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Opening Night

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About this listen

Dreams of stardom had lured Martyn Tarne from faraway New Zealand to make the dreary, soul-destroying round of West End agents and managers in search of work.

The Vulcan Theatre had been her last forlorn hope, and now, driven by sheer necessity, she was glad to accept the humble job of dresser to its leading lady. And then came the eagerly awaited opening night.

To Martyn the night brought a strange turn of the wheel of fortune - but to one distinguished member of the cast it was to bring sudden and unforeseen death....

©1951 Original Text of 1951 by Ngaio Marsh (P)2015 Hachette Audio Cosy Crime Thrillers International Mystery & Crime Mystery Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Fiction Crime Thriller Detective Suspense

Critic reviews

"Miss Marsh at her best...she is thoroughly at home in the wings with a pack of actors locked in the grip of rehearsals and jealous intrigue." ( New Statesman)
"Miss Marsh’s best yet." ( Observer)
All stars
Most relevant
Intensely enjoyable rendition of one of my favourite Ngaio Marsh detective novels.
From James Saxon's portrayal of John James Rutherford through Adam Poole, Fred Badger, Martyn Tarn, Gay Gainsford to Fox, Gibson and even Alleyn - his expression of these characters came across clearly and with liveliness. The simplicity of Martyn Tarn's voice, the rich plumbiness of John James Rutherford's voice and the underplayed but authoritative voice of Alleyn and others all combined to allow the listener to sink into the world of Ngaio Marsh's excellent tale. A very expertly handled performance.
I look forward to others narrated by this excellent actor.

Well performed - an excellent tale.

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Superb story, superbly narrated! If you enjoy Golden Age Crime fiction, you’ll love this audiobook

Brilliant!

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Apart from some dated aspects this is a great theatrical mystery, so we’ll written and brilliantly narrated as always.

Excellent in every way

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I usually love inspector Allyn stories; but Ngaio Marsh must have been having an off day when she wrote this. Ridiculous and unbelievable heroine and plot. More like an adolescent love story with a bit of implausible murder thrown in.
Don't bother with this one. She usually rights much better than this.
The narrator did his best with very poor material.

What a mess

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