Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh – for the #1940Club

Title: Surfeit of Lampreys
Author: Ngaio Marsh
Publication: Felony & Mayhem, paperback, originally published in 1940
Genre: Mystery
Setting: 20th century London

This week, Karen of Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings and Simon of Stuck in a Book are hosting the 1940 Club in which we all read and write about books published in that year.

Description: After losing her parents, Roberta Grey has left New Zealand for a new life in London with relatives. The charming Lamprey family, whom she met Down Under when at school with daughter Friede, are back in London and welcome her enthusiastically when her aunt is ill. They are aristocratic spendthrifts, always planning false economies and new but ultimately unsuccessful projects to boost their income, and just as often asking to be bailed out financially by Lord Charles’ brother. This time, instead of lending the Lampreys money, Lord Wutherwood is murdered in the elevator at their flat and, unfortunately, the Lampreys have the best motive. It is up to Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn to handle the delicate inquiry of the death of a peer but this is complicated by a household incapable of answering questions coherently – or telling the truth.

My Impression: This is one of Marsh’s most appealing books and a deft feat of detective work by Mr. Alleyn, who has a sort of locked room conundrum to decipher. Who had the opportunity to accompany Lord Wutherwood in the elevator to murder him and can Alleyn trust anyone to tell him the truth?

Alleyn had been confronted with the Lampreys for only some twenty minutes but already he had begun to feel a little as though they were handfuls of wet sand which, as fast as he grasped them, were dragged through his fingers by the action of some mysterious undertow.

In some ways, this reminds me less of Marsh’s other mysteries (some are distinctly better than others) and more of Brideshead Revisited. The Lampreys are seen not only through Alleyn but through the eyes of Roberta Grey, who idolizes them, especially Lady Charles and Henry, the eldest son (in fact, Henry teases Roberta about being Jane Eyre-ish). While Roberta knows their extravagance and lack of proper jobs are the cause of their financial crises, she values their warmth and the genuine affection they showed her as a child and now as an adult. She was worried the Lampreys might have outgrown her but they are all delighted to see her, even the understated Lord Charles. She can’t always keep up with their mental gymnastics – as when they all speak French so as to establish their alibis and she tries desperately to follow. The joke is on them, however, as none of them realize the policeman minding them understands French and hears all their plotting, which he reports back to Alleyn.

“I think everybody who gets involved with the Lampreys ends by falling for them,” said Dr. Kantripp. “They’ve got something. Charm, I suppose. You’ll fall for it yourself if you see much of them.”

“Shall I?” asked Alleyn vaguely. “That conjures up a lamentable picture, doesn’t it? The investigating officer who fell to doting on his suspects.”

Alleyn’s interaction with the youngest Lamprey, Michael (still under his Nanny’s thumb), is especially well depicted. Michael’s narrative provides a valuable clue and he proudly lends Alleyn his prized magnifying glass. Michael expresses interest in becoming a detective and those who know Marsh’s work well will recall that in Opening Night (1951) he has realized his goal as a police constable working for Alleyn. It’s a nice touch that enough years have passed to make it fairly plausible.

Source: Library.  This is my eleventh book for Carol's Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge.  The US title is Death of a Peer which is much too generic but typical of publishers afraid of using an unfamiliar word.