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About the author: Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (1895 – 1982) was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966.
Marsh is known as one of the "Queens of Crime", along with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham. She is known primarily for her character Inspector Roderick Alleyn, a gentleman detective who works for the Metropolitan Police (London).
The Ngaio Marsh Award is awarded annually for the best New Zealand mystery, crime and thriller fiction writing. (wikipedia)
Major characters:
The Wai-ata-tapu spa staff:
- Colonel Edward Claire, owner
- Agnes Claire, his wife
- Simon Claire, their son
- Barbara Claire, their coming-of-age daughter
- Dr. James Ackrington, Agnes' brother
- Herbert Smith, hard-drinking handyman
- Huia, a Maori maid
The guests:
- Maurice Questing, the mysterious guest
- Geoffrey Gaunt, celebrated actor
- Dikon Bell, Gaunt's secretary
- Alfred Colly, Gaunt's servant/valet
- Septimus Falls
The locals:
- Eru Saul, a half-caste
- Sgt. Stan Webley
Locale: New Zealand
Synopsis: It is 1943 and World War II is entrenched in the South Pacific. Captain Edward and Agnes Claire own and operates a New Zealand spa, Wai-ata-tapu, which consists of various mud and water baths, believed to have curative properties. The spa is worn, tidy, and comfortable; and run more as a hobby than as a serious business operation.
The guests include Maurice Questing. Questing is disliked by everyone, yet has a hold over the family; as he holds a mortgage on the property which is near foreclosure. Dr. Ackrington is suspicious of him, as he periodically climbs a tall mount nearby - sacred to local Maoris - to search for relics, and where a suspicious signal light to sea is seen. The light coincides with torpedo sinking of Allied ships. Questing, preparing for taking over the spa, pressures famous actor Geoffrey Gaunt (suffering from a leg ailment) to visit the spa, as a publicity tactic. Gaunt is accompanied by secretary Dikon Bell and valet Alfred Colly.
The Claire's son, Simon, is learning Morse Code in order to join the military. He reports the signals from the mount, suspects and watches Questing. The Claire's daughter, Barbara, is just coming of age and is catching the eye of the men; particularly Gaunt, who takes her under his wing in a friendly way.
The local Maoris provide a concert to honor the Claires and encourage them to stay and operate the spa, keeping it from Questing. After the concert, Questing sets off to the spa across the dangerous mud pools - the paths marked by signal flags - white for safe, red for danger (see cover above). A scream is heard and Questing cannot be found. Did he fall into one of the bubbling mud pools?
Review: The reader is well-prepared when beginning the story, as the text is prefaced by a list of characters and their relationships, as well as a list of Maori words used in the text along with their English meanings. The only thing lacking is be a map showing the relationship of the spa, the mud pools, paths and the village. (Was this ever a Mapback? It would be a natural!)
Questing disappears into the mud midway through the book, and the plot becomes is he dead, or was it faked?
There is a lot of backstory before the excitement begins, but it did not lag for me. I learned a lot about New Zealand and the Maoris, and the mysterious mud pools. As soon as the colored flag system was described, I thought a switcheroo of the flags would certainly be the murder method, but that was not correct. Much attention is paid to the "four mysterious circumstances":
- Conflicting stories about the flowers blooming
- Conflicting stories about the railway signal
- Conflicting stories about Eru's shirt
- Conflicting stories about the colored flags
The reader may see a common element in these four which will give a hint as to what happened.
Also see these reviews by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block: Review #1 and Review #2.
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