I Can Find My Way Out

By: Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by: John Telfer

A short story from the British Library Crime Classic collection Final Acts. When a famous theatre actor is found dead in his changing room, it is initially labelled a suicide. But Inspector Alleyn believes there is more to it, and soon the cast of the production find themselves under suspicion.

©1964 Ngaio Marsh (P)2023 Soundings

lamprey

the plot was much like opening night in plotting and characters and happened in the same theatre

Great story, well performed

Ngaio Marsh didn’t write all that many short stories, so it’s fun to dive in. As a mystery, it’s a little bit of a cheat: technically the clues are there, but the solution really feels like it comes out of nowhere. But it’s so well written that we don’t really care, do we? Well read & performed.

My favorite

I don’t like short stories as a rule but I like everything about this. A huge Ngaio Marsh fan, I have read and listened to all of her books and short stories and very much enjoyed most of them. In this case, the performance of the audiobook makes the story come alive like no other. Well done.

Usually, I love Ngaio Marsh...

But for some reason this one falls flat. Don't want to give things away (after all, I might be wrong and you'll love this one) but it seemed very complex, very long, and ended with a surprise motive that was nowhere (as far as I can see) hinted at. Nevertheless, John Telfer turned in his usual polished perfection at the mic.