Roderick Alleyn Novels by Plot Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In Alleyn's first appearance he investigates the death of a man during a party's murder game.

Answer: A Man Lay Dead

"A Man Lay Dead" was Ngaio Marsh's first Roderick Alleyn novel. In many ways, this novel is the quintessential mystery novel from the Golden Age. It takes place in a country manor belonging to Sir Hubert Handesley. Handesley has a handful of guests for the weekend, including journalist Nigel Bathgate, who made many appearances in Alleyn's early novels. When the guests play the Murder Game, the victim turns up dead for real, and Alleyn must solve the murder while also investigating potential Russian spies and thefts.

This novel also introduces Inspector Fox, Alleyn's good friend, and his underlings Bailey and Thompson.

2. On the island village of Portcarrow, a spring's healing water turns deadly when a local proprietress is found dead in it.

Answer: Dead Water

In "Dead Water", the village of Portcarrow is famous for its healing spring that once cured the warts off the hand of a young boy. Nowadays, the sick and infirm come from all over the world to experience the spring's healing water. Many of the local villagers have found creative ways to financially exploit the visitors, while others do not believe in the healing power of the water and scold those who do. Alleyn's former teacher, Miss Emily, has come to inherit the island of Portcarrow from her sister and vows to end the exploitation of the island's visitors.

This causes many prominent villagers to hate Miss Emily, and she soon receives death threats and is attacked. However, it is another similar-looking woman named Elspeth Cost who is found dead in the spring's water. Alleyn must figure out if Miss Cost was the real target or if Miss Emily was.

3. The village of East Mardian's Winter Solstice Festival goes awry when the man playing the fool is beheaded for real.

Answer: Death of a Fool

"Death of a Fool" was also published as "Off with His Head". In this novel, Alleyn travels to the faraway village of East Mardian. East Mardian is a quaint English town steeped in lore from Pagan times. The Winter Solstice festival is the most important to the town, and the Andersen family partake in a big show and dance. During the performance, the fool is supposed to be beheaded.

However, Bill Andersen, the patriarch, is actually beheaded for real in a grotesque scene. Alleyn believes the solution lies with a Mrs. Bunz, a myth enthusiast who was eager to learn the town's secrets.

4. While traveling in New Zealand with a troupe of actors, Alleyn investigates the murder of the manager who was conked on the head with a champagne bottle.

Answer: Vintage Murder

"Vintage Murder" takes place in Marsh's home country of New Zealand. Alleyn is traveling with his acting friends as they tour New Zealand. Alfred Meyer is the troupe manager and his wife, Carolyn, is the leading lady. Alfred arranges an elaborate surprise for Carolyn's birthday, only the plan goes wrong and a heavy champagne bottle falls on Meyer's head, killing him. Alleyn investigates, and notes that only a select few people knew about Meyer's surprise and even fewer could have pulled the murder off in the small window of time it was committed.

5. During a theatrical performance, a prop gun turns out to be anything but when an actor is fatally wounded on stage.

Answer: Enter a Murderer

"Enter a Murderer" was Marsh's second Alleyn novel, and the first of many to be set in the theater. Marsh was actually more famous during her life for her work as a theater director and other positions involving the stage than she was for her mystery novels. Many of Alleyn's appearances involve the theater or actors. The title of this novel comes from "MacBeth".

In this novel, a stage play goes wrong when actor Felix Gardener "shoots" his rival Arthur Surbonardier. It was supposed to be an act, but someone had replaced the blanks in the prop gun with real bullets and Surbonardier dies.

6. Alleyn's wife, the painter Agatha Troy, finds herself on an unusual cruise where all the passengers seem to be plotting against her.

Answer: Clutch of Constables

The title "Clutch of Constables" refers to a group of paintings by the artist John Constable, not a group of policemen, although that misunderstanding is actually a clue in the novel.

Agatha Troy-Alleyn takes a short pleasure cruise where her fellow travelers are a group of unusual passengers, many of whom are cold and make Troy feel uncomfortable. When of the passengers mysteriously disappears during the night, Alleyn comes aboard with his wife to sort things out.

