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Death in Ecstasy

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Death in Ecstasy

By: Ngaio Marsh
Narrated by: James Saxon
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About this listen

The poison was cyanide, slipped into the sacred wine of ecstasy just before it was presented to Miss Cara Quayne at the House of the Sacred Flame.

The victim was a deeply religious initiate who had trained for a month for her last ceremony. She was also a very beautiful woman.... The suspects were the other initiates and the high priest. All claimed they were above earthly passions. But Cara Quayne had provoked lust, jealousy - and murder.

Roderick Alleyn suspected that more evil still lurked behind the Sign of the Sacred Flame....

©1936 Original Text of 1936 by Ngaio Marsh (P)2015 Hachette Audio Cosy Crime Thrillers Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Thriller Crime Detective

Critic reviews

"A novelist of glittering accomplishment." ( Sunday Times)
"She writes better than Christie!" ( New York Times)
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I enjoy the Alleyn stories but enjoyed this less through the irritating narration. It gave impression that the narrator was not taking it seriously. Too many characters were caricatures and several sounded more like Julian and Sandy from Round The Horne than real people.

Spoiled by the strange voices used by the narrator

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The kind of crime that we’re used to from old-fashioned Holmes and detectives who play their part. The characters are a little cartoon-like and the accents are way too stereotypical but so what? I enjoyed listening to it.

Old-fashioned, light-hearted sleuthing

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Marsh is such an excellent writer that even her dated prejudices don’t spoilt too much of a good story. She and her wonderful Alleyn are inexplicably vicious about two young gay men who have done nothing wrong except be a little camp. They are certainly nicer characters than many I. This story but are described as disgusting etc. But Marsh can be cruel and judgmental about spinsters, fat women and anyone with any kind of mental illness. It’s throws an interesting light on her own tough character and beliefs. But brilliantly narrated as always and Alleyn and Fox and Bathgate are wonderful characters

Brilliant narration but good story marred

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The story’s grip came about half way through, until then it was a candidate for stopping the recording. Pleased I persevered.

The ingenuity of the author.

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I have always enjoyed reading Nagio Marsh previously. Found D in C thin and uninteresting. Maybe th effect of listening rather than reading!

Bored

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