The Nursing Home Murder

by Ngaio Marsh

Dunedin threw one of those crazy spring days where we had snow in November, and it's still snowing. It was the perfect kind of a day to curl up with a good book.

When I first saw the title The Nursing Home Murder, I had visions of a murder happening in a old-folks home, but no, way back when it was the term used for a private hospital. In this book the murder takes place during the emergency operation for acute appendicitis of Derek O'Callaghan, the home secretary. Derek doesn't come out of it alive and considering there are a number of people in the operating room who have made threats against his life, questions get asked. The mode of murder - a drug overdose, so being an ex-pharmacist this book was right up my alley.

Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn is on the case, and I have to say I warmed to him, far more in this book than Enter a Murderer, where I found him irritating. Also in this book the only theatrics were those you'd expect during an operation - no actors, thank heavens.

It seemed a much calmer book than the last and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Next on my list on the Ngaio Marsh Challenge is Death in Ecstasy, but seeing as I'm having difficulty tracking down a copy - none in the second-hand stores around here and the library only has the talking book variety, it may take a while.