Death of a Fool
Book description
Pagan revelry and morris dancing in the middle of a very cold winter set the scene for one of Ngaio Marsh's most fascinating murder mysteries. When the pesky Anna Bunz arrives at Mardian to investigate the rare survival of folk-dancing still practised there, she quickly antagonizes the villagers. But Mrs…
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Why read it?
1 author picked Death of a Fool as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
One of Marsh's best Roderick Alleyn mysteries. Her writing style, as always, is superb. The characters are well-rounded and clearly depicted. Alleyn is, as always, the interested observer. The heavy mystery is lightened by touches of humor. The winter solstice fertility ritual is a synthesis of components of actual ancient English rituals (another version can be seen in the movie, "The Wicker Man"). Marsh gives references in an Author's Note for those who want more information. I would warn, however, that it was written in 1956 and does express some questionable views about mental illness.
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