridiculous terms. This is the second of her books I've read where this is the case. Good thing there were Roderick Alleyns around back in the 20th Century to completely cure society of that problem so no one ever has to deal with it again.

Sarcasm over the plot aside, the reader was fine.

Fun if not totally satisfying

Great narration, and delightful to meet Ricky as an adult. The actual murder is resolved way too simply at the end— cheating is definitely arguable, though a it’s good enough twist I guess, but there’s plenty of other non-murderous mystery to be untangled, and a bit more adventure than the usual Marsh mysteries.

Not my favorite Marsh story, but still good

This story has plenty to like. Having listened mostly to the earlier Inspector Alleyn stories, I quite enjoyed this one where his grown son is in the thick of the action. There were plenty of colorful characters that made the story good fun. And the atmosphere of the Channel Island was also quite well done - it made me wish I could visit!

My only disappointment was that the ending of the story seemed rushed. I won't say any more about the ending, because who wants to read a review of a mystery story that reveals whodunnit, but it was a bit of a let-down.

Detective Fiction that Never Disappoints

Would you listen to Last Ditch again? Why?

I probably would, because the story is reliable Ngaio Marsh: well-plotted, funny, and above all filled with wonderful characters.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the relationship between Detective Roderick Alleyn and his grown son.

Did Nadia May do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She did a pretty good job with accents and so forth, but I'm afraid I love the other narrator of Marsh's books, James Saxon, too much to give her the highest marks. Plus the quality of the recording was not the best.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh, no! It's much too long for that!

Any additional comments?

James Saxon rocks.