7. A group of people are trapped in a mansion during a blizzard but that does not stop a murderer from striking.

Answer: Death and the Dancing Footman

In "Death and the Dancing Footman", Alleyn does not make an appearance until well into the novel, as he is not one of the people trapped in Jonathan Royal's mansion during a weekend party. A series of strange accidents happen to a few of the guests, including one of them being pushed into a freezing swimming pool and nearly drowning.

When of the guests, William Compline, is murdered, Alleyn must put together the other guests' stories to figure out who did it. The most important witness may be Thomas, a footman who was dancing in the hallway as the murder was being committed.

8. As a child, Ricky Alleyn is kidnapped in France while his father investigates a drug ring.

Answer: Spinsters in Jeopardy

Ricky Alleyn is Alleyn and Troy's only child. As a child, Ricky would have panic attacks and get disoriented. In "Spinster in Jeopardy", Alleyn brings his family to France on a working vacation. Alleyn is investigating the cult at the Chateau de Chevre d'Argent as possible drug smugglers. Ricky gets kidnapped, and Alleyn and Troy find him quickly, only to realize his kidnapping was a distraction to divert Alleyn's attention away from the chateau.

This novel was also published as "The Bride of Death".

9. As an adult, Ricky Alleyn is kidnapped while his father investigates a drug ring.

Answer: Last Ditch

In "Last Ditch", Ricky Alleyn is now a young man who is staying at the seaside village of Deep Cove when he stumbles upon a drug ring involving his landlord and a local artist. Despite being warned by his father, Ricky investigates and gets beaten up while traveling in France, and later kidnapped and beaten again. Meanwhile, Roderick Alleyn is in Deep Cove to investigate both the drug smuggling and the possible murder of a young woman who died in an equestrian accident.

10. In Alleyn's last novel, a performance of MacBeth ends badly when the actor playing the Scot is beheaded for real.

Answer: Light Thickens

"Light Thickens" was the last book Marsh wrote before her death and it was published in 1982, the same year she died. In this novel, Alleyn investigates the beheading of Sir Dougal MacDougal, the actor playing MacBeth in a stage play. MacDougal was beheaded and his head placed on a claymore, which was then carried on stage by an actor who thought the head was a mask.

A few characters from an earlier novel called "Death at the Dolphin" appear in this novel. The most prominent is the writer and director Peregrine Jay. In "Death at the Dolphin" Jay met Alleyn after a murder was committed in the Dolphin Theater when another of Jay's plays was being performed.

Source: Author Joepetz

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Questions		Choices
1. In Alleyn's first appearance he investigates the death of a man during a party's murder game.		Vintage Murder
2. On the island village of Portcarrow, a spring's healing water turns deadly when a local proprietress is found dead in it.		Last Ditch
3. The village of East Mardian's Winter Solstice Festival goes awry when the man playing the fool is beheaded for real.		Enter a Murderer
4. While traveling in New Zealand with a troupe of actors, Alleyn investigates the murder of the manager who was conked on the head with a champagne bottle.		Spinsters in Jeopardy
5. During a theatrical performance, a prop gun turns out to be anything but when an actor is fatally wounded on stage.		Clutch of Constables
6. Alleyn's wife, the painter Agatha Troy, finds herself on an unusual cruise where all the passengers seem to be plotting against her.		A Man Lay Dead
7. A group of people are trapped in a mansion during a blizzard but that does not stop a murderer from striking.		Death of a Fool
8. As a child, Ricky Alleyn is kidnapped in France while his father investigates a drug ring.		Death and the Dancing Footman
9. As an adult, Ricky Alleyn is kidnapped while his father investigates a drug ring.		Dead Water
10. In Alleyn's last novel, a performance of MacBeth ends badly when the actor playing the Scot is beheaded for real.		Light Thickens

Match the title of the Roderick Alleyn novel to its basic plot description. Alleyn is a gentleman detective created by Ngaio Marsh.