Inspector Alleyn 3-Book Collection 11: Photo-Finish, Light Thickens, Black Beech and Honeydew. Ngaio Marsh
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NGAIO MARSH
INSPECTOR ALLEYN 3-BOOK COLLECTION 11:
Photo Finish, Light Thickens, Black Beech and Honey Dew
CONTENTS
For Fredaneve with love
CONTENTS
| Isabella Sommita (née Pepitone) | |
| Ben Ruby | Her manager |
| Montague V. Reece | Her friend |
| Rupert Bartholomew | Her protégé |
| Maria | Her maid |
| Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn CID | |
| Troy Alleyn RA | His wife |
| His Assistant Commissioner, Scotland Yard | |
| Bert | A chauffeur |
| Les | A launchman |
| Marco | A manservant |
| Ned Hanley | Mr Reece’s secretary |
| Signor Beppo Lattienzo | The Sommita’s Master of Singing |
| Hilda Dancy | A contralto |
| Eru Johnstone | A bass |
| Sylvia Parry | A mezzo-soprano |
| Rodolfo Romano | A tenor |
| Sir David Baumgartner | A critic |
| Mrs Bacon | Housekeeper |
| Dr John Carmichael, MD | A guest |
| Inspector Hazelmere | Rivermouth Constabulary |
| Detective-Sergeant Franks | Rivermouth Constabulary |
| Detective-Sergeant Barker | Rivermouth Constabulary |
| Dr Winslow |
One of the many marvels of Isabella Sommita’s technique was her breathing: it was totally unobservable. Even in the most exacting passages, even in the most staggering flights of coloratura, there was never the slightest disturbance of the corsage.
‘You could drop an ice cube down her cleavage,’ boasted her manager, Ben Ruby, ‘and not a heave would you get for your trouble.’
He had made this observation when sitting in a box immediately above the diva at the Royal