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Rating: 
Summary: A Personal Favorite
Review: Although the solution to the crime becomes increasingly apparent as the novel progresses, GRAVE MISTAKE--along with BLACK AS HE'S PAINTED and DEAD WATER--remains one of my three favorite Marsh novels. Why? Because it is a showcase for Marsh's skill in creating and presenting memorable characters, and this tale of lost treasure and multiple murder not only abounds with them, it is told with unusual wit even for the always witty Marsh.The story concerns the extremely rich Sybil Foster--who is also very much the hypocondriac. But on this occasion she has good reason to feel particularly under the weather: she is about to run afoul of her extremely unattractive step-son by her late first husband, who is determined to find an extremely valuable stamp his father concealed somewhere on the estate shortly before his death. Rather than cope with "Charmless Claude," she takes her self off to Greengages, a private rest home popular with the wealthy seeking a week's relaxion. But instead of relaxation, Sybil finds one crisis after another--and ultimately mysterious death. This is one of Marsh's most brilliantly written novels, dripping with atmosphere, and of the many memorable portraits it offers the character Verity Preston--Sybil's sometime friend--is Marsh writing at the top of her skill. As noted above, savvy readers will spot the killer before Inspector Allen does, but GRAVE MISTAKE is so beautifully done that even those who do figure it out shouldn't mind in the least. A personal favorite, and strongly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than i anticipated.
Review: First Marsh i've read in, oh, probably twentyfive years. I recall being a little unimpressed previously, which must be why i never went back to her. I am here to confirm, after this book, that i made a grave mistake in writing her off. More reviews of her work will doubtless feature here in the future, as i shall continue to read her. Like P.D. James, Marsh has the ability to create believable, likable or unlikable characters, and put them into situations in which they act and react properly. Also like James, she can create a nice twist in the tale. The mystery here is not as hard to penetrate as, for example, Christie at the height of her powers; nevertheless, it is terribly satisfying to know that i had figured out, along with Alleyn and Fox ~ the policemen involved ~ just who had killed whom and why. I love books in which the characters make me stop reading for a moment or two because i'm frustrated with what they've said or done, because it's so true and so annoying. This book made me do that several times, with several of the characters ~ Sybil Foster, the victim, Dr. Schramm, the man with a past ~ and this involuntary action is a tribute to the writing.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: I don't know why I've never read any of Marsh's books. Perhaps I expected them to be in the "cosy" style or formulaic. This was not the case, I'm relieved to say. Grave Mistake has some very well-drawn characters, lots of suspects, superior plotting, and a vocabulary that puts a lot of contemporary writers to shame. While the style of speech is somewhat old-fashioned, it does not deter from a thoroughly entertaining book. Marsh was obviously a keen and perceptive observer of human nature and it shows both in the interior thoughts of the characters and in their behavior. While I doubt that I'll go back to the beginning and read the author's complete works, this was a rewarding adventure in reading.
Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: I don't know why I've never read any of Marsh's books. Perhaps I expected them to be in the "cosy" style or formulaic. This was not the case, I'm relieved to say. Grave Mistake has some very well-drawn characters, lots of suspects, superior plotting, and a vocabulary that puts a lot of contemporary writers to shame. While the style of speech is somewhat old-fashioned, it does not deter from a thoroughly entertaining book. Marsh was obviously a keen and perceptive observer of human nature and it shows both in the interior thoughts of the characters and in their behavior. While I doubt that I'll go back to the beginning and read the author's complete works, this was a rewarding adventure in reading.
Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best
Review: I don't know, usually, as I've said in previous reviews of Marsh's mysteries, even the ones that don't seem to be as good prove at least satisfying. Here, this doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe I was just slow, but the plot really didn't seem to run as smoothly as it usually does in her books, which is a shame since the characters are quite well-drawn. A wealthy widow commits suicide at a well-known spa/health hotel. Did she do it because she was angry with her daughter or because she suspected that she herself may have an incurable disease? The question soon becomes, did she commit suicide at all? It's up to Detective Inspector Alleyn and his trusty side-kick, Inspector Fox, to get to the bottom of this grave.
Rating:
Summary: Grave-ly good
Review: Perhaps this one is a bit generic for most people, but it is one of her best from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. A good, solid mystery plot and a nice English village setting.
Rating:
Summary: Not Marsh's best
Review: Routine murder investigation in rural England featuring Ngaio Marsh's signature detective Roderick Alleyn. An heiress is murdered and suspicion immediately falls upon her doctor, who recently became her fiance and received a tidy bequest in a new will. But what of her sullen stepson and the mystery of the Black Alexander?
A good if routine murder mystery. I enjoyed Death of a Peer (aka A Surfeit of Lampreys) more.
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