Final Curtain (Hardcover)

Troy is to paint Sir Henry Ancred in the character of Macbeth. (Troy asks him about the superstition that it's an unlucky play - while he avoids speaking the name, he says it was far from unlucky for *him*.) Sir Henry is 75, handsome, a cooperative sitter - and lively, as the frequent interfamily bouts of temperament, and his recently-installed young mistress (or fiancee?) Sonia Orrincourt, bear witness. Most of Sir Henry's family - those not still on active military service - live in the Ancred mansion, and generally make a point of demonstrating how highly-strung they are. They've suspended their normal feuds to ally against Sonia. Sir Henry keeps matters stirred up, having not only his own formidable artistic temperament, but indulging a rich oldster's hobby of revising his will at regular intervals - and publicly presenting Sonia with valuable family jewelry soothes no feathers.

Sir Henry's 10-year-old grandaughter Patricia, is currently out of favor due to a rash of crude practical jokes - but did an elder relative engineer them to discredit her? Fenella and Paul, as distant cousins, want to marry, over the old man's objections. How much would they - or their parents on their behalf - want to secure their inheritance? Cedric, as next in line to the title (and with an overdone effeminate manner, a stock figure in Marsh's work) is a disappointment to his grandsire, and may be cut to the bare bones of the entailed estate now that Sir Henry might remarry. In contrast to the usual stereotype, Sonia is more a more sympathetic character than most of the family - no pretentions as an actress or a person, making a refreshing change from most of the Ancreds.

On the evening of Sir Henry's birthday, everything comes together: Alleyn is due back, Troy's painting is complete, Sir Henry's solicitor is present to make a new will - and sure enough, one of the party is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Alleyn must finally face his personal problem with keeping Troy and his work in separate compartments. Inspector Fox, once again, is shown to be a full partner on the police team, not merely a sidekick and foil.

Sayers and Christie were skilled in narrating upper British class society in a very comfortable and convincing manner. Marsh on the other hand, though her characters were supposed to be British, did not realistically convey her portrayal of the upper-class Ancred family from a native's perspectives. In this aspect, it was unfortunate for Marsh that she was a New Zealander and a first time reader like myself would conclude that was at least partially responsible for her characters not being genuinely British enough.

The story began with Mrs Alleyn, nee Troy, wife of Inspector Alleyn who was one of Marsh primary detective character, being commissioned to paint a portrait of Sir Henry Ancred, an aristocrat equally proud of his background in the dramatic arts.

Arriving at the manor of the baronet, Troy discovered a menagerie of Andreds, by blood and by law, in a highly tensed family situation. While tension was a familiar atmosphere in a family with most members from theatrical background, the severity increased significantly with the widowed Sir Henry being taken by third-rate actress Sonia Orrincourt, and therefore placing the inheritance of his children and grandchildren at risk.

Despite a series of practical pranks and family bombshells, Troy managed to complete the portrait, just before the subject was found dead several hours later.

No foul play was suspected at that time, and Troy resumed her life, meeting with her husband who had been away for nearly two years. For Marsh fans, this would be a significant reunion, and Marsh did not disappoint them by being economical with the details, I suspect.

Shortly after that though, the focus returned to the Ancreds whom all except Sonia received anonymous letters saying the death of Sir Henry was murdered contrived by the one who benefitted the most. Inspector Alleyn was charged with sorting through the menagerie in the Ancred household, from the widowed daughter-in-law who kept the house, to the love-struck first cousins, to the precocious granddaughter, a wide range of colourful characters who couldn't seem to stop being dramatic off stage.

The mystery itself was rather disappointing. Agatha Christie's Poirot would lament at the lack of pattern. However, a positive point to be made was Marsh did not have her detective over-analyse the suspects as Christie was sometimes prone to do.