''Light Thickens'' is a

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as spe ...

Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the " Golden Age of De ...

; it is the thirty-second, and final, novel to feature

Roderick Alleyn Roderick Alleyn (pronounced "Allen") is a fictional character who first appeared in 1934. He is the policeman hero of the 32 detective novels of Ngaio Marsh. Marsh and her gentleman detective belong firmly in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, ...

, and was first published in 1982. The plot concerns the murder of the lead actor in a production of ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' in London, and the novel takes its title from a line in the play. A number of characters in the book appeared previously in Marsh's novel ''

Death at the Dolphin ''Death at the Dolphin'' is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh. It is the twenty-fourth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1966 as ''Killer Dolphin'' in the United States. The plot centres on a glove once owned by Hamnet ...

''. The novel is dedicated to the actors James Laurenson and Helen Thomas who had played Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, respectively, in the author's 1962 production of the play, which she had previously directed, also for The Canterbury University Players, in 1946. The subject was close to the author's heart. In 1981, she wrote to her close friends Maureen (''née'' Rhodes) and John Balfour that the novel had been in her mind for a long time, was "hell" to write and would, she thought, appeal to theatre people rather than to her usual fans. Her characteristic modesty proved wrong, as the novel sold extremely well, receiving especially favourable reviews in the US. Her biographer describes the novel as effectively Ngaio Marsh's third production of the play.Margaret Lewis 'Ngaio March: A Life' Like

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play, ''Light Thickens'' is gory and dramatic, but apart from the traditional murder mystery at its centre, and its use of the theatrical superstitions surrounding "The Scots Play" (a title her publishers favoured at one point), the book describes in absorbing detail the rehearsal, production and run of a "flawless" production, with the backstage tensions and theatrical detail conveyed with all the author's style, verve and experience. Especially intriguing, among her usual ''dramatis personae'' of suspects, including the grandly arrogant leading man and gracious leading lady, are the characters of two actors - Rangi, the young Maori who plays one of the witches, and Gaston Sears, the obsessive fight director who also plays Seyton. Marsh fans enjoy meeting again the director Peregrine Jay and his wife Emily (now parents), Jeremy Jones and the management of the Dolphin Theatre from her 1966 ''

'', and observing how the theatre world she describes has changed from her earlier backstage novels of the 1930s-1950s. In ''Light Thickens'' she shows management dealing with chaperonage of young performers, union rules and

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership *Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the diff ...

representatives, a left-wing, agit-prop politico within the cast, and so on.

References

Roderick Alleyn novels 1982 British novels Novels about actors Novels set in London Macbeth Collins Crime Club books {{1980s-mystery-novel-stub