False Scent

by Ngaio Marsh

Book Overview

In a poisonous cloud of spray, the curtain falls on a drama queen. Little did beloved British actress Mary Bellamy know that she would be done in at her own birthday party-choked by toxic mist from the bottle of "Slaypest," a deadly insecticide. Basking in the glow of her most adoring fans-who all happened to be her most duplicitous enemies-Mary would make her final performance. When Superintendent Roderick Alleyn arrives, he smells a rat amongst...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 051508056X
• ISBN13: 9780515080568
• Release Date: December 1984
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Flowers, perfume, and insecticide as birthday tributes

false scent - 1. (as a phrase) a trail mistakenly believed to lead to the quarry, especially such a trail laid with the intention of deflecting pursuit or misleading an investigation 2. (from the individual words) a perfume that is either not genuine or that is treacherous - from the SHORTER OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY I recommend the unabridged recording narrated by James Saxon. Ngaio Marsh's books appear to best advantage when performed rather than simply read (possibly her work as a playwright makes the dialogue specially effective that way). FALSE SCENT is one of Marsh's mysteries set in the world of the theatre (like most of them, specifically the London stage). The entire action of the book takes place in a single day and night, the fiftieth birthday of the famous comedic actress Mary Bellamy (not that many people officially know her age, apart from her devoted dresser/personal maid Florence, her often-forgotten doting husband Charles Templeton, and her elderly ex-nurse, Ninn - who enjoys drinking port and being outrageous). The point of view in the first portion of the book rotates through various members of the cast, beginning with the intended victim's dream of her own funeral tributes, fading into the actual tributes offered to her on her birthday. Although she's a comedic actress who fancies herself charming and generous, dealing with Mary Bellamy has been anything but a laugh of late for those close to her. In reality, she demands absolute devotion from everyone, reducing them to satellites in her orbit, seeking her permission before forming professional relationships with anyone else. This ranges from her old cronies dress designer Bertie Saracen (whose fame grew by association with her) and supporting actress Pinky Cavendish (who is finally being offered leading roles, not just opportunities to be upstaged by Mary), and not least her quasi-adopted son Richard Dakers (whose first few plays were written for Mary, but who wants to write serious work for which she isn't suited). Richard in particular is headed for a disastrous quarrel with his guardian, having not only written a leading role for which Mary would never even be considered, but for embarking without his guardian's knowledge on a serious relationship with Anelida Lee, a young actress who can perform in more than a single restricted genre. Anelida, as both the female romantic lead and someone outside Mary Bellamy's own circle, is used more frequently than most as the viewpoint character, as she is involved in events without being on intimate terms with most of the other players in the story. (One mystery *not* overlooked in the book is why Mary's constant threats to go to "the Management" whenever she's angry with another person of the theatre world are taken so very seriously by everyone around her.) In fact, Mary Bellamy's increasingly frequent fits of jealous rage bring her into conflict with everyone close to her on the last day of her life, her quarrels ranging from

Marsh sets center stage thriller

To be "done in" at one's own birthday party is not exactly what one would wish for! But inNgaio Marsh's "False Scent," this is what happens. Kind of. Famed--and much revered--MaryBellamy of the London stage takes a whiff of her favorite perfume, and, poof, she's dead! In typical Marsh fashion, of course, "False Scent" is off to the races, once again withSuperintendent Roderick Alleyn on the "scent," as it were. No odor is too powerful for him! Theallure of such crimes keeps him (and Marsh) going. The taciturn Alleyn moves in and out of thelocal theatre circuit (or perhaps "circus") and methodically, systematically, and accuratelycategorizing all clues, false and otherwise (and Marsh is good at this, too, as she's proved in over 30such novels!). What a web Dame Marsh weaves and what a journey it is for her readers. Hold on to your seats,this a blockbuster! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

great audio experience!

I'm a mystery lover, and a book reader in general, but had never tried audiobooks until a couple of weeks ago, when I bought this one for a road trip. What a thrill! This reader is a BRILLIANT actor... in terms of characterizations of the typically wide range of class accents in this sort of British murder mystery, as well as inflection in long spells of narrative, he is superb. I almost regret having heard his performance, as I've since been listening to a "Miss Silver" mystery from another company (and reader), and have been disappointed by a bland delivery and some distracting problems with audio levels. I'm going to check out EVERY audio book read by JAmes Saxon, though-- "False Scent" was spellbinding. I'm a convert to the format, and looking forward to my commutes with future Marsh/Saxon volumes. Oh yes-- the book itself is wonderful, as are all Ngaio Marsh novels.

Yep, another good yarn from Ngaio Marsh

Mary Bellamy is an aging actress, given to fits of jealousy and paranoia, who can go from charming to vindictive in less than ten seconds. So really, no one should have been too surprised when someone takes the aptly named "Slaypest" insecticide that Mary uses on her flowers, and kills her with it. Suddenly, those closest to Mary - her adopted son, devoted husband, faithful maid, old nanny, personal stylist/designer, old admirer and theatre colleagues are suspected of murder. A particularly good read if you are at all familiar with the inner-workings of the theatre and the mentality of theatre folk.