Book Review: The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh (Roderick Alleyn #3)
Marsh’s third Roderick Alleyn book has a very clever premise but, unfortunately, it wasn’t executed that well.
The Nursing Home Murder has nothing to do with what we would call a nursing home in 2023 but is, instead, set in what we would now call a private hospital. The victim is a patient, the Home Secretary no less, being operated upon by a few likely suspects. Of these, his ex-mistress (a nurse) and the surgeon who is love with her, are the most interesting. The others – including a politically motivated Bolshevik nurse, a sleazy doctor, a conman chemist, his haughty wife, and his scatty hippy sister – not so much.
The saving grace for me was Alleyn himself. He continues to be hilarious. As is his offsider, Inspector Fox. There’s also a very brief but funny appearance by Nigel Bathgate and his fiancee who also featured in the previous two books.
All in all, this isn’t a bad book but it wouldn’t be the one I’d recommend to anyone if I was trying to convince them to read the series.
3 out of 5
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