A Surfeit of Lampreys

 A Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh 336 pp.

The Lampreys in this story are not the dangerous eel-like fish with the toothed, sucking mouth. Marsh has created the Lamprey family, an eccentric brood that has no sense of money management or social graces. The family includes dotty family members and those who are outright mad. Soon after the arrival of a young friend from New Zealand, Charles Lamprey and his wife Charlot are trying to convince Charles' brother, Lord Wutherwood to give them money to get them out of yet another financial crisis - something the Lord has done before. However, the meeting does not go as planned and Lord Wutherwood is found dead in the elevator after meeting with his brother. Inspector Roderick Alleyn takes on the investigation and is incessantly thwarted by the Lamprey offspring who do everything in their power to confuse the facts and lead the Inspector astray. Eccentricity and madness do not thwart Alleyn and he once again manages to solve the crime. This episode seemed to drag and, more than once, I found myself dozing off while reading it.