81. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN0 00 651238 - HarperCollins, 1943

Colour plays an important role in unravelling the clues to solve a rather gruesome murder, det against the backdrop of the second world war and the geothermal hot springs of New Zealand's North Island. Marsh's passion for Shakespeare is personified in the character of Geoffrey Gaunt, a celebrated and tempermental actor. Insight into the "white" New Zealander's opinions of and interactions with the native Maori seems dated but was probably close to the mark at the time of writing.

68. Clutch of Constables by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-651259-3 - HarperCollins, 1968
Once again, Troy Alleyn is 'in situ' when a crime takes place. This time, a gang of international crooks is involved in forgery, robbery and murder. But which one of the river cruise boat Zodiac's passengers is the notorious ringleader nicknamed the 'Jampot'?
As is frequently the case in her mystery novels, Ngaio Marsh displays her interest and expertise in the art world.

66. Final Curtain by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-651241-0 - Harper Collins, 1947

The Ancred family make it impossible for painter Agatha Troy Alleyn, (CDI Roderick Alleyn's wife) to refuse the commission of portrait of patriarch and Shakespearean actor Sir Henry Ancred, Bart for his 70th birthday. There is much "drama" at Ancreton Manor which largely revolves around the family's distaste for Sir Henry's fiance Miss Sonia Orrincourt.
If Araidne Oliver was Agatha Christie in her own novels, Troy Alleyn was Ngaio Marsh living vicariously.

62. Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-616465-X - William Collins & Sons, 1964

When Wally Trehern's warts are "miraculously" cured by the cascading waters of a natural spring, hundreds of visitors flock to the Cornish village of Portcarrow seeking similar results.
Agatha Christie is the undeniable queen of the classic whodunit, complex plots being her forte. In Ngaio Marsh's Roderick Alleyn mysteries, characters and the foibles of human behaviour take centre stage. Spinster shop owner Elspeth Cost and fresh-faced teacher Jenny Williams, visiting from New Zealand, are immediately recognizable and sympathetic.

52. Swing Brother Swing by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0 00 613394 0 - 1949

Published in the USA as A Wreath for Rivera, this Roderick Alleyn mystery is full of interesting characters which include the eccentric Lord Pastern & Bagot, who flits from one obsession to another, and the handsome, womanizing accordionist Carlos Rivera.

When a theatrical stunt performed during a swing band concert goes wrong, Alleyn sifts through clues (which include a pair of pistols, an ornate French parasol and a silver pencil)to solve the murder.

51. Blackbeech and Honey Dew by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-651234-8 - 1981

While in New Zealand, we arranged a personal tour of mystery writer Ngaio Marsh's house in Cashmere, a suburb of Christchurch. Unlike most historic homes, this one is filled with books, photographs, paintings and furnishings actually owned by the people who lived there - Ngaio Marsh and her parents.

My hubby bought a copy of Blackbeech and Honeydew, Marsh's autobiography, for me and I found it interesting to read it while travelling in New Zealand, where most of it is set. Little has been written about her personal life, and this book deals mainly reminiscences of her childhood and work in the theatre, for which she received her "Damery".

Prior to touring her house, we visited her grave at Mt Peel in the cemetery of the Church of the Innocents.

49. Black as He's Painted by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN: 0006138403 - London: Fontana, 1975

"The story concerns a visit made by the President of the Commonwealth nation of Ng'omwana, known as "Boomer" to his friends, to London. He insists on dealing with the London police through Alleyn, an old public school friend of his, rather than allowing Special Branch to work directly with him on his security. Special Branch is not happy at his unwillingness to co-operate with their wishes, particularly as the Boomer had survived an assassination attempt only a few months previously. And then the Ng'omwanan ambassador in London is killed at a reception early in the visit, apparently in mistake for the president."

Read more here.

38. Tied up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0 00 613215 4 - Fontana/Collins 1972
Hilary Bill-Tasman has hired staff for his English country mansion straight out of some of Britain's most notorious prisons - Wormwood Scrubs, Broadmoor and the (fictional?) Vale. Each man served time for a single murder/manslaughter and has adapted to a life in service to varying degrees. Superintendant Roderick Alleyn's wife Troy is at Halberd's Manor to paint Hilary's portrait over the Christmas Holiday and so is on the scene when Moult, visiting Colonel Forrester's much maligned manservant goes missing.
From answers.com: Marsh, Dame Ngaio (nī'ō) , 1899–1982, New Zealand detective story writer. She was an art student, actress, and theatrical producer before her first novel, A Man Lay Dead, was published in 1934. Her many mystery novels, acute in characterization and literate in style, reflect her knowledge of the art studio and the theater. They include Artists in Crime (1938), Died in the Wool (1945), False Scent (1959), Killer Dolphin (1966), Last Ditch (1978), Photo Finish (1980), and her last book, Light Thickens, published posthumously (1982). She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1966.

29. Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh

ISBN 0-00-616530-3 - Fontana, 1954
This Roderick Alleyn mystery takes place in post World War II France where in infamous team of Mr Oberon and Dr Baradi use a cult as a front for a heroin factory and distribution network. Their own perverse egos are fed by recruiting young women into the fold.
While still in London, Alleyn's wife Agatha Troy receives strange letters form a distant relative - P. E. Garbel who lives near the Chateau de la Chevre d'Argent where Oberon leads his cult. As the plot unravels, Alleyn employes the aid of Raoul Milano who helps bring things to an intense climax during a bizarre ritual.