Swing, Brother, Swing - Ngaio Marsh

Not quite mad enough to be institutionalised, not quite sane enough for his family to be comfortable, Lord Pastern is a man of obsessions. His latest is playing drums in Breezy Bellairs’ swing band. 

Breezy, on the other hand, is an anxious peacemaker with, perhaps, an eye to the main chance while around him swirl problems and antagonisms.

Pastern’s step daughter Fee, for example, unofficially engaged to the accordionist (who is furious that she won’t announce it) while her mother tries to set her up with her cousin instead.

Or Breezy’s usual drummer (‘tympanist’), who has to step down to let Pastern do his stuff, and threatens to leave for another outfit. While Pastern deludes himself that Breezy is planning to let the man go and hire him instead, the band all know that Pastern just isn’t good enough, and his ideas about showmanship are pure ham..

And then farce turns to tragedy when the staged shooting of the accordionist ends in a real dead body..

Luckily Detective Chief Inspector Alleyn and Troy are sitting close by (although Troy doesn’t really come into this one. Nor does Bathgate, who pops up for copy and other reasons that I don’t quite recall. Fox is much more entertaining, quietly amusing himself ticking off the rank and file, or ordered home and then found in the servants quarters asking questions all friendly-like.) 

The puzzle is shades of Enter a Murderer, and I guessed whodunnit, but the mystery is pretty superfluous here, Marsh does a nice line in personalities, and Fox’s French practice and the patter of the band musicians is just enough to be entertaining and not so much as to be annoying.

9/10 for this one.