Ngaio Marsh Books In Order

Publication Order of Roderick Alleyn Books

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Edith Ngaio Marsh was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 23 April 1895. Although this date was officially registered as her birth date, there were uncertainties because her father neglected to register her birth until 1900. Throughout her life, Marsh was primarily known as a writer, focusing on crime fiction. She also made significant contributions to the arts as a theatre director, actress, and artist.

At the age of seven, Marsh’s parents moved to Valley Road, Cashmere, where her father had built a house, destined to be Marsh’s home for the remainder of her life. Her education began at a dame school run by Sibella E. Ross before enrolling in St Margaret’s College in 1910, a private Anglican girls’ school known for its Anglo-Catholic bias. After three years, marked by her active involvement in dramatic and literary pursuits, Marsh’s play “The Moon Princess” was performed in 1913, with her mother playing the role of the witch. This play was hailed by the Christchurch Press as “A Clever Little Play”.

In 1913, Marsh attended the Canterbury College School of Art as a part-time student while supplementing her income with private tutoring. It was here she met lifelong friends Olivia Spencer Bower and Evelyn Polson. Despite the college’s formal academic orientation, Marsh found encouragement from her teachers, Richard and Elizabeth Wallwork, and formed significant friendships with members of the Rhodes and Acland families.

Marsh’s writings, including books, poems, and articles, were published by the Christchurch Sun. Between 1919 and 1920, she joined the Shakespeare Company on a New Zealand tour at the invitation of its head, Wilkie.

As an artist, Marsh participated in a 1927 exhibition organized by the Group, which sought to challenge the conservative policies of the Canterbury College School. Although she continued painting throughout her life, she gradually set aside her artistic ambitions.

In 1928, Marsh traveled to England, documenting her experiences under the pseudonym “A New Canterbury Pilgrim” in a series of articles for the Christchurch Press. During her five-year stay in England, she co-founded the interior decorating shop “Touch and Go” with Nellie Rhodes but returned to New Zealand due to her mother’s illness. Her mother, Rose Marsh, passed away that same year.

Marsh stood out among the leading figures of the English mystery golden age, including Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy L. Sayers, as the only one to continue publishing books into the 1980s. Over fifty years, from 1932 to 1982, Marsh wrote thirty-two detective novels.

She received an honorary degree in literature from the University of Canterbury in 1962 and was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1966. Marsh never married and passed away on 18 February 1982 at her home in Valley Road at the age of 86.

Marsh Books in Series

Death and the Dancing Footman
Jonathan Royal, bored and wealthy, devises a plan to invite seven acquaintances, all of whom harbor mutual animosities, to his estate for a weekend, unknown to them that their rivals will also be attending. As they are forced to coexist in close quarters during a harsh winter, Royal’s intention is to observe their reactions for amusement. The situation escalates when a murder occurs, and Inspector Alleyn is called to solve the mystery, turning Royal’s game into a deadly serious investigation.

Artists in Crime
At Agatha Troy’s studio, a discussion among art students about a theoretical “perfect murder” turns grim when the model, Sonia Gluck, is found murdered in the manner they had imagined. Inspector Alleyn is faced with a complex problem: the students, indulging in dramatics, further complicate the investigation. The mystery deepens as Alleyn untangles the web of artistic intrigue and personal vendettas to find the killer.