La Somita, an American Italian opera singer is in New Zealand on part of a world tour. She has been followed down under by a ( )

Read in the hardcover omnibus "Ngaio Marsh: 5 Complete Novels"

Once again Marsh takes us to New Zealand, this time with Alleyn accompanying Troy on a commission to paint a famous soprano (with of course some commission of his own from the Chief Commissioner!). I liked the setting and I am always glad when Troy is involved but for some reason this late entry in the series seemed to lack some of the spark that her earlier books had. Maybe I am missing Fox? ( )

Summary: A New Zealand trip for Alleyn and Troy goes sideways when Isabella Sommita, a soprano and diva is murdered after she debuts a badly written opera composed by her latest love interest.

Troy has been invited to paint the portrait of famed soprano Isabella Sommita by her Aristotle Onassis-like friend, Montague Reece. It appears to have all the trappings of a romantic getaway for her and Alleyn. She has been invited to Reece’s Waihoe Lodge on a remote lake in New Zealand. Alleyn has been invited separately to “consult” on dealing with a particularly annoying member of the paparazzi, calling himself “Strix” who has managed to insinuate himself into a variety of situations where he has taken the most unflattering pictures of The Sommita. Alleyn is reluctant to go, given the penchant they have for getting mixed up in murder cases together. The deal is sealed however by his superior, who thinks he ought to go because of a vague international drug connection that The Sommita is rumored to have some association with.

The setting and the Lodge are as stunningly beautiful as Troy and Alleyn imagine. Marsh, a native New Zealander, describes the scene so vividly I could see it in my mind’s eye, and a storm section later in the book so palpably that I felt I was hearing the wind and rain pelt the Lodge. Reece has set up a well-appointed studio for Troy to use for the portrait and they are treated as guests of honor. But she will never make more than preliminary sketches.

Isabella Sommita, like many of the stage figures in Marsh’s books is full of herself, in this case the definition of diva. She is barely tolerated by her entourage, the maid Maria, her manager Ben Ruby, and the rest of the household staff including the very proper housekeeper Mrs. Bacon and the officious secretary of Mr. Reece, Ned Hanley. She has taken under her wing (and into her bed) Rupert Bartholomew, a young composer who has written a mediocre work just for her, The Alien Corn, with The Sommita playing the title role of the biblical role, complete with a climactic song that allows her to hit her famous high notes. They will debut the piece at the Waihoe Lodge with a cast of supporting singers, a music critic and Signor Beppo Lattienzo, with whom The Sommita had trained.

It’s thought that the remote location was safe from the increasingly hostile photographic intrusions of “Strix” but an incident during rehearsals, another photograph taken, suggests “Strix” is in their midst, yet he cannot be found. As the performance approaches, Rupert Bartholomew, who will conduct, begins to realize what a mess he is. He is awakening both to the poor quality of his composition and how he is in thrall to The Sommita. He tries to back out but neither Reece nor The Sommita will hear of it.

The guests arrive as a storm is setting in. The production comes off, with The Sommita giving her all to a very poor piece. As everyone is applauded, Bartholomew summons the courage to apologize for his shoddy work. The Sommita is infuriated and storms off to her bedroom while Rupert faints. When The Sommita doesn’t appear, Reece covers for her and asks Maria to take her a warm drink. A scream follows. The Sommita is lying spread-eagle on her bed–dead. A stiletto has been driven into her heart (post-mortem as it turns out) with a photograph taken earlier in the day pinned to her.

The storm has risen and most of the guests, save the performers and a few special guests have just gotten out in time. The rest are stuck there and the lake is so turbulent that the police cannot come. So Alleyn reluctantly takes charge and does his best to secure the crime scene and to collect evidence while it is fresh with the assistance of Dr Carmichael, even though he has no authority other than Mr. Reece’s permission.

Was it “Strix”? Or Rupert, who had a key to the bedroom as her lover? Or someone else in the household? And does a book Alleyn found in the Lodge library describing a vendetta between two New York crime families in which a young woman dies under similar circumstances have anything to do with the case? By the time the authorities arrive, Alleyn has figured out who “Strix” is and is ready, with Inspector Hazelmere to resolve the case.

I have to admit that having read a number of Marsh’s works, this felt a bit formulaic to me–a stage personality, a remote house party, a performance with the death of a lead, an extreme weather event leaving Alleyn in charge. Even so, the final denouement had some twists that caught me by surprise. And I have to admit that I have always enjoyed the New Zealand settings the best. This work was the next to last published in her life, two years before she died, showing her still quite competent in re-mixing the standard devices into an engaging story. ( )

Opera singer Isabella Sommita has been plagued by a tenacious paparazzi determined to get unflattering photos of her. A young man has attracted her notice for the opera he has composed especially for her. It's to be performed at a luxurious island location for celebrated guests including Troy Alleyn who will be painting Sommita’s portrait, and her husband police inspector Roderick Alleyn. Sommita performed well, although the opera is mediocre. Naturally, this being a mystery novel, there is a storm, phones are cut off and the single trip by the small launch is unable to take everyone off the island. When Sommita is found murdered Alleyn and the launch operator are able to communicate by morse code using the bright lighting with drapes open, and even by semaphore, surely the weirdest part of the story. In my experience a storm might take out electricity leaving phones in working order, but obviously things are different in New Zealand.

Marsh is often compared to Agatha Christie but for me she is not in the same league as Christie. There was a lot of repetition in this humdrum novel. It was dragged out so much that it cancelled out any suspense that might have been generated, despite ample red herrings. ( )

The penultimate Alleyn novel takes Marsh’s detective hero back to her native New Zealand. Once again a portrait commission for Alleyn’s wife Agatha Troy leads to her joining a house party, this time at a millionaire’s island retreat, and unusually Alleyn is included in the invitation. Whilst the case is interesting and the cast of characters varied Marsh doesn’t quite nail the tone with some reversion to a more 30s manner. Still it’s a good fun read. ( )