Death of a Fool.

New York, NY Berkley Prime Crime , 1994. Paperback First Edition Thus, (1994); First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. First Edition Thus, (1994); First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. Very Near Fine in Wraps: shows the expected light tanning to the text pages due to aging; else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creases to the panels. Free of creases to the backstrip. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of underlining, hi-lighting, notations, or marginalia. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome, nearly-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing a single unobtrusive cosmetic imperfection. Bright and Clean. Corners sharp. Virtually 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 12mo. (6.85 x 4.25 x 0.85 inches). 303 pages. Language: English. Weight: 4.6 ounces. Reprint Edition; first published in 1956 by Little, Brown & Company. Mass Market Paperback. Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh DBE (1895 – 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Marsh is known as one of the "Queens of Crime", along with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham. She is known primarily for her character Inspector Roderick Alleyn, a gentleman detective who works for the Metropolitan Police in London. The Ngaio Marsh Award , created in her honor, is awarded annually for the best New Zealand mystery, crime and thriller fiction writing. 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 the secrets and sins of an eccentric group who include a surly blacksmith, a domineering dowager, and a not-so-simple village idiot. Classic Marsh.