Good portrait of a dysfunctional family
Troy Alleyn is commissioned to paint a portrait of the great actor Sir Henry Ancred. Though thanks to journalist/friend Nigel Bathgate she has some idea of what's in store for her, nothing fully prepares her for the amount of in-fighting, jealousy and histrionics the Ancred family can provide. Against this backdrop, Troy is reunited with her husband, Inspector Alleyn, who has been away on CID business for a couple of years. This book is one of the more interesting novels, in that: A) You get to see the beginning of the mystery from Troy's point of view. B)Marsh really knows how to write about awkward reunions and C) You get to see something of the artist's process (not surprising, I suppose, since Marsh herself painted). Another good read by Marsh.