A painter herself, Agatha takes a solo trip on a river cruise through “Constable Country” in England to learn more about the famed artist and see the places in which he was inspired. The “constables” in question refer not to police officers, but landscape paintings by the 19th-century artist John Constable. This book deviates from Marsh’s usual format by alternating between Alleyn deconstructing a case for a class of new recruits and flashbacks to the actual action, experienced by his wife Agatha. Readers familiar with Marsh’s earlier work can see how the iconic Roderick Alleyn has developed over time, getting married and rising in the ranks of the police force to become a Chief Superintendent. Published in 1968, Clutch of Constables is one of the last books in Marsh’s detective series. Related: 11 Puzzle Mysteries That Will Positively Perplex You A fun puzzle reminiscent of Clue, A Man Lay Dead is a great introduction to Marsh’s work. It’s all in good fun, but when Alleyn plays while on a weekend getaway at a country house, the seemingly harmless game ends in an actual murder. The lights go out, and when they come back on, the remaining guests are tasked with guessing who the murderer is. The plot of A Man Lay Dead concerns itself with a party game that was popular at the time, in which one guest is selected to be “the murderer” and chooses a victim. Little did she know that she would come to be remembered among their ranks as a Queen of Crime, and that this freshman effort would be adapted into a British television series, The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries.

The inspiration came to her after reading a detective story by Dorothy Sayers, and Marsh wondered whether she could hold her own in the genre. Published in 1934, this is Marsh’s first novel and first work to feature Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn. Read on to discover the best Ngaio Marsh books. While you can’t go wrong with any Ngaio Marsh books, the riveting reads below stand out as Marsh's most fascinating, fun, and compulsively readable works. Related: 12 Must-Read Murder Mystery Books for Fans of Knives Out

She's best known for creating her iconic character Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn, a British gentleman detective featured in all of her novels. Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Agatha Christie, Marsh dominated the Golden Age of detective fiction-publishing 32 novels between 1934 and her death on February 18th, 1982, as well as several short stories and four nonfiction books. Born Edith Ngaio Marsh on April 23rd, 1895 and later known by her official title, Dame Ngaio Marsh, this mystery writer grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand during the turn of the 20th century. Thrills and chills are always in store when Ngaio Marsh is at the helm, as anyone who has dived into this Queen of Crime’s books can attest.

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