At the winter solstice, South Mardian's swordsmen weave their blades in an ancient ritual dance. But for one of them, the excitement proves too heady, and his decapitation turns the fertility rite into a pageant of death. Now Inspector Roderick Alleyn must penetrate not only the mysteries of folklore but also the secrets and sins of an eccentric group, including a surly blacksmith, a domineering dowager, and a not-so-simple village idiot.
Ngaio Marsh is a master of the mystery story. She says of herself: "I just slid into detective writing . . . I had no notion I should be wedded to it for the rest of my life."
She slid to the very top of her profession, however, and now stands with Agatha Christie, who first inspired Miss Marsh to try her hand at detective novels.
