Artists in Crime cover art

Artists in Crime

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Artists in Crime

By: Ngaio Marsh
Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

About this listen

 It started as a student exercise, the knife under the drape, the model's pose chalked in place. But before Agatha Troy, artist and instructor, returns to the class, the pose has been re-enacted in earnest: the model is dead, fixed for ever in one of the most dramatic poses Troy has ever seen.

It's a difficult case for Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn. How can he believe that the woman he loves is a murderess? And yet no one can be above suspicion.

©1938 Ngaio Marsh (P)2008 Hachette Digital Cosy Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Traditional Detectives Crime Thriller Suspense
All stars
Most relevant
I really like this novel, mainly due to the characterisation and how well Marsh evokes the time, place and mileu. And of course the first meeting of Troy and Alleyn! Regarding this production, Cumberbatch is excellent as usual as the performer. My only complaint is the abridging. It retains the storyline but loses some of the evocative details so characteristic of Marsh's novels. Otherwise, brilliant all round.

love this novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Love this story and very well read - but I did not (entirely my fault) realise it was the abridged version. Cuts out far too much of the characters personalities - the story is complete - but lacks the character based feel of the original book.

Abridged version - Well read but quite short !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What made the experience of listening to Artists in Crime the most enjoyable?

Excellent characterisation really bought story to life.

Which character – as performed by Benedict Cumberbatch – was your favourite?

Roderick - you can really immerse yourself in the rich flavour of this character.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I enjoyed the meeting of Roderick and Agatha in Suva.

Any additional comments?

Another enjoyable read from Marsh with the added bonus of the rich tones of Cumberbatch.

Enjoyable listen with excellent characterisation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The old language the depth of caricatures could not put down enjoyed it all read again some time in the future

The actingthe

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What did you like most about Artists in Crime?

Clever mystery, along the lines of Dorothy L Sayers. Have now listened to a couple of others by Ngaio Marsh and they have also not disappointed. Looking forward to listening to more.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Roderick Alleyn (the detective) - gentle, intelligent and humane.

What does Benedict Cumberbatch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Lovely voice, and commitment to dramatizing all the characters subtly and skilfully. (Well, he is an excellent actor after all!)

Classic mystery, appealing detective, 5 star narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews