A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh

A Man Lay Dead

Roderick Alleyn #1

Ngaio Marsh

214 pages • first pub 1934 (editions)

fiction crime mystery dark mysterious medium-paced

Description

At Sir Hubert Handesley's country house party, five guests have gathered for the uproarious parlor game of "Murder." Yet no one is laughing when the lights come up on an actual corpse, the good-looking and mysterious Charles Rankin. Scotland Yard'...

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Community Reviews Summary of 741 reviews

Moods

mysterious 96%
adventurous 33%
lighthearted 26%
dark 15%
funny 13%
tense 13%
challenging 3%
emotional 3%
relaxing 3%
informative 1%
inspiring 1%
reflective 1%
sad 1%

Pace

medium 59%
fast 25%
slow 14%

Plot- or character-driven?

Plot: 72% | A mix: 20% | Character: 6%

Strong character development?

No: 79% | It's complicated: 11% | Yes: 6% | N/A: 2%

Loveable characters?

No: 42% | Yes: 31% | It's complicated: 20% | N/A: 6%

Diverse cast of characters?

No: 86% | Yes: 8% | It's complicated: 2% | N/A: 2%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

No: 71% | Yes: 21% | It's complicated: 4% | N/A: 2%

Average rating

3.35

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Content Warnings

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