A Man Lay Dead

Ngaio Marsh's first book introduces Roderick Alleyn of Scotland Yard, the central character in all her subsequent mysteries. When a party at the country house of Sir Hubert Handesley gathers for the uproarious parlor game Murder, the lights come up on an actual corpse. Inspector Alleyn finds the butler missing, alibis for all the suspects, and an intricate puzzle of betrayal. Without ado, he determines to find the key to this deadly game. "It is time to start comparing Christie to Marsh instead of the other way around." - New York Magazine