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Roderick Alleyn is back in this unique crime novel begun by Ngaio Marsh during the Second World War and now completed by Stella Duffy. Mr Glossop is on his regular run delivering wages to the hospitals scattered across New Zealand's Canterbury plains. When his car breaks down, he is forced to stay the night at Mount Seager Hospital, twenty miles from the nearest town, where soldiers recovering from scarlet fever are giving the nursing staff a hard time. When Mr Glossop's payroll disappears from a locked safe and the hospital's death toll starts to rise faster than normal, can the appearance of an English detective working in counterespionage be just a lucky coincidence or an indication that something more sinister is afoot?
A missing payroll and a rising death toll at a remote New Zealand hospital draw Inspector Alleyn into a complex web of suspicion. Mr. Glossop, delivering wages to Mount Seager Hospital, finds himself stranded and witnesses a payroll theft from a locked safe. As the hospital's mortality rate escalates beyond normal, the presence of an English detective involved in counterespionage raises questions about whether his arrival is a coincidence or a sign of a deeper conspiracy. Alleyn must navigate the isolated setting and the tensions between recovering soldiers and the nursing staff to uncover the truth.
This novel, completed by Stella Duffy from Ngaio Marsh's wartime manuscript, offers a classic mystery framework within a unique historical context. The premise suggests a slow-burn investigation, typical of Marsh's style, focusing on character interactions and atmospheric tension within the isolated hospital setting. The blend of a wartime espionage element with a seemingly contained hospital mystery provides layers for the reader to unravel. The completion by Duffy indicates an effort to honor Marsh's original intent while bringing the story to a modern audience.
Page Count:
336
Publication Date:
2018-03-08
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers Limited
ISBN-10:
0008207119
ISBN-13:
9780008207113
